Carlito's

Overview

At the tip of Melbourne's sandwich wave are delis that go by their first names (Hector's, Nico's, Ruben's), but some neighbourhood favourites prefer staying under the radar.

Like Carlito's, with its unassuming storefront on Collingwood's Stanley Street. It's marked only by a cheeky electric blue signboard bearing a graffitied smiled face, and the windows are lined with Cielo sodas. Yet, the eggplant parmigiana sanga — a special-turned-mainstay dressed with pesto and red sauce, topped with a slice of prosciutto cotto  — always sells out by noon.

Seven Italian sandwiches rule the menu permanently. From classic mortadellas and BLTs that champion Iris the Bakery's fluffy focaccia, to a chicken cotoletta (essentially a thicker schnitzel) ciabatta with two types of pickles, most of them fall under $20; the only outlier is a $25 steak option. Weekly specials are casually scribbled on the board above the counter; past editions have starred Italian meatballs, pork and fennel, lamb shoulder and chicken cacciatore.

Carlito's is one of the few spots in Melbourne without a gluten-free tax — in fact, customers ordering gluten-free bread get a $2 discount. It's not officially coeliac-accredited, but the team is known to be helpful with swaps and cautious about cross-contamination.

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