The Best Sandwiches in Sydney
When John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, assembled the world's original sandwich in the 1700s, he probably had no idea how far it would go. We don't just mean geographically, either. Sandwiches are now the vehicles for just about every edible item on earth.
Here in Sydney we've embraced the lot, from the Reuben to the French Dip, the Japanese katsu sando to the Vietnamese banh mi. We’ve recently seen a resurgence in big Italian style sangas filled with every cut of deli meat imaginable. Whether they're simple, elaborate or completely outrageous, here's where to find Sydney's best.
Cafe
Good Ways Deli
A cafe, deli and bakery serving up sangas and treats inspired by school canteens, country bakeries and other nostalgic Australian references. There's a big emphasis on native ingredients, plus you can grab pickles, condiments and more to take home.
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Hong Ha Bakery
There’s always a line for this Vietnamese bakery’s excellent banh mi. But don't worry, it moves quickly. The pork roll here ranks among Sydney’s best, and the recipe hasn’t changed in 30-odd years. Not a pork fan? Go for the chicken, schnitzel or meatball roll instead.
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Small’s Deli
This petite, takeaway-focused sandwich shop at the leafy end of Potts Point offers no-nonsense sangas, strong coffees and a few bits and bobs for the pantry. There’s also a good range of salads, sweets and pastries.
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Self Raised Bread Shoppe
Details are everything at this retro bakery in the city’s south. The team behind pizzeria My Mother’s Cousin are making sangas with cross-section charisma, fruit-filled danishes and sourdough worth lining up for.
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Kosta's Takeaway
A “no bullshit” sandwich deli doing cold-cut layered paninis, cracking chicken-schnitty rolls and spectacular salad sangas. Served from a canteen-style window next to a smash-repairs workshop in Rockdale.
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Fabbrica
A deli, wine store and by-the-gram pasta shop from the Ragazzi team. It’s also a lunchtime destination, serving up serious ciabattas filled with everything from porchetta to meatballs. We love the deli meat hero when it’s on the menu.
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It’s Recess
A tiny sandwich spot turning out well-made, grab-and-go lunches that don’t cost the earth. If you’re here for brekkie, grab a BAE roll with chilli jam, or a yoghurt and granola cup for the win.
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Punpun
The “inner city sando committee” is in session. Come for next-level versions of the classic Japanese konbini snack, plus specialty coffee by a cult Sydney micro roaster.
Shop
Marrickville Pork Roll
Picture a baguette loaded with meat, carrot, pickled daikon, liver pate and coriander stalks. Now add birds-eye chillies so intense they’ll make your eyes water. Now picture a line of banh mi addicts wrapping around the block, hankering for Sydney's most famous banh mi. That’s Marickville Pork Roll.
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Ol’ Mates Sandwich Shop
Just a short stroll from Cooks River, surrounded by sporting ovals, sits this lively little sandwich shop. It’s got lunchtime covered with whopping schnitty sangas and a deli number packed with cold cuts.
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Ken’s Continental
Linger at a table below leafy trees over a continental plate loaded with cold-cuts, house-made pickles, olives and baguette, or a serving of fried eggs with black pudding and mortadella.
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Double Tap Coffee
This family-run cafe makes a strong case for simplicity in a sanga. Mortadella, artichoke, provolone, mint and a lick of mayo between two thick slices of Brickfields bread is all you need for a spectacular lunch (or breakfast).
Restaurant
Norma’s Deli
After a dip in the big blue, hit this epic Greek deli off for hulking focaccia sandwiches loaded with crispy pork schnitzel or mortadella. Chase with a classic Greek lager and you’ll feel like you’re somewhere far, far away from Sydney.
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Sandoitchi
A buzzing cafe doing riffs on Japan’s most famous convenience store item: the katsu sando. The one here is staked with cabbage, pickled carrots, American cheese and more. And considering the size, it’s bang for your buck. Expect katsu salad bowls, smoothies and Single O coffee, too.
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South Dowling Sandwiches
This takeaway-focused, old-school sandwich shop makes some of Sydney’s best (and biggest) sangas. But you don’t need to take our word for it – the lengthy queues that form outside it every single weekday at lunchtime should tell you how good these beauties are.
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Loaf Cronulla
Loaf is the kind of sandwich shop where everybody gets what they want. Not only can you choose your style of bread, you can forgo it completely and turn any sanga on the menu into a salad. There are also plenty of extras available to customise your order.
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Cut Lunch Deli
A lockdown sandwich obsession is now a sunny, deli-style eatery with a strong sanga game. Its owner – a trained pastry chef with experience at Quay – is serving up a Korean fried mushroom and kimchi slaw sanga, a Hetty McKinnon-inspired miso, Vegemite and cheese toastie, and freshly baked burnt-butter choc-chip cookies.
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Lowkey
Swap your morning coffee for steaming mugs of wattleseed chai and freshly baked strawberry-gum-jam doughnuts at this minimalist North Sydney spot.
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AP House
While you could add an egg to AP Bakery’s stunning bacon sarnie, there’s something to be said for leaving things as they were intended. In this case, that’s layers of thin and crispy bacon on a spongy fermented potato ciabatta smothered with aromatic curry leaf butter and hot sauce.
