Destination Dining: Francie's Pizzeria, Gold Coast

Indoors has an intimate and relaxed vibe. Photo / Instagram

2/102 Griffith St, Coolangatta

We arrived… ready for a long evening catching up with a big group of friends. We made a booking because we'd been warned it would be hard to nab a table - which proved to be true. In the warm Gold Coast air we sat outside, enjoying the pleasant smell of dough firing up in the pizza oven.

We chose here because… we'd heard a lot of hype about the mussels. For a seafood lover, they sounded worth a visit.

Our first impression was… a relaxed, warm vibe with a menu that was very hard to choose from. As we perused our options we realised we had some friends in the tree above us: a couple of metres over our heads were a family of bats. We soon realised they weren't fussed by us and we shouldn't be fussed by them.

Ordering the charred octopus is essential. Photo / Instagram

We started with… the charred octopus and the steamed mussels that had lured us here, which were indeed ridiculously tasty. Hot tip: everyone comes for the mussels, so call ahead and make sure they have them in supply, you don't want to miss out. We also had focaccia, delightfully salty with a punch of garlic. It was crispy on the outside with a generous heaping of rosemary.

The highlight of the night was… the unlimited truffle, garlic and chilli oils on the table. Big airy pockets in the pizza bases made the perfect vessels to soak up the oil. The pizzas were divine; the crusts had a slightly charred exterior and the centres were chewy.

Dessert was… Wine! They don't do dessert, but by this stage we'd had so much delicious pizza we were happy to finish with another round of vino.

The pizza bases have big airy pockets, how the perfect wood-fired base is suposed to. Photo / Instagram

Come here if… you want delicious food and great vibes to enjoy with friends. With pizza, seafood and wine flowing, it's a little slice of Italy on the Gold Coast.

Unlimited oil on the table is always a good sign. Photo / Supplied

The bill… was totally reasonable. Pizzas were around the A$20-$25 mark and starters about A$20. Take a group and share as much as you can from the menu. And don't forget to give your dishes a good dousing with those delicious oils.

- Silke Weil