September 2023 update: South Dowling Sandwiches – AKA the GOAT of the sanga world – has been crowned Australia's favourite sandwich shop and BRB we’re off to get the Hugo (chicken schnitzel, SDS herb mayo, lettuce and tasty cheese, for those playing along at home.)
The Wotif Uniquely Aussie Awards has announced all the winners from their annual community-voted awards, and the Darlinghurst institution has come out on top. Not that we’re surprised – Sydneysiders have been lining up for SDS ginormous and flawless sangas and rainbow salads for more than 15 years.
If you’re yet to get your hands on one of these bad boys, we’ll paint a picture. Think two slices of thick, fresh bread, loaded with fresh veg – anything from avo to beetroot and cucumber – plus your protein of choice (we love the chicken schnitzel) and a creamy or punchy mayo to finish. It’s heaven in one big bite.
Owner Avi Labi says they make everything in house, including those famous caramelised carrots, and all sangas are made fresh to order.
And if you can’t get to the Darlinghurst shop, you’ll find SDS in Alexandria and Millers Point, too.
Wotif said: “Made with fresh ingredients and prepared right in front of you, the sangas are overloaded with fillings at the generous starting price of $11 – making them fan favourites.”
Well deserved, team. You can check out the full list of winners here.
- Avril Treasure
*****
Read on for our original write-up of SDS from 2018.
There’s a good reason for the daily queue that snakes out of this family run sandwich shop. The list of fillings is one (the classic salad sandwich here has a whopping 14 different veggies including stringy caramelised carrots, red roma tomatoes, green beans and grilled eggplant) and the speciality options are the other (on our visit the two specials are named after the boys from Flight Facilities). Make sure you order the chilli chicken on white – this warm lemongrass heavy Thai-style chicken is a top notch sandwich filling – the marinade on the chicken replaces a need for sauce, and white fluffy bread and lettuce pin things together nicely. Add a swipe of everything from the salad bar for $3 if you’re really hungry.