Lunch sorted: 14 must-try Sydney sandwich specialists

From house-made focaccia stuffed with deli meats, to pork belly banh mi, these are the top sandwich spots from Good Food’s 100 Essential Cafes and Bakeries Guide.It has been two years since Good Food launched Sandwich Watch, a column chronicling Sydney’s love affair with things-between-bread. It’s covered everything from Indonesian toasties at Ada’s Affair, to lobster rolls at Afishonado, yet there’s appetite for more. Harvey’s Hot Sandwiches is due to open on Pitt Street with a $3.5 million fit-out in November, demonstrating just how big the sandwich business has become. Good Food’s 100 Essential Cafe and Bakeries Guide included a number of venues specialising in sandwiches. Here’s our pick for your next lunch. Banh mi at Marrickville Pork Roll.Jennifer SooMarrickville Pork Roll“This is the original and the best Marrickville Pork Roll,” says Nga Du, who co-founded the banh mi shop in a former toilet block with husband Khiem Du in 2008, and moved to a larger space next door in 2021.Their Vietnamese pork sandwiches are consistently ranked among the city’s best – the white bread rolls are baked fresh (crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, so large it’s almost intimidating) then slathered with rich pâté and stacked with cold-cut pork, pickled vegetables and fresh salad.Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.Sign upLengthy weekend queues led to a further four venues opening across Sydney, but Du considers this one, where she works, special: “Because I love it, I put my whole heart into it,” she says.Must order: The crackling pork belly banh mi is Du’s pick, but all options remain affordable, priced between $10 to $12.236 Illawarra Road, MarrickvilleFocaccia sandwich at Self Raised Snack Shoppe in Bexley North.Dion GeorgopoulosSelf RaisedYou’re knee-deep in suburbia, on a quiet Carlton street lined with single level federation homes. There’s the usual suspects: a fish-and-chip shop, a convenience store. Then, you notice all the families and couples queuing outside Self Raised Bread Shoppe for Boston cream doughnuts, stacked focaccia sandwiches and Milo topped with cold foam. This is quality fare, minus (most) of the fads, and its launch in 2023 heralded a period of strong westward growth in Sydney’s cafe sector, including sister venues in Bexley North and Merrylands. Good to know: If you can appreciate a Filet-O-Fish from Macca’s, you will love the Self Raised fish sandwich with its generous fillet of panko-crumbed hake, house-made tartare, pickles and American-style cheese on a milk bun.8/20 Sarsfield Circuit, Bexley North and Main Lane, Merrylands, selfraised.com.auNext-level chicken schnitty at Kosta’s.Janie BarrettKosta’sYes, we all know how good Kosta’s chicken schnitzel sandwich is. But have you tried the fish? It’s one of Sydney’s best fish sandwiches − light batter, creamy tartare sauce, plenty of dill. Best eaten at the original Rockdale location, beside Ralph’s SmashMart, but now available at five locations across Sydney (plus a new store in Brisbane).Good to know: If you want to recreate Kostas’ fermented hot sauce at home, the recipe is here.Various locations including 412 West Botany Street, Rockdale, kostastakeaway.comFish burger at Ellen, Alexandria.EllenIt’s the best-selling menu item at Ellen, but head chef and co-owner Dingqi “Chris” Xin doesn’t really know why, but says it might be the ratio. “A fluffy bun, crunchy and juicy fish ... and not so big that you can’t bite into it.” Hoki fillets are rolled in fresh white breadcrumbs, twice-fried and paired with house-pickled cucumber, tartare sauce, American cheese, cos and horseradish mayonnaise. “This is the fish burger I always dreamt of, before I brought it to life at Ellen,” he says.Good to know: Ellen is dog-friendly, and you absolutely need to order the honeycomb espresso.153/18 Huntley Street, Alexandria, instagram.com/ellen_cafeLoaves of bread at Baker Bleu.Baker BleuBaker Bleu may be among the pricier bakeries in Sydney, but it’s also one of the best, where long fermentation, a commitment to old-school methods and sandwiches over-flowing with fillings are king. There are bagels filled with salt beef, baguettes with mortadella and provolone, and ficelle (skinnier, softer baguettes) layered with prosciutto and gruyere. The partnership with Neil Perry is no more, but the lines have persisted – plan ahead to take your sandwich to nearby Murray Rose (Redleaf) pool. Good to know: Come early as the weekend bread lines can stretch.2 Guilfoyle Avenue, Double Bay, bakerbleu.com.auCrumbed chicken sandwich at Angus, Marrickville.Dion GeorgopoulosAngusAngus is the sleeper hit of Marrickville cafes. It launched quietly as Agnes in 2023, then gradually changed its name, ownership and opening hours. The menu kept improving, strengthened by ties to cult-favourite Kirrawee bakery Thoroughbread and a commitment to deceptively labour-intense dishes.Did you know that making their bestselling crumbed fish sandwich requires three days of steaming fish, creating stock, making sauce and baking bread? That they cure the salmon to make gravlax for their Scandi-style brekkie plate? Or that they poach the rhubarb for each rhubarb matcha matte? No wonder it’s getting tough to score a table.Good to know: Skip the wait by ordering ahead online.69 Meeks Road, Marrickville, angusmarrickville.com.auThe roast pork banh mi.Banh Mi Phuong 18 It’s lunchtime in Cabramatta, and the people have spoken: Banh Mi Phuong 18 is the place to be. The no-frills sandwich shop from Bankstown opened its second location this year, and the queue down Park Road has the same gravitational pull on curious diners.Join them, and you’ll be rewarded with what could be the best crispy