At Chippendale’s new sandwich destination Charc, every single ingredient in every single sanga is house-made. The star of the show is the decadent Clubhouse Steak. It comes packed with house-smoked Wagyu (marble score 7+), Swiss cheese, pickles and mild American mustard.

“We make everything ourselves from scratch,” says Pete Wilmot, who founded Charc with his wife, Emma Wilmot. “I even butcher the meat.” The two opened Charc in Artarmon in 2016, where they built up a fanatical local following. But, after losing their lease, they moved to Chippendale in July.

Before Charc, Wilmot worked extensively in hospitality, particularly in coffee. “I loved working in coffee, but I’ve been passionate about food since I was young. I’ve been to New York, where I have family, a lot of times, and the delis there really inspired me. They’re part of my heritage.”

We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.

SIGN UP

Though the space is new, the menu hasn’t changed. Second in popularity to the Clubhouse Steak is the Reuben, crowded with pastrami, kraut and White Russian sauce (all house-made), with layers of Swiss cheese. For super-carnivores, any sanga can be ordered with double meat. Veggos get their own version of the Reuben in the Mushrooben, which swaps out the pastrami for mushrooms.

The Wilmots source their ingredients from topnotch producers. Rangers Valley provides the Wagyu, Cowra’s Watervale Beef the pastrami, and Luxe the light sourdough. Chatswood’s Karmee Coffee roasts Charc its own house blend. Matching that blend perfectly are Charc’s giant, gooey, house-made, choc-chunk cookies. Everything can be ordered online, too – from the cookies to the pastrami (so you can make your own sandwich at home).

Charc occupies a sunny, pint-sized space on Regent Street. “We were in a warehouse loading dock in Artarmon. Even though the new space is different, we wanted to recreate the same feel,” Wilmot tells Broadsheet.

Key to that is loads of wood, splashed with Charc’s signature green, framed by fake grass walls and dotted with stacks of fake plants. There’s seating for eight inside and four outside. On the stereo, Wilmot spins a steady stream of “whatever is going to put you in a happy mood”, including hip-hop, blues, reggae, ska and B sides you won’t hear on the radio.

Also putting people in a happy mood are Charc’s prices. Wilmot, despite inflation, hopes to keep them stable. Charc might well be one of the last places in Sydney where you can buy a decent coffee for $3.50.

“Hospitality is about generosity,” says Wilmot. “We know there are people out there who could really use a discount on their coffee, and we want to support our community.”

Charc
61–65 Regent Street, Chippendale
0411 837 532

Hours:
Mon to Thu 7am–3.30pm
Fri 8am–2pm

charc.com.au
@charcsyd