If you've had the pleasure of ducking into Heidelberg West's UGO Cucina Popolare before, you'll know these folks know how to craft a damn good sanga. Purveyors of perfect panini and A-grade coffee since 2020, the beloved café has now brought its Italian lunch magic to the Northside in the form of a summer pop-up that will run until the end of the season. Fantastico!
You'll find it tucked away on Gore Street at the upcoming Fabbrica development, slinging simple Italian food done well every Friday through Sunday. Do yourself a favour and order the signature slow-cooked porchetta panini, which is available from 11am with five different spins on the juicy meat marvel: the OG (semolina foccacia), the UGO (giardiniera, salsa verde and spelt foccacia), the Elvis (capsicum, lemon, caciocavallo and potato foccacia), the Calboni (broad beans, mint and coca foccacia) and the Filini (brussel sprout spread, mustard dressing and onion foccacia).
Can’t eat meat? There’s also a vego panini you can get your hands on, with eggplant caponata, burrata and barese focaccia. For brekky options until noon, you’re spoilt for choice with porchetta, honey and pecorino-snowed waffles, English muffins given the sausage and burrata treatment, and egg and avo bagels with pickled onion.
UGO is a project from the Cannoleria team, so you can also treat yourself to freshly piped Sicilian-style cannoli, biscotti, cakes and coffee. For more info about UGO’s original outpost in Heidelberg West, head to the website.
The Fitzroy pop-up will be open at 369 Gore Street until the end of the summer, Friday to Sunday from 8am until 3pm.
