Franco Pizza Bar co-owner Sam Jones said the weekend saw more than 100 people on the wait list each night after the venue had a soft opening on April 15.

"We're quite overwhelmed with the support already," Mr Jones said, adding they're just trying to find their feet.

Read more: Why Cin Cin pizzeria is moved out of Thirroul

Chef Matt Taylor said with all the positive and constructive criticism so far, patrons also said they would definitely be returning.

"There's always bumps along the road when you open a restaurant that we've got to sort though," Mr Taylor said. "It is our first week though, so we're going to make mistakes."

The pair - along with Taylor's wife and fellow chef Johannah - took over the old Cin Cin site on Lawrence Hargrave Drive with the intention of creating a space suited to families and people wanting a night out.

"The food we do, it is casual in the sense of friends and family sharing their food, and it does very much play on the Italian vibe," Mr Taylor said.

"I think we cover a lot of ground, people can see that we can do families earlier on in the day then if they want a cheeky date night then they can book for later into the evening."

The team have put a strong focus on local produce and locally sourced natural wines.

"The wine list is very approachable with 80 per cent of the wines under $100," Mr Jones said.

"It's wines of the world and a lot of focus on the smaller producers with minimal intervention."

Some of the delights from the food menu include house made focaccia; honey bug and garlic butter; house made ricotta and smoked salmon roe; the Franco signature pizza with tomato, pork fennel sausage, nduja, pecorino, fior di latte, mushroom and olives; a selection of kids pizzas; tiramisu and bomboloni.

Mr Taylor and Mr Jones previously ran the popular Wine Library in Woolhara, but left Sydney to raise their families in a more relaxed environment.

Franco is currently open Thursday to Sunday evenings, with weekend lunches beginning from Mother's Day. Wednesday night dining and take-away are also on the future agenda.

https://francopizza.com.au/

Read more: Wollongong snaps up snow gear as Thredbo season passes sell out

We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.