A new Hobart venue serving New York-style pizza by the slice alongside cocktails and music has opened to massive demand, with queues stretching out the door for around seven hours on its first weekend.
Don Frico, located in the former Society Salamanca building on Montpelier Retreat, is the brainchild of five mates who saw a gap in the city’s food and nightlife scene.
Co-owner Ben Wells said the opening weekend exceeded expectations.
“It was amazing, man. It was everything we could have hoped for,” he told Pulse.
The venue seats 62 people, with room for about 20 more during late-night bar hours.
Wells said the venue was full from 4pm on opening day, with another 40 or 50 people trying to get in at all times.
“We did our best to try and filter people through, but it’s a good problem to have, I guess,” he said.
The response was so strong that the owners had to warn friends to hold off visiting until the following weekend.
Wells and business partner Jordan Dunn, who have run Elizabeth Street dive bar Grinner’s together for eight years, teamed up with three kitchen operators who’ve worked together for 10 years across various venues.
The group bought Society Salamanca and ran it under that name for about three months before rebranding.
Wells said that was a deliberate move.
“We didn’t wanna come in without having kind of spent time in the space and really watching the way people move throughout the venue and kind of noticing what it was missing and what it needed,” he said.
The idea behind Don Frico was to fill two gaps in Hobart’s bar scene, proper New York-style pizza by the slice paired with quality drinks, and a late-night spot for people in their mid-30s who want good music and a cocktail without the intensity of a big Salamanca venue.
“We’ve been waiting for a venue like this” was the message from customers, Wells said.
The name itself comes from Detroit kitchen slang, where “frico” refers to the cheese skirt on a Detroit-style pizza.
The owners added “Don” to avoid confusion with existing Hobart restaurant Fico.
“Don Frico roughly translates to boss cheese, which I think is like a good pizza name,” Wells said.
Vinyl DJs play on weekends, with music curated by the crew from Tickle, who run warehouse parties on Warwick Street.
Don Frico is open Tuesday to Saturday from 3pm till late and Wells said bookings are already filling up fast.
