In our Oct. 29 issue, we told you that Box of Cubans restaurant was getting ready to open in the space previously occupied by Mochinutâs New Tampa location at 17512 Doña Michelle Dr., off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just north of the BBD exit off I-75 in the area known as Highwoods Preserve.
Well, owners Marcos and Oni Silverio and their son, Marcos Jr. (MJ) have now opened their second Box of Cubans location (the other is in Riverview) and everything weâve sampled so far has been pretty great.
In addition to tasty pressed Cuban sandwiches (left photo), Box of Cubans also offers 14 different varieties of empanadas â from beef & cheese and chicken to banana nutella and guava & cream cheese. My current favorite sandwich is the âpan con bistec,â with mojo-marinated Palomillo steak, Swiss cheese, sautĂ©ed onions, crispy potato straws, mayo and a house cilantro sauce (top photo). There also are Cuban rice bowls with black or red beans and your choice of protein, garlic toast and sweet plantains that I havenât sampled yet, although I did also enjoy Box of Cubansâ black beans and rice.
Box of Cubans also serves a variety of breakfast items, even though it doesnât open until 11 a.m. during the week and 10 a.m. on Saturday & Sunday. âWe sell our breakfast all day,â Marcos told me. âAnd we already have customers coming in at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday ordering our breakfast sandwiches.â
The bacon, egg & cheese on pressed Cuban bread is delicious and I also enjoyed the ham, egg & cheese empanada. But, my surprise favorite breakfast item is the torrejas, or Cuban-style French toast (right photo), which is topped with powdered sugar and served with both breakfast syrup and a warm strawberry dipping sauce. Incréible! The café con leché is excellent, too, and other hot and cold coffee drinks are available.
To place an order online, visit BoxofCubans.com, or call (813) 632-9021 and please tell them I sent you! â GN