pork banh mi in Sydney: a crunchy-but-pliable bun, slathered with umami-rich pâté, stuffed with tender pieces of crisp, crackling pork, and punctuated by pickled pink daikon. For less than $11, it can’t be beat.Best for: A memorable lunch at pre-COVID prices.1/335 Chapel Road, Bankstown and 4/54 Park Road, CabramattaYou can choose your own sandwich fillings from the Raineri’s Continental Deli counter.Janie BarrettRaineri’s DeliIt’s best to let the experts guide your panini adventure at this family-run, menu-free Italian deli – they have been doing it for 43 years, after all. Each sandwich is a masterclass in balance, housed in perfectly toasted focaccia to ensure you taste every nuance: the spicy salami, the creamy cheese, the salty olives and juicy tomatoes. Sadly, Peter Raineri passed away this year, but the legacy still lives on.Good to know: The sandwich line forms about 10.30am and maintains its stamina for the next four hours.97 Great North Road, Five DockReuben sandwich at Serva.Dylan CokerServaA bright orange cafe in the Northern Beaches, is where owner-chef Miles Ackermans shows off his vast range of pickles and preserves – sold retail, or served in sandwiches, toasties, muffins and salads. Join his growing group of customers-turned-mates, and start swooning over umami-rich mushroom toasties, laced with kombu butter and served with zucchini pickle, or marvel at the meaty, crunchy, melty Reuben with apple and celery kraut. Good to know: A second location opened in Freshwater this year.1/538 Sydney Road, Seaforth and 16A Lawrence Street, Freshwater, servasyd.com.auThe risky brisket and the chicken sandwich at MLK Deli.Dion GeorgopoulosMLK DeliMLK Deli’s latest outpost brings New York deli energy to the historic sandstone quarter. The menu charts owner Myra Karakelle’s Uzbek heritage, threading Middle Eastern flavours through hefty sandwiches including “The Turk”, with turkey, gently spiced apricot jam and labneh, and a notably good vegan option with smoked tofu, roasted vegetables and tahini.Bread is fresh from Paddington’s Organic Bread Bar, brisket is tender and house-smoked for six hours, and you’ll need to save space for the cinnamon scroll focaccia. Visit on a sunny day, because indoor seating is limited.Must-order: The Rocks-exclusive Ritz breakfast sandwich with brisket and runny egg.32 Harrington Street, The Rocks and 168 Campbell Street, Surry Hills, instagram.com/mlk.deliPickled beetroot, carrot, sprouts, mayo, mushroom pate, tilsit cheese and rocket sandwich at Goodways Deli.Kate GeraghtyGood Ways DeliThere are salad sandwiches, and then there’s the Good Ways salad sandwich – a refreshing celebration of crunch and freshness complete with a tribute to the banh mi, by way of house-made mushroom pâté.Sourdough ciabatta rolls are baked daily at this cornershop charmer, with a tuckshop-inspired menu including lamingtons, a particularly good vanilla slice (Saturdays only) and a steak pie loaded with mushrooms and native mountain pepper.Good to know: The Anzac biscuits are cracking and available year-round.81 Buckland Street, Alexandria and 1/20 Cooper Street, Redfern, goodwaysdeli.com.auThe classic lox bagel from Hendrix.Dion GeorgopoulosHendrix Coffee CoOrder the bagel. Owner-baker Todd Rosenfeld spent years refining his New York-style recipe for this unassuming cafe, elevating a dish of durability and convenience into culinary art.Expect that classic bagel chew, a golden crunch, and a softer, loftier rise. Fillings are similarly special, from oversized fillets of crumbed chicken with American cheese and smoky “cowboy” butter, to sweet seasonal options with house-made blueberry and lemon preserve atop cream cheese. It’s serving some excellent cold brews, too, like the iced matcha and pistachio cold foam.Good to know: Hendrix is also known for its ultra-cheesy toasties and Reuben Hills coffee.1/150 Cronulla Street, Cronulla, instagram.com/hendrixcoffeecoWilly’s fish burger. Willy’s DeliIt doesn’t take a big space to make a lasting impression. Butcher Ryan Watson opened Willy’s in a two-seater shopfront around the corner from his shop, The Fairlight Butcher, this year. It’s packed with neighbourly hospitality, from the crocheted blankets for chilly days, to fresh-baked choc-chip cookies on the counter.Beyond the impressive line-up of specialty drinks (hello, lamington-flavoured hot chocolate with choc-coconut cold foam), the focus is on sandwiches. Each uses free-range meat produced by regenerative local farmers, and you can taste the quality.Must order: Try the grilled porchetta on Turkish bread, with salsa verde, whole grain mustard, apple and cabbage.1/154 Sydney Road, Fairlight, instagram.com/willys_deliThe “Midnight in Havana” Cubana at A.P Quay.Janie BarrettA.P QuayTucked into the base of the Quay Quarter Tower, this is the seventh outpost of A.P Bakery to opend after chef Mat Lindsay, baker Dougal Muffet and hotelier Russell Beard launched the brand in 2021.Croissants and assorted breads are made on site at the Circular Quay shop, but it’s the hot sandwiches, made from meats cooked on gleaming imported French spits, that have people most excited. The big drawcards from the rotisserie are beef and porchetta with bitter greens on crusty pizza bianca bread, but the full sandwich menu runs much longer, with baguettes, breakfast rolls and toasties.50 Bridge Street, Sydney, apbakery.com.auGood Food reviews are visited anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the 100 Essential Cafes and Bakeries guide.Can’t see your favourite cafe? Chances are it’s in another category. Explore the full list of the 100 Essential Cafes and Bakeries of 2026 in the Good Food app.Bianca Hrovat – Bianca is Good Food’s Sydney eating out and restaurant editor.From our partners