pip's deli — Restaurant in Melbourne

Pip’s Deli is a new sandwich spot on Chapel Street in South Yarra. 🥪

It’s their first ever business and they’ve only been open for a couple of months now. Before 11am they only do toasties, then 11am-3pm they have additional lunch menu options, which we personally prefered that selection. 🤗

⭐️ Chicken Katsu Shokupan - funnily we werent going to get this one but it ended up being our favourite. Perfectly crispy, the pickled zucchini is such a nice touch, the shokupan not TOO thick. ⭐️ Spicy Salami - a very good deli focaccia, crisp bread, well balanced, loaded and big cheese chunks! ✔️ Pork Katsu Shokupan - perfectly cooked pork, tasty, however quite messy. ✔️ Matcha Cookie - lots of chick chips and sea salt on top! Noticable matcha flavour. ✔️ Strawberry Matcha - i’m not a pro at what is good or bad matcha, but i actually enjoyed as a non matcha fan. ➖ Brisket Melt - this is their best seller but personally we felt it was bland. They cook the brisket low and slow for 12 hours in-house but i feel it just needs way more flavour. ➖ Chicken Wadlorf - sorry again we found this bland, i feel like this would be much better as a cold fresh chicken sandwhich, in a bagel or focaccia.

For quite a new spot they’re doing well! They also have a delicious Mango Passionfruit Espresso which comes with a scoop of mango sorbet, and a Strawberry Matcha although im not usually a matcha girlie! Check it out next time you’re looking for lunch in the area, theres plenty of seating inside...

Bold new retro cafe on Chapel St. Featuring the cute mascot pippi, bright interiors, and unique takes on classics. A tentative 4 star for now, as I am sure this place will get better with time as they find their feet.

First impressions: the pork katsu I ordered was decently sized and fresh. The pork fillet was crispy, and well seasoned. Was paired with pickled onions for bite and a cabbage/pickle slaw on Shokupan. I enjoyed this but found a crucial component missing - tonkatsu sauce! I had some at home and it definitely elevated the taste. I think there should be some consideration to building up the flavours a bit more as it was veering on bland. That being said, it was a refreshing sandwich that was light despite involving a fried cutlet and toasted bread. I didn’t love that their sandwich was not cut, very intimidating size. Luckily I was home and could use my own knife but would have been problematic if I was out n about. The other reviews are right about the bread turning soggy in the paper wrap. In the 10 mins walk home, my bread had gone limp

A great first go, but room for improvement. Can’t wait to be back to try some of their other sandwiches.

Prices/recs: Pork Katsu...

Walking past Pips daily and the aroma, we had to go in an check out. Okay wow. This might be Chapel Streets meatiest, crispiest, juiciest sandwich situation right now.

🥪 The fried chicken shoukopan? Crunchy perfection layered with fresh lettuce, pickled zucchini and a zesty kick held together by thick, buttery toast.

🧀 The cheesy brisket melt? Classic, Pure indulgence. Loaded, gooey, and grilled to a golden crisp. You need both hands and a nap after.

☕ And the cold coffee? Solid as always.

🧡 The vibe is fun, fast, and super no-fuss. Drippy cheese on the wall. Drippy cheese in your sandwich. Everything checks out.

10/10 will return. Next time, I’m bringing a friend just to split that...