Quick Lunch Spots to Get You Out of the Office and Back Fast
Nine lunch spots fast enough to squeeze in between meetings, from a Florence import with a queue out front to a dumpling bar that plates in minutes.
None of these places need a booking or a menu explained to you "how it works here". Order at the counter, watch it get made in front of you, and you're back at your desk before the meeting invite even reminds you it's on. That's the whole point — the food still has to be worth the walk, it just can't ask for your whole lunch break to get it.
A few of these have queues that stretch out the door regardless of how fast the line actually moves, and that's fine — a five-minute wait for a schiacciata that's flown in Florence's reputation along with it, or a sandwich hand-folded from a recipe that's been in the family for generations, is still a faster lunch than sitting down anywhere. Presented by Honda ZR-V, here are nine spots that get you back at your desk on time.
Read other guides in our A to Z with Honda ZR-V series:
After-Work Drink Spots to Meet Your Friends and Wind Down the Day
Cheap Eats That Over-Deliver Beyond Their Modest Price Tag
Pubs to Settle Into and See Out a Long and Lazy Sunday Session
In partnership with
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RestaurantAtsu
15-17 Lincoln Square South, Carlton
Wagyu and pork katsu top rice bowls at this Carlton spot, with a lunch set adding miso soup and sashimi on the side.
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CafeHector's Deli
94 Buckingham Street, Richmond
What started as a Richmond milk bar turned into a cult sandwich shop, now running six stores across Melbourne.
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CafeRoccos Deli
122 Roberts Street, Yarraville
Up to 14 staff work a production line here, punching out more than 1,000 made-to-order sandwiches before the lunch rush even peaks.
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CafeAll'Antico Vinaio
50 Pitt Street, Sydney
Florence’s most famous sandwich shop, queues and all, has landed its first Sydney outpost on Pitt Street.
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CafeCairo Takeaway
81 Enmore Road, Newtown
Falafel, charcoal meats and pita wraps bring Egyptian street food to Enmore Road, dine-in or grab-and-go.
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CafeGood Ways Deli Alexandria
81 Buckland Street, Alexandria
Curried kangaroo sausage rolls and Davidson plum lamingtons sit alongside daily-baked sourdough sandwiches at this Redfern deli.
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RestaurantLa Favolosa
163 Boundary Street, West End
Sliced and stuffed to order, this West End schiacciata specialist trades in Tuscan flatbread rather than standard sandwich bread.
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CafeLittle Red Dumpling
8 Charlotte Street, Brisbane City
Hand-folded dumplings come out fast enough to make this CBD basement bar a real lunch-break option, not just a dinner spot.
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CafeSunny Side Sandwiches
173A Latrobe Terrace, Paddington
Shokupan, rye or milk buns hold Brisbane’s favourite schnitty sandwich at this footpath-stool bar, ready faster than your meeting.
