Tommy Panini CBD

If you haven't tried (read: been blessed) by Tommy Panini's sandwich menu in Brookvale or Bondi, you're in for a real treat—the cult-fave Northern Beaches haunt has landed in the CBD. 

For the newbies, these aren't any old sandwiches. Founder Tom Morrison has made it his mission to introduce all corners of Sydney to the hot panuozzo sandwich—essentially Neopolitan-style pizza dough that is hand-stretched, stuffed with your choice of filling and then woodfired in their oven. 

But while their other stores may function as a grab-and-go lunch option, the newest location is encouraging guests to park it and grab a drink—feeding into the day-to-night venue trend that is currently having a resurgence in the Sydney dining scene. 

"The wine bar concept is growing rapidly in Sydney—it's slowly becoming a contender with Melbourne," Tom tells Urban List.

"Sandwiches are still trending massively—I’m just glad we are doing something a little different."

Alongside the usual suspects, the menu will feature a Meditteranean salad bowl, an afternoon drinks special (dubbed Tommy's Golden Hour), and a wine and cocktail list curated by Seamus Brandt (Real Wines, ex-Bennelong and Quay). There's also the addition of a rotating bar snack menu, spotlighting seasonal small plates like their cured snapper tostadas.

"I wanted to create an elevated sandwich dining experience that doesn’t break the bank," says Tom. 

"The venue has great bones—all outdoors in a leafy garden setting, underneath the incredible One Farrer building. It just made sense."

But the star of the show is, as always, their spicy vodka chicken cotoletta panini—it's a must order, according to Tom. What's involved?

"Spicy, luscious vodka sauce, crispy and juicy chicken schnitzel, torched provolone cheese, pickled chillis, house made basil pesto, all on our freshly hand rolled and baked to order panini dough," Tom tells us. 

Whether you're after a new CBD lunch spot, keen to secure some knock-off drinks and snacks, or just an OG fan, this one is definitely worth a trip to the city. 

Image credit: Tommy Panini | Supplied