La Bella Italia Pizza Restaurant

La Bella Italia is a family-run Neapolitan pizzeria at 3/346 Esplanade in Scarness, directly opposite the beach and regularly rated among the best wood-fired pizza on the Fraser Coast. It is an evenings-only dinner spot with a partly covered outdoor patio, and dogs are welcome out there while the Esplanade goes by.

The dog setup

Dogs join you on the partly covered patio, a comfortable perch opposite the beachfront with room for a dog to lie down beside the table. There is no indoor dog access, so on nights when the patio fills, a settled dog matters. Bring your own water bowl because one is not reliably provided, and book ahead in school holidays when the Scarness strip gets busy.

The food

The headline is authentic wood-fired pizza off a red or white base: Diavola, Capricciosa and prosciutto pizzas, plus arancini balls and burrata salad to start. The kitchen does slow-cooked wood-fired lasagna, tiramisu and a Nutella calzone for dessert. Coeliacs are looked after with house-made gluten-free dough prepared on site. There is a full bar for wine and beer, and QR code ordering keeps things moving on busy nights.

Getting there and parking

The restaurant opens dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday from 4:30pm, closing Sunday and Monday, so plan around the evening service. Free off-street and kerbside parking run along the Esplanade and the nearby side streets, all flat walking for a dog on lead.

Close by with the dogs

Scarness Beach and its parkland sit directly across the road, with the foreshore pathway along the front for an on-lead walk before or after dinner. Designated off-leash stretches along this part of Hervey Bay run on signage and time windows, so check the beach signs before unclipping. For more of the local food run, Enzos on the Beach is up the same strip, and Sea Breeze Cafe covers breakfast, while the Scarness off-leash beach area handles the morning run.

Best for a proper pizza dinner with the dog on the patio. More dog-friendly eating is on the Queensland restaurants guide, with the full suburb listing at Scarness with the dogs.