A tiny, family-run Italian deli in Sydney’s inner west has become the city’s most unexpected food pilgrimage, with customers now lining up for hours just to get their hands on a $15 sandwich.
Raineri’s Continental Delicatessen, tucked along Great North Road in Five Dock, has quietly served locals for more than four decades.
But thanks to a surge of glowing online reviews and word-of-mouth hype, the once-humble neighbourhood spot has officially reached cult status.
Queues now snake down the footpath ‘all day every day’, according to NSW Liberal Leader Kellie Sloane, who recently posted a Facebook video documenting the frenzy outside the deli.
In the clip, Ms Sloane chose the now-famous mortadella sandwich, describing it as looking ‘absolutely incredible’ before giving it a glowing five-star rating, further fuelling the already relentless demand.
On any given weekday, lines begin forming around 10.30am and don’t ease until mid-afternoon.
People travel from all over Sydney for a taste, with one customer famously telling the Sydney Morning Herald they’d spent $20 in tolls just to get there.
Another passer-by, watching the queue build, summed up the disbelief many still feel: ‘So, it’s just a sandwich?’
A tiny, family-run Italian deli in Sydney’s inner west has become the city’s most unexpected food pilgrimage with customers now lining up for hours just to get their hands on a $15 sandwich
Raineri’s Continental Delicatessen, tucked along Great North Road in Sydney’s Five Dock, has quietly served locals for more than four decades
But Raineri’s isn’t a sandwich shop in the modern, curated sense. Interestingly, there’s no menu, or pre-set combinations, but instead, customers are guided by the family behind the counter, who’ve been perfecting panini since 1981.
‘It’s always been busy, but it’s gone to another level,’ Sam Raineri, whose parents Rosaria and Peter opened the deli more than 40 years ago, previously told the SMH.
He credited TikTok and social media for introducing Raineri’s to a whole new generation and with it, a far more diverse crowd.
Inside, glass cabinets brim with Italian-sourced cured meats, cheeses and antipasti like cut-to-order salami, San Daniele prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, marinated eggplant, capsicum, olives and sun-dried tomatoes, stacked onto warm, toasted focaccia.
Customers can choose their own adventure or hand control to the experts, with many opting for what fans affectionately call an ‘omakase panini’.
Food blog PEGFeeds described the experience as phenomenal, praising the balance of flavours and generous portions.
One of their standout combinations included Stracciatella, mortadella and artichoke which came to a total of $15.
Despite using premium ingredients, with some prosciutto costing more than $120 a kilo, every sandwich costs the same.
Queues now snake down the footpath ‘all day every day’, according to NSW Liberal Leader Kellie Sloane, who recently posted a Facebook video documenting the frenzy outside the deli
Raineri’s isn’t a sandwich shop in the modern, curated sense. Interestingly, there’s no menu, or pre-set combinations, but instead, customers are guided by the family behind the counter, who’ve been perfecting panini since 1981. Pictured: Owner Sam Raineri
‘My father always made affordable panini,’ Sam previously explained.
‘$5, $10 and now $15, and we want to keep that.’
Long-time locals have watched the transformation with a mix of pride and disbelief with one saying they used to get teased at school for having the sandwiches, but now there’s a line out the door.
Others reminisced about the days before TikTok fame, when rolls cost as little as $6 and queues were manageable.
Customers can choose their own adventure or hand control to the experts, with many opting for what fans affectionately call an ‘omakase panini’. One of their standout combinations includes Stracciatella, mortadella and artichoke (left) and costs $15
Inside, glass cabinets brim with Italian-sourced cured meats, cheeses and antipasti like cut-to-order salami, San Daniele prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, marinated eggplant, capsicum, olives and sun-dried tomatoes, stacked onto warm, toasted focaccia
Despite using premium ingredients, with some prosciutto costing more than $120 a kilo, every sandwich costs the same ($15). A local divulged that there are in fact two queues – one for paninis, and another for deli goods like cheese and antipasto
Reddit users were also quick to point out that Raineri’s is first and foremost an Italian deli, not just a viral sandwich stop.
‘One of the best in Sydney,’ one wrote, praising the owners’ warmth and old-school hospitality.
While another offered a public service announcement to newcomers that there are in fact two queues – one for paninis, and another for deli goods like cheese and antipasto.
‘Typical day in five dock, I used to go before it blew up on social. You would think they would create a more efficient system,’ one griped.
Despite the hype, the heart of Raineri’s hasn’t changed with Rosaria and Peter, 88, still there most days while their sons run the business and work the counter.
A coffee machine and communal table were added in recent years, allowing diners to eat among shelves stacked with pasta, olive oil and passata.
But for the Raineri family, the social media boom has done more than drive sales, it’s helped future-proof their small business built on tradition and genuinely yummy food.
Dining and Cooking