The best sandwiches in Melbourne

Nico's serves up stellar sandwiches to queues of people lining up outside its CBD, Brunswick and Fitzroy stores most days. Nico's have amped up the humble Cuban sandwich by adding not one, but two types of meat. Think layers of smoked pork belly and grandma ham with Nico’s original salad cream, Emmental cheese, dill pickles, apple cider reduction and American cheese between grilled, buttery slices of bread, and a side of pickled chillis to cut through the richness. And don't miss the vegan schnitzel sandwich stuffed with cheese, lettuce, salad cream, koji chimichurri and pickles. 

Hector's Deli has been serving the good people of Richmond its signature sandwiches since 2017, and has developed a cult-like following in that time (evidenced by the never-ending queue out the door). With expansions into South Melbourne and Fitzroy, Hector's have continued its commitment to its promise to serve simple, authentic and delicious sandwiches, made with ethically sourced ingredients and produce of the highest quality. Crowd favourites include the signature chicken schnitzel with tarragon butter and housemade pickle mayo on a steamed potato bun, the tuna melt with pickled green chilli and onion on light rye, and the brisket with mustard pickle spread and kraut on toasted rye – just to name a few. 

Falco serves up an inimitable egg salad sandwich that keeps locals and regulars coming back for more, and more. Those in the lane snaking down Smith St share a collective, unspoken understanding; the wait, no matter how long, really is worth it at Falco. All the sandwiches at Falco are special, owing greatly to the housemade dense slices of bread with the perfect crust. Save space for a selection of the outstanding pastries and baked goods too, such as the always-popular cookies. 

The lunch geniuses behind CBD favourite Sloppy Joe's Deli have just opened another sandwich shop: FOC. No, it's not an expletive (though you might just say "FOC me, this is good!" while you're there); it's your new haven on Little Collins Street for freshly handmade focaccias filled with an array of heavenly ingredients. 

When you think of a nation known for making great sandwiches, Indonesia is probably not the first country that comes to mind. But legendary Richmond joint Warkop is fast changing that perception, and it’s opened a second location in the CBD last year. It’s no surprise that owners Barry Susanto (ex-Navi sous chef) and Erwin Chandra are choosing to expand their venture. Since the original Richmond eatery first opened its doors, whispers have spread quickly of sangas that defy convention and elevate the humble lunchtime snack to a new level. 

There’s a lot to like about Heartattack & Vine. Even if you’ve never set foot inside, you can appreciate a venue named after a Tom Waits album.  And it feels like this is the place that Lygon St, needed. There are so many fun ways to experience this Europe-inspired snack bar: brekky tortilla, anyone? Late night snacks and vermouth date? Cheeky hot choccy catch-up? (The one here is so legendary it found its way on this list). But arguably the most popular eat at Heartattack is its epic, juicy porchetta roll. A sandwich fit for a king. 

Rocco’s excels in many things, but none more so than the cult-favourite meatball sub. Rocco’s famous pork and veal meatballs, which also make an appearance in the mainstay spaghetti on the menu, are smothered in sugo, salsa verde, parmesan and signature white-sauce, making this a sandwich you won't forget for some time. Rocco’s combines the warmth of an Italian mom-and-pop restaurant with a menu that is elevated comfort food – every dish is meticulously curated and crafted with care.

Sometimes all you want is a simple sanga done well, and that's what new Collingwood deli Hi Fi has sought out to accomplish. It's run by the same group behind Terror Twilight and Tinker, and we love their four-cheese toasties with French dip and mortadella sandwiches. The eclectic vinyl soundtrack only adds to the buzz.

Lactose intolerant? Keep scrolling. Iron guts? Read on, for Maker and Monger is the stuff of cheese dreams. Operating out of Prahran Market, you can't go wrong with any of its delicious toasted cheese sandwiches, but we have a soft spot for the fondue number. This is no pedestrian ‘I’m-a-bit-peckish-where’s-the-jaffle-maker?’ affair. This is loads of molten Marcel Petite Comté and Swiss Gruyere, shallots, wine and garlic reduced into a sharp, umami burst, all encased in crunchy, butter-slathered sourdough bread and finished with a light sprinkling of salt flakes.

