Emilia reviews a sandwich shop run out of a residential garage
Press PLAY below to hear her review in full
The name gives you the history, vibe and setting perfectly. Located off Nicholson Street in Fitzroy North, the brown brick is nestled in front of Edinburgh Gardens, the perfect spot to take a couple of homemade Italian subs and settle in to the sunshine. You walk around the side of the 1940s house, through an unassuming gate (spot the red ‘550’ to know you’re in the right spot) where you’ll find yourself in the courtyard of a concreted slab. For any Europeans, I hope I’m painting the picture well and you can feel that nostalgia kick in.
You get the ultimate family feeling here. The owner’s Nonna and Nonno ran a catering business from the same garage he now runs his businesses out of. We were lucky enough to be there on a day his dad was also there, his ‘Nonna’s House’ tee hanging off him and his grey beard immediately making you feel like you’re at an uncle’s place for a big family lunch.
Owner Hamish told a couple of us customers their family’s story as we sat on the bench seats and waited for our food to be ready. We ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ as he told us of the most gorgeous meet cute between his parents who grew up in the same town in Italy, he told us how they’ve lived in the house since 1945 and his son now lives in it with his dog. You’re immediately a part of their community.
They are most well-known for their meatball sub which is made from a secret, 60-year-old family recipe that apparently isn’t written down anywhere.
The bread itself reminded me a lot of banh mi bread — crispy and a little flaky on the outside with the softness and bouncy white bread on the inside — good for keeping structural integrity with oozing fillings inside.
Their signature meatball sub was good — herby meatballs lined up with parmesan sprinkled on top. I would’ve loved a bit more sauce but considering the mess I made as it was it was probably for the best that it didn’t. They do have the tagline on their site that they’re simple, hearty subs. This is proved in their minimal fuss subs – they don’t fill it just to fill it – you really get the meatballs and parmesan and allow them to shine. You can choose to add extras as well so if you’re a saucy kind of person, for $5 extra you can add some bolognese sauce over it.
I also tried the parma sub, which was a battered chicken breast layered with sauce and a generous amount of melted cheese.
Easily my favourite though, and maybe a bit controversially, was the pesto chicken. The flavour of the pesto was perfectly balanced — the herbiness wasn’t too overpowering like some can be, instead it felt like it had a creaminess about it. There were plenty of chicken pieces laid inside the roll and it was definitely the one I kept going back to when taste testing.
There are some must try sides too… I would go back just for the carbonara chips. As it sounds, it’s a loaded fry situation where they layer a peppery carbonara sauce over perfectly herby, salty chips with strips of smoky bacon topping. They also have a bolognese version I’d love to try next time.
They make sure there’s options for vegetarians too, with an eggplant parma sub and mushroom pesto option.
While the menu is paired back they stick to what they know, the extras allow you to customise and it feels completely authentic. For the whole experience, get a San Pellegrino to wash it all down with and choose the sit in the sun drenched courtyard or take the short walk to Edinburgh Gardens.
This is a weekend-only experience so set time aside on your weekend to make it down. The subs are around $17 each, which is a little expensive, but is pretty reflective of the sandwich prices with cost of living going up.
Don’t ask me how I know but it makes a very very good hangover cure.
Nonna’s House
550 Nicholson St, Fitzroy North VIC 3068
nonnashouse.com.au