Time Out Melbourne never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique.
Our most romantic travel fantasies of Paris are très incomplet without that universally swoon-worthy image: a bicycle rider with a bottle of wine and baguette en route to a picnic somewhere sunny and green. Ah, what a lovely daydream to be that cyclist right now.
There’s a good reason a freshly baked loaf always features in that vision. Throughout France, bread isn’t just bread – it’s a daily ritual and a way of life. Exalted the world over, the humble baguette was even granted UNESCO world heritage status in 2022 after being added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
But we can’t just hop on a plane to France every time a craving strikes, and a good baguette isn’t always so easy to find in Melbourne’s CBD. Let’s be real for a sec: we’ve all had moments of regret associated with those stale, eat-at-your-desk sangas most often found at corporate café counters – you know, the ones that make you dread your lunch break more than you dread your daily water cooler chat with Susan from HR.
Well, just know you’re better than that, and Marielle – the friendly owner of French Fix on Queen Street – is here for you. Through the crowd of people waiting for their lunch, she can be seen busily taking orders and prepping fresh rolls alongside her team. Not keen on waiting? Firstly, c’est la vie! Secondly, if it’s any consolation, the queue is known to move quickly. Such a popular establishment as this one needs to be efficient at what it does.
Though my partner and I have visited French Fix many-a-time before (in fact, it used to be a fave lunch spot for the Time Out crew due to its proximity to our old office), we still love it anew every time. Takeaway customers strut down the city streets eagerly snapping mouthfuls mid-stride, making us anticipate what’s to come. We’re starving.
This time, I opt for Le Roast-Beef: medium rare slices of meat, cornichons, salad, tomatoes, dijon mustard and mayonnaise, generously doled out into a freshly buttered baguette. This is the sandwich which sells out pretty much every day, its blushing roast beef a very tasty combination with the hot mustard.
My partner has asked Marielle her favourite and she surprisingly offers one of the vegetarian options: an egg baguette with cornichons, Emmental cheese, mayonnaise, salad and tomatoes. It’s rustic in a nostalgic way, reminiscent of the types of sandwiches I tried on my last trip to France as a student. In the absence of the richness of mustard, the evident freshness of French Fix’s ingredients shine.
At around $15 each, the baguettes are awesome value. Baked to a rich golden-amber, the oven-warm, crisp-crusted bread hugs the cool fillings inside, making for an irresistibly chewy bite. They’re well-packed too, all the way down the baton.
If you have time for a European lunch, find a street-side table out the front to people watch. Your baguettes are delivered in lovely wicker baskets cut in halves, so bringing a friend means you can try more than one kind. Our only advice? Get in early to beat the lines and ask for Le Roast-Beef before it le sells out. You’ll thank us later.
The sandwiches here may be simple, but in a city where simplicity isn’t always so easy to find, French Fix remains a source of comfort for city workers and curious tourists alike. It’s a soulful slice of Paris on a street where your soul sometimes feels like it needs it. And if nothing else, it’s somewhere you can buy an affordable lunch, freshly made in front of you and served with sincere love. What else could you possibly ask for?