A drool-worthy guide to Australia's best cheese toasties

For those times when nothing by a cheese toastie will do…

Consider this your guide to Australia’s best cheese toasties, slathered with butter and grilled until gooey. Here are some beautifully engineered examples from around the country.

VIC | NSW | QLD | WA | SA | NT | TAS

Victoria

Mushroom and cheese toastie at HIFI Collingwood, Melbourne

HIFI is a new hipster hole in the wall in Collingwood that slaps mushroom ragu and taleggio between slabs of sourdough and toasts it until it is ridiculous. The Collingwood bolthole is the sibling to nearby Terror Twilight and Tinker in Northcote, and it is impossible to pootle past the kiosk due to the pervasive perfume of melting cheese. Expect cameos from achingly cool members of local bands such as Surprise Chef, and Hiatus Coyote who appreciate the vinyl-spinning vibes in a corner of Collingwood co-owner Kieran Spiteri describes as “dirty chic".

Cheese toasties at HIFI Collingwood — HIFI is a new hipster hole in the wall in Collingwood. (Image: My Friend Tom)

Calabresie toastie at Maker & Monger, Prahran

The Swiss raclette and All-American grilled-cheese toastie with onion and parsley at Maker & Monger is the signature toastie at this chapel to cheese in the heritage harvest hall at Prahran Market. The staple ingredient on the Calabresie toastie is the smoked scamorza, ‘nduja and oregano, which is gorgeously gooey on the inside and all crisp and crunch on the outside. It’s become a tradition for visitors to Anthony Femia’s stall to choose their wedge of gorgonzola or chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano from the seven-metre-long cheese cabinet before submitting to the toastie. Resistance is futile.

Fondue Toastie, Maker and Monger, Australia — Just submit to the toastie. Resistance is futile.

The Latina at Aphro & Wolfe, Fitzroy North

Aphro & Wolfe is serious about its toasties, with a dedicated toastie window that doles out epic cheese toasties with fillings that literally make them shine. It’s a meal fit for those fixie-riding hipsters who live in Fitzroy North and are fighting to remain WFH to feed their addiction to these doorstop-sized toasties. Blame the banh mi toastie: this creation is made from pulled pork cooked slowly for six hours and then squished between slabs of flame-grilled bread and a mix of cheeses. Keep saying no to the suit and tie and hole up here in the cosy cafe, fitted with plywoods and antiques.

Toastie, Aphro & Wolfe, VIC, Australia — Aphro & Wolfe is serious about its toasties. (Image: Aphro & Wolfe)

Ghosty Toasty, Bendigo

Who said bread was dead? Not the breadheads at Ghosty Toasty, that’s for cert. If you’re on a road trip in regional Victoria, and heading to Viva Bendigo, let it be for food first. The rest will follow. The Mark Truffalo with truffle oil, mushroom, rocket and thyme will hit you where it counts, as will the peanut butter, maple bacon and banana designed in honour of Elvis, who is taking over the city until July as part of the festivities surrounding the Elvis: Direct from Graceland exhibition coming to town. Wear your supersized jumpsuit for the Pastrarnold Schwarzenneger with pastrami, hot English mustard, cream cheese and pickles, surely one of Australia’s best cheese toasties.

Mark Truffalo Toasties, Ghosty Toasty, Australia — The Mark Truffalo will hit you where it counts.

Hector’s Deli, Richmond

Chef Dom Wilton worked at Attica and Stokehouse before co-founding Hector’s Deli and has some cred with bread. Hector’s Deli is a shrine to the sandwiches he so loves. Wilton’s formula is simple: he elevates deli-counter staples and tried and true treasures into superlative sangas by using exceptional ingredients. The Never Now-designed cafe, located in a quiet suburban backstreet in Richmond, is a low-key part of the hood in which to hang. Discover why Wilton is considered a champion toastmaster when you wrap your laughing gear around the monster HCT, mortadella with provolone, mozzarella and tomato chutney on sourdough.

