Open until 11:00 three nights a week, Night Shift pop-up and Nico’s sandwich deli is a quick, cheap, and delicious option for Brunswick Street drinkers. Plus, five other areas of midnight sangas.
Vending machines sell locally produced luxury foods and drinks not novel in Melbourne. But what is it? The “automatic” midnight sandwich that has landed in Fitzroy.
It’s next to a sandwich deli of Nicowhich has partnered with Big Ketchup – aka condiment giant Heinz – on a six-month pop-up that supplies Dutch fast food vending machine chain Febo.
Opening after dark, you enter the blue-lit room via Kerr Street; choose between three vertical vending machines, each dedicated to a hot sandwich, recommended not on Nico’s regular menu; tap the corresponding card reader; open the room; and grab your nets. It’s very simple, although there is a phone number to call if anything goes wrong.
But, importantly, is it delicious? Sandwich Hour he joined the ranks of Gen Z-ers, the charismatic, to find out.
“Mozzarella in a carrozza” sets off alarm bells. Surely, an Italian grilled mozzarella sandwich needs to go straight from the fryer to your face? It seems not.
The most popular restaurant reviews, news and deals delivered to your inbox.
I accidentally cut my sandwich while taking it out of its warm car, but once assembled, expectations are exceeded. Getting it right “felt like a science experiment”, says Nico’s co-owner Leo Thompson of the tireless trial and error of enabling “Night Shift”.
Panko-crumbed and deep-fried, the shell still has bite. Thick Shokupan holds its shape – and warm inside. And the technique with the least gaps for all the mozzarella but ensures to smoke the cheese (“it doesn’t matter after five minutes or 35”, Thompson says). At just $10, with a sriracha-laced Heinz mayo dipper, it’s a decent, budget-busting boozy meal.
More expensive and less appealing, the $12 melt could be saucier thanks to the Heinz partnership, and the minced meat is perhaps more dry than juicy.
The menu also includes a $14 chicken sandwich, and a $10 box of fries and onion rings.
Nico’s Night Shift continues until mid-September.
100 Kerr Street, Fitzroy, nicos-the-original.square.site. Open Thu-Sat, 7pm-11pm
Five other sanga shops open after dark
- Sangaweech, Carlton
Until 10 pm, three Italian comedians from Sooshi Mango’s panini bar offers Italian-style sandwiches on Lygon Street, which are big enough to get you through dinner.
300 Lygon Street, Carlton, instagram.com/sangaweech - Butchers Diner, CBD
Delicious things between breads make up most of the menu on this one A midnight CBD institute. What will it be: grilled cheese, pastrami on rye, homemade blood sausage and a poached egg roll?
10 Bourke Street, Melbourne, butchersdiner.com - For Heavenly Steaks, Clayton
Arguably, the best (and biggest) steak sandwiches in the south-east can be found behind a small shop on Center Road, which is open until 9.30pm, Monday to Saturday.
1465 Center Road, Clayton, instagram.com/forheavenssteaks - Luke’s Banh Mi, Moonee Ponds
You can now join the queue at one of Melbourne’s busiest banh mi joints, Luke’s, after sunset, with the Moonee Ponds shop open until 8pm. See what all the hype is about.
11 Puckle Street, Moonee Pools, lukesbanhmi.au - Two Chiles, Windsor
Have you ever tried a chile sandwich? They’re the flagship of this south side neighborhood, open until 9 p.m., stocked with everything from roast beef to beer-braised pork.
84 Punt Road, Windsor, twochiles.com.au
This is the latest installment of Sandwich Houra column dedicated to the Melbourne sandwiches you need to know about.
