What it is
Mortadeli is a sandwich shop, coffee bar and grocer in a small courtyard at 4-6 Gilbert Street, in the middle of Torquay. The business calls the courtyard "the piazza". It's a daytime place: coffee and pastries in the morning, made-to-order sandwiches from 11am, and a spritz or a glass of Italian wine later on.
The owner is Jake Cassar, a former chef turned travel agent who moved to Torquay at the start of the pandemic and couldn't find anywhere to buy fresh salami and mortadella. So Jake opened a deli of his own, in August 2021, during lockdown. The name is a play on mortadella. The food leans into Jake's Maltese family, which is why the best-known thing on the menu is a Maltese tuna sandwich rather than a salami roll.
It grew quickly. A separate deli and grocer opened across the piazza in 2022, and a pasta bar followed in 2023. More recently the sandwich shop moved across the piazza into the former deli and pasta bar space, and it now runs as a caffetteria in the style of a classic Italian bar, with the grocer alongside.
The hobz biz-zejt
Ħobż biż-żejt means "bread with oil", and in Malta it's the sandwich people take to the beach. Mortadeli's version has been the most popular thing on the menu since the early days. When reviewers wrote about it in 2022, it was tuna with kunserva (a Maltese tomato paste), capers, olives, pickled red onion, parsley and grated salted ricotta.
Mortadeli's own site says takeaway is the best way to eat one, and we agree. Front Beach is a few minutes' walk away.
What's on the menu
The sandwiches change through the year. This is what Mortadeli's website listed in October 2026, plus a few long-running sandwiches from reviews.
Coffee and something sweet
A house blend from Everyday Coffee, the Melbourne roaster. With it, Sicilian-style cannoli piped to order with ricotta or pistachio, traditional sweets, and Maltese pastizzi (flaky pastries, usually filled with ricotta or peas) baked fresh.
Sandwiches
Made to order on locally baked ciabatta and pastadura rolls, with breakfast sandwiches in the morning and the lunch menu from 11am. Beside the hobz biz-zejt, reviews have mentioned a Continental deli sub with Italian cold cuts and provolone, a meatball sub, a pastrami on rye, a mortadella melt toastie and a roasted cauliflower sandwich that can be made vegan.
Soups, salads and pasta
These follow the seasons (and, says the website, "our moods"). The pasta is made in-house. Keep an eye on Instagram for pop-up pasta nights and Fish Fridays.
Drinks
Spritzes, beer and Italian wine on tap, and aperitivo with cicchetti (small bar snacks) later in the day. The Ginnie, a past favourite, mixed Four Pillars olive leaf gin with Kinnie, the Maltese bitter orange soft drink.
The grocer
The grocer is the handy bit if you're cooking where you're staying. It stocks French and Italian cheeses, cold cuts and charcuterie, antipasto, a big range of tinned fish, house-made jarred goods, pasta, frozen goods and coffee. Every ingredient that goes into the sandwiches is for sale. There's wine, amaro and limoncello-style cellos on the shelves too, so you can sort out a grazing board and the drinks in one stop.
Hours and bookings
When we checked in October 2026, the caffetteria and the grocer were both open seven days: 9am to 3pm Sunday to Thursday, and 9am to 5pm on Friday and Saturday. There are no bookings. It's walk-in only and first come, first served, so on a summer weekend you might not get a seat. There are a few seats inside and more out in the piazza, which is lovely in the sun and less so when the wind's up.
Hours have changed a few times since it opened, so check @morta.deli on Instagram before you go. Mortadeli also does catering, from antipasto grazing platters and sandwiches to cicchetti, and needs three or four days' notice. Enquire on its website or on 0466 888 145.
Getting there and what's nearby
Gilbert Street is the main shopping street in Torquay's old centre, about five minutes' drive from north Torquay. It runs down to The Esplanade, so the foreshore and Front Beach are a short walk from the piazza.
Torquay Wine Store is along the street at 19A Gilbert Street, and Captain's Catch is at number 34 if someone in the group would rather have fish and chips.
Mortadeli FAQ
Where is Mortadeli in Torquay?
In the courtyard at 4-6 Gilbert Street (Shop 9), in the middle of town and a short walk from Front Beach.
What should I order?
The hobz biz-zejt, the Maltese tuna sandwich. Add a pastizz or a cannolo if you're hungry.
Can I book a table?
No. It's walk-in only, and takeaway is easy.
Is it open for dinner?
Not usually. When we checked it closed at 3pm, or 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Watch Instagram for the occasional pasta night.
Can I pick up food for a grazing board?
Yes. The grocer sells cheese, cold cuts, antipasto, tinned fish and wine, and everything that goes into the sandwiches.
For more coffee spots, see our Torquay cafes guide, and for dinner, our Torquay restaurants guide. If you'd rather have Japanese, Roku Den is on Bell Street. Staying in north Torquay? Check dates at Holyday House.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 21 October 2026. Opening hours, patrols, rules and closures change — check with the source before you go.
- Mortadeli — Mortadeli (official)
- Caffetteria e Bar — Mortadeli (official)
- Grocer — Mortadeli (official)
- Catering — Mortadeli (official)
- About — Mortadeli (official)
- Baristas of La Marzocco: Jake from Mortadeli — La Marzocco Australia
- First look: Mortadeli's new deli and grocer — Broadsheet
- Mortadeli opens a freewheeling pasta bar in Torquay — Broadsheet
- Mortadeli — Time Out Melbourne
- Mortadeli — Melbourne Food and Wine
- Maltese heritage meets deli delights at Mortadeli — Forte Magazine