Cheese toastie, Hector's Deli, Australia — Discover why Wilton is considered a champion toastmaster. (Image: Hector’s Deli)

New South Wales

Four-cheese toastie at Arms Length, Potts Point

Arms Length in Potts Point is one of the go-tos for a bottomless brunch in Sydney. But the cafe that turns into a bar by night is also known for its excellent jaffles, as toasties are known in Australia. Make a stop at Arms Length late at night after enjoying a neon-lit night in nearby Kings Cross. Arms Length recently relocated from Redfern to this leafty new HQ in Potts Point and the four-cheese toastie with crisps is especially good after a night on the town. This is the place to be as the sun sinks over the horizon, as you will want to Shazam every song during the DJ’s set.

The filthy-good cheese toastie on offer at Arm's Length served with a pile of salty crisps. — The filthy-good cheese toastie served with a pile of salty crisps. Credit: Chad Konik

Eight-cheese toastie at Penny’s Cheese Shop, Potts Point

If you’re in the mood for a cheese toastie, the version at Penny’s Cheese Shop is regarded by devotees to be one of the nation’s best. Owner Penny Lawson’s decadent rendition is made from a blend of up to eight different cheeses which she changes each day at her new digs in Sydney’s Potts Point. Those game enough to try and replicate this marvellously gooey creation at home can purchase all the artisan cheeses and the PiOik sourdough from the European-style deli and give it a red-hot go.

8-cheese toastie, Penny's Cheese Shop, Australia — The decadent rendition is made from a blend of up to eight different cheeses which she changes each day. (Image: Penny’s Cheese Shop)

Confit duck and five-cheese toastie at Three Blind Mice, Mascot

Three Blind Mice is a new neighbourhood providore in Mascot that specialises in cheese and meat. The most glorious dish on the menu is the toasted sandwich with confit duck, fig jam and scallions, mixed with a blend of five cheeses and grilled until golden and oozy at its centre. Chef Daniel Hughes and cheesemonger Milan Majstorovic are the co-founders of the elegant European-style deli that has put Mascot on the map for foodies.

Cheese toasties, Three Blind Mice, Australia — Three Blind Mice is a new neighbourhood providore in Mascot that specialises in cheese and meat.

Dosa Potato Jaffle at Flyover Fritterie and Chai Bar, Redfern

Flyover Fritterie’s owner Gunjan Aylawadi draws on his Indian heritage for his take on toasties that are a mash-up of old-school Aussie jaffles stuffed with Indian flavours in pairings such as Dosa potato and peanut chutney, and tofu tikka. Flyover Fritteria started as a hole-in-the-wall in Sydney CBD, but has moved to larger premises in Redfern due to the popularity of its dishes. The eatery is nods to the no-name street-food carts that jostle for space amid heaving crowds beneath Mumbai’s overpasses (flyovers).

Jaffle and Corn, Flyover Fritterie, Redfern, Australia — Taste the exquisite mash-up of old-school Aussie jaffles stuffed with Indian flavours.

Pork belly, provolone + American cheese toastie at SOUL Deli, Surry Hills

K-food culture is alive and well at Taylor Square in Redfern where SOUL Deli doles out decadent toasties designed to cure a heinous soju (hangover). Plough into the golden sourdough sanga that is filled with pulled pork, fried kimchi, provolone and American cheese and served with house-made pickles. Kimchi is an acquired taste and one that Australians are acquiring at an ever-increasing rate judged by its appearance on menus. SOUL deli also does a killer KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) roll.

Toasties from SOUL Deli, Surry Hills, Australia — SOUL Deli doles out decadent toasties designed to cure a heinous hangover.

Mushroom and gruyere cheese toastie at SixSmith Create, Cronulla

Drive a few kilometres south of the main hub of Cronulla and you will find a pretty little corner cafe sandwiched between Oak and Shelly parks. What you will also find at Sixsmith are members of the Jellybeans swim club tucking into the mushroom, thyme and gruyere toastie, which, like the cafe itself, is a jealously guarded secret. Pull up a seat at the communal table, where past and present NRL players and local cricketing legends make regular cameos, while you enjoy your toastie grilled to creamy perfection on Brasserie Bread sourdough.

