The wave of sandwich shops opening in Adelaide has rolled down to the Bay, with Dante’s Deli set to open a venue inspired by the grab-and-go panino bars of Italy in this ramshackle shed.

Dante’s Deli, a new sandwich shop set to open on Jetty Road, Glenelg, is a concept built on the appreciation of food and all the things food means to us – family, friends and dining outside.

“We have had this idea for a couple of years now,” says co-owner Nick Buesnel, who founded the project with lifelong friends and brothers, Blake and Taylor Ferrante. “Our landlord had a spot available in Glenelg that opened up, so we jumped on it and it’s all finally happening.”

Inspired by Melbourne’s big scene of grab and go takeaway sandwich options, Nick saw that the market here in Adelaide still had some room in it.

“We want quality ingredients, nice and quick service, where you can sit down and enjoy or takeaway that is relatively affordable,” says Nick.

Nick has been in and out of hospitality for the past few years and is currently working at Pasta Go Go, which is also owned by Blake Ferrante, around the corner from Dante’s Deli.

“Having our backgrounds in hospitality, we always wanted to open up a shop with friends and with using local ingredients and having people we know to bring it all together, has been a good inspiration.”

The menu will be split between fresh and toasted sandwiches. One of star attractions will be the sopressa, fior di latte with fresh tomato, spicy mayo, olive oil and basil, as well as a vegetarian option with eggplant, capsicum, onions, rocket and pesto.

A nice and simple chicken salad will also be available for kids. For the toasted sandwiches, a mushroom and ragu melt and a tuna melt will be on the menu. The coffee will be supplied from Hark, a local roaster and friend of Nick.

Dante’s Deli as it will look upon completion. These pictures: Supplied

Most of the ingredients will be sourced from local suppliers, though some will be imported from Italy. The bread will be supplied by Boulangerie 113.

“We were on a bit of a quest to find the best bread, which is very important for us, so we were looking at a lot of places and they were available to delivery every day, and we love the quality of their bread,” says Nick.

“We have always appreciated simple good food with good ingredients, so we want to start simple and then further develop it down the line, where we will then start to look at weekly specials. It is mainly Italian-influenced, but definitely not restricted to that.

“We have always loved the grab-and-go thing, and especially with how small the shop is, we want you to come in and order, take your sandwich and enjoy it down by the beach. Or there is a park across the road from us currently being built, so you can sit down there and enjoy as well.

“We are also working on a courtyard just next to our shop, which will have some seating, and we will put a couple of seats on the footpath next to us, so anyone can enjoy it anyway they want.”

The name Dante comes from the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, who wrote the famous Divine Comedy.

“We heavily enjoy art and poetry, so that influenced us a lot as well and ties in with the Italian theme and appreciating food and culture,” says Nick.

The food scene in Glenelg has seen huge changes in recent years. There is Bottega Gelateria, a few upscale tiny bars, and construction is underway on a hotel with a rooftop bar at the corner opposite Moseley Square.

“We are trying to bring something new and fresh to [Glenelg], and having places with quality so high, we want to aim for that sort of benchmark,” Nick says.

“Glenelg can be a young demographic, but we want to just get everyone down there and enjoy.”

Although there’s no seating in the 25sqm space, the team is making use of the frontage, which has banquettes facing the street and a service window.

Dante’s Deli will open in November at 3/58 Jetty Road, Glenelg, and is accessible via Milton Street.

Connect with Dante’s Deli on Instagram.