Look for the burgundy umbrellas and the inevitable queue and you’ve found N Lee, one of Melbourne’s earliest banh mi shops – and still one of its best. It’s been doing its thing since 1991 with few changes (accepting debit and credit cards is a recent innovation).

Inside, the experienced staff members chatter away in Vietnamese as they smear house-baked rolls with pate and mayo (also house-made, naturally) and efficiently load them with barbeque pork, pork loaf, crackling pork, nem nuong (pork sausage), barbeque chicken, tofu and other fillings. On the glass countertop, a formidable line of white paper bags indicates how many more orders lay ahead.

Most customers are here for the banh mi, but the display case also holds hotdogs, chicken schnitzels, sausage rolls, doughnuts and other baked goods. Vietnamese coffee and made-to-order salad sandwiches are also an option.

Food secured, pick a soft drink from the display fridges and nab one of three tables out front to enjoy your lunch.