15 best sandwich shops in Melbourne

Stefanino Panino

Nailing old-school Italian deli sandwiches in new-school surrounds – that’s what makes Stefanino a star. Mornings are for toasties, paving the way for all-day crunchy ciabatta rolls stuffed with cold cuts or tender house-roasted porchetta with crackling and vibrant salsa verde.

You can also build your own from a selection of salumi, cheeses, spreads, and fresh and preserved produce. Be sure to leave with an espresso and cannoli to crush the post-lunch slump.

Good to know: Look out for monthly parma nights and other evening events.

Luke’s Banh Mi

Luke’s Banh Mi might be six locations deep across Melbourne, but Puckle Street is where it all started – and the magic hasn’t faded. The efficient crew weighs, assembles and dispatches well-filled rolls to hungry queues.

It’s the little details that count: shatteringly crunchy pork marinated for three days, signature sauces, and pâté and egg mayo, both made in-store daily to secret recipes. Portions are generous, lines move swiftly, and with all banh mi priced between $10 and $12, it’s a true bargain.

Good to know: It’s takeaway only, but there is limited bench seating on the street if you really can’t wait for the first bite.

Jimmy’s Deli

In 2022, the folks behind Yarraville Greek favourite Eleni’s paid homage to their late grandfather – Dimitri, but known as Jimmy – with this shop next door.

A local butcher for 20 years, Jimmy lived by a simple rule: “Good meat, and plenty of it.” The sangas at Jimmy’s Deli embody that passion. The Katz’s Tribute riffs on the famed New York deli’s stacked pastrami Reuben. Upgrade yours to the half-kilo New Yorker ($35) – the same size as Katz’s original – for a behemoth that’ll take at least four hands to tackle.

Good to know: Finish the New Yorker sandwich in one sitting and earn a place on Jimmy’s wall of fame.

Kampot Kitchen

Husband-and-wife duo Jimi Lundy and Sarann Chhoeung showcase Cambodian culture through num pang (literally “bread”).

Ask for a Vietnamese banh mi and they won’t hold it against you, but Kampot Kitchen’s rolls are distinctly their own. Fillings such as glazed chicken and ginger, and grilled prawns with coconut sauce take inspiration from iconic Cambodian dishes.

Consistency is king here, with a perfectly even, melt-in-your-mouth distribution of meat and fat with every bite. Good to know: This is slow food served between bread.

During peak hours, don’t expect to grab and go in a flash.

Baba’s Deli

Devotees of Port Melbourne favourite Baba’s Deli love to wax lyrical about the Mama’s Vodka – a legendary chicken-schnitzel focaccia drenched in a creamy, tomatoey, vodka-spiked sauce (the team simmers more than 150 litres of it weekly). But a new contender across both their original outpost and the Ivanhoe location might just steal the crown.

Behold: the mighty New Orleans-style muffuletta – giant, under $20 and genuine rarity in Melbourne. Grab one for the road or claim a streetside seat and dig in.

Must-order: The muffuletta sanga. If you like it hot, add a glug of house-made chilli oil that’s supercharged with Italian herbs and spices.

Applehead Deli

From pickles to pastrami, this humble, community-driven spot makes almost everything in-house. Kids are given chalk for doodling, and staff are friendly enough to feel like family.

An old-school meatball roll gets a fresh twist from basil-almond pesto, while chicken melts are just the right side of oozy. New specials each weekend keep regulars coming back.

Good to know: Hot sauce from the side cabinet adds the perfect kick to any dish.

Hector’s Deli

When Hector’s hit Richmond in 2017, it signalled a seismic shift in Melbourne’s sandwich scene. The team’s fine-dining pedigree didn’t mean adding flourishes for fancy’s sake; instead, it meant creating souped-up versions of staples we already knew and loved.

These days, that’s less novel, but Hector’s prevails. Bolstered by new locations and menu items, Hector’s remains what many still consider the city’s number-one sandwich destination.

Good to know: The breakfast muffins give Macca’s a serious shake.

Pecks Road

This popular western suburbs cafe proves the best food is handheld.

Most sangas here are brushed with a Filipino stroke: house-baked pandesal muffins flank longanisa sausage and a thick slab of steam-baked egg; bagels are slathered in purple ube cream cheese. A classic toasted Reuben balances smoky brisket, tangy sauerkraut and spicy mustard on deeply golden Cobb Lane sourdough.