French Fix offers a taste of Paris in Melbourne. It's not your average boulangerie, with the team baking fresh baguettes and loading them with all sorts of fillings. You might have to wait a few minutes, but hey – at least, it's fresh. Le Roast-beef comes with layers of roast beef, crisp pickles, a healthy smear of Dijon mustard, mixed lettuce, tomato and mayo, and might just be our top pick of the bunch. All baguettes come in at just $14 each. Heaven.

This is the place you go to for grand, hunking baguettes and sandwiches you hope will never end for lunch. Toasties arrive thick as a forehead and as big as a face, yet achieve the all-important mission of properly melting the abundance of sweet and nutty Comté inside couched around sticky, worcestershire-rich onion. Meanwhile, old-school salad sambos achieve new crush status when folded into chewy sourdough baguettes, lifted with the zip of pickled carrot and tempered with soft avo and roast beetroot.

It’s time you got acquainted with tortas, otherwise known as hot Mexican sandwiches. Slow cooking is an arduous process which deserves all the recognition it can get, and this is definitely the case with the cochinita pibil torta by Frankie's Tortas and Tacos. Tender 24-hour slow-roasted pork shoulder, melted Oaxaca cheese, pickled onion, lettuce and coriander come sandwiched in a toasted roll and warrant a stadium full of people clapping in its favour. There’s also a pollo milanesa torta which comes with Milanese chicken (a lunch staple in many Mexican homes) and a mushroom torta for vegetarians.

Rusty may be the name behind this mysterious joint, but rusty it's sandwich-crafting skills certainly are not. This northside-dwelling writer thinks the loaded sangas at Rusty's may just be the best in all of Melbourne. The Cubano's a revelation, sandwiching succulent orange juice-braised pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and dijon. If that's not your jam, you might like a vintage-style seafood sanga, with spicy school prawns, avo salsa, sour cream and pickled jalapenos. Slap on one of Rusty's double choc cookies for $4 and you're golden. 

Kelso’s Sandwich Shoppe focuses on making "legit sandwiches, house-made pickles and damn fine coffee". It’s a simple café with a retro feel, notably cheerful service and cheeky green pickle characters dotted about the shop. We know that tinned tuna divides people, but what sandwich list would this be without mention of a few excellent tuna melts? Kelso’s does a damn fine version: buttered dark rye is loaded with a super creamy tuna and mayonnaise blended with plenty of house-made pickles and red onions to prevent things from being too rich. 

What makes a sandwich great? Quality bread, certainly. Ingredients that play well together: acid cutting through creaminess, meat cut with pickles. And if it's a toastie, the perfect degree of toastie-ness, snatched from the grill after the bread has become crisp and golden and just before it begins to char. All of the sandwiches on the short menu at Indonesian sandwich joint Warkop meet that bill, but our favourite is the pork belly, the fattiness of the meat complimented by shallot, lime leaves, lemongrass and tomato. 

Looking for a sandwich with a bit of a kick? Then Belles Hot Chicken’s southern-style chicken sandwich is for you. A fiery piece of deep-fried chicken thigh fillet joins forces with double cheese, shaved onion, lettuce and good-good sauce on a soft milk bun, and comes with your choice of side and pickles. There’s also an equally succulent mushroom version for vegetarians. These ones are finger-licking good. 

Shooter McGavin's is bringing housemade brioche scrolls, pancakes, thick shakes and some superb sandwiches to Carlton. The menu is broken down into fresh, toasted and hot sandwiches, and no matter which direction you head in, you're in for a treat. We can't go past the fish butty, with fried market fish, chips, tartare, lettuce and malt vinegar stuffed between thick white bread and the hot honey-fried chicken with ranch, pickles and iceberg sandwiched between a biscuit bun. Sweeten the deal with a choc malt thick shake and pancakes with coffee ice cream for dessert, and you're in for a real treat. 

While it may seem that northsiders get to have all the fun as far as sandwich shops go, Applehead Deli is playing its part in changing that by bringing a stellar sanga offering to the south with its store in Mentone. Most of the ingredients are made in-house, including slow-cooked pickled beef, housemade Russian dressing, pickled cabbage and gherkins, and 15-20 kilograms of meatballs are made each week. Venture off your usual path to lunch next time you're in need of a sanga, and check out Applehead Deli for an outstanding meatball sub, an unmissable Rueben or a delectable tuna melt. And save room for one of the best cinnamon scrolls going around Melbourne (sebbys.scrolls).  

