Andiamo! Stefanino Panino Is Back in Brunswick

Stef Condello and his mum Diana Condello opened the original Stefanino Panino in Brunswick East in 2022. After about a year and a half on Lygon Street, the business moved to a larger shop in Collingwood Yards to keep up with increasing demand for the sandwiches – which sold out regularly, but were capped at up to 200 per day.

“We couldn’t really fit more than three bodies behind the fridge in that space, so that would obviously limit the output that we could do. The volume grew a lot faster than I was ready for,” Stef told Broadsheet after relocating to the Collingwood space.

Now, Stefanino Panino has expanded, with a second venue back in Brunswick.

“Going back to Brunswick eventually has been in the back of my mind,” he says. “We wouldn’t be in Collingwood if not for the crowd in Brunswick. I grew up there, they’re our people – I felt like it was super important to get back here and connect with our crowd again.”

The new Glenlyon Road shop is sandwiched between Lygon and Sydney Roads, about a kilometre from the original store. Like the OG, it’s takeaway focused, but has a bit more room to move.

“It’s like a perfect middle ground between the first Brunswick East shop and the Collingwood one,” Stef says. “It’s got a proper kitchen and some stylish elements like Collingwood, as well as a little space for external seating, but it’s takeaway focused like the original spot.”

The similarities extend to the food: the sandwich menu in Brunswick mirrors that in Collingwood, so you can get your fix of bread crammed with cold-cuts, cheese and pickled veggies at both shops. Spicy calabrese panini stuffed with peppers; caprese sandwiches with salumi, cheese and tomato; and a meaty il manzo with beef, cheese and multiple types of peppers will all feature. A crumbed chicken cotoletta number and a caesar salad-style sandwich are also expected to sell well.

The new shop doesn’t serve booze, but there’s coffee from Genovese and Stef expects to do more early morning trade there – the original didn’t have an espresso machine. So come ready to sip a streetside macchiato (or a chinotto) along with your panini.

“There’s schools and a bit more of a morning commute crowd around here, so I think having the coffee machine instead of a wine offering, like we do in Collingwood, makes a lot of sense.”

The space is a former fish‘n’chip shop, anchored by a counter on one side when you enter and an exposed brick wall on the other. The concrete floor, white tiling and white painted exterior reflect Stef’s no-fuss ethos. On the Blair Street wall, you’ll also find a mural of a cherub between two panini buns painted by @mitch.r.signs.

“We were stabbing in the dark a little bit when this whole sandwich craze started,” says Stef. “Getting all that experience under our belts in Collingwood and coming back to Brunswick with everything that we’ve learned is super exciting. It’s still the original vibe, the same menu, we just feel super fortunate to be able to do this.”

Stefanino Panino II
43 Glenlyon Road, Brunswick
No phone

Hours
Tue to Sun 8am–3pm

stefaninopanino.com
@stefanino.panino