What makes a great sandwich? If you’re culinary curious, you would have pondered this mighty question. It’s definitely got a lot to do with the bread and structural integrity. And also the harmony and balance of ingredients and flavours. The produce – that should be fresh and juicy.

What else? Are the proportions in check? Is there crunch? And has the sauce, mayo or whatever gloopy fabulousness it’s got, been applied with a deft touch? If a heavy-handed maniac was at the sandwich-making wheel, you could be violently thrust into flavourtown, only to veer to the beyond, a place where too much sandwich is a bad thing.

In Sydney, it’s easy to avoid the bland, dry and over-doused because if you haven’t noticed, we’re living in a golden age of sandwiches. Never have there been so many outstanding, thrilling and satisfying options, prompting us to do something about it.

Enter, Sandwich Watch

Sydney’s sandwich scene is pumping, so Good Food has decided it would be sensible to launch (both here and in Melbourne) a new dedicated column called Sandwich Watch. Every few weeks, we’ll serve up one essential sandwich that deserves your attention (and stomach space).

It might be a cult classic that’s earned its legend status, a genre-defining sanger that’s upped the game, a pack-leading newcomer doing something exciting or radical, or an under-the-radar beauty you’ve never even heard of.

Why sandwiches, why now?

The allure of the sandwich is simple. “Put food on a plate and it’s blah. Put the same food in a sandwich, and it’s suddenly exciting,” says cafe and sandwich aficionado, and Good Food writer Jill Dupleix. “It’s about eating in your hands, being a kid again. It’s hands-on, wipe-your-mouth, juicy and full of contrasts. It’s visceral, direct, immediate gratification.”

Sydney’s sandwich heyday has been building for a while thanks to the growing number of excellent sourdough bakeries, meaning the access to outstanding bread has levelled up the quality of sandwiches across the board (my fave is Iggy’s).

We’ve also seen chefs open cafes and shops, and apply cheffing techniques to their breaded creations, allowing the modest lunch box go-to to shift from decent to outstanding. AP bakery (see below) is a great example – it’s run by several hospo hotshots, including high-profile Ester chef Mat Lindsay (see below).

“Put food on a plate and it’s blah. Put the same food in a sandwich, and it’s suddenly exciting.”

Jill Dupleix

In a cost-of-living crisis, where the words “quality” and “cheap” are rarely bedfellows, getting chef-quality food for a fraction of restaurant prices is particularly beguiling. It’s something we think should be celebrated.

“But the best evolution in Sydney’s sandwich game,” Dupleix reckons, “is coming from third-culture chefs, who combine the cooking of their family heritage with what they have grown up with in Australia, to put something entirely new (the third culture) between two slices of bread.

“Now we’re being bombarded with Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Lebanese, Indian and Filipino seasonings and sexy ingredients and sensational pickles and relishes in something you can eat in the hand, and it’s a thrill a minute.”

Some Sydney standard-bearers

These are the classics. The ones we’ve loved for years. The ones that other sangers are measured by.

The Biatch at South Dowling Sandwiches ($15)

Affectionately named after the owner’s daughter, this hefty bundle is the most popular order, and for good reason. Made on soft, oversized house-made bread, it combines chicken with a kick of chilli, bocconcini, rocket, red pesto, herb mayo, crunchy pickles and red cabbage. The best bit, though, are those famous matchstick-sized caramelised carrots, which add a hint of sweetness. Genius. Owner Avi Labi has been running the Darlinghurst spot for 14 years (it originally opened 11 years before), but has expanded to two more locations. Expect lines and not needing to eat for a long time after this one.

377 South Dowling Street, Darlinghurst; shop 42c, 110 Bourke Road, Alexandria; 110 Kent Street, Millers Point; southdowling.com.au

Blood sausage sanga at Ester ($14)

This restaurant take on the humble sausage sizzle has been on the menu at this upmarket Chippendale eatery since it opened in 2013. The two-hatted restaurant makes its rich and textural sausages in-house, and they’re filled with pork, rice, pine nuts, nutmeg and, of course, pig’s blood. Once cooked, a solo snag is placed on steamed white fluffy bread along with a dollop of onion aioli. It’s topped with confit onions and vibrant green coriander. As Good Food’s Terry Durack said in his review of Ester in 2013, “pick it up, squish it together, take a bite, and there’s no going back to life without it”.

