Picture this – your mitts wrapped firmly around a freshly baked sourdough focaccia round that is loaded with slices of mortadella, soppressata and prosciutto, your mouth watering in anticipation of that first flavour-packed bite. You go all in and it definitely does not disappoint. Sounds pretty great, right? If you concur, get along to Franc Jrs in Coolangatta for a feed that is guaranteed to hit the sweet spot. Since September 2022, Franc Jrs has been satiating starvations with its perfect pizza pies – as they’re called here – and seriously mouth-watering deep-dish Detroit-style slabs. While lunchtime trade was always on the radar, the crew decided the time was nigh and have rolled out a selection of loaded sammies (sandwiches), a couple of salads and pizza by the slice. For something fresh, simple and delicious, opt for the buffalo mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes with confit garlic, balsamic and basil, and at the completely opposite end of the culinary spectrum, sink your teeth into the fried mortadella with green-pickle salsa and mayo. Plant-based mates aren’t left out in the cold, there’s a dedicated vegan menu featuring the likes of cashew cheese, smoked tofu, roasted sweet peppers and eggplant parmigiana, to name a few.

Franc Jrs isn’t setting out to reinvent the wheel with their lunchtime offering. As co-owner Tony Pattinson says, “the idea was to serve good, simple and fresh sammies with minimal fuckery.” Despite the criteria, these sammies are anything but basic with the bread made fresh in-house daily using the venue’s signature high-hydration dough, leaving little pockets of air for the sauce to ooze into. “There’s nothing better than a sandwich that’s built fresh using quality ingredients,” Tony says. Given the line out the front, it seems plenty of people strongly agree.

If you’re keen to get your mitts on a Franc Jrs sammie, the venue is open for lunch from midday Wednesday to Saturday.

Images: supplied