But the doughnuts are what put Pecks on the map. Grab one filled with silky ube cream and dusted with toasted coconut on your way out.

Must order: If it’s on special, be sure to try the Pecks Road Filipino banh mi.

Baguette Studios

You get the feeling that every detail matters at Baguette Studios.

Bread and pastries sit behind glass like art installations, and there’s poise in every sandwich, loaf or snack. Baguettes brim with smoked salmon and cream cheese, or house-cured rare-breed ham with gruyere and pickle.

The croissants are deliberately soft, built on a milk poolish starter that leans all-in on flavour rather than flakiness. Must order: The Monte Cristo sandwich ($23), crumbed, deep-fried and showered with icing sugar, then served with house-made blueberry compote and a tiny jug of maple syrup.

Rocco’s Deli

Melbourne’s sandwich culture owes a debt of gratitude to Italian delicatessens.

And one of the standard-bearers is Rocco’s Deli, which has been piling panini high on the west side since 1977. Everyone lines up for its namesake Rocco Roll: your choice of sliced-to-order cold cuts layered with pesto, cheese, eggplant, green olives, grilled capsicum and semi-dried tomatoes.

It’s a deli cabinet in a roll. Must order: The meatball sub is on the menu sporadically – so if you see it, drop everything.

Dripping with rich ragu and packed into a crusty roll, it requires two hands and a small mountain of napkins.

Bun Bun Bakery

Of course Melbourne’s Vietnamese heartland is home to what many consider the state’s supreme banh mi. Bun Bun has been a Springvale stalwart since 1998.

Join the U-shaped queue, survey the line-up of glossy meats, but definitely try the shatteringly crispy pork. Staff in colourful aprons don’t skimp on the pâté (or chilli) so you’re in for a flavour bomb. Just find a bench to perch on as there are no seats in-house.

Good to know: You can only pay with cash or PayID, not card.

Falco

Few bakeries can claim so many slam dunks: a chicken sandwich that’s in the city’s top 10, a peanut butter-miso cookie that nails crisp-chewy, top-tier sausage rolls and pies (go classic with steak and pepper, or chaos mode with cheeseburger). Sweet pastries are gorgeous and glossy, baked just the right side of dark, and bread is hearty yet still reasonably priced.

A true all-rounder bakery. Good to know: Pies and sausage rolls are also sold frozen to bake at home.

Masses Bagels

The wild-fermented bagels have an addictive chew and are often still warm when they’re magicked into open sandwiches with atypical toppings. Where else is an everything bagel schmeared with goat’s feta and topped with persimmon, salsa verde and fennel-jalapeno oil?

Coffee is by Market Lane and matcha comes in both latte and soda form. Good to know: Staff can suggest which bagel (there are five choices) pairs best with your toppings.

Warkop

Channelling the energy of their Richmond original, Barry Susanto and Erwin Chandra’s second cafe puts loaded sandwiches front and centre.

Think sambal-spiked Filet-O-Fish and lemongrass-chilli chicken BLT. Breakfast muffins (sausage or bacon) get an optional hash brown upgrade, but every order is lifted by “Bazzinga sauce”, a hit of mayo, chilli paste, fried shallots and herbs.

Cruller doughnuts glazed with kaya (coconut jam) anchor the sweets, and Duke’s Coffee keeps diners caffeinated. Good to know: The palm sugar iced coffee, exclusive to the CBD location, pairs beautifully with a spicy smoked tuna sandwich.

Ca Com

Melbourne has no shortage of great banh mi, but Ca Com is in a class of its own.

Precision is everything at this clean-cut sandwich joint, operated by The Age Good Food Guide 2026 Chef of the Year Thi Le. The hearth is its beating heart.

Bread and meat are grilled over flames, smoke lightly perfuming extra-crackly roasted pork belly and luring passersby into the sun-drenched shop. Soulful, sui generis sandwiches you’ll keep coming back to.

Good to know: Nab a slice of feather-light pandan chiffon cake for the road.

336 Bridge Road, Richmond, cacom.net.au

Can’t see your favourite cafe? Chances are it’s in another category.

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