46-52 Meagher Street, Chippendale, ester-restaurant.com.au

Barbecue pork banh mi from Banh Mi Bay Ngo, Bankstown ($8)

The best banh mi is a hotly contested title, and Sydney is overflowing with outstanding options. But the reason this Bankstown spot is on the list is not because it’s been serving Vietnam’s famous dish since 1988(although when it opened, it was first known as Jasmine’s Ice Cream, then Jasmine’s Takeaway), which is something to celebrate; but that you can add a freshly fried egg to your roll for $1 extra. It’s also owner Jasmine Dinh’s favourite banh mi filling, and something she likens to a Vietnamese bacon and egg roll. Banh Mi Bay Ngo makes many things in-house, including the rich pâté, garlic fish sauce and juicy barbecue pork. A fabulous jumble of carrot, coriander, cucumber, pickled daikon and red onion round out the tasty package.

49 Bankstown City Plaza, Bankstown, instagram.com/banhmibayngo

So-hot-right-now sandwiches

These might be newer on the scene, but they’re fast making an impression.

Hoagie at Self Raised Bread ($19)

This south-Sydney take on the Philadelphia-born hoagie is a lesson in sandwich harmony. Not that you’ll think that when you pick up a half and see the big wad of mortadella, smoked beef and salami. But once you’re on your journey demolishing the Italian-American-inspired super sandwich, all concerns will fade (especially if you’re eating in: Self Raised rocks a fun soundtrack). This hoagie is made on firm-on-the-outside house-made white ciabatta topped with sesame seeds. Alongside the three deli meats (which are all halal), there’s crunchy iceberg lettuce with a herb dressing, roasted pepper, house-made fermented chilli mayo and two types of cheese: cheddar and provolone. Boom! We can’t wait for Amani Rachid, Huss Rachid and Sal Senan to open their second Self Raised; it’s coming to Bexley North in a couple of weeks.

45 Jubilee Avenue, Carlton, instagram.com/selfraisedbread

Egg and cheese sando at A.P Bakery ($18)

A.P Bakery crash-landed in Sydney in 2022 and stole our hearts. Almost everything at its three locations (CBD, Newtown, Surry Hills) are ace, but its egg and cheese sando has real swagger. The star of it is the egg cake, a thick slab with the consistency of silky custard. This savoury package is all big flavours, with lashings of salty egg yolk and egg butter, and robust American cheese. The inclusion of onion is clever, and there’s a splash of fermented chilli sauce to add vibrancy. The bread? A house-made milk bun. This tall fellow miraculously holds its shape, but may require you to have a small nap after consuming.

80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills; 9 Barrack Street, Sydney, apbakery.com.au

Poached chicken sandwich at Baker Bleu ($18)

Neil Perry practically wrote the book on sandwiches. Not really, but he did devote a big chunk of pages to them in his latest cookbook, Everything I Love To Cook. In it, he writes: “To make a great sandwich, you just need to remember the most basic rules: use the best ingredients, and don’t overcomplicate things.”

He’s sticking to the script at Baker Blue (BB), the bakery-cafe he co-owns with baker Mike Russell. BB makes outstanding bread and Perry uses the white country loaf or village bread for one of his best. Green goddess sauce is magical and with the poached chicken, avocado, lettuce and the superb bread, it’s powerful stuff.

2 Guilfoyle Avenue, Double Bay, bakerbleudoublebay.com

So, what’s next?

We know you love sangers as much as us, so don’t get peeved if your favourite Sydney one isn’t mentioned here. This story is more indicative than exhaustive, and just a primer of what’s to come. Keep an eye on Good Food for the first instalment of Sandwich Watch in the coming weeks. And if there’s a sandwich you’re dying to tell us about, please get in touch here:

Until next time, Sandwich Watchers.