16 Of The Best Sandwiches in Auckland in 2026

Food trends may come and go, but you can’t beat the classic sando—from a proper cheese melt, to a filling-forward focaccia situation on the go, there’s no shortage of a solid sandwich in Tāmaki Makaurau. From the crunch of toasted and buttered sourdough to pressing your fingers into a slice of soft fluffy milk bread, here are our picks for the best sandwiches to hit up, whatever the sando mood. 

Here are our picks for the best sandwiches to hit up in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland this year.

Gloria’s

Commercial Bay Ground Floor/7 Queen Street, Auckland CBD

Image credit: Gloria’s | Instagram

When Gloria's closed its Karangahape Road doors in 2023, we weren’t sure when we would see our next, next-level sando. However, Gloria’s 2024 iteration in Auckland's Commercial Bay (taking residence on the ground floor amongst the luxury apparel stores and sweet treat shops), has meant Gloria’s is back and even bigger with deli offerings of sandos and more.

The space welcomes back the sorely missed sandwiches so synonymous with Gloria's like their stuffed-to-the-brim, grilled salt-beef sandwich, plus fresh focaccia sandwiches like their almond-studded Bologna number with mortadella and burrata. Don’t forget to keep an eye on the monthly egg sandwich special (it’s an elevated classic) or any other monthly special for that matter.

Juno Ponsonby

20 Williamson Avenue, Grey Lynn

Image credit: Juno Auckland | Instagram

Breakfast in the form of a B.L.T. meets silky folded egg in sandwich form is all you need at Juno Ponsonby. Known for their incredible topping flavours on their freshly baked house seeded toast tartines (technically an open sandwich right?), they’ve also got fresh sandwiches available on the daily.

Along with their dill ranch chicken or roast beef sando offerings (as well as the breakfast BLT), pair it with their signature foam-topped Vienna for a cracking start to the day. Come night, Juno Ponsonby re-emerges as a wine bar, and for those who remember those fluffy sandos from Omni days, if these make a rockstar appearance on the menu then they’re a must-order (along with a mini martini in hand).

Bodega

86 Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn

Image credit: Bodega | Supplied

Be rude not to skip down the road to Bodega, where their made to order sandwiches often sell-out by lunch. Available from 11am, choose from signature sandwiches like their cold cuts number with provolone, plus all the tomato and lettuce with house-dressing additions. For a hot sandwich, you can’t go past their vodka chicken with mozzarella and green sauce, or their chopped cheese and wagyu number. Build your own breakfast sandwich on Friday and Saturdays, as well as their rotation of epic breakfast sando specials announced every weekend.

From fried egg with beef patty and all the crispy bacon bits, to bacon and eggs with cheesy chipotle, weekend specials are only on for a short time, so it's best to pop in early to see what’s going each weekend. If you can’t make it during the weekend, make sure to get there from Wednesday to Saturday nights for their steak frites, presented in an open sesame-seeded roll and lathered with all the trimmings like chimichurri butter and bernaise sauce (there's a different steak flavour each week). Bookings are a must to secure your steak sandwich spot with sunset views of Ponsonby. 

Note: At the time of writing, they've sadly announced they are closing their deli once the lease is up so make sure you get there for one last sando hurrah, stat. 

That Sando Guy

553B Dominion Road, Mount Eden

Image credit: That Sando Guy | Instagram

Japanese-style sando food truck That Sando Guy has a new permanent home tucked away on the side street off Dominion Road. Level up that egg sando with an egg katsu sando, or go for a soft charcoal-coloured bread with mentaiko (pollock roe) sauce over a crisp prawn patty for all the textures and rich seafood flavour. Don’t forget a strawberries and cream dessert sando to finish—just like the ones from 7-Eleven in Japan.

Toast on The Green

53 Davis Crescent, Newmarket

Image credit: Toast on The Green | Instagram

Mangawhai’s cult sandwich shop Toast has expanded to Tāmaki Makaurau as Toast on The Green. Having just opened last year in Newmarket, they were shortly crowned the official champions of The Great New Zealand Toastie takeover as first-time entrants in the same year with their chicken and bacon number. Known for their sandos in grilled, cheese-bubbling lid form, pick from faves like their winning entry which is now a permanent feature on the menu (triple melted cheese for all the cheese-pull glory), or start the day with a half breakfast toastie and coffee combo.

Fitzroy Deli

19 Shortland Street, Auckland CBD

Image credit: Fitzroy Deli | Instagram

From Devonport-based Dulcie, Fitzroy Deli in the city has all the breakfast of champion essentials in a house-baked schiacciata sandwich format. Complete with egg omelette, smoked cheddar and herbed mayo, with the option to add grilled ham, mortadella and hash brown (we’ll have all three thanks).

For sandwich options later in the day, look no further than their Mortadella number or furikake-crumbed chicken schnitzel from day one, or go for the newer additions like a smoked chicken and jalapeño pesto, or a hot honey schnitzel. They also have excellent vege fillings like coronation chickpea, as well as zucchini and edamame fritters with pickled kohlrabi (pictured, which also can be made vegan on request). Gluten-free friends will be stoked to know that they also offer gluten-free bread for all their sandos too.

Federal Delicatessen

86 Federal Street, Auckland City

Image credit: The Fed | Instagram

What’s better than a chicken sandwich than a sandwich with chicken crackling. Complete with crunchy iceberg lettuce and dipping gravy, The Fed is a bit of an institution in Tāmaki Makaurau as hospo legend Al Brown’s nod to the NYC old-school Jewish deli. If toasted sandos are more your vibe, definitely get the Reuben, with a side of pickles.

