The best sandwiches in Sydney right now

At Malibu, which you’ll find down a Surry Hills alley, there’s just one man, Marc Aebi, taking orders, chopping fillings and waving you off with a smile and a ginormous, foil-wrapped sandwich. Pick from an array of tins holding crunchy butter lettuce, sweet beetroot, pickles, crunchy cucumbers. A green, herby mayo forms the base of your ‘wich. Beware: structural integrity could be compromised if you play too fast and loose with additions. 

South Dowling Sandwiches is named after the street on which the sandwich joint's sign (bearing of course, a sandwich) prompts daily queues from open till close. The warm, lemongrass-heavy Thai-style chilli chicken is a top-notch sandwich filling – the marinade on the chicken replaces a need for sauce, while white fluffy bread and lettuce pin things together nicely. Add a swipe of everything from the salad bar if you’re really hungry – and those pickled carrots have earned a reputation for good reason.

Lady beetles. Sapphires. M&M's. It’s true that some great things in life come in small packages. And so it is the case at Small’s Deli, an eight-seater sandwich shop located on leafy Victoria Street in Potts Point. What Small’s lacks in size, it makes up for  – and more – in its mighty flavours. A must-try is the Al Green, with kale puree, avocado, iceberg lettuce, Granny Smith apple, sprouts, and a vegan green goddess dressing laid on a fresh panini. She is messy, but my god, is she worth it.

Sandoitchi, an unsuspecting Oxford Street joint, hides an impressive range of Japanese sandwiches behind its poky exterior, with mainstay menu fixtures like nori, dashi and kombu butter. The prawn katsu sando heroes sweet, tender prawns layered in a wafer-thin crumb. It’s all about delicacy and the light touch: a smear of yuzu mayonnaise, a scattering of juicy yellow corn, all held together by pillowy soft white bread that puts up no resistance. No crusts, of course.  

Yes, we know this isn’t a toastie list, but for Bourke Street Bakery’s bolognese toastie we will 100 per cent make an exception. Whether you’re hungover or just damn hungry, this hearty, savoury, delicious creation will make all your sorrows go away. And the best bit? It cost just $11.50, so if you want another, go for it. We won’t tell anyone.

If there were a concept to pique the interest of gluten gluttons everywhere, it’s the idea of carbs wrapped in more substantial, structurally sound carbs. Maybe that's why, despite arguably being a toastie, the stoner-chic mie goreng sandwich at this CBD hole-in-the-wall joint has snuck onto this list. It's so much more than the sum of its parts, like any good sando should be: spicy mayo is slathered on bread, followed by a mess of spicy-sweet instant noodles, an oozy fried egg and shallots. The whole thing is gloriously bound together by a combination of mozzarella and nutty gruyere.

Life’s good at Good Ways Deli. Found on Redfern’s Cooper Street, the sunny corner shop has been slinging fresh sangas, retro treats and nostalgic drinks since it first opened back in 2021 – and we have gobbled them up on many occasions. If you haven’t heard about Good Ways Deli’s famous kangaroo mortadella sanga, what rock have you been under? A mighty bite, the sandwich is loaded with Whole Beast Butchery kangaroo mortadella, LP’s Quality Meats salami cotto, ham, provolone cheese, pickles, white onion, iceberg lettuce and a special sauce. We reckon it is truly one of Sydney's finest sandwiches.

How does one achieve happiness? It’s a question as old as time, and depending on who you ask you’re sure to get a different answer. Ancient Greek philosophy says that true happiness can be found in life’s simple pleasures, which we reckon sounds about right. And according to sandwich joint Kosta’s Takeaway, happiness is a bloody good sandwich. Now that absolutely sounds about right. Their new Circular Quay store has some new additions to the OG Rockdale shop, including our favourite, the fish sandwich. Fresh ling or monk fish is fried and golden, and layered with a zingy and herby tartare, shredded lettuce and cheese. Happiness in a bite.

