Cover Panaderia Serai is now open at Hardware Lane, Melbourne CBD (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
Panaderia Serai is now open at Hardware Lane, Melbourne CBD (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
1 / 1
Chefs Ross Magnaye and Shane Stafford of Melbourne’s Serai open Panaderia Serai, a Filipino bakery and sandwich shop on Hardware Lane—and it’s selling out daily
Melbourne has no shortage of excellent bakeries, nor sandwich shops. So why open another—and in the middle of the CBD?
If there’s one thing chef Ross Magnaye likes to do, it’s the unexpected. On August 11, the Davao-born chef opened the doors to his latest concept: a panaderia. “Panaderia Serai is our new baby,” says Magnaye.
The panaderia is the newest opening on Hardware Lane, one of Melbourne’s most iconic food streets. It’s just a minute’s walk from his flagship restaurant, Serai—the modern Australian-Filipino restaurant that’s picked up Gourmet Traveller’s Best New Restaurant, Time Out’s Restaurant of the Year and the coveted Good Food Guide hat since opening in 2022.
Read more: The best meals of your life might be in cities you’ve never considered
Above Chef Ross Magnaye, executive chef and co-owner of Panaderia Serai (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
Above Panaderia Serai brings you Filipino sangas, breads and coffee with the same bold flavours and personality that people have come to love at Serai (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
Chef Ross Magnaye, executive chef and co-owner of Panaderia Serai (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
1 / 2
But Panaderia Serai is not your run-of-the-mill bakery. “Basically it’s a modern Filipino sanga place,” Magnaye adds, in his disarmingly casual manner, “sanga” being the Aussie shorthand for sandwich. Here, Magnaye (executive chef/co-owner) and Shane Stafford (creative director/co-owner) deliver the same commitment to “fun, authentic and delicious” food through a bakery.
“A lot of the inspiration for this place was the simple and humble bakeries in the Philippines,” Magnaye recounts. “I love breakfast, so it’s something I really wanted to share with people—my experience of breakfast and what Filipino breakfast means to me. What’s a better way to show that than to open a panaderia?”
See also: Where to order the best bread in Metro Manila: sourdough, focaccia, brioche and more
Above Panaderia Serai officially opened its doors on August 11, and has consistently sold out well before closing (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
Panaderia Serai officially opened its doors on August 11, and has consistently sold out well before closing (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
1 / 1
Three days in, Panaderia Serai has had lines out the door and down the lane day after day, selling out well before closing. “It’s basically Serai in a sandwich, some Pinoy pastries and Pinoy kape,” he continues. “We are using the best Australian ingredients and putting it on a sanga, served with some kape with beans from the Philippines.”
The result: outrageous Filipino sandwiches packed with the bold flavours Serai is known for, served in fluffy pan de sal. Think lamb shoulder kaldereta with tomato sauce, olives and red pepper gravy; bulalo with braised beef shank, bone marrow butter and a bone broth dip; or pork belly lechon with smoked pineapple palapa and Mang Tomas spread. When you’ve got great sandwiches, you’ve got to have solid sides. At Panaderia Serai, that takes the form of skin-on fries with adobo salt, coconut hash browns with banana ketchup and chicken skin chicharon with burnt coconut.
Read more: 11 Philippine craft beer brands you should know—and where to find them
Above Panaderia Serai’s sandwiches or “sangas” are filled with Filipino favourites like kaldereta, lechon, and bulalo (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
Above Also on the menu are a list of sweet treats, including Spanish bread, ensaymada and more (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
Panaderia Serai’s sandwiches or “sangas” are filled with Filipino favourites like kaldereta, lechon, and bulalo (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
1 / 2
Naturally, they also roll out a range of sweet items, from Spanish bread and choc crinkles to calamansi doughnuts—over a hundred of which sold out within an hour. All are built to pair with their coffee, featuring beans sourced from Bukidnon’s Akasya Kape. Apart from the usual espresso listings, Panaderia Serai offers Filipino-inspired drinks such as a turon iced coffee with banana and caramel, a calamansi Mont Blanc and a coconut-ube iced latte. Still to come: mais con hielo, halo-halo and buko pandan. “A bottle shop takeaway perhaps in the future!” adds Magnaye.
Related: From Melbourne to Manila: Kariton reimagines Filipino flavours through gelato
Above Find Panaderia Serai just a miunte’s walk from Serai, in the heart of the CBD (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
Find Panaderia Serai just a miunte’s walk from Serai, in the heart of the CBD (Photo by Tristen, courtesy of Panaderia Serai)
1 / 1
Serai has never taken itself too seriously, and that carries through to panaderia’s design. “Super rustic and raw,” as Magnaye describes it. After all, Hardware Lane’s buzzing atmosphere does most of the work. “It’s one of my favourite laneways in Melbourne. It’s fun, lively and gets very busy,” he continues. “It’s a fitting location; this side of the city is the best side because of all the independent businesses in the area. There’s a lot of good places on this side like Tipo 00, Hardware Club and Serai (Haha).”
“We would love Panaderia Serai to be a place for everyone to enjoy some sangas, pastries and coffee,” Magnaye says. “We want it to be nostalgic for Filipinos, and just really delicious for everyone.”
NOW READ
How to spend 48 hours in Melbourne
Pocket List: Amado Forés shares his ultimate guide to Rome
August 2026 Dining Radar: new restaurants, cafés and bars in Metro Manila
About
Lauren’s love for food came much later in life than one would expect— an obsession awakened in the streets of Melbourne’s multicultural dining scene. Armed with this newfound passion, she returned to the Philippines determined to discover the best eats in her home country, with a personal advocacy to champion local cuisines and homegrown talent. Nothing is off-limits; if it’s delicious, it’s worth celebrating.
Work
As Tatler Dining associate editor, Lauren covers all things food and drink, from listing the latest openings in our monthly Dining Radar to interviewing chefs and bartenders about the biggest obstacles crippling the industry today. Beyond the digital space, she also organises Tatler Dining’s tentpole events, including Off Menu and Tatler Dining Kitchen, as well as the annual Tatler Best Philippines awards night and guide launch, detailing the best restaurants in the country.
For leads and event invites, contact her via lauren@tatlerphilippines.com or follow her on Instagram at @laurengolangco.
Photo: Ralph Mendo
