No apps, no online ordering or bookings. Doing things the old-school way is already paying off for second-generation pizza shop Frankly Nick’s.
There’s a lot to be said for a restaurant with a phone as its only means of contact. And, in the case of this new inner-west pizzeria, a landline at that.
As customers bite into lush cheese garlic rolls or the lissom Cossaca Marinara pizza, they hear the voice of Georgio Panousos, how opened Frankly Nick’s with his childhood friend William Kay in late July.
“Hello, Frankly Nick’s,” says Panousos into the phone receiver gregariously. “Yes, of course, no problem.”
I love this old-school restaurant noise. No apps, no online bookings, no worries. You have to ring to order a pizza or check how busy it is. Tonight, customers are streaming in from all angles, grabbing seats at the tomato-red tables indoors and on the footpath to eat in a spot that feels like an old-school pizzeria mixed with a traditional ristorante.
This is a feat worth pondering. It’s due partly to the interior – a cosy but smart blend of teak-like wall panelling, rich red hues and warm globe lights. But mainly it’s down to Kay and Panousos growing up in the kitchens of their fathers, Frank Kay and the late Nick Panousos, shown in several framed portraits on the walls.
Frankly Nick’s is named after these lifelong friends who, for 40 years, ran more than 25 Sydney venues together, including pizzerias. Their sons were always involved, from washing dishes in primary school to preparing pizza dough as teenagers, each learning the ropes of cooking and hospitality from their dads.
“This is the first shop that we’ve done without the parents’ involvement,” Panousos says. “We wanted to make it feel like home. But also, every time we look around at the photos of our dads, we know we’re doing it for them.”
Frankly Nick’s hums with finely tuned food from a one-page menu. Nine pizzas, two oven-baked pasta dishes and five fab side dishes. Start with the cheese and garlic roll, its charred and beautifully heavy folds swirled with confit garlic and a mozzarella and curd mix that stretches like music.
Next the Caesar’s Sister, named after Kay’s sister Eleni, whose recipe of shredded kale (robustly softened by her brother) comes with a sharp and sweet dressing and a crunchy crest of toasted breadcrumbs and pecorino romano.
Pizza highlights include the Cossaca Marinara – with capers, basil and Napoletana sauce on a semolina-dusted base – and the Sacrilege, a twist on ham and pineapple with the fruit slices infused with whisky liqueur.
You could easily spend an evening with the Deli Date Night Plate (a plentiful gathering of mortadella, salami, olives, artichokes, marinated tomato and burrata-topped bread) and finish with a gelafogato, a coffee cup filled with vanilla, pistachio or hazelnut gelato ladled with espresso. This will be a boon in summer.
Everything is house-made here, from the sauces to the bases (including a good gluten-free option), the bread, the hot honey – even the ladyfingers in the tiramisu.
Before Frankly Nick’s, evening dining options were sparse in Hurlstone Park. HP Bowlo bar down the road has snacky options (and order-in menus), but Kay and Panousos have brought new life to the area. And, like Sippenham in Sydenham and Olympic Meats in Marrickville, its proximity to Sydney Metro stop (when it opens) suggests more will come. Go now before the hordes descend.
Three other pizzerias with history to try
La Disfida
Hosting family dinners and first dates since the 1990s, this Haberfield institution is lauded for its pizza, conviviality and weekly specials. Sweeping polenta chips through gorgonzola sauce is also a favourite pastime of its many regulars.
109 Ramsay Street, Haberfield, ladisfida.com.au
Gigi Pizzeria
A King Street stalwart famous for being completely plant-based while sticking to Naples-style tradition. Try the Funghi e Stracchino, with mushroom, thyme and tangy nut-based cheese from Faux Sho in Western Australia.
379 King Street, Newtown, gigipizzeria.com.au
Pizza Hut
Yes, Pizza Hut. For retro food buffs, Pizza Hut’s two remaining dine-in restaurants in Sydney – in Minto and Windsor – retain the distinctive 1970s shingled roof and trapezoidal window architecture, spacious car parking and booth-seating. The waist-stretching all-you-can-eat pizza, pasta, salad and dessert-bar options live on, too.
1 Swettenham Road, Minto; 69 Macquarie Street, Windsor, pizzahut.com.au/dine-in
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