All the New Sandwich Shops We Got Excited About in 2025 (So Far)

There are few things more diverse than a sandwich. Across Perth, cafe and restaurant owners are serving creative takes on the simple sanga.

Here are some newbies we got excited about this year.

Banh Mi & Chè, Carlisle

As you’d expect from the name, Banh Mi & Chè serves both banh mi and chè. The Carlisle cafe was opened by Kelly Vo, who moved to Perth from her hometown of Nha Trang, Vietnam. There are five variations of banh mi. Each roll has crispy bread with homemade pâté, pickled carrot, spring onion, coriander and soy. For fillings, you can choose crispy roast pork; grilled nem nuong (pork patties); lemongrass chicken; egg and sausage; or the house special which is a combo of three meats. For dessert there’s chè, a coconut milk-based dessert that traditionally mixes in mung beans, tapioca, jelly and seasonal fruits.

Earl’s, Mount Hawthorn

Meet Earl’s, a casual Mount Hawthorn lunch spot, which was opened by Will Parkes after he closed down coffee window Fornever. Earl’s prides itself on a tight but hearty menu. It starts the day with a substantial breakfast sandwich of a ham hock patty with egg and American cheese drizzled with barbeque sauce. From 10.30am, you can find lunch options like roast lamb flatbread filled with fries, jalapeno zhug and garlic yoghurt; and a roast beef hoagie with scamorza, dijonnaise and pickles.

North 54, Leederville

Bac Pham (ex-Rockpool and Petition) is reimagining the classic Vietnamese sandwich at North 54. Rolls include hibachi-grilled gai yang (Thai-marinated chicken); fermented red bean marinated roast pork; and the son-in-law egg banh mi with gooey eggs, tamarind mayo and crisp shallots. They’re also available as a rice or noodle bowl. To sip, there’s Vietnamese-style drip coffees served dine-in or takeaway, as well as coconut water with a pandan “cloud” – a silky whipped topping – and a photogenic matcha “cloud” with clean, defined layers.

Honourable mentions: not sandwich-specific, but serves a good sanga

Be Free, East Perth
After quietly becoming one of Subiaco’s cult coffee and brunch hotspots, organic cafe Be Free has moved to greener and grander pastures at Perth City Farm, where its produce-driven ethos feels more prevalent than ever. Surrounded by community garden beds and fruit trees, the dishes at Be Free are shaped by what’s growing nearby or sourced from the Saturday farmer’s market.

There’s a long all-day menu and a grab-and-go section including five focaccia sandwiches. Pick your filling from sopressa salami, mozzarella, date jam and hot honey and rocket; a roast beef and chimichurri number with cheddar and sweet onion; a smoked caponata with cashew crème and savoury granola; apricot chicken with brie and rocket; and a ham and cheese number with gooey cheddar, comté and mustard.

Lovers Deli & Canteen, White Gum Valley
Okay so technically Lovers Deli & Canteen opened in December 2024, but it was so close to New Year’s Eve that it gets to be included here. The diner, deli and lunch bar hybrid is the passion project of Mia Gammon and Jake Carter, who also own Good Things Cafe. The space oozes old-school charm with timber veneer panelling, chrome counters, glossy green features and plush banquette seats.

But now to the sandwiches: there’s a club sandwich with spiced chicken, crispy bacon, heirloom tomato, lettuce and aioli. The all-day breakfast menu includes two brekkie buns: one with haloumi, egg, aioli and pickled onion; and another sausage and egg number with cheese, Russian dressing and pickled onion.

Lulu’s Cantina, Subiaco
Sibling to beloved Subiaco osteria Lulu La Delizia, Lulu’s Cantina is a walk-ins-only wine bar-style space serving thick-cut panini, antipasti and aperitivo treats, as well as Lulu’s famous meatballs and rotating pasta specials. The cantina opens at midday, offering a more casual visit while still maintaining Lulu’s philosophy of hearty hospitality. The small kitchen slices its own salumi and offers a selection of Italian cheeses and wines, coffee and deli sandwiches including a show-stopping meatball ciabatta that’s served under a blanked of grated parmesan.

Side Piece Deli, Swanbourne
Side Piece Deli, the latest opening from The Pantry Group, which also owns Daisies Cottesloe and The Other Side wears many hats: in the morning it’s pastry-led and by lunchtime it’s sandwich-driven. Pastry chef Eliza McCambridge-Dax is a master of her domain with smoky, sweet bacon, maple and walnut scrolls; brioche with pandan custard and coconut crumble; potato danishes: pork and fennel sausage rolls; and more.

Head chef Jason Goodorally’s sandwich line-up offers a fresh take on the familiar. Goodorally brings his Lions and Tigers pedigree to the Keralan fried chicken sandwich, elevated with kasundi aioli and pickled onion and served between two slices of house-made focaccia. A spiced onion bhaji sandwich comes with herbed hung yoghurt and fresh kachumber (a tangy South Asian salad). The fish katsu sando sees crumbed market fish from Fins Seafood, fukujinzuke pickles and tamarind tonkatsu sauce tucked into pillowy shokupan.

Additional reporting by Chelsea Seale, Jessica Rigg, Madeline Wallman & Ange Yang.