It warms my heart to write this post. I have found a Cuban sandwich place here in Ibaraki somewhat close to where I live. I did talk about Kitchen Car KOB in the past, which does amazing Cuban sandwiches, but they are a food truck that moves around mainly in the Kashima and Kamisu area. I would have to wait months until they came to Tsukuba or even Mito. But now, I have found a restaurant that not only does Cuban sandwiches, but they do them in a way that people in my hometown of Miami would be proud of. That place is called Special Boars.
Special Boars
Special Boars is located in the Makabe area of Sakuragawa city. It is in the central part of the city and has a lot of old Showa and Feudal Era-looking buildings on the street. I suggest checking that street out and looking at all the old cool buildings. Special Boars has no parking so make sure to go to the free general parking area down the street. The parking has a bathroom and a P sign so you can't miss it. It is a 100 meter walk from the restaurant. Cyclists can also reach Special Boars from the Rin Rin Road.
I went to Special Boars on a hot Thursday afternoon a week ago. I had heard about this place from a lot of people in Tsukuba and had heard that the lady making the Cuban sandwiches used to work at Drool Diner. After hearing all that, I had to go and check this place out.
Inside
I believe this location of Special Boars is fairly new. Special Boars used to operate out of an old-looking Japanese restaurant further from their main location. I think this new location opened up sometime this year.
Special Boars has two places to sit. One is the counter area, which is where I sat, and the other is a tatami room area with tables. There is also a drink station where the owner brews coffee and makes homemade cola as well. You can also check out the Special Boars merchandise at the entrance of the restaurant.
The Menu
The day I visited I had one goal. Try the Cuban sandwich. But I was surprised to see from their menu that Special Boars does other sandwiches and dishes. The menu has the name of the dishes in Japanese and English but the description of the dishes are only in Japanese. On the menu, the sandwiches I saw were the Cubano, the Elvis sandwich, and the SP. B sandwich. The other dishes I saw were curry and rice, and rice with carnitas (which I am very interested in trying). The drinks were coffee, soda, different juices, and mojito!? I had driven to Special Boars so I told the owner that I would not be ordering the mojito. The owner then told me they made a mojito without alcohol. I had already ordered coffee so the mojito will have to wait till next time.
I ordered the Cuban sandwich and waited.
Cuban Sandwich Set
I forgot to mention, that you can get the sandwich by itself or as a set. I decided to try the set. The set brings mashed potatoes, a small salad, the soup of the day (that day was pumpkin soup), and a salsa cup with tomatoes. All of that was good but I came for the sandwich. I took a bite out of the sandwich and my reaction made the owner smile.
Soooo gooood
It was incredible. No no, that word doesn't do it justice. It was magnificent. First, let me get into the bread. This WAS Cuban bread. I know that some of my readers from back home in Miami must be thinking, "I think he forgot what Cuban bread tastes like. There's no way that is Cuban bread." You can never forget that taste and this was Cuban bread. Crazy I know. The owner told me they taught the recipe of Cuban bread to a bakery up the road called "One Bakery." One Bakery does Cuban bread right and Special Boars presses and toasts that sandwich like a master sandwich craftsman. There was a crunch from the baked top part of the bread and then I got a warm soft feeling in the middle just like Cuban bread is supposed to be like.
Next, the middle of the sandwich. Special Boars is very generous with the meat portion. Look at all that ham and pork. Plus the melted cheese on top and the pickles. These guys had done their homework and aced the Cuban sandwich test. Biting into that meaty center with gooey melted cheese made me want to do nothing for the rest of the day and just continuously have this sandwich. The sandwich was a bit light on the mustard but it was by no means a deal breaker. I loved this Cuban sandwich to the point that while writing this I want to go get one. Special Boars is an hour's drive from where I live but I don't care. I will walk there if I have to, to get my hands on that delicious sandwich. Alas, I am writing this on a Wednesday, and Special Boars is closed on Wednesdays. I should also mention, that Special Boars only does lunch. They are open till 16:00 so no Cuban sandwich for dinner. Unless you get takeout during lunch which I did.
I know what you might be thinking, "What did your wife think?" Unfortunately, this was a solo adventure but I did bring my wife a Cuban sandwich when I got takeout. She bit into her Cuban sandwich later that night after I had re-toasted it and her exact words were "I need to go there. This is amazing." Looks like we are definitely going to Special Boars in the near future.
Elvis Sandwich
Oh, but our takeout was not only for my wife, I also ordered the Elvis sandwich to have later for dinner. Luckily, when I ordered the Elvis, I got the last one and then it was sold out. This sandwich seems to be as popular as the Cubano. An Elvis sandwich has bacon, banana, peanut butter, and sometimes a side of honey. This sandwich brought all of that and I believe a little bit of cheese. The sandwich also comes with regular white bread and it is toasted and pressed just like the Cuban sandwich is. I bit into this sandwich and then realized why Elvis loved it so much. It was delicious. The peanut butter and banana are a great mix together but then you get that thick slice of bacon that adds a meaty twist to everything and it is just heavenly.
I had an amazing time at Special Boars. The Cuban sandwich was out of this world. If the owners ever thought of opening a Special Boars in Miami, not only would they do well, but I think they would tower over some of the other restaurants there. I asked the owner, "Why Cuban sandwiches?" She gave me the same answer a lot of Japanese chefs who are making Cuban sandwiches give. The movie "Chef." I don't think Jon Favreau has any idea how many Japanese chefs he has inspired to make Cuban sandwiches. If you haven't seen "Chef," give it a watch. It is a sandwich lover's dream movie.
So if you are in the mood for a spectacular sandwich, especially a Cubano, and are in Sakuragawa, why not check out Special Boars? Who knows, you might see me there, enjoying the best Cubano in the area while sipping a nice cool mojito.
Enjoy!
For more information on Special Boars, check out their Instagram page:
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