We’re living in a golden age of sandwiches.

Never before have we been so spoilt for choice, or have handheld, carb-encased lunches tasted so damn good. Sandwich shops have Melbourne’s inner city in a chokehold – and are staking their claim in the outer ’burbs – and we can’t get enough. But in a market so wonderfully crowded, it’s the little things that separate the good from the truly great.

For simple sandwiches, it all hinges on perfect proportions – and produce. For elaborate ones, those big, bold flavours have to be layered expertly. Everyday sangers need to walk the line between value and va-va-voom with precision. And special-occasion sandwiches simply must be worth the afternoon of lethargy they’re destined to cause.

Enter, Sandwich Watch

There’s magic in the minutiae, and to celebrate those nailing it, Good Food is launching a new dedicated column, Sandwich Watch, in Melbourne and Sydney. Every few weeks, we’ll spotlight one essential sandwich that deserves your attention. It might be a genre-defining sanger that’s changed the game, a cult classic that’s earned its icon status, a pack-leading newcomer, or an under-the-radar gem you’ve never even heard of.

Why sandwiches? And why now?

They’re two questions we’ve long been pondering. Sandwiches have come leaps and bounds from their lunchbox origins. But the trajectory of our city’s obsession makes sense, according to Melbourne Food and Wine Festival creative director Pat Nourse. “We live in the perfect sandwich town,” he says.

“Melbourne is loaded with great bakeries, has more great delis in the deli section of any of our markets than most other Australian capitals have in their whole cities, we make outstanding butter, and the depth and breadth of the cafe scene here makes for a customer base that really pushes for quality.

“Layer in the multicultural strength of Melbourne food, and you’re looking at a formidable (and delicious) proposition.”

‘We live in a perfect sandwich town.’

Pat Nourse, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival creative director

In 2024, another contributing factor to the meteoric rise in sandwiches has to be our hip pockets. As the cost of living continues to skyrocket, most of us have never had less cash to splash. And cheap thrills are harder to come by. So, dropping somewhere in the realm of 10 or 20 bucks on a stellar sandwich still feels like a cheat code, giving us a delicious dose of cheffiness without the increasingly hefty price tag of a sit-down meal.

Some Melbourne standard-bearers (and history)

Without the generosity of migrant communities sharing their cultures and cuisines, Melbourne’s culinary landscape wouldn’t be anywhere near as rich and robust as it is today. And in terms of sandwiches that have made indelible marks, we’ve got Italian delicatessens and Vietnamese bakeries to thank.

In Yarraville, Rocco’s Deli has been piling high panini since 1977, most popularly its Rocco Roll (from $12.50): your sliced-to-order cold cut(s) of choice with a swipe of pesto, cheese, eggplant, split green olives and semi-dried tomatoes.

122 Roberts Street, Yarraville

In Richmond, the family-owned Phuoc Thanh’s original Victoria Street bakery has been a beacon for banh mi lovers for more than 20 years. The bread, baked fresh daily, is so consistent (and consistently crusty) that it’s supplied to banh mi bar Ca Com; just as unwavering is the pork, whether grilled ($8), imparting its juicy goodness throughout your roll, or in chunks crowned with crispy crackling ($10).

206 Victoria Street, Richmond

Another sandwich stalwart is Fitzroy’s Babka. When it opened in 1993, it was a trailblazer of the now-ubiquitous bakery-cafe model. Still, its sandwiches reign; forearm-sized and made to order, they go hard on all things home-style. Especially the salad ($15.50): chunky-cut wholemeal with all the usual suspects (grated carrot and beetroot, lettuce, tomato and cucumber), a wad of cheddar and holy, herb-spiked mayo.

358 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

And then we have the restaurant sandwiches – par for the course today, even at the swankiest of establishments, but still a relatively modern fixture on Melbourne menus.

One way-paving original is the merenda, or after-school sandwich ($19), that legendary Italian restaurateur Rinaldo Di Stasio introduced at St Kilda’s Cafe Di Stasio 15 years ago before he took it to the CBD’s Di Stasio Citta in 2019. Inspired by his childhood, it’s a foil-wrapped thwack of nostalgia that adds a glorious playfulness to your experience; between crustless white bread is a thin veal schnitzel fried to golden-brown perfection.

45 Spring Street, Melbourne, distasio.com.au/citta

The Hector’s effect

When Hector’s Deli hit Richmond in 2017, it signalled a seismic shift in the sandwich scene. The team’s fine-dining chops didn’t mean flourishes that were fancy for fancy’s sake; rather, souped-up versions of staples we already knew and loved.

Case in point: the HCT ($17), a riff on the ham-cheese-tomato trifecta with top-quality mortadella, provolone and mozzarella, and tomato chutney. Tick, tick, tick.

Seven years on, it’s less novel, but it still prevails. And it’s those foundations that led to Hector’s substantially fleshing out its menu, expanding to South Melbourne and Fitzroy, and becoming what many Melburnians (and out-of-towners) consider the city’s No.1 sandwich shop.

Shop 1, 94 Buckingham Street, Richmond, hectorsdeli.com.au

So-hot-right-now sandwiches

Surveying the newest guard of sandwich shops, the proliferation of panini is difficult to ignore. And why would you want to? Leading the pack is Stefanino Panino – once in Brunswick, now in Collingwood – which harnesses the power of simplicity in its deli-style ciabattas. The Bologna ($16) is heavy-handed on the mortadella and stracciatella, with a smattering of pickled peppers to cut through the richness in spicy, briny style.

Collingwood Yards, unit 4, 30 Perry Street, Collingwood

Meanwhile, the focaccia renaissance blazes on, with several new spots dedicated to different variations of the typically lofty Italian loaf. South Yarra’s Zita’s is all about the Genovese stuff – thinner, less fluffy and more fillable than what you might be familiar with – and you need only look at the queues to tell how well it’s received. The headlining filled focaccia, the Zita’s ($16), stars a molten slab of eggplant parmigiana as generous as the full-coverage basil pesto.

16 Toorak Road, South Yarra, zitasfocaccia.com

Over in Armadale, Ruben’s Deli’s namesake sandwich ($22) arrived ready to rival the best Reubens in town. The house-smoked pastrami is thickly sliced, incredibly tender and liberally stacked, served on rye with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing.

Kings Arcade, 978 High Street, Armadale, rubensdeli.com

So, what’s next?

Don’t flip your (sandwich) lid if your favourite Melbourne sanger isn’t mentioned above. 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. But if there’s a sandwich you’re dying to tell us about, please get in touch.

Until next time, Sandwich Watchers.