Yarraville was voted one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world in 2020, and Rocco’s Delicatessen in Yarraville definitely lends itself to that title. Run by passionate Italians who know their food, they offer a variety of panini which follow the cardinal rule that thou shalt only have thinly sliced, ribbon-like cold cuts. Choose between crisp ciabatta or the traditional soft bread roll and pick your deli meat. Mortadella, prosciutto or salami are on offer and come with varying combinations of grilled eggplant or artichokes, provolone, green split olives, grilled capsicum, and tomato pesto.

Sandwiches are by no means a new invention, but Melbourne’s obsession with them has intensified in the last few years. Enter Jolly Good Sandwiches, a former pandemic pop-up sandwich bar now with permanent premises nestled within corner side craft beer bar Near & Far. The menu is short but sweet – and absolutely delicious. Try the French dip, a roast beef melt that comes with a stout gravy for dipping. Or go for the cheese salad with cheddar, beetroot, carrot, alfalfa, lettuce, mayo and mustard for something light but still satisfying.

Pop in or book a table between noon and 6pm on a Sunday to sample a taste of Poodle's opulence and order items off the exclusive hangover-busting menu. There's a lavish club sandwich and fries for $20, spritz jugs for $40 and Poodle's signature saviour: the Poodle Bloody Mary for $15. You come for the sammich but you stay for the bevvies. 

The team at Ollie's Deli were dealt a very tough hand all the way from the venue's birth during a pandemic right through to it being damaged by a fire. But like the phoenix, this sandwich joint has risen from the ashes and is serving sangas, coffees and pastries in Footscray. These are some of the west's most coveted sandwiches, including a pastrami and buttermilk fried chicken number.

Sloppy Joe's Deli is a cheerful sandwich shop in the CBD for freshly housemade doughnuts, coffee and American-inspired sandwiches with a creative twist. Fan favourites include the towering pastrami sanga with kraut, dill gherkin, Swiss cheese and Sloppy's secret sauce, and the signature Mrs. Kim's Beef, a mouthwatering fusion of Korean barbecue flavors nestled within a perfectly toasted sandwich. Of course, you've also gotta try the legendary Sloppy Joe itself, a true rarity in Melbourne – toasty soft brioche encasing a sloppy sauce-coated melange of Angus beef, American cheese and bread and butter pickles. Trust us when we say this creation is a helluva lot more appetising than the one from Billy Madison. 

There’s a modest thrill in any deli that’ll slap its cold cuts into a sandwich for you on the spot, rather than you having to do so yourself at home. At Matteo’s Delicatessen in Altona, customers have the choice of several panini stuffed full of the deli’s cold cuts and various other fresh and pickled accoutrements. The namesake panini, the Matteo’s Original comes filled with your choice of cold cut and bread (ciabatta or baguette) plus marinated eggplant, olives, capsicum, provolone and a slathering of pesto. Grab a coffee (or a That’s Amore cannoli) and enjoy your sanga on the nearby Altona Beach for extra points.

The folks at 400 Gradi have recently launched their new panuozzo menu. Panuozzo? Is it a pizza? A panini? Both? Sort of. It's an authentic Italian pizza sandwich, and according to the makers it will "blow your mind and cure your lunch cravings." Fillings range from slow-cooked beef meatballs, sugo, provolone and basil, to chicken cotoletta with salsa verde, peppers, potatoes and parmesan cream, and all but one will only cost you about 16 buckaroos. These goodies are available at the Brunswick 400 Gradi only, from noon to 4pm, 7 days a week.

Bowery to Williamsburg aims to bring a little bit of New York to the streets of Melbourne. Reubens, turkey clubs and Cubanos are just some of the Yankee sangers that make an appearance, and meal upgrades come with your standard fries and choice of soda. The classy take on a Philly cheese steak sub here takes a long, warm white roll, tender beef brisket roasted for 14 hours, strips of sweet and softened onion and capsicum and coats it all with melted provolone. It’s so juicy and flavoursome that your taste buds are bound to break out into song.

Offering a seasonal spread of meats, cheeses, marinated and fresh vegetables, pickled goods, spreads and more, this Panini Bar allows customers to choose up to six fillings to sandwich between freshly baked panini bread or house-made focaccia to create their ultimate Italian sanga. And yes, they taste as good as they look.