If your Roman Empire – the TikTok term for what you can’t stop thinking about – is Italian-style sandwiches, you’re in luck. They’ve always been big in Melbourne, but a horde of new openings has added even more to the mix. Here are six new spots to try.

Saluministi, Docklands

“Saluministi’s first event was at a school fete back in March 2014, meaning we are on the verge of celebrating 10 years in business!” says Frank Bressi, who, along with Peter Mastro, owns the popular Melbourne panini bar that channels those of Rome and Florence. On Thursday, February 22, their existing locations on Bourke Street in Docklands and Flinders Lane in the CBD will be joined by a third, at Melbourne Quarter, a new precinct across the road from Southern Cross Station. And to celebrate opening day, there are free signature panini (porchetta or mortadella – you choose) from 11am to 2pm.

Must-try sandwich: The Porchetta – house-seasoned and rolled free-range roast pork, artichoke paste, pecorino and rocket ($17)

Shop 3, 697 Collins Street, Docklands, saluministi.com.au

Piccolo Panini Bar, Hawthorn

Crowds are already par for the course – and wait times tend to blow out at weekends – at this Glenferrie Road joint, where “no panini, no party” is the mantra. Thanks to a strong social media presence in the lead-up to the opening, Piccolo Panini Bar’s team of young guns has been drawing hordes of sandwich lovers with delightfully oily slabs of focaccia filled from a classic deli cabinet. The snug space is painted red and white, its walls dotted with prints of all things Italian (like moka pots and fast cars).

Must-try sandwich: The Cotoletta – chicken schnitzel, home-made salsa verde, pickled onion, rocket ($16)

636 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn, instagram.com/piccolo.paninibar

Zita’s, South Yarra

Splashes of yellow and orange mark the spot at this sunny south-side sandwich shop. It was named after co-owner Sara Pestarino’s nonna and inspired by a desire to bring the “old-school street food” of Rome and Genoa to Melbourne. “We make our own focaccia bread every morning in our tiny shop,” says Pestarino. “The long fermentation gives you a very light and easy-to-digest focaccia.” The Genovese-style stuff comes by the slice, on loaded salumi and cheese boards, or filled with all sorts of delicious Italian ingredients. A lengthy list of spritzes (from Aperol to strawberry-elderflower) encourages lingering.

Must-try sandwich: The Roman Empire – mortadella, artichoke sauce, stracciatella and pistachio ($16)

16 Toorak Road, South Yarra, zitasfocaccia.com

Juju’s Deli, Thornbury

Another new sanger shop dedicated to focaccia? Yes. But fillings are not strictly Italian at Juju’s Deli, a simply decked-out eatery serving sandwiches bigger than your head. Yuzu slaw adds a citrussy zing to the chicken schnitzel focaccia while ajvar (a flavour-packed veg spread generally made in the Balkan states) soups up the salami. Owner Joseph Rahme is also behind modern Middle Eastern restaurant Isme, which has closed in Fitzroy but is set to relocate to a new spot next to Juju’s Deli mid-year.

Must-try sandwich: Salad – whipped basil ricotta, ajvar, lettuce, alfalfa, cucumber, capsicum, tomato, carrot, beetroot, radish, red onion, avocado, hot pickled peppers and mayo ($17)

750 High Street, Thornbury, instagram.com/jujus_deli

Lil Lane, Melbourne

Tucked away on an incredibly narrow city laneway, this little takeaway spot, which only opened at the start of February, is already making waves with its big, made-to-order focaccias. From Eurohouse – the group behind Berlin Bar, and clubs House of Maximon and Pulp, in the same building – Lil Lane leans into co-owner Giulia Dal Corso’s Venetian heritage. “Our commitment to authenticity extends to baking our own focaccia daily [and] crafting home-made condiments, including pesto and mushroom sauce,” she says. That’s Amore provides all the cheeses.

Must-try sandwich: La Veneta – sopressa, stracciatella, mushroom sauce, rocket and confit garlic ($17)

18 Corrs Lane, Melbourne, instagram.com/lillanekitchen

3 Salamis, Essendon

There’s only one kind of salami on the menu at the north-west’s newest sandwich deli; the name refers to the three owners, whose shared love of panini, cold cuts and espresso has culminated in the opening of their own shop in Essendon. Behind the counter, sizeable chunks of schiacciata (Tuscan-style flatbread) sit in head-height cabinets, waiting to be sliced up and stuffed with your fillings of choice, including generously slathered spreads (such as pistachio pesto), which are made in-house.

Must-try sandwich: 3 Salamis – casalingo salami, prosciutto cotto, mortadella, green split olives, provolone piccante, house-made marinated red capsicums and spicy chilli spread ($18)

15 Napier Street, Essendon, 3salamis.au

Correction: An earlier version of this article listed an incorrect address for Juju’s in Thornbury. This has since been updated.