Nico’s didn’t have the most auspicious of beginnings. Its flagship CBD store was only open for a day in March 2020 before shuttering, but its Fitzroy pop-up later that year inspired a devoted following – leading to the reopening of the CBD store and a Brunswick East storefront. The panko-crumbed chicken thigh coated in nori and koji chimichurri is a crowd favourite – opt for the vegan schnitzel for a meatless equivalent alongside all the same trimmings. The simple sandwich names belie the inclusion of novel ingredients – ‘Nico’s salad’ is enlivened by sesame silken tofu dressing, while the meatball sub features bone marrow. 100 Kerr St, Fitzroy; Healeys Lane, Melbourne CBD; 1 Sierra Street, Brunswick East; nicos.melbourne.

It’s hard to get a look in at Hugo’s Deli once lunchtime hits and the customers are typically there for one of two things: the doorstopper fried chicken sanga wedged by fluffy shokupan or the Reuben, featuring Uncle Smallgoods’ pastrami layered with sauerkraut, American cheese, pickles and the secret Hugo sauce. But the staff favourite and internally dubbed “most underrated sandwich” at Hugo’s is its tuna melt. Beloved for all the reasons tuna melts are popular – melting, oozy cheese coupled with the sheer savouriness of tinned fish – Hugo’s version is further enhanced by the inclusion of yuzu and shichimi. 119 Swan St, Richmond; hugosdeli.com.au.

Hugo’s Deli may spotlight many Japanese ingredients, but North Melbourne car garage-turned-community milk bar Le Bajo exclusively makes Japanese sandos, toast and pastries. Born out of a collaboration between Indonesian restaurateur Jason Gunawan and musubi café 279 chef Kantaro Okada, Le Bajo Milkbar cranks out about 50 shokupan loaves a day, many of which feature in their own sandwiches. Spicy, battered fried octopus drizzled in a spicy mayo burst out of meticulously demarcated rectangles of shokupan, while the fruit sando sees fresh (you guessed it) fruit and whipped cream crammed between slices of the fluffy Japanese milk bread. 8-14 Howard St, North Melbourne; lebajo.com.au.

A sandwich shop with a cult following, Hector’s churns out a reliable stable of simple sandwiches rendered in the most exquisite fashion. Take your pick between hot and fresh sandwiches – it’s impossible to go wrong. A classic ham, cheese and tomato is elevated into a holy trinity of mortadella, provolone and mozzarella blanketed in Hector’s secret ‘hectic’ sauce. Beef & pickles is a reliable bestseller, while the crumbed mushroom served on a steamed potato bun will tempt even the most avowed meat eaters. Hector’s has since expanded from its humble eight-seater shopfront in Richmond into South Melbourne and Fitzroy. 1/94 Buckingham St, Richmond; hectorsdeli.com.au.

Smith & Deli pioneered cutting-edge vegan sandwiches and continues to grow from strength to strength in its new Cambridge Street home. The former iteration of the vegan deli was known for its distinct lack of seating, but space is aplenty in Shannon Martinez’s new vegan dining hall, also home to Smith & Daughters. Martinez has made a name for herself crafting plant-based iterations that recreate the taste of meat, so be sure to try the Foghorn Legless (chicken schnitzel), Rubenstein (pastrami) or the Little Havana (ham, turkey and pickles). Those who can’t ingest FODMAPS or gluten are also well-catered for here. 107 Cambridge St, Collingwood; smithanddaughters.com.au.