Coming Soon: D.O.C Is Taking Its Handmade Pasta and Woodfired Pizza Waterside with New St Kilda Outpost

D.O.C has played a significant role in the development of Melbourne's contemporary Italian dining scene ever since it opened its first Carlton site back in 1997. It blends warm and friendly old-school Italian hospitality with modern interiors and less-than-traditional cooking techniques and flavours — creating a roadmap for other Melbourne Italian restaurants to follow.

D.O.C. has since spread across Melbourne with sites in Southbank and Mornington Peninsula, as well as a location in Sydney's Surry Hills. And we've just learned that soon the crew will be pumping out woodfired pizzas and handmade pasta on The Esplanade in St Kilda.

D.O.C St Kilda will set up shop across from Alfred Square and look out over St Kilda Beach making it a mighty fine spot for spritz sipping and sunset viewings. The 100-seat restaurant will have a heap of outdoor seating plus a few highly covetable seats by the open kitchen.

The full menu hasn't been revealed yet, but D.O.C Director Michael Costanzo says that "the menu represents a glimpse into dining in Italy's present day. I hope guests are ready to enjoy a modern take on classic Italian hospitality."

Plenty of signature dishes found across all the D.O.C restaurants will feature, but one of the new dishes exclusive to the St Kilda site will be the campanelle pasta served with duck and Montenegro ragu. Beachgoers can also easily pop in to nab some of the daily house-made gelatos that'll include flavours like balsamic and grilled peach and Frangelico and hazelnut.

D.O.C St Kilda will be the seventh notch in the group's restaurant belt and the very first with seaside views.

You'll soon find D.O.C St Kilda at 14–16 The Esplanade, St Kilda, open 5pm–late from Monday to Thursday and 12pm–late from Friday to Sunday. For more information, head to the restaurant group's website.