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Adelaide’s Marino Fine Foods recently earned its spot in the delicious.100 best dishes and drinks of 2026 for a dish they’ve been serving to happy customers for over a decade now, the much-loved Porchetta Panini.
The honour recognises the panini as one of the “100 most delicious dishes” in Australia this year.
The panini showcases a three-generation-old family recipe. Katrina Marino, co-owner of Marino Fine Foods, explains the story behind the famous roll. “Our porchetta panini uses our rolled pork roast, Italian-style, made using a recipe that’s been passed down for three generations, which began back in Abruzzo, Italy,” she says. “My husband Ricardo [Marino] has been perfecting this recipe over his years of making porchetta.”
“We make it in-house, then the team at the panini bar cooks it in the rotisserie for about four hours to get that crackle nice and crispy. It’s chopped up and served in a crunchy bread roll with our Italian-style coleslaw.” The coleslaw features a lush mix of cabbage, lettuce, carrots, rocket, and a vinegar dressing.
The family’s porchetta legacy dates back to Ricardo’s grandfather, Antonio Marino, who began crafting the roast in Adelaide after emigrating from Abruzzo. “Our butcher shop, Marino Fine Foods, has been here since the ’70s. Antonio started making porchetta back then, and Italians knew about it and would come and buy it. When Ricardo took over in 2012, we started doing little pop-ups at the Central Market, serving the porchetta cooked in paninis. We just realised there was a real cult following, and everybody wanted it. Every time we did a pop-up, we would sell out in 30 minutes,” Katrina says.
That success led to a permanent panini bar in 2017, which has been delighting locals and visitors ever since. “We literally get people coming in from all over Australia to try it. It’s pretty cool – it’s a destination,” she says. “To be recognised for a product that we’ve created and made popular in the Australian market is just huge.”
Marino Fine Foods is more than just paninis, though. The Adelaide Central Market store produces fresh pasta daily, a wide selection of Italian salami, and its housemade nduja, a delicious Calabrian-style salami spread. Katrina adds, “Ricardo’s been perfecting these products over the years, and it’s really special to see people appreciating what we’re doing.”
Reflecting on the delicious.100 recognition, she says, “It was awesome. When we got the notification, I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, how did they even know?’ You just get on with your work, doing things the best you can, and then to be recognised like this – it was pretty exciting. It really shows how far our hard work has travelled and how much people love the porchetta panini.”
The Porchetta Panini is available at Marino Fine Foods, Adelaide Central Market.
Twenty South Australian dishes made the list:
- Beef Wellington at Penny Blue – Adelaide
- Best Cosmo Ever at Latteria – Adelaide
- Bombe Alaska at Tarantino’s – Adelaide
- Carp dumplings at Kuti Shack – Fleurieu Peninsula
- Charred beetroot skewer at Longplay Bistro – Adelaide
- Fig frozen yoghurt at staġuni – Barossa
- Glass of grenache at Jauma Wines – Adelaide Hills
- Gyros at Omada Bar & Grill – Adelaide
- Marron at Restaurant Aptos – Adelaide Hills
- Mezcal slushy at Taco José – McLaren Vale
- Pannacotta at Topiary – Adelaide
- Pasta Alfredo at Esmay – Adelaide
- Porchetta roll at Marino Fine Foods – Adelaide
- Port Lincoln sardines at Thelma – Adelaide Hills
- Roasted duck at Orleana Restaurant – Barossa
- Salted butter caramel on sourdough toast at Sugar Man Gelato – Adelaide
- Savoury donut at The Little Rickshaw – Adelaide
- Scallop sausage hotdog at Magill Estate Kitchen – Adelaide
- Scotch egg at The Rising Sun – Clare Valley
- Tuna tartare at Fall From Grace – Adelaide
For more info on Marino Fine Foods, click here.
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