The basis for any great sandwich is great bread, and it’s no wonder many of the eateries on this list bake their own bread in-house, or consider bread their main specialty.
Once the bread has been perfected, an exemplary sandwich needs texture — either through the clever layering of ingredients,
Swings
From the team that brought us Ponsonby Rd restaurant Ockhee comes Korean sandwich bar Swings, located in a cool brick-walled spot opposite Albert Park on Kitchener St in Auckland’s CBD. Swings’ sandwiches are modelled on a Korean street food favourite called Gilgeori toast (which translates to “street toast”), which is a white bread sandwich with egg and a mix of salty-sweet flavours. Standout sandwiches on Swings’ toastie menu are the Swinger ($16), which has bacon, egg, cheese, pickles, cabbage and housemade spicy sauce; the Rocker ($14), which is egg and mozzarella with condensed milk and Gochujang sauce; and the Bully ($17), with eggs, lettuce, marinated beef with mayo and bulgogi sauce on a hash brown. Swings also has a range of skewers and side dishes, natural wine on tap and funky sodas.
Coffee: Swings own brand filter coffee
Address: 18 Kitchener St, central city
Amano bakery
Amano’s bakery is a favourite with the downtown crowd for its freshly baked bread, pastries, slices, baked goods and takeaway coffee. The sandwiches are worth a visit alone, made from bread crafted in-house daily. If you’re keen to throw caution to the wind, opt for the spicy fried chicken sandwich ($14), made with housemade pide buns, pickled red onion, and heaving with juicy fried chicken. If you want to get some work done after eating your sandwich, a lighter choice is the vegetarian sandwich ($14) on a pide bun, with chargrilled capsicum, gem lettuce and the best combination of sauces: vegan aioli, onion jam, hummus and olive tapenade. Did we mention it has provolone cheese too? Enjoy toasted or fresh — but we all know toasted is better.
Address: 66-68, Tyler St, Britomart Place.
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Caffeteria Allpress
Allpress Espresso’s Drake St roastery is where it all began for the coffee brand that launched in 1986 and now has outposts in London, Tokyo, Sydney and Melbourne. At each location, coffee is the heart and soul of the offering, the beans hot-air roasted to create a unique flavour profile that its devoted drinkers love. Freemans Bay’s Caffeteria Allpress is home to the roastery, an art studio and cafe (open Monday to Friday), where you can sample Allpress’ Espresso Blend, Browns Mill Organic and A.R.T Espresso Roast, but it’s also the place for a reliable sandwich. The cabinet is piled high with options, usually foccacia, rye and sourdough styles, that get toasted to perfection and served on a metal plate. The team change up the flavour combinations but always on the menu is the tuna, olive, egg and artichoke sandwich on sourdough — which comes together with a light mayo, and when toasted the filling oozes out the gaps in the bread onto the hot plate, creating little crispy pockets. Another failsafe is the Reuben with corned beef and sauerkraut on fennel seed-infused rye. The little Tramezzini on white bread with provolone, cheddar and chives is a nice snack sandwich and the chicken and fennel on ciabatta has crisp clean flavours when you want to keep it simple.
Coffee: Allpress
Address: 8 Drake St, Freemans Bay
Fort Greene
Fort Greene’s Liam Fox and Andrea Mulhausen are passionate sandwich people, who believe any meal can be made into a sandwich and is probably the better for it. Amen to that. Their Karangahape Rd bakery and cafe specialises in sourdough, Vienesse-style pastries like croissants and pain au chocolate, and sandwiches. “I’ve always loved being in kitchens but I felt I wasn’t going to be doing it forever until I started baking sourdough,” Liam told Viva. “It got under my skin and made me realise this is what I want to be doing for the rest of my life.” As for those sandwiches, it’s a tight edit of tried-and-true favourites like the Grilled Cheese ($18.20), which mixes four cheeses with pickles on Fort Greene country sourdough. Try it Italian-style with Napolitano source and parmesan, or with homemade kimchi. We’ve always been partial to The Fish One ($23.90), which nestles kahawai fish fingers, mushy peas and tartare sauce between Fort Green’s New York rye bread.
