Lupo is a neighbourhood Italian bar and restaurant in Mermaid Beach. With a warm, convivial vibe and an ethos of simple, quality and produce-driven food, Lupo delights diners and bar-snackers with a series of authentic Italian eats. Start with smaller plates and bar snacks like liver-pate toast with cherries or a salumi plate arranged with mortadella, coppa and salami, before getting acquainted with Lupo’s fresh pasta dishes. Think rigatoni with pork-and-fennel sausage, porcini and ricotta cappelletti with a mushroom brodo, and rye stracci with beef-cheek ragu and gremolata. There’s also larger plates like barbecued local pork tenderloin with a fig and eggplant agrodolce, and woodfired kingfish with clams in acqua pazza, with the likes of a vibrant panzanella salad, barbecued market greens and Tuscan-herbed potatoes on offer for the side. There’s a raft of Italian-style cocktails behind the bar, along with a tight selection of wines. After 9:00 pm, Lupo’s raw and moody late-night bar comes to life with sips and bar snacks (like chicken parmigiana sandwiches) served up until midnight, guaranteed.