The sando craze is far from over: Side Hustle Pizza owners are channelling their authentic Italian ethos into a sandwich deli set to open in March. 

When CityMag sits with Anna-Lisa Barone, co-owner of upcoming deli Tonino, she reminisces on her travels late last year to Italy. She says her holiday was a research trip into the inner workings of the Italian hospitality industry.

“We did a lot of taste testing and a lot of experimenting and a lot of scouting — we have a lot of inspiration from Italy,” Anna-Lisa says.

“It is another world, especially hospitality.”

This is to ensure Tonino, slated to open in March, is a representation of an authentic Italian deli experience.

Fellow co-owner and sibling, Nicholas Barone, says they want to “bring back the old sense of the word deli”.

“A lot of modern delis call themselves a deli without the actual deli aspect of having things that you can purchase. We want to actually make it a functioning deli, as well as a big focus on the sandwiches like they do in Italy,” Anna-Lisa elaborates.

“So in Italy, you just go into a little alimentari — which is like a deli — and you can just make a sandwich with whatever you see.”

This inclusion will mean punters can purchase sandwiches, homemade bread, a range of Spritz, different Italian alcohols, biscuits, oils, homemade pastries and cakes, as well as whatever else the team can source.

What we can expect from Tonino sando-wise are the classics: they allude to a prosciutto, tomato mozzarella combo. But what Tonino will do differently is a modern take on the Italian cuisine and Nicholas says “some flavours that are a little bit different that you wouldn’t find in Adelaide”.

“They’re traditional in Italy but not so common in Adelaide yet,” Anna-Lisa says.

These include flavoured mortadella in homemade Ligurian focaccia, with cheese that Nicholas says he “honestly, [doesn’t] even know the name of, [he’s] just grown up eating it”.

“One of the cheeses we’re calling ‘Nonno Tonino’ cheese — so the place Tonino, it’s our grandfather’s name — and one of the cheeses we just know it as ‘Nonno Tonino’ cheese because he always used to give it to us,” Anna-Lisa laughs.

While the Tonino team are aware of the dominant sando era we are living in, they say their inclusions won’t succumb to current crazes.

“We don’t want to be on trend necessarily, we just want to be classic,” Anna Lisa says.

“A good sandwich that will be delicious in five years’ time, and just Italian.

“A lot of other places have a bit of a fusion. We just want to keep it very traditional, very Italian and things that we really like — I think when you do something you like yourself, you do it well and that’s what our plan is.”

Tonino will also feature Naples-style coffee called ‘la cremina’.

“I have not seen it anywhere outside of Italy, in fact, I haven’t even seen it outside of Naples,” Anna-Lisa says.

“It’s like a coffee sugar and you whip it up.

“It’s very Neapolitan, very southern, and it is the most delicious thing ever and a spoonful of that in an espresso is like the best thing ever.”

Discussing sandos and other yummy things

The duo also co-own Side Hustle, a Carrickalinga pizza place, with the help of Anna-Lisa’s husband, Stylianos Triantafyllidis.

“I started Side Hustle two years ago now and that was honestly just an idea. We thought let’s try it out, see what happens. Built a wood oven, decked out the area and that was a massive hit,” Nicholas says.

They say Side Hustle was a big inspiration for Tonino, as a sandwich deli was always at the forefront of their mind.

“We had good feedback for everything: for the product, for the customer service, for everything. So we said, ‘okay, we have to continue with the hospitality’,” Stylianos says.

“We love it. We like working together. It’s pretty unique that we get to work [as a] family like that. We work pretty well together. We all have our different skill sets, and Side Hustle was definitely a stepping stone,” Anna-Lisa elaborates.

This is where the deli will be

When looking at the space, the black and white checked tiles stand out against the otherwise plain white construction site. This is part of what attracted the Tonino team to this spot.

“We could see a lot of potential in the shop. It reminds me of a place you’d find in Europe,” Anna-Lisa says and she looks around the room and imagines what it will look like in a month from now.

“Long and narrow and the brick and the flooring: so that’s part of the nostalgia I guess for me, I think of bars in Italy.”

The team explain that shades of food will fill the space’s colour palette: pistachio green, wine colour cream, and orange.

“We’re going to keep our beautiful retro flooring. We’re going to have our deli slicer on display,” Anna-Lisa explains.

“The boys [will be] making sandwiches in front of everyone, like they do in Italy, we’re gonna have our prosciutto on display and our smallgoods, so you can actually see what you’re purchasing.”

Tonino is located at 3/114 King William Road, Goodwood and set to open in March.