A new sandwich shop has quietly opened on Garden Street in North Narrabeen, and if the sold-out opening day is anything to go by, locals are already taking notice. Indie’s Deli North Narrabeen is the latest venture from chef Clinton Nitschke, who spent the weeks leading up to the launch alongside his mum Jenny doing the kind of unglamorous prep work that good food actually requires — peeling tomatoes, jarring pickles, and stirring batches of strawberry jam to stock the shelves.
Nitschke is perhaps best known locally for running Two Hungry Bears, his northern beaches burger joint. But after years of late nights in the kitchen, he was ready for a change — one that would also give him more time with his daughter Indiana, after whom the new deli is named.
The heart of Indie’s Deli is a Yoder pellet smoker, imported from Kansas, which Nitschke first brought in for Two Hungry Bears after teaching himself the craft on a basic wood-fired smoker at his parents’ place. It now takes centre stage at the new shop.
The menu leans into that smoky foundation. A standout is Nitschke’s take on a Reuben, built around a pastrami made from grass-fed Angus brisket — cured by his butcher, coated in a house rub, then smoked for eight hours before another four hours of steaming. It’s sliced thin and served on a focaccia-schiacciata hybrid from Infinity Bakery, balanced out with house-made pickles. Other signature options include a chopped Texas-style smoked brisket, pulled pork, and a schnitzel — all on the same bread. For something more straightforward, the classics menu uses Brasserie Bread sourdough and includes a ham-and-cheese (Jenny’s recipe), a tuna melt, and a four-cheese toastie. There’s also a konbini-inspired egg salad on offer.
The brunch-leaning options are unapologetically generous — a bacon and egg roll, a BLT, and a pastrami-and-egg creation topped with hash browns, American cheese and barbecue sauce. It’s the sort of feed that makes sense on a slow Saturday morning.
The eggs used across the menu come from Yahro Farm near Lake Macquarie, a free-range operation run by Nitschke’s cousin Paul Mackie. Nitschke makes the roughly 90-minute drive there himself each week to collect them.
Rather than competing with the three coffee shops already nearby, Indie’s Deli has skipped the espresso machine in favour of hot batch-brew and two cold taps — one cold brew and one salted caramel oat latte — both using beans from local roaster Smalltown Coffee and finished with vanilla foam.
Nitschke describes this opening as his first in four years, and says he felt the nerves leading up to it. But his concern wasn’t whether customers would come through the door. “All I’m worried about is it being too busy and us not being able to give the best that we can,” he has said.
On opening day, a queue had formed before the morning was out, and the deli sold through its entire stock by 2:30pm — half an hour ahead of closing time.
Indie’s Deli is located at Shop 2/54 Garden Street, North Narrabeen, and is open Monday to Saturday from 10:30am to 3pm. You can reach them on 0418 122 114 or find them on Instagram at @indies.deli.
Published 30-September-2026
