When a journalist writes about Frankie’s Pizza the story tends to go like this
Written by Natasha Christian & Photos by James Gough
Dave Grohl went there. And when Dave Grohl went there, he hid in The Fun Room toilet and drank expensive whiskey. Debbie Harry went there. And when Debbie Harry went there, she refused to skip the line.
No doubt these are cool stories - legendary even. But as we prepare for Sydney’s greatest bar to get steamrolled by a train line, I reckon there’s more to Frankie’s than the long list of celebrities that went there. Frankie’s is a rare success story of Sydney’s cutthroat bar scene.
It not only survived for 10 years - enduring a global pandemic and draconian lockout laws - it even thrived right til the end. Ten years is a bloody long time for a bar to stay open. Trends come and go in Sydney to the point where it can feel like the SHEIN of bar scenes. Yet Frankie’s (ahem Jordan, Emma and co) managed to do it 7 days a week, open late every night and most of the time with a line of happy punters out the door.
So, what’s the secret sauce to Frankie’s success, and could it (should it?) ever be replicated? Is it the pizza? Is it the long list of local and international bands who played there? Is it the fact Frankie’s never had a cover charge? Is it Jordan’s ability to draw a diverse crowd and somehow make everyone feel like they belong? Is it the promise of a wild, naughty night out? Whatever it is, it’s a formula that worked well for a long time, without much change.
It’s hard to think of a raging night out that hasn’t ended in someone asking “wanna go to Frankie’s?” You’d have to do some quick math based on how pissed you were, whether it was too close to closing and how much it would cost to get there. It’s sad that question will never be asked again. It’s already shifting to “wanna hit up The Duke?” which is kinda funny cause it’s manager Sabrina left Frankie’s a few years back to bring the rock and roll circus to Enmore.
My all-time favourite night at Frankie’s doesn’t involve a celebrity and it didn’t happen ‘back in the day’. It was a simple day in June, 2022 when a bunch of good friends came together to celebrate a rock and roll love story. Yep, I saw my friends Jen & JJ get married to Meatloaf under a neon ‘Death in June’ sign at the first Frankie’s Pizza wedding. James (Outsiders) was there taking photos too.
The heavy lovefest kicked on with the first Big 4 show - Jordan’s lineup of Aussie metal stalwarts tasked with belting out thrash classics from Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. The night also highlighted Frankie’s love and never-ending support of the Aussie metal scene, showcasing musos from its own World Famous House Band, Burden Man, Mountain Wizard Death Cult, Desecrator, Harlott, Flaming Wreckage, Sumeru and Killrazer.
Not only did I get to see friends I love get married, I also got to see the guy I love (Justin) belt out Metallica songs with his mates to a packed crowd loving every minute. Oh, and my mum was there too. Holding her own with the metal-heads, having an awesome time bopping to
Seek and Destroy and Master of Puppets.
And as the show raged on, The Fun Room lived up to its name too. I’m not sure if we drank the same whiskey (or as much) Dave Grohl did - but it was still a legendary (... and messy) night. I’ve got many Frankie’s memories, but the one I really don’t want to forget is the one where everyone I love was there - having the best time eating pizza to great live and local music.
So I end my love letter to Frankie’s with a love story that happened there. Because I really did love it there, and I know many others did too.
RIP.
