Olmate’s Southbank

Olmate’s is a sandwich shop and cafe by siblings Andreas and Annie Martinu (who started up Reverence Coffee Roasters), Martin McEvoy and Nicholas Tan. The hole-in-the-wall spot in Melbourne’s iconic Arts Precinct is decked out with distinctive bottle-green tiles and walls, which play off against the grey concrete floors and timber bench tops.

There are a handful of sandwiches on the menu and a tight list of sides here. One highlight is the Roast Beef Sanga – a spin-off on the old favourite made with spice-crusted roast beef, mint, punchy coriander chutney and provolone cheese. It comes with a side of rogan josh sauce, perfect for dunking a corner of the hulking sanga into. Meanwhile, the ultra-cheesy Big Tuna puts a Japanese-leaning twist on the classic tuna melt, combining nori aioli with stringy provolone cheese on Tuscan flatbread. There are solid plant-based options too, including the vegan crunchy roast cauliflower sanga on a crusty ciabatta roll and the punchy chickpea salad sanga on sourdough. Sides might include its crispy fries, crunchy chicken bites, or golden nuggets of fried cauliflower, though a standalone sandwich will also fill the lunch-hour pangs.

Upon entering, your eye is drawn to the shining Sam Remo coffee machine that rests in a playful green frame. From there, the team pours out hot cups of Reverence coffee, made with its Lion Tamer Blend. There are also rotating single-origin batch brews, along with a tight selection of craft beers from Hop Nation, Balter, Bodriggy Brewing Co, and a non-alc beer from Bridge Road Brewers.