Quick-service carveries, sandwich delis and salad slingers are the lifeblood of brief lunch breaks and post-commute brekkie rushes, which means that these pit stops hold a vital role in the day-to-day lives of many. With this in mind, finding a snack spot that ticks all of the boxes in regards to convenience, quality and variety is of paramount importance. Frankie’s Food Hall, the latest concept to open at Heritage Lanes, is looking to over deliver in all of these categories.

Frankie’s is the brainchild of Eleni Pippos, a seasoned hospitality veteran who is well versed in the snack bar game. Eleni previously operated 2 Sorelle Cafe and Carvery on George Street for a decade, turning out everything from big breakfasts and avocado toasts to fresh salads and wraps. With Frankie’s, Eleni is looking to take her offering up a few notches, unveiling a slender shop at one of Heritage Lanes’ Ann Street entrances that is serving elevated essentials and some Euro-inspired specialties.

“We knew that no one did what we did – even back then,” says Eleni, reflecting on 2 Sorelle’s stint around the corner and the ethos behind its successor. “We didn’t want to be a cookie-cutter place, so we asked around what people were after. That’s how we decided to go back to what we had, but modernised.” The venue’s cosy interior is dominated by a service counter that stretches from one end of the space to the other, housing a coffee machine, sweets selection, salad bar and hot-food cabinet. A bright red-and-white colour scheme, paired with some timber panelling, gives of a warm vibe, with shelves of pantry fillers from local suppliers giving an air of an old-school deli.

Between the ready-to-eat cabinet chow and the menu affixed to the rear wall, Frankie’s has a smorgasbord of options to select from. “It’s a food hall. You’ve got your breakfast, hot lunches, carvery section and fresh salads,” explains Eleni. “You name it, we’ve got it.” Folks can swing through in the morning for Piazza D’Oro coffee, grab-and-go breakfast wraps and rolls, ham-and-cheese croissants, Northern Rivers organic sourdough crumpets, and toast with spreads.

The offering expands significantly in the afternoon, starting with snack-bar staples like chiko rolls, crumbed sausages, kranskies and roast rolls. From there, lunch hunters can curate their own sandwich from an assortment of ingredients, or select from Frankie’s range of signature sandwiches, rolls and bagels – our eyes are drawn to the Sylvester’s Hoagie (salami, ham, provolone, tomato, onion, lettuce and special sauce on an Italian grande roll) and The Muffaletta (olive salad, mortadella, ham, salami, provolone and mozzarella). Burgers are on offer, too, with six kinds including classic cheeseburgers, fried-chicken sandwiches and fried-barramundi burgers. Eleni is dipping into her own Greek heritage and her husband’s Croatian lineage to offer a selection of bites – think flaky slabs of burek and freshly grilled cevapi – inspired by both cuisines.

Frankie’s Food Hall is now open to the public. Operating hours and social links can be found one click away in the Stumble Guide.