Six smith Create, Cheese toastie, Australia — Enjoy your toastie grilled to creamy perfection.

Queensland

M.C. Cheese at Melt Brothers, Brisbane

The Melt Brothers have two locations in Brisbane: one at Post Office Square, and the other in the Myer Centre. And nowhere does a goopy New York-style grilled cheese sanga better.

The M.C. Cheesy is a molten monster of macaroni and cheese gussied up with maple bacon and finished with a sweet swipe of smokey BBQ sauce and aioli. The thick-cut white sourdough gives the double-decker treat structural integrity. Delish.

Goopy Cheese Toastie, Melt Brothers, Brisbane, Australia — No one does a goopy New York-style grilled cheese sanga better. (Image: Justin Kim)

Criminal Coffee Company, Maroochydore

Criminal Coffee Company is known and loved for two things: ‘Roasting and Toasting’. So consider it a bonus that you go for the cheesy, decadent toasties and stay for the artisan roasted coffee.

Toasties from Criminal Coffee, Australia — Go for the cheesy, decadent toasties.

The Criminal Coffee Company HQ is located in a quiet corner of Cotton tree in Maroochydore and it has a sister venue, called The Toast Office , on the bustling Mooloolaba Esplanade. Ask for your toastie extra unctuous. We love the signature toasted sarnie, the Padre, held together on fresh fermented sourdough and stuffed with a secret blend of herbs, cheese and spices.

Toasties from the Toast Office, Australia — It has a sister venue, called The Toast Office, on the bustling Mooloolaba Esplanade.

Two Blocks Cafe, Holloways Beach

This cute little cafe in Holloways Beach is routinely rammed with locals. It’s called two blocks because it’s literally two blocks back from the beach in the northern suburbs of Cairns. Tropical North Queensland is designed for al fresco dining and this industrial-chic cafe presents an excellent example of that. Sit in the outdoor dining area, which is softened with rustic railway sleepers and tropical greenery, and meet some of the friendly locals who are justifiably proud that this is their neighbourhood hang. Go for a walk along the beach after inhaling the ham and gruyere toastie with bechamel, mozzarella, house pickles and jalapeño mustard.

ham and gruyere toasties, Two Blocks Cafe, QLD, Australia — Try their ham and gruyere toasties. (Image: Benjamin McKay)

Milk Bar Coffee, Maroochydore

This Milk Bar Coffee specialty staple ingredient is a black truffle paste, which means we can carb-load here all-year round on black truffle and roast mushie toasties and not be restricted by the seasonal availability of fresh fungi. This is the crowd favourite, made up of field mushrooms, mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan cheese and served with house-made bread and butter pickles on the side to cut through the richness. You might want to extend your lunch break and have a snooze under a palm tree as you will enter a deep carb coma after devouring this beast.

Toasties from Milk Bar, Maroochydore, Australia — Carb-load here all-year round on amazing toasties. (Image: Timothy Birch Studio)

Western Australia

Bolognaise and cheese toastie at Foxtrot Unicorn, Perth

Foxtrot Unicorn is housed in an old underground bank vault built in 1887, where it’s likely the recipe to their jaffle toastie is stored for safekeeping. And while the eight-cheese toastie is sweetly nostalgic, a veggie option becomes a contemporary take with a serve of kimchi on the side. The award-winning bartenders here also do magical things with cocktails. And, as an aside, it’s a top spot to bunker down during an apocalypse. The outside of the jaffles is brushed in confit garlic butter, then crusted in parmesan. Inside, is a blend of about eight different cheeses and a top-secret seasoning called “jaffle crack".

