Food

California loves this sandwich shop. It’s coming to Aventura with a Pitbull special.

The Sometimes I’m A Vegetarian sandwich at Ike’s comes with marinated artichoke hearts, mushrooms, pesto and provolone.
The Sometimes I’m A Vegetarian sandwich at Ike’s comes with marinated artichoke hearts, mushrooms, pesto and provolone.

Out west, they come to Ike’s Love and Sandwiches for its famous Dutch bread that has a secret sauce baked into it.

Soon, you’ll be able to try this miraculous bread yourself. The popular San Francisco-based restaurant is coming to Aventura, bringing its Dirty Sauce and more than 800 sandwich combinations with it.

This will be the first Florida location and the easternmost location of Ike’s, helmed by John Green and his son John Miller, an offensive lineman for the Carolina Panthers. The brand was originally created as Ike’s Place in San Francisco by Ike Shehadeh, who developed a celebrity following after working with a variety of athletes to create namesake sandwiches.

That’s why you’ll find sandwiches called the Madison Bumgarner (steak, Ike’s yellow BBQ sauce, habanero, pepper jack, American cheese); the Steve Jobs (breaded eggplant, pesto, ranch, provolone) and the Robin Williams (halal chicken, mushrooms, Italian dressing, pepper jack).

Want something a little more Florida focused? Try the Dan Marino (tuna, bacon, avocado, American cheese). Real Miami fans may want to skip the Tom Brady (vegan chicken, Italian dressing, mushrooms, avocado and cheddar).

Ike’s is known for creating exclusive local sandwiches in each of its 70 locations, hence the Florida exclusive No, I’m Not Pitbull (fried chicken, zesty orange BBQ sauce, purple slaw, pepper jack). There’s even a “Miami Vice” homage: a Crockett (vegan chicken, green ranch, provolone) and a Tubbs (chicken, green ranch, provolone), both exclusive to the Aventura location. Even the made-in-Miami film “Moonlight” gets a shoutout with the Florida exclusive Moonlight (vegan fried chicken, zesty orange BBQ sauce, purple slaw, pepper jack).

The popular Madison Bumgarner sandwich, named for the Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher, comes with steak, Ike’s yellow BBQ sauce, habanero, pepper jack, American cheese.
The popular Madison Bumgarner sandwich, named for the Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher, comes with steak, Ike’s yellow BBQ sauce, habanero, pepper jack, American cheese.

“We’re ecstatic to be working with John and bringing our amazing sandwich creations to a new market,” said Shehadeh in a press release. “We can’t wait for South Florida locals and visitors to sink their teeth into our iconic flavors, world-famous dirty sauce and premium ingredients.”

The shop opens at 11 a.m. Oct. 9, with Shehadeh there for photos and autographs. The first 50 people in line who follow Ike’s on social media get a free sandwich and T-shirt and will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a free sandwich each week for a year. Everybody else gets $5 sandwiches all day.

Ike’s Love and Sandwiches

Where: 18719 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 310, Miami

Opens: Oct. 9

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

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Connie Ogle
Miami Herald
Connie Ogle loves wine, books and the Miami Heat. Please don’t make her eat a mango.
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