Coffee: People’s Coffee
Address: 327 Karangahape Rd, central city
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Glorias
From Emma Ogilvie and Nick Landsman of neo-bistro Bar Céleste, Gloria’s is a bakery and sandwich shop serving a rotating menu of fresh and toasted sandwiches in what Emma describes as a modern take on the classic Kiwi bakery. Located where wine store Star Superette used to be, Gloria’s offers pies, coffee and bakery treats alongside those standout sandwiches. “We’ve taken inspiration from our backgrounds and travels,” says Emma. “It’s a bit New York bodega where you can get a bagel or a Reuben, as well as a bit London caff.” The sandwich menu changes often but includes untoasted sandwiches on freshly made focaccia — like the butternut and burrata sandwich, or the tuna salad sandwich — and toasted sandwiches like a mushroom melt, a tuna melt, a chicken and cheese and a salt beef sandwich, plus a rotating special.
Coffee: Supreme
Address: 170 Karangahape Rd, central city
Florets
Known for its organic, nutrient-filled sourdough loaves made with wholegrain flour, Florets is not only a bakery but a great spot for a sandwich, with a light-filled dining space above the Grey Lynn bakery. It gets extra points for its inventive and interesting flavour combinations, like the Fennel Salami ($14) which heroes handmade salami from The Grey Lynn butcher next door, marinated banana blossom, olives and rocket; and the Spiced Cauliflower ($14) which pairs roasted cauli with a date and walnut salsa, radicchio, mizuna and chilli mayo. Florets is owned by Maya Handley, whose love of bread is evident in every loaf — and sandwich. “We use seasonal local produce so that all the raw ingredients have great flavour in their own right and organic where possible,” says Maya. “Freya, who designs our sandwich menu, loves to marinate, pickle and use lots of herbs and spices to enhance the seasonal produce we receive. We also use fresh organic greens in most sandwiches to add brightness and crunch. Plus we house-make all our own mayonnaise, salsas and relishes for the best flavour and freshness.” The team recently introduced toasted sandwiches to the menu, in time for winter, including one made with Organic Danbo and mozzarella cheese, pear, onion, and mustard on whole-wheat sandwich sourdough, with a pickle on the side.
Coffee: Flight
Address: 596 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn
Daily Bread
With six outposts in Auckland, Daily Bread is one of our most prolific bakeries and yet the standard has remained high, with a commitment to using fresh ingredients. All its bread is slow-fermented and naturally leavened using organic and spray-free local ingredients (where possible). The core sandwich selection is pleasingly simple and a classic combination we can’t look past is the ham and cheese baguette with a smattering of orange mustard glaze. Also notable is the Botstock chicken bun with crispy chicken skin and gravy. Daily Bread often has sandwich and toastie specials on the menu (the corn and habanero toastie was particularly good) — look out for them in-store. Serving Supreme, we’ve never had a disappointing coffee from Daily Bread.
Coffee: Supreme
Address: Various
Farro
This suggestion might seem a little out of leftfield since it’s a supermarket chain, but there are some decent sandwich options at Farro. A relative newcomer is the vegetarian stack in a brioche bun combining grilled halloumi with smoky eggplant, capsicum and rocket (as a side note: it’d be nice to see more flavour combinations for vegetarians that don’t involve capsicum or eggplant, but here we are). The ham and cheese Ficelle on a fresh baguette with pickles is also a solid option, just make sure it’s properly stacked with ham. The fried chicken sandwich with pickles and slaw on brioche is great, and an underrated hero is the little chicken club on white bread with fresh slices of cucumber and rocket. This paired with coffee is the ideal morning tea. Farro staff can toast any sandwich for you too.
Coffee: Various
Address: Various
Cheese on Toast
Steve Kennedy and Yang Yang opened Cheese on Toast in Three Kings in 2019 with a simple philosophy — to serve great toast, toasties and coffee. Working with housemade sourdough, their toastie menu is simple yet delicious, the Just Cheese ($10) combining vintage gouda, Maasdam and parmesan; the Creamed Corn ($13) elevating a Kiwi classic with housemade creamed corn and capsicum salsa; and the Bacon Jam ($13) a medley of caramelised onion jam and crispy bacon (these last two toasties were even named in Auckland’s 100 Iconic Eats list). Mmmm. The fact they opened a second outpost in Birkenhead on the North Shore shows the formula works. Keep an eye on their Instagram for new specials, everything from eggs Benedict toasties, to pepper steak and cheese.
