Valerie's Pizza Parlour opened on Hunter Street in November after a six-month renovation.

"We ran a pop-up just to test the waters and see if people actually liked it," says owner Steven Forbes.

"Also, we wanted to see if it would be hard to do. There were only four pizzas on the menu but, from that, it built up. Some weeks we sold out by 6.30pm."

Detroit-style pizza is rectangular, with a thick, crisp crust that has a cheesy, caramelised edge.

"I call the edge the money-maker," Forbes says with a laugh.

"It's a frico crust. It's basically like when you make a toasted sandwich and the cheese melts out, so you get nothing but grilled cheese. That's our crust.

"People never leave the crust. They fight over those corner pieces with the most cheese. It's the one pizza where you won't ever see any crust leftover."

There are 11 pizzas, including classic pepperoni with red sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni ($15); Black Forest smoked bacon and bbq pineapple with red sauce and mozzarella ($16); buffalo pulled chicken with red sauce, mozzarella, red onion, hot sauce and ranch ($16); and The Meathead with red sauce, mozzarella and every type of meat available in-house ($18).

A big fan of anchovies on pizza, Forbes added an anchovy pizza to the menu the day before opening and it has been a best-seller. Named the Salt of the Earth, the pizza combines vodka sauce with bocconcini, olives, white anchovies, mushrooms and basil.

"People love it. We also have a brussel spout pizza. When we did the pop-up, we always had vegetarian and vegan options, so it evolved from that," Forbes says.

"The brussel sprout is such an under-utilised ingredient in general. A roasted brussel sprout when you're having a baked dinner is primo, so I thought 'Let's whack it on a pizza'.

"We slow roast them with garlic and then dice them up, so it's pretty tasty."

Pizzas can be upgraded to family size for an extra $7 and vegan cheese is available for $3. Produce is sourced as locally as possible and everything is prepared daily in-house.

"The pizza toppings are pretty basic, but our main thing is that everything has to be fresh," Forbes says.

"We try to use as much local stuff as well. All of the cheese is local, the mushrooms are local, the flour is from Taree."

Sides include cheese and garlic bread, mozzarella sticks, smokey bbq hot wings and salads, such as pear and gorgonzola, chopped garden, cypress and kale summer slaw, and dessert (peach cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream).

Drinks include wine from the Hunter, Italy and New Zealand, two tap beers, craft beer tinnies, and cocktails.

For those who feel like Valerie's return has been a long time coming, there is good reason.

"We began looking for a space pretty much straight after we finished the pop-up," Forbes says.

"There was a lot available but they didn't tick all of the boxes. We were pretty pedantic with it and took our time to fine the right spot, then we found this place."

The restaurant is spacious, with a mix of table seating and booths, as well as a long bar where diners can pull up a stool.

A palette of dusty pink and emerald green creates a cool vibe in the space, which is complemented by a playlist that combines Motown classics with timeless soulful pop.

"I'm a big believer that everything has to tie in together. It's not just the fit-out and the food, it's the drinks, the music, the lighting, everything has to work together," explains Forbes, who grew up in Newcastle and moved back three years ago after a stint in Sydney where he owned a string of successful pubs.

Forbes, who also owns "dive bar" The Family Hotel in Newcastle and bought Maitland's Grand Junction Hotel earlier this year, is hoping to tap into the late-night crowd on Friday and Saturdays by keeping the kitchen open until 11pm.

And who is Valerie?

"Valerie is my grandmother," Forbes says.

"When I told her I was naming it after her she said, 'It better be bloody good'. She is a kitchen wizard. Ever since I can remember she has always cooked and I learnt a lot of her. It's a bit of a homage to her."