Top ingredients, creative twists and extreme attention to detail are what separate Federico Zanellato’s creations from the rest. His snag roll is an unassuming-looking thing, but it’s packed with ethically raised pork from Emilio’s Butchery in Rozelle, one of the city’s best butchers. Combined with buttery pastry and a spicy house-made ketchup, this one’s a recipe for joy.

Just like its no-rules croissants, this bakery’s sausage roll is an exercise in innovation. Forget pork filling and puff pastry; this savoury-sweet beauty is a log of lamb, red wine, plums, herbs and diced veg encased in Rollers’ signature croissant pastry. Those black and white sesame seeds add character as well as crunch.

The Bourke Street Bakery legend is built, in part, on a pork and fennel sausage roll that’s so good, it pipped thousands of others across the country in a competition to find the nation’s buttery best. The lamb, almond and harissa roll is just as addictive. Ditto for the vegan eggplant, chickpea and mint roll. Try them all at each of the bakery’s locations across Sydney.

If you’re grabbing lunch here, it’s usually a toss-up between one of the pies, a hefty sausage roll and – perhaps – the roasted carrot sandwich. That flaky, dense roll ditches fennel seeds in favour of caraway. Otherwise, it’s a moreish filling of pork mince that pairs brilliantly with one of the bakery’s bright, seasonal salads on the side.

A one-stop shop for extravagant celebration cakes, but also a purveyor of outstanding savoury pastries. Think pork and fennel sausage rolls, beef brisket pies and pretty-looking Danish nests filled with roast tomato, bocconcini and basil.

Photogenic cakes aside, Black Star also excels in the savoury department. Take its sausage rolls: stubby beef and pork numbers cocooned in explosively flaky puff pastry. Between one of these or a lamb and red wine pie, you have a tough choice to make. Available from all Sydney locations.

Berkelo’s roll combines pork and beef with the bakery’s own sourdough breadcrumbs. It’s baked in puff pastry to perfection, and served with a house-made tomato relish on the side. Make no mistake – this is a breakfast (or lunch) of champions. Also available in Manly, Mona Vale and Mosman.

Here’s the thing about Grumpy’s sausage rolls: they’re enormous. You’ve got about an inch of pastry to crunch through before you hit a moist, piping hot interior of either slow-braised beef or veg. And with 11 locations across Sydney, one of these beasts is never too far away.

Since 2006, this trailblazing butcher has led the conversation around regenerative farming and ethical meat consumption. But it also does a sausage roll worthy of its own discussion, filled with pasture-raised NSW pork, herbs and spices rolled into Brickfields puff pastry. They’re par-cooked then frozen, and sold in packs of four for a blast in the oven at home.

Even if you don’t have dietaries, Wholegreen’s entry punches well above its weight in the sausage roll category. A filling of free-range pork spun with glute-free breadcrumbs, onion, herbs and bacon is rolled in buttery shortcrust pastry, then dusted with fennel seeds. Gut-friendly, but oh-so filling.

Yes, genre-bending lamingtons are the forte at this Japanese-leaning bakery. But it also takes liberties with another Aussie classic, reimagining the humble snag roll with a filling of pork mince, ginger and tangy Bulldog sauce wrapped in puff pastry and panko crumbs – just like a pork katsu. Mop up with some Bulldog sauce on the side and whisk your tastebuds far away from Newtown.

If you're not springing for a bagel at this slick little coffee spot, then it has to be the door-stopping sausage roll. You can also snag one of these beauties from the crew's sibling cafe, The Tuckshop.

Loulou’s traiteur (or deli) was one of our favourite specialty store openings of 2022. It’s all about produce and meals to enjoy at home – go the full French with pates, parfaits, terrines and rillettes, or pick up a salad to pair with an intensely comforting sausage roll.

A sleek, takeaway-only patisserie specialising in eye-catching croissants. It’s also got lunch covered with savoury pastries and pies, ready-made Turkish sandwiches and wraps, and specialty coffee.

In a space that’s sat empty for two decades, this petite cafe is serving modern spins on Aussie classics, including smoked brisket sausage rolls with bush tomato sauce, and chocolate and golden syrup dampers. Also, a layered muffuletta sandwich that takes two days to make.