If you love jars of pickles, spicy octopus in a tin, rare bottles of vinegar, walk-in cheese fridges and freshly made, fully stuffed sandwiches, then you need to check out Sydney’s best delis.
Packed out with pantry-fillers and cultural delicacies, Sydney’s smorgasbord of new-age and old-school delis plate up some serious foodie goodness, with take-home pantry staples, hard-to-find culinary treats, and made-to-order items to fuel your food shopping.
These are Urban List's picks for the best delis in Sydney.
Marani Deli
Shop 7&8/80 Wilson Street, Newtown
Image credit: Marani Deli | Instagram
Marani, meaning ‘cellar’ in Georgian, is the brainchild of Alex Grenouiller, formerly of Cafe Paci and Penny’s Cheese Shop. This beloved Inner West deli combines Grenouiller’s French upbringing and his partner’s Sicilian heritage, plus the pair’s experiences in Georgia.
As well as stocking a diverse selection of deli and pantry supplies like tinned fish, pickled and preserved items, and bulk olive oil, Marani serves small-run takeaway lunch items like loaded sandwiches, while in the evening it hosts Supra’ nights: one-off events in collaboration with natural winemakers and importers.
Raineri's Continental Delicatessen
97 Great North Road, Five Dock
This family-run delicatessen has developed a cult following in recent times. An OG deli in every sense, Raineri’s serves up giant focaccias and packs them with cut-to-order cured meats, cheeses and marinated eggplant and capsicum; you can pick and choose exactly what you want, and it'll set you back just $15.
Elsewhere, Raineri’s stocks a vast selection of antipasto, cheeses and cured meats, as well as Italian oils, seasonal treats like panettone, canned goods, biscuits, condiments, coffee and more.
Una Providore
Shop 1/168 Walker Street, North Sydney
Image credit: Una Providore | Supplied
Part of the Walker Street precinct in North Sydney, Una is a Sydney deli selling gourmet and artisanal produce, pantry items, gifts, wine, and boutique spirits. You'll find an edit of local and international cheeses, tinned seafood, gourmet sausages, and sliced-to-order cured meats.
You can expect to see chef-made creations from sister venues too, like chicken liver parfait, terrine, and rillettes from Loulou, Genzo’s chilli crunch condiment, crackers made from Sol’s leftover bread, jam made in Soluna and more.
Omeio Artisanal Deli
1/31 MacDonald Street, Paddington
Omeio Artisanal Deli has been one of the neighbourhood’s greatest secrets for the best part of a decade. The menu features a bunch of deli classics, such as cured meats, cheeses, olives and antipasti as well as pastries, quiches and fresh bread from down the road at Organic Bread Bar.
As well as serving simple, delicious breakfasts (the roasted tomatoes on toast is a must), Omeio’s owner Niko Giourgas has a well-stocked store of artisanal goods including antipasti staples, raw honey, handmade granola and premium olive oil.
Yangga Korean Deli
Lower Ground, 6 Walker Street, Rhodes and B002/365 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood
The word deli isn’t traditionally associated with Korean cuisine, but Yangga Korean Deli provides its own take on the format, describing itself as part old-school Korean kitchen, part providore.
Instead of pecorino, prosciutto and tins of sardines, Yangga serves up homemade kimchi, tteokbokki, kimbap and banchan. You can also grab a delicious on-the-go lunch like miyeok guk (seaweed soup with beef), as well as snacks like soy eggs and namul (veggies with soy sauce, garlic and toasted sesame oil).
Deli Republic
10/61-71 Mentmore Avenue, Rosebery
Rosebery’s local deli and grocer only opened in 2022 but it’s a local treasure. Operated by pastry chefs Nenad Djuric (ex-Est.) and Adele Di Bella (ex-Messina), Deli Republic sells a bunch of house-made deli meats and a range of locally made cheeses, as well as freshly baked savoury muffins, toasties, bagels and paninis.
It’s also one of the only places in Sydney where you can tuck into the Canadian classic dish poutine, and there’s also a towering tiramisu and sensational Russian honey cake for afters.
Le Petit Marché
Newport
This heaven-on-earth delicatessen in sunny Newport on the Northern Beaches is well worth the journey (lucky you if you live nearby). Like a little trip to France without needing to whip out your passport, here you'll find an edit of hard-to-find French cheese and charcuterie and boutique French wines and Champagnes, alongside pantry stunners you won't find anywhere else like French jams, organic pasta, truffle oils, pâté, and so much more.
You'll also find beautiful French glassware and crockery guaranteed to give your kitchen and dining room an authentic Provence or Paris apartment vibe. Everything has been painstakingly selected by owner Julien Flipo and his partner Michelle and we can't recommend their fresh baguettes or raclette enough.
