Rita Cantina opens its doors in Springs. The new eatery boasts modern Mexican dishes made from high-quality ingredients, along with an extensive agave-focused bar program.
East Hampton Chef, Eric Miller, previously of Bay Kitchen Bar, brings his passion for Mexican cuisine and the East End with the help of his partners, Adam Miller, who is behind the innovative bar program, and Marc Miller, who handles operations. The team at Rita Cantina welcomes both locals and visitors alike for modern Mexican cuisine that aims to showcase a bounty of fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
“We are thrilled to be opening Rita Cantina,” said Chef and Owner Eric Miller. “We look forward to sharing our interpretation of modern Mexican cuisine with the Springs community, celebrating the fresh ingredients and local purveyors we’ve worked closely with over the years. Rita Cantina will be a place for everyone, where guests can enjoy a taco or two, or a full spread of high-end dishes and killer cocktails.”
Rita Cantina’s menu celebrates Mexican cuisine through a local lens, utilizing all the ingredients that swim, graze, and grow in Gardiner’s Bay and the surrounding area. Chef Miller’s more than three decades of fine dining experience established him as a pioneering proponent of the Slow Food, dock-to-dish, and farm-to-table movements and an advocate of local fishmongers, diggers, producers, and farmers.
At Rita Cantina, he applies his passion for grilling and slow cooking to new flavor profiles. The menu features a range of ceviches, tacos, quesadillas, slow-cooked birria, and large plates made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients from East End purveyors like Satur Farms, Multi Aquaculture System, and Gosman’s Dock, along with many independent local fishers.
Dishes from the smaller plates include the tuna ceviche tostada with avocado and charred pineapple agua chili, and local Littleneck clams with local clams and chorizo, serrano and Tecate. Meat and fish-based tacos include Niman Ranch short ribs birria braised in adobo sauce and consommé, and the local harvest fluke served battered with pickled cabbage slaw and crema. Large plates include Crescent Farms duck carnitas with butter lettuce wraps filled with guacamole and salsa.
Guests at Rita Cantina can enjoy a lineup of refreshing spirit-forward cocktails focusing on various tequilas and mezcals. Guests can enjoy Margaritas made with fresh fruit of their choice, including watermelon, passion fruit, cucumber, hibiscus, and more.
The space is designed and built by Adam Miller, who drew inspiration from Oaxacan textiles and pottery. The indoor dining room features a bar with 10 seats in addition to 65 seats at dining tables. The bar and dining room lead out to a back patio with indigenous plants, Adirondack chairs, and dove white picnic tables sitting upon a bed of sand and beneath a canopy of vintage yellow umbrellas. You’ll find a bonfire surrounded by beach chairs.
Rita Cantina will also offer branded retail merchandise and various to-go bundles containing everything needed for a beach picnic. Signature picnic bags with margaritas, tacos, and more are available, as well as “Bonfire Bags” containing Mexican chocolate, house-made graham crackers and marshmallows, and house-made drinks.
Rita Cantina is located at 28 Maidstone Park Road in East Hampton. The restaurant is open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday from 4 PM to close. Happy Hour from 4 to 7 PM features $1 oysters and $10 margaritas or glass of wine.
Reservations can be made by calling 631-329-3663, or visit ritacantinahamptons.com.