It may be the new kid on the Nobby Beach block, but Franc Jrs is already primed to become a neighbourhood hotspot. Located on Lavarack Road, next to Ally Chow and directly opposite The Oxley precinct, the Nobby Beach iteration of Franc Jrs is essentially a carbon copy of its Coolangatta location in terms of the menu, look and feel, crafted with timber trimmings, maroon leather booths, a hint of grit and plenty of nostalgic throwbacks.

If you’re new to the Franc Jrs experience, then you’re in for a treat. Based loosely around the concept of an Italian-American family-style pizzeria, the menu features a selection of 13-inch classic and vegan pizzas (an ode to Tony and Claudia’s previous restaurant, Francie’s), alongside super-sized 16-inch round ‘cheese pies’ that you can keep simple or load up with extra toppings. The Franc Jrs specialty, however, is an interpretation of Detroit-style deep-dish pizza, known here as Sicilian Squares. Our pick? The White Stripe with all of the cheeses, including extra tallegio, ricotta and parmesan, plus red onion and lip-tingling hot honey. Grab a bowl of olives and a pickled-grape salad for the side, as well as a pot of creamy ranch dipping sauce to really make those leftover crusts sing.

While the original Franc Jrs in Cooly adopts a more casual, takeaway-focused, order-at-the-counter vibe, the all-indoors Nobby Beach location offers fast-and-fun table service, allowing diners to sink into the leather booths and explore the booze offering a little more – think fun wines, Franc’s own locally brewed beer, margaritas and cups of frozen limoncello.

Co-owner Carlos Lara says the switch to table service also changes the tempo of the kitchen, giving the Nobby Beach pizzeria a different vibe.

“At Cooly, we have an order every 2–3 minutes, whereas at Nobby’s, it’s so much more spread out that in the kitchen we feel so chill. We’re so used to being at Cooly where you have a full docket reel all night, but here, when an order comes through, we’ll punch it out in two minutes,” says Carlos.

Like its southern sibling, the new location operates on a walk-ins only basis – just write your name on the pizza box when you arrive and take a seat on the striped chairs out the front. With an already heaving takeaway trade, you can still expect to see plenty of pizza fiends spilling onto the Nobby Beach footpath, in true Franc Jrs fashion.

Franc Jrs Nobby Beach is now open and slinging pizzas from Wednesday to Saturday for now, with plans to extend to daily trade down the track. Jump to the Stumble Guide for opening times, contact details and more.