Melbourne has no shortage of new sandwich shops, which means if you’re opening one, you must find a way to stand out from the crowd.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be trendy, I’m not a trendy person,” says Lachlan Stagg, the owner of new Brunswick sandwich shop Louie’s. “I'll just continue making stuff that I think is delicious.”

At Louie’s, every menu item is injected with a heavy dose of nostalgia, harking back to Stagg’s upbringing.

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There are four fresh sandwiches and three toasties available daily. “The Chook”, for example, is a zesty play on classic cooked chook sangas. Louie’s fish finger sandwich comes with house-made tartare sauce and is a loving tribute to post-soccer Macca’s runs and the chain’s Fillet-O-Fish. The toasted birria taco-inspired grilled cheese dipper – a very of-the-moment nod to nostalgic cheese toasties – is a mix of queso oaxaca and provolone, served with Mexican consommé on the side.

The Beef Cheek and Pickles toastie uses 12-hour braised beef cheek and is a take on treasured Sunday roast dinners. The Fungi toastie includes freshly sourced slippery jacks and pine mushrooms alongside gruyere and house pesto. It’s a nod to Stagg’s grandfather who lived on a farm in the Otways and taught him how to forage.

Stagg, an industrial designer by trade, developed his love for food by baking with his mum as a kid. The first task of his workday is baking a tray of sweet treats that often include gooey choc-chip cookies, cinnamon scrolls and doughnuts. Coffee comes from Core Roasters in Brunswick East.

Stagg is currently developing Louie’s first pie and says he hopes his rendition will make people think of that “flaky, perfect” first bite of a meat pie after a long surf.

Louie’s takes up a small spot on Victoria Street, Brunswick. The utilitarian space is almost completely filled by the stainless steel kitchen. After ordering, customers can set up camp and people-watch from casual parklet seating.

Louie’s is also diagonally across the street from the Franco Cozzo building in Brunswick, which has cherry-red signage. Stagg did the Louie’s branding himself and says the design inspiration came from “sitting out the front on my computer staring too much at Franco Cozzo … the red has entered the subconscious”.

Louie’s
314 Victoria Street, Brunswick
No phone

Hours:
Mon to Sat 7am–3.30pm
Sun 7.30am–3.30pm

@louies.melbourne
louiesmelbourne.com.au