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Don Frico Opens Behind Salamanca With New York Slices, Martinis and a 3am Licence
Hobart finally has somewhere to go after dinner.
New York slices and puffy Detroit pizzas, ice-cold martinis and a disco ball hanging over velvet-lined booths. Don Frico gives Hobart the after-dark room it has been missing. In the former Society bar space behind Salamanca, the new opening brings together a vinyl lounge, a cocktail bar and a pizza shop, made for long nights that refuse to end early.
Co-owners Benjamin Wells and Jordan Dunn founded the much-loved Grinners dive bar in midtown, but Wells says the party spirit is a little more toned down here. Less rock’n’roll, a touch more Italo disco, with a DJ deck built into the bar, Pitt & Giblin speakers and DJs curated by ticcle on Fridays and Saturdays.
“We wanted to create a space for our friends,” Wells says. “The bar we want to drink at. We still want to stay out late and listen to DJs, but not in a club. It’s more of a house party.”
And a pizza party. Joined by chef trio and fellow co-owners Gus Jedamzik, Sam Atkins and Jarrod Sorbian, Don Frico pulls pies hot from the electric oven in true New York style. There are generous, thin-crust slices of spicy pork sausage with pepperoni, basil and whipped ricotta, with hot honey a must, plus an oozy four-cheese cacio e pepe topped with pangrattato, a smoky vegan eggplant slice and a Detroit-style square, thick, fluffy and crisped with golden cheese edges, slathered in vodka sauce. With dipping sauces on the side, not a single crust is wasted.
Snackers are not forgotten, with olives and oysters, fried crocche of cheesy potato with marinara, fresh crudo and heartier confit lamb ribs.
Cocktails are where Don Frico’s bar team shakes and stirs, with some Society and Void Bar pedigree behind the counter. Classics span martinis and margaritas, while riffs include a smoky piña colada and house originals with seasonal tweaks. The succinct wine list veers mostly Australian, with some Italian and French bottles and a preference for Italian varietals.
The design and fitout collaboration by Rivva and Thom Port Studio has transformed the space into a late-night lounge. Slip through an unassuming door and beyond the maroon velvet curtain to find curves throughout, from the maroon-upholstered booths hugging the walls to the bullnose barfront running along the back. It is 1920s art deco meets 1980s disco, with walnut-stained Tasmanian oak and blackwood features, custom mirrors and brass finishes catching the glow.
Seeing the collaborative project between friends come to life has made the labour of love worthwhile.
“We have felt a real sense of community,” Wells says. “People who have been looking for a space exactly like this. Which really reaffirms our idea in the first place, that there was something missing from the Hobart hospitality scene.”
A 3am licence gives Don Frico plenty of room for late nights, something Hobart does not have enough of. Settle in under the disco ball, martini in hand, and let the evening take the long way home.
Need to know:
What: Don Frico
Where: 22 Montpelier Retreat, Battery Point
Best for: Late-night pizza, martinis, DJs, group dinners and one-more-drink plans
Order: Spicy pork sausage and pepperoni slice with whipped ricotta and hot honey, cacio e pepe slice, Detroit square with vodka sauce, and a martini
Don’t miss: DJs on Fridays and Saturdays, plus the 3am licence for late-night Hobart rare birds
Don Frico feeds Hobart after dark with New York slices, Detroit squares, sharp drinks and a room built for one more song. In a city that often calls last orders early, this Salamanca newcomer keeps the night moving. For more delicious nights out, explore our guides to Hobart’s best bars and restaurants.