Everything at Humble Bakery is a knock-out. If you haven't tried one of their pink finger buns with ribbon-like icing, we reckon you need to get onto changing that. But we're here to talk about the savoury numbers. Humble's sandwiches are generous, rich and bursting with all the good things in life: flavour, salt and fat. Take the salami sandwich, for example: two thick slabs of chewy, olive oil-laced focaccia encase slices of salami, marinated strips of capsicum, vinegary artichokes, salty capers, creamy ricotta and fresh rocket. It takes both hands to eat, and at least four serviettes, but dammit, it’s good.

Made with fresh, super fluffy and thick-cut Texas-style bread, June’s sangas are packed to the rafters with fresh salads, delicious fillings and house-made sauces. There are eight colourful creations to choose from at the sunny hole-in-the-wall café, but our favourite is the salad sandwich with cucumber, tomato, beetroot, carrots, alfalfa, mayo and vintage cheddar. Just like eating a rainbow, the sanga takes us back to our primary school days and we bloody love it.  

Admittedly, Le Foote is not your usual grab-and-go sanga shop. But hear us out. If you have a bit of time, we suggest pulling up a stool at the charming bottom bar and kicking off with a bottle of orange vino, plus a fish sandwich, which truly is a thing of beauty. The fish comes crumbled, golden and succulent, sandwiched between pillowy white bread, shredded ’burg, a zingy tartare and topped with a guindilla pepper. Our advice? Don’t share.

This Bondi hole-in-the-wall is a local's favourite, for good reason. It does a mean glass of red wine once the sun sets, but it's worth a look-in in the daytime, too. Choose between or white or brown bread here then get ready for your two-hand hunger-buster. The shreds of bacon in this BLT are just crisp enough and piled high, contrasted with crunchy lettuce, creamy aioli and fresh tomato slices. 

This Merrylands outfit does Persian sandwiches akin to those you’d find on the streets of Iran. Choose from six traditional sandwiches: the brain-and-tongue combo is the local favourite. Hesitation is understandable, but the sheep’s tongue is tender and the brain creamy. Slices of fresh tomato, lettuce shreds and spears of salty, pickled cucumber complete the massive roll – almost a foot long – but you can get them cut in half for easier, on-the-go lunching. 

You’ll need both hands and about five paper towels to tackle Lenny Brisket’s epic muffuletta sandwich. A beautiful sight to behold, the sanga is jam-packed with leg ham, salami, marinated artichokes, olives, capsicum, Swiss and American cheese, parmesan and Russian dressing. It’s filling, delicious and an absolute banger.

Whatever you do, don’t be put off by the line at City Edge. We know it’s long and you've got places to go, things to do, and people to see on your lunch break. But it goes quickly, and trust us, it’s absolutely worth it. Go for the crumbed eggplant on rye bread with halloumi, beetroot, carrot, tomato and cucumber and we promise you won’t look back. (Though be warned, this is a multiple serviette number.) Not feeling all that hungry? No worries. City Edge also offers half servings of some of their favourite sangas for just $6.

Brickfields raised the standard or the city's bread-making game since it landed in Chippendale in 2013, and it's still going strong. This sambo veers into breakfast territory with layered, multiple slices of crispy bacon tangled with shreds of kale. The salad is slathered with a generous amount of mayo, breaking down the tough greens to make an excellent slaw. We’re huge fans of the mushroom, jalapeño and cheese toastie here too.

At this CBD joint, they corn the silverside in house, resulting in a peppery, chunky beef filling. The ratio of sauerkraut, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese is wonderfully balanced, so the sandwich is packed with flavour but holds without getting too messy. It’s also filling enough to keep you trooping on throughout the day – but won’t leave you in need of a post-lunch nap.

Some sandwich slingers aim to dazzle with the sheer range of options they can slap between bread. Not so at Surry Hills’ Lucky Pickle. You’ll find just four sandwiches on its concise menu, but this is more a question of perfection rather than lack of ambition. Its bánh mì inspired pork belly baguette is arguably its best-seller, but for our money, the chicken katsu is its true sando supreme. Each panko-crumbed schnitzel is fried to order, so the still-hot and perfectly crispy meat gently melds the flavours of pickled cabbage, sesame and tonkatsu sauce and fresh mayo, infusing the bread with a delicious emulsion.