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Humble Bakery
There’s a little bit of Porteño magic in every one of Humble’s excellent sandwiches. Past highlights by the team include porchetta; grilled Cape Grim short rib with salad and chimichurri; and big saucy meatballs.
Restaurant
Harvey’s Hot Sandwiches
A nostalgic, subterranean sandwich diner dedicated to big, hot and tasty sandwiches. Find all the classics from a French dip to a Turkey Club, along with Nashville fried chicken, shoestring fries and house-made ice-cream.
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The Lucky Pickle
The sanga selection at The Lucky Pickle may be concise, but the team here doesn’t skimp on quality – or value. Everything sits around the $15 mark, so it’s no wonder these rolls tend to sell out. The chicken katsu number is the one to order.
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S'wich
Excellent sandwiches, big salads and natural wines are the recipe for a good time at S’wich, a new-wave sandwich diner in the centre of Bondi. In the evenings it transforms into a bar with global craft beers, Margarita seltzers from Cantina OK, pre-mixed Campari spritzes and Negronis made in-house.
Bar
Continental Deli, Bar & Bistro
There are tough decisions to be made if you’re hitting the Continental for lunch. Sure, you could go for the mortadella or the meatball number. But trust us – it’s the Fish & Chips you want. Picture a crunchy Humble baguette ferrying Ortiz sardines, fermented chilli, Pepe Saya and crisps. Plus, extra chippies on the side.
Restaurant
Dom Panino
Sydney’s first bona fide paninoteca is all about nailing the Italian sandwich. Come for the hero, loaded with five-hour slow-cooked pork and veal bolognese – but don’t leave without grabbing a fried-to-order Sicilian doughnut rolled in cinnamon sugar.
Restaurant
Brooklyn Bridge Deli
This hit chain brings New York energy and a hip-hop soundtrack to four locations in the CBD. It’s one of the only sandwich joints in town making its own pastrami – it’s smoked for eight hours, wrapped in foil and brined before being slow-cooked and sliced for the hero Reuben.
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John Montagu
Named for the Earl who invented the sanga, John Montagu is putting plenty of thought between two slices of bread. The signature here is the braised beef cheek with cheddar, sauerkraut, Spanish onion and house glaze.
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MLK Deli
There are seven ripper sandwiches and a breakfast brisket roll at this Central Asian deli. Plus Coffee Supreme coffee, homemade cookies, and Turkish smallgoods to take home.
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Kentaro
Kentaro is Oratnek spelled backwards – a nod to its sister venue in Redfern. You can get Oratnek’s signature katsu sando here (“worth the 15 minute wait”), but there’s also hard-to-find Japanese classics such as omurice. It’s restaurant-quality fare, set within an industrial fit-out.
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Joe’s Sandwich Bar
You won’t miss the meat at this vegan sandwich bar. It’s by the same crew as Peppe’s in Bondi, so you know the fillings here are inventive and big on flavour. Throw Iggy’s Bread into the mix and you’ve got a topnotch vegan two-hander.
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Frank's Deli
Anchored by its owners’ Polish heritage, this new-wave deli and cafe is big on sandwiches. The Reuben – a New York deli staple – is the occasional hero of the menu. The retail section is also teeming with smallgoods, pickles and condiments to take make your own stellar sandwiches at home.
Restaurant
Three Blind Mice
This provedore and deli has you covered with rare cheeses and every fancy pantry item under the sun. But we’re here to talk about sandwiches. Notably, the Tuscan flatbread panini filled with mortadella, truffle-butter-milk stracciatella, toasted pistachio and fresh basil.
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Bourke Street Bakery
At every one of Bourke Street Bakery’s locations, you’ll find filling daily sandwiches that won’t hurt the wallet. Considering what’s on it, the Wagyu beef number with pickled peppers, rocket and parsley mayo is an absolute steal.
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Soulmate Coffee
Soulmate's deli hoagie – a soft, pillowy thing stuffed with cold cuts, guindillas, tomato, provolone and crisp iceberg lettuce – requires the optional chippies for the win.
Shop
Wilburs Brookvale
Go for a hot sopresso, Calabrian pepper and smoked scamorza sanga. There’s also a classic chicken, honey mustard and dill pickle number plus a moreish take on a smoked salmon.
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Berta’s Deli
Airy slabs of Turkish bread steal the show at this Marrickville sanga shop, with meat from Whole Beast and LP’s joining house-made sauces and pickles, plus a jazzy little veggie number with grapes.
More Options
Roman’s Deli, Georges Hall
Ordering at this food truck should be easy. There are only six choices: three sandwiches, three bagels. But faced with the options, you might have to sit down on one of the cushion-topped milk crates to ponder for a minute or two.
Happy Alley, Rockdale
A sleek sandwich and baking operation with some of the most photogenic sangas you’ll find in Sydney. It also does a line in pretty cakes and moist cookies. The latter you can (and should) combo with a swirl of vanilla soft serve.
Cross Section, Darlinghurst
One of the inner-city’s most buzzy sandwich joints does a Bear-inspired corned beef number with giardinieras, served with a little pot of gravy for dunking. The chicken Caesar wrap and protein boxes are also worth the wait.
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