It all started with a little Richmond milk bar, which quickly became chef Dom Wilton’s ground zero for great things between bread. Nowadays, he has three Hector’s Delis: in Richmond, South Melbourne and the brand new Fitzroy shop, which opened in November. Head for the egg salad.

The new kid on the sandwich block from owner Jack Cassar, this Torquay surf coast shop offers what could well be the area’s best conti roll, stuffed with mixed meats, cheese and Spanish pickles. There’s also pastrami on dark rye and plenty of takeaway cold cuts.

There are schnitzel sangas and then there’s the mighty Schnitz from Cut Lunch Deli. The supersize painting of a sandwich on the wall is the first indication that this tiny café does things large. But it’s not until the sesame-panko-crumbed chicken, hanging out either side of the bun, is in front of you that you realise exactly what you’re in for. It’s paired with just a few ingredients – sweet zucchini pickle mayo, pickled red onion and shredduce (shredded lettuce) – and that’s all it needs. The crowd favourite has been on the menu since day one and there’s no sign of it going anywhere, with another iteration of it on the After Hours menu.

K&G Deli is just one part of a 150-year-old gourmet empire in Carlton. Here, it’s all about croque signor (ham, cheese, bechamel) and the bacon and egg panini with salsa rosso, ordered and eaten at the espresso counter.

This sweet café and deli in Prospect serves a fried eggplant sanger with tomato kasundi, cabbage and herbs for the veggos alongside a sopressa and fior di latte choice for carnivores.

Visit this Yokine eatery for falafel and chips, served in a pita pocket with pickles and salad, or a classic sabich – sautéed eggplant, hard-boiled egg, hummus, tahini and salad, all stuffed in pita. Or a vegetarian shawarma with seven types of mushroom. Yes, seven.

What really sets apart Queanbeyan’s Fresca – housed within the Nellie Hamilton Centre, a 25-minute drive south-east of Canberra’s CBD – from your average sandwich slinger is its Tuscan-style schiacciata, baked fresh daily. Puffed and crisped in a woodfired oven, each loaf halved and stuffed with everything from truffled pecorino to creamy pistachio and mortadella or even house-crumbed chicken schnitzel with semi-dried tomato pesto. All fillings are great with a chai matcha latte or creamy pistachio affogato.

The focus at this Windsor shop is on sandwiches you could stop a door with. Chicken schnitzel on Japanese-style white bread with pickles and mayo. Or egg salad, the boiled egg split down the middle with a perfect yolk.

Locals rightfully flock to Marrickville’s Bertas for its sandwiches – spanning the classic pastrami, a pistachio-pesto-laced mortadella number and a turkey option teamed with blackberry compote and stracciatella – but the drinks are just as delicious. On offer: the ubiquitous strawberry matcha (with housemade compote), a tahini-spiked latte with cinnamon and molasses and a “smashable” iced tea, which is aptly described as “Turkish Delight in a cup”.

Yes, it’s essentially a cheese store… But! There’s also a modest menu of very good sandwiches at this Potts Point site. A crunchy baguette, for instance, filled with gooey camembert and slices of salami. There are cicchetti, such as focaccia with buffalo mozzarella and mortadella. And, of course, a four-cheese toastie.

Housed in a sunshine-yellow building on King Street, Arno Deli is an Italian-inspired deli in the heart of Newcastle’s CBD that’s quickly become one of the city’s hottest lunch spots. You’ll be rightfully distracted by the cabinets overflowing with housemade cannoli and the fluid dance of staff preparing sandwiches at the “panino pass” but keep your eyes on the prize: the green boards that detail the sandwich menu. For a classic bite that nods to the motherland, opt for #12, which features smoked pepperoni and buffalo mozzarella matched with vodka and tomato sugo. The #15 is a dream for pork-lovers, laden with Campari-glazed ham and porchetta; while vegetarians won’t be disappointed with #29, which marries grilled broccolini with aïoli and Calabrian chilli. Pre-ordering is recommended.

It’s a general store, a deli, somewhere to grab a glass of wine and a sandwich in Fortitude Valley. Sarah Baldwin, chef from the tiny but mighty Joy restaurant, has created a menu of five sandwiches that changes regularly. Keep an eye out for the pepperberry salami with cream cheese and tomato or roast pork with potato and Swiss cheese.

Taking up residence in the storied National Film and Sound Archive of Australia in August 2025, DOM’s Deli – helmed by the Church Neighbourhood Goods team – is the ideal spot to refuel after being immersed in the country’s rich audiovisual history. The menu is short and sweet: alongside sweet treats of tiramisù, doughnuts and ButterBoy cookies, there are just eight sandwiches – some fresh, some toasted – on offer. Give your tastebuds a jolt with the Hot Honey Salumi, where spicy sopressa is slathered in fermented garlic honey. Or go for the signature Dom’s Special: basil pesto, roasted red pepper and mortadella topped with black olives.

It may be titled “Breaky Burger” on the menu but don’t let the name of this dish deceive you. The option to swap out the bun for vegan sourdough firmly places it in the all-day sanga category, while the addition of crunchy fresh apple slaw, slightly melted Swiss cheese, a gooey fried egg and chemical-free bacon elevate it from standard morning staple to serious show-stealer. Better still, bread-lovers with a gluten intolerance can opt for gluten-free bread – as thick as shokupan and as fluffy as its wheat-based counterpart. Don’t be late: this coastal-cool wholefoods café serves up this tasty number until 1pm.

What To Know Before Choosing Your Next Bottle of Champagne