Gourmet Life
Darling Point
Second on our list, you’ll find the boujee caviar and truffle delicatessen known as Gourmet Life. This library of deliciousness is all about the finer things in life and while truffle and caviar are definitely where Gourmet Life shines, you’ll find nothing less than the best quality olive oils, vinegars, chocolate, coffee, cured fish, herbs, and spices here. If you’re a first-timer, you can’t go past Gourmet’s dedicated hampers and if you’re a seasoned pro building out your weekly antipasto board, it’s the Piquillo peppers with lobster for you. To make sure your pantry is stocked at all times, you can also order online from Gourmet Life with home deliveries taking around two to three business days.
MLK Deli
168 Campbell Street, Surry Hills
This alternative deli fast became a Surry Hills go-to after opening early in 2024. MLK Deli is sandwich and pastry cafe is inspired by Uzbekistani, Afghan and Turkish cuisine, featuring ciabatta or focaccia subs filled with Afghan lamb meatballs, Uzbek-style chicken thighs with “magic sauce”, brisket pastrami with sauerkraut, smoked tofu with plant-based chipotle, among others.
The shelves at this Surry Hills deli are packed with tinned fish, Lebanese pickles, and little-seen condiments. We’re also obsessed with the salt-sprinkled, brown butter chocolate-chip cookies.
Tamaleria And Mexican Deli
Dulwich Hill
While munching down the odd taco and burrito is nice and all, if you want the real deal, Dulwich Hill’s Tamaleria And Mexican Deli is where it’s at. Headed by Rosa Cienfuegos, what once started as a homesick pop-up foodie venture has now escalated into a full-blown one-stop-deli for all of the most authentic Mexican essentials. Here, you’ll be loading up on chilli, tortillas, spices, antojitos, frozen Mex meals, and Cienfuegos' famous hot tamales.
If you, like the rest of Sydney, fall in love with this specialty deli—you should check out Cienfuegos' new all-day Mexican eatery, Itacate in Redfern.
Lamia Super Deli
Marrickville
Lamia is Sydney’s resident slice of Greece and if that should tell you anything about this delicatessen it’s that you’ll find nothing less than canisters upon canisters of olives, stacks of Greek cheese and dips, a selection of ready to eat deli sandwiches (hats off to the chicken tabouli cream cheese with chilli sauce), frozen spanakopita, prepped charcuterie boards and ready to bake tyropitas.
Continental Deli & Bistro
Newtown, CBD
Call it what you want, a Sydney institution or heaven on earth—the point is, Continental Deli & Bistro is a cut above the rest, and here’s why. Having opened in Newtown back in 2015, Continental Deli is just about as close to a European deli, bar, and bistro as you'll get in Sydney. Known for its iconic canned goods, Continental stocks its very own deli goods including charcuterie XO, hot sauce, olive oil, and chilli oil too. You can also pick up hampers (which we highly recommend) filled with continental canned cocktails, Pepus mussels, salted caramel, Oritz sardines and of course, oil.
Fourth Village Providore
Mosman
The result of over 30 years of collective experience in fine food retail, husband-and-wife couple Peter and Annette Quattroville opened Fourth Village Providore in Mosman which serves up some of Australia’s best produce. On-site is a walk-in fromagerie, a delicatessen, fruit and vegetable market, and a pizzeria. The deli here is open from 8am every day of the week and stays open until 6pm every day (excluding Sunday where they shut at 5pm). Locked and loaded with homemade and imported products, fresh antipasto, charcuterie selections, take-home meals, and even fine foods from local and international producers, let’s just say that there’s not much you won’t find at Fourth Village Providore.
The walk-in fromagerie is any cheese lover's dream and features temperature-controlled cheeses so you can sample cheese from all around the world just as god intended.
Pistou
Newtown
Pistou is a French-inspired spot from Jules Bouillon, whose experience includes being a part of the team that opened the legendary Balthazar in London and, more locally, NOLA Smokehouse and Bar and Glorietta in North Sydney. Designed by Amy Mcleod, Pistou is rustic with rosewood pink walls, baskets of fresh bread, and a large cabinet stocked with charcuterie, freshly made dips, pickles and for good measure, wine (if you sit down and stay a while). On top of this, you can also order a number of deli essentials for your pantry including cheese and charcuterie plates, spiced nuts, anchovies, salmon gravlax with cured cucumber, charred leek, rare vinegar, mustards, jams, chocolate—the whole picnic basket.
Paesanella
Haberfield
Located on the buzzing road of Ramsay Street, Paesanella is a speciality deli that boasts high-quality Italian small goods and cheese, plus a range of imported products here and there. It’s basically criminal to step food in this joint and not walk away with Paesanella signature hot ricotta or the decadent mascarpone reale. This deli is also a goldmine for the folk out there looking for epic gluten-free goods, the OG being the Cocofrio gluten and dairy-free coconut ice cream. Paesanella also makes their very own tiramisu and yes, you need it in your life.
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Main image credit: Una Providore | Supplied