Cheese toastie, Foxtrot, Queensland, Australia — Taste the blend of about eight different cheeses in their cheese toasties. (Image: Darius Photography)

Toastface Grillah, Perth

Those chasing the thrill of the grill in Perth should go directly to Toastface Grillah (and sister grillah, Lil’ Toastface). While the OG toasted sanga temple is known for its hangover-beating cheese toasties, it’s also one of the coolest cafes in the WA capital. Pull up a milk crate in the grungy alleyway and forgo the Panadol after your big night out in favour of the toasted chilli cheese sanga which will kick your dry-mouth horrors to the graffiti-clad kerb. There are now five locations of Toastface Grillah peppered around WA. We recommend the Quodzilla, a 35 cm x 25 cm four-cheese beast that you can slam dunk into four dipping sauces.

Livingstone’s Urban Jungle, Northbridge

Livingstone’s Urban Jungle is the toast of Northbridge thanks to its killer combos. Particularly, the Mac Daddy (triple cheese macaroni and cheese). Likewise, Bada-bing (Italian meatballs, garlic, rosemary, tomato sauce and Emmental cheese). Meanwhile, keep it simple with old-school winners such as ham and cheese. Moreover, take it up a notch with the seductive Slam ‘n’ Cheese, featuring smoked ham, bechamel sauce, seeded mustard and gruyere cheese. Check out the special boards for more out-there combinations such as The Raging Bull (braised beef short ribs with caramelised onions and cauliflower cheese). And then settle in for coffee at the greenery-filled oasis, which, we presume, was named after explorer Dr Livingstone who went missing in the wilds of Africa.

South Australia

Proof, Adelaide

Great sangas abound at the Proof located near to Press Food and Wine in Adelaide. The trick to making the colossal sandwiches so good is in the engineering; these are sandwiches with structural integrity. Let’s not overcomplicate things. Obviously, the Breville is in the detail. And the grilling is also integral to the success of a sweet-as sanga. Take some beans. Add some salsa and jalapenos and smoosh together in a jaffle iron. Sprinkle with some Dorito dust and hey presto: it’s a Tex Mex toastie. We would also like to tip our hat toward the lamb, hummus, ras el hanout with za’atar which is a beautiful collision of crunch, and is silken, sweet and spicy all at once. If you consume it all at once, it can be the sort of sandwich that will require an afternoon siesta.

Cheese toasties, from Proof Bar, Adelaide — The trick to making the colossal sandwiches so good is in the engineering.

Northern Territory

Postie, Darwin

The cheese toasties at Postie really cut the mustard. The secret to the perfect cheese sandwiches at Postie is all about the quality ingredients. Chiefly, the sturdy slabs of sourdough and secret blend of cheeses. Basically, there’s a science to making the perfect grilled cheese toastie as this video attests. Because you want to bite off more than you can chew, you should order the humble Postie toastie. Indeed, it features ham off the bone, homemade pink onion jam, a blend of cheeses and seeded mustard on sourdough. This cheesy concoction is toasted until golden, crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside.

Tasmania

Samuel Pepy’s Cafe, Launceston

Why did the great diarist Samuel Pepy bury his giant wheel of Parmesan during the Great Fire of London? Because Parmigiano Reggiano was considered valuable even back in 1666, when Pepy buried his treasures before escaping from his house. Correspondingly, the owners of Samuel Pepy’s Cafe in Launceston also share a fondness for cheese. Evidently, the casual eatery with the vintage vibes does a pleasing lunchtime toastie that will appeal to gluten-free tribes. Finally, arrange a gatho to chow down on the chicken, bacon, avocado, cheese and aioli sanga on GF bread.

Toast, Launceston

Mainlanders travelling to Tassie seem to want to give Launie a bit of love. We’ll toast to that. Keep it simple with chicken and cheese. Or the ham, cheese and tomato. Equally, you can up the ante with a chicken parmie toastie or pork ‘n’ slaw. Besides, the BLT is also a thing of beauty: a tasty torpedo of melted cheese, mushies, bacon, pickles and lettuce. Accordingly, The Land Down Under flips the notion of a toastie with dim sims, bacon, mozzarella cheese and ABC sauce. Certainly, this is how Aussies like to eat.

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat , now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate , whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor , who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will , who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods . “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield , embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House .

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument , which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds .

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens , hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)