Coffee: Eight Thirty
Address: 931b Mt Eden Rd, Three Kings. 96 Hinemoa St, Birkenhead
Federal Deli
Think Federal Deli, think the chicken salad sandwich, and we couldn’t not include it in an Auckland sandwich roundup. It’s been a favourite with diners since Al Brown opened this American-style diner 10 years ago. Of course, Federal Deli has a dedicated sandwich and bagel menu, comprising some of its famous sandwiches like the Reuben ($24.50) with pastrami, sauerkraut, mustard and Russian dressing, and the fish hoagie ($17), which is battered fish with slaw and mayo in a soft, white, hot dog-style bun. But that chicken sandwich ($18) is a thing of beauty, combining shredded rotisserie chicken (you can watch the chickens roasting behind the kitchen counter) with finely chopped red onion and mayo, iceberg lettuce and delicious crispy chicken skin. The best part? There’s gravy on the side for dipping into. Ask for it toasted with cheese — you’re welcome.
Coffee: Supreme or Good Joe filter coffee (no, there is no espresso machine at Federal Deli)
Address: 86 Federal St, central city
Dedwood Deli
There aren’t many eateries in Auckland dedicated to sandwiches, so we appreciate the efforts of Dedwood Deli, which is all about the sammy, from hot and toasted, to fresh and breakfast-friendly. This Ponsonby Rd spot bakes its own bread, makes its own sauces and cures its own meats for its sourdough and focaccia sandwiches. Highlights from the ‘hot sandwich’ menu include the Chimi’ Steak ($16), which is slices of medium-rare sirloin with a chimichurri dressing, three cheeses and tomato chipotle relish. The New York Reuben stars Dedwood’s slow-cooked pastrami with cheese, sauerkraut, McClure’s pickles and Russian dressing ($16). If you prefer your sandwiches fresh, there’s a mozzarella and prosciutto number to enjoy. To avoid queues, you can order your sandwich online for pick up.
Coffee: Kokako
Address: 2/106 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby
Coffee Pen
Yas and Fumi Hisai’s much-loved local cafe in Eden Terrace has a cabinet brimming with home-cooked treats like tarts, pies and pastries. They specialise in old-school hot food like lasagne, macaroni and cheese, quiche and pies. It’s the kind of comforting food that makes winter that little bit more bearable. As for the sandwiches, those are excellent too with flavour combinations that change with the mood of the kitchen, their specials often posted on Coffee Pen’s Instagram stories that day. Standout sandwiches of late have been a roast chicken sandwich with smashed peas and pickled onion on soft brown bread. The Reuben is packed with corned beef and red cabbage sauerkraut that are both made in-house, as well as English mustard and cheddar cheese on rye bread. The coffee is very good, with Yas’ extensive experience as a barista, made with Coffee Pen’s own specialty blend.
Coffee: Coffe Pen’s own specialty coffee
Address: 6 Basque Rd, Eden Terrace
Hare and the Turtle
Come for the sandwiches, stay for the cream doughnuts. New Windsor’s dedicated sandwich spot Hare and the Turtle is a sweet neighbourhood cafe with a killer selection of sammies. The Eggplant Parm ($14) is a firm favourite with panko-crumbed eggplant fried to perfection and teamed with provolone cheese, basil, mayo and housemade tomato sauce on a toasted bun. This sandwich gets extra points for being easy to eat, with its great ratio of ingredients to bun. You can’t go past the Daisy, with slow-cooked beef, pickled onion and burger sauce brought together with melty Edam cheese on sourdough. As for those doughnuts, they have pride of place in the Hare and the Turtle cabinet, with rotating special editions like banoffee, cinnamon, rhubarb and classic cream-filled with jam.
Coffee: Supreme
Address: 1/63 New Windsor Rd, New Windsor
Do you have a favourite sandwich spot in Auckland we should know about? Email us at viva@nzherald.co.nz.