Keep an eye out for their monthly sandwich special (the current one at time of writing is Chef Megan’s corned beef sammie with house-made potato croquettes, smoked cheddar and Fed gravy—yes please to adding the croquettes in the sammie and gravy dunk). Don’t forget a bottomless cuppa Joe and you’re all set for the day in the city. Side note: If you’re back next door for dinner at Depot, don’t forget their iconic fish sliders, not quite sandwich realm but definitely worth a mention as well. 

Edie’s Wine Bar

277 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby

Image credit: Edie’s Wine Bar | Instagram

With sourdough focaccia baked in-house daily, grab one of Edie's freshly-made sandwiches. From Tuscan-style chicken to a chocka salad with a side of crisps, the chalkboard menu dictates what’s available every time. Or start the weekend right with a local fave—Edie’s bacon, egg and cheese number on Saturdays until sold out, warmed until just melted and gooey. Don’t sleep in on this one.

Fort Greene

327 Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD

Image credit: Fort Greene | Instagram

You may know Fort Greene for their sourdough and pastries, but you haven’t had it all unless you’ve tried their award-winning sandwich favourites on the menu—with their own freshly-baked New York rye bread. From thick salt-beef brisket in The Reuben, to their house-made smoked kahawai fish fingers with mushy peas and tartare sando (the latter a limited-availability one, so if you do see it on, don’t miss out). 

Pastrami & Rye

138 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby

Image credit: Pastrami & Rye Ponsonby | Instagram

With house-cured and smoked pastrami and bacon, it’s a given to make your way to Pastrami & Rye for their namesake toasted sandwich, made with their award-winning pastrami, now located in Ponsonby Central. They specialise in American-style deli sandwiches hot off the sandwich griddle, including popular go-to choices like their Reuben sandwich, or classics like their double-cheese grilled cheese.

Deli Brothers

116a Hobsonville Road, Hobsonville

Image: Deli Brothers Sandwichery | Instagram

Open since 2014 by two brothers and as Hobsonville locals themselves, Deli Brothers is a hidden gem and popular with the locals. Along with coffee and bakery offerings, they’re famous for sandwiches. Build your own sandwich from the bread selection down to cheese, meat, veg and choice of sauces by ticking your choices on a paper form, and then leave it up to the guys to sort you out with a hearty, generously-filled sandwich. 

Apéro

280 Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD

Image credit: Apero | Instagram

Their hotly-anticipated, truffle season only toastie is back at Apéro for the next few months while truffle season is here (at the time of writing). With thick-cut bread, Parisian butter, mushroom paste and freshly shaved truffle and nutty, savoury-sweet Comté—come for the toastie and stay for the rest of the menu too, and a wine to match (just ask Mo).

Roe

279 Parnell Road, Parnell

Image credit: Roe | Instagram

Head into the golden sandy oasis that is 269 Parnell, and make a beeline for Roe. Having just opened last month from the team at Rhu, you’ll know they have a knack for doing classics right—elevated and dialled in with attention to all the textures and layers, and in this case, to make the ultimate fish sando of sando dreams.

From a shatteringly crisp tempura batter encasing freshly filleted fish, refreshing crunch of finely chopped lettuce and creamy, tangy, house tartare sauce between freshly-baked milk bread—it’s everything you’d ever want in a fish sando. Don’t leave without a soft pretzel in soft serve with fish caramel too.

Wigmore Deli

507 New North Road, Kingsland

Image credit: Wigmore Deli | Instagram

You bet we added this our coffee (and sando run) list when Gin Wigmore and Aiden Williams opened up shop in April. With freshly baked focaccia from bread legends Beabeas over in Westmere, Wigmore Deli are slinging made-to-order sandiwches and they’re coming in (and going) hot.

From their faves like “Oh! Honey!”—featuring burrata, pesto, roasted pepper, pistachio, hot honey and rocket—to the popular “Prosciutt-Hoe” with sun-dried tomato, olives, prosciutto, melted provolone and parmesan, rocket, as well as a balsamic vinegar and olive oil drizz. We’ll have both thanks (get them quick before they change up the menu soon).

Young George

86A Hendon Avenue, Mount Albert

Image credit: Young George | Instagram

A coffee run became a sandwich run when I popped into the cosy neighbourhood community cafe, Young George a couple of weeks back. The screen above the counter offered a very tempting Japanese-style chicken sando—sandwiched between thick slices of white bread, panko-crumbed whole chicken thigh (bigger than the bread itself), katsu BBQ sauce, along with their special house made YG sauce and shredded lettuce for all the comforting textures. I was sold.

For those who just want burger in sando form, say less with Young Mackk—double beef patties, double cheese (mozzarella and cheddar of course), lettuce, onions and their mackk sauce. 

Special Mention: Carmel - Israeli Street Food

67b France Street South, Eden Terrace

Image credit: Carmel - Israeli Street Food | Instagram

If you haven’t had a stuffed pita (and babka in hand) from Carmel, you haven’t lived. From their popular markets and online demand during lockdown, then to their brick and mortar shop—Carmel, Tomer and the team put a whole lot of love into what they do. From perfecting the pita recipe, down to the crispy falafel, it’s no surprise they’ve got queues out the door.

Keep an eye on their socials for the popular return of the limted-run beef brisket pita—slow-cooked until meltingly tender and hit with sauce and crispy cauli, all wrapped inside their signature fluffy pita perfected by Carmel. I had a hard time drawing the boundaries of the sandwich realm, but whatever the case, definitely make an exception for this.

Feeling hungry? Check out:

• Post-Sando Hot Chocs And Where To Find Them In Auckland
• Where To Try Ube Drinks And Desserts In Auckland
• Plus The Latest Food News And Events Across Aotearoa

Main Image Credit: Toast on The Green | Instagram

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