Franco Pizza Bar — Restaurant in Wollongong City Council

A relative new comer to the Thirroul restaurant scene but one that has quickly cemented its place as a great spot for a relaxed family dinner or an intimate and refined dining experience.

Franco is the brain child of a group of seasoned restauranteurs and the good food guide describes it best… “Franco's owners have some serious pedigrees: chef Matt Taylor (Monopole, Bentley, Tetsuya's) and his pastry chef wife Johannah (Glass, Flying Fish) have teamed up with Sam Jones (Wine Library) after exiting Sydney in mid-2020 to raise their families in a more "relaxed coastal environment".”

The only thing they haven’t relaxed is a flair for producing fresh, seasonal and delicious food.

Our group was served by the wonderful and welcoming Eliane. The delivery was efficient and relaxed. Drinks and food arrived at a good pace and the service was professional without being pretentious.

The antipasti is a must before you indulge in the pizza. Everything is expertly cooked and plated; it’s a fine dining experience at a local pizza bar! Amazing!

The oysters were terrific! Sourced from Merimbula and served with a simple squeeze of lemon or a complex yet delicate mignonette.

The wagyu girello was super fresh and served with a bold celeriac and mustard sauce.

The snapper crudo is a stand out dish with beautifully delicate snapper sashimi served with fennel, finger lime a mild buttermilk dressing.

The roast eggplant was a complex and hearty dish with great texture thanks to the almond garlic sauce and charred pepper salsa.

The pizzas will have you as happy as Mario in the final lap of a go cart race!! The 72 hour dough is hand prepared and topped with the freshest of local produce. We had the Franco and Asparagus which we polished off, savouring every last bite… including the crust which is too good to leave behind.

There is an extensive drinks menu and wines from Australia and further abroad to satisfy the most discerning critic.

Franco hits the mark for casual dining that is fresh and delicious. We will be back!!...

OMG. My partner and I were having a lovely dinner on Sunday night until what I assume was the owner burst in screaming with his fellow entitled middle aged men screaming shots and drinks to each other as they made their way from the back of the restaurant to the bar. The loudest one (appears as the owner or main manager) walked behind the bar and started pouring drinks and laughing obnoxiously with his mates. The main concern, interestingly enough, was not the sudden outburst by a (guessing) 40 year old man who clearly had been on the beers that night, instead it was the lack of shock by the staff! They seemed to just continue on as though this wasn’t a rare or shocking occurrence, as though they were used to such behaviour from their superior? The waiters seemed to exchange looks between each other, and the bartender appeared uncomfortable and left the bar while he was pouring shots!

The staff were lovely and attentive, our server was very knowledgeable, attentive and kind, and the bartender was lovely and had a nice chat when she brought over our drinks. Pizzas were fantastic too. Would have remained a well spent night out if it weren’t for such a disruption. It is beyond unfortunate that such lovely workers are managed by a man who appears to have the professionalism and maturity of a 25 year old who doesn’t know hard work, merely how to drink.

I will most certainly not be returning, despite the good food and drinks, for the idea of spending my money at a place which allows such immature behaviour does not sit right with me....

We had the pleasure of introducing 3 local couples to the delights of Bar Franco (as I prefer to call it) last Thursday night. Each of the couples had a birthday to celebrate, so I advised the staff beforehand. Not only did we make a fuss of them with flowers and chockies, so did the restaurant!

It was their "Raid the Cellar Night" that's been happening for a couple of months. The deal was if you booked for the Set Menu 3 course Dinner then you could bring in your own wines and not be charged corkage, which we reckon is a fair deal (do it again please!). I booked the Green Room Table for the 8 of us and we duly assembled with a bottle of Sparkling 2 Whites and 2 bottles of old and very smooth Reds. They were all consumed over the next 2 and a bit hours. The dishes soon started coming Olives, Focaccia, Heirloom Tomatoes and Stracciatella Cheese, a yummy, soft, wet & white style of Mozzarella. The Pizza Oven was working overtime with a takeaway orders that night , not that we minded, but the manager apologized for the delay and presented us with a couple of plates of mussels in a chilli and aioli special sauce, and some potato crisps as a bonus. That was well received. One couple chose the Prawn Linguini Pasta dish, and the rest of us chose our Pizzas to share with chilli oil on the side and a plate of Green Oak Lettuce. Combined with our final glasses of red, these were a great finish to the savoury section. Finally, the "Tiramisu to die for" arrived and we were all done.

I think Bar Franco has gained 3 more repeat customers...