Newstead scores a chef-backed sandwich heavyweight in Kosta’s Takeaway

To Benjamin Terkalas, Kosta’s Takeaway isn’t a sandwich shop. Not really. Not at its core.

“Kosta’s is a restaurant,” says Benji. “There’s no cutlery and no one offering still or sparkling, but we run the kitchen like you would in a restaurant.

“The same ethos of how you get food to a plate applies to how we do things as well. Except we put things in a bag or a box.”

Since opening the first Kosta’s Takeaway location in the front office space of a Rockdale panel beater in 2021, Benji has applied a restaurant-style approach to operations, linking up with renowned chefs to impart a bit of their expertise to the brand’s menu of coveted sambos.

Over the years, Benji has worked with top-tier talents like Nathan Brindle (former head chef of Ester), Helena Moursellas from My Kitchen Rules and Love Tilly Group alum Gabriel del Conti, to name a few. For Kosta’s Takeaway’s first Queensland outpost, now open at Gasworks Plaza, Benji has teamed up with a real local heavyweight.

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If you visited Kosta’s Takeaway Newstead at any point over its opening weekend, you’d have seen Adam Wolfers helming the pass. The former executive chef of Anyday Group (and, before that, head chef of Gerard’s) is consulting with the Kosta’s crew, ensuring the product meets Benji’s exacting standards while also adding a touch or two of his own to the menu.

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“Adam is from Sydney and I used to eat at his pop-up restaurant called Etelek,” explains Benji. “That’s kind of how we formed the relationship. His style of food really aligns with what we do, so it was a very, very easy transition. He gets the flavours, he understands what we’re about – no bullshit, just good food.”

Nestled near Fishbowl, Kosta’s Takeaway’s terracotta-hued dispensary is more of a grab-and-go operation, with a small amount of seating on hand for those who simply can’t wait to tuck in.

The bulk of the venue’s interior is dedicated to the kitchen, which is capable of pumping out hundreds of sandwiches in a short space of time (as those who visited at lunchtime can attest). But the true marvel of Kosta’s Takeaway is not just its production volume, but the quality it packs into each paper-wrapped morsel.

“Everything’s made in-house, including our fermented chilli and our sauces,” Benji tells us. “Our chicken’s all brined and crumbed à la minute; the fish gets a 20-minute brine and is battered to order. All of the processes are restaurant processes, so you do need skill in there.”

Anyone who has visited one of Kosta’s Takeaway’s four Sydney locations will recognise some crowd-favourite options anchoring the Newstead menu, including classics like a chicken schnitzel sandwich, a fish sandwich, the Supa Deli (filled with salami, ham, mortadella, peperonata and stracciatella), a cheesy tuna melt, and a beef-and-pickles sandwich.

Adam’s input has resulted in some Brisbane exclusives, including a chicken shawarma sandwich with sumac onion, pickles, harissa and white-sesame tzatziki, a breakfast yiros with bifteki, egg and cheese, and a barley and falafel salad. Benji tells us that specials will be a big fixture of the offering moving forward, with a prawn sandwich set to hit the menu imminently.

“That’s one thing that is really big for Kosta’s in Sydney – the rotating specials, which we get real chef-y with,” says Benji. “We don’t really make money on them, but again, we’re just sharing an experience.”

"Kosta’s is all about generosity – I’d say the food is very refined, but super generous. Everything is thought out."

Beyond the sandwiches, Kosta’s is pouring coffee from Canberra roaster Ona and is also serving a few sweet treats (including a rotating doughnut of the week).

With Brisbane’s sandwich scene the strongest it has ever been, sticking out from the pack is easier said than done. By catering to a growing market of sandwich lovers seeking simple pleasures delivered at a high level, Kosta’s chef-driven offering is likely to quickly rise up the ranks.

“There’s a bunch of great sandwich shops in Brisbane, but I feel like we definitely do something a little bit different from everyone else,” says Benji.

Kosta’s Takeaway is now open to the public – head to The Directory for more information.