Let's Spice Things Up! Rita Cantina Arrives in Springs, East Hampton

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KDHamptons is excited to spice things up with the opening of Rita Cantina in Springs, East Hampton. This Modern Mexican cantina celebrates local ingredients and high-quality tequilas and agaves in a vibrant and airy atmosphere. Rita Cantina opens its doors in Springs, serving up modern Mexican dishes made from high-quality ingredients, along with an extensive tequila-focused bar program and welcoming hospitality. East Hampton Chef, Eric Miller, known for his adored restaurants like 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 transportive, modern Mexican cuisine that showcases a bounty of fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

“We are thrilled to be opening Rita Cantina,” says 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.”

Freshest Food

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 Eric 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 in modern Mexican cuisine.
The vibrant menu features a range of ceviches, tacos, quesadillas, slow-cooked birria, and large plates made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients from beloved East End purveyors like Satur Farms, Multi Aquaculture System, and Gosman’s Dock, along with many independent local fishers who Chef Eric has had relationships with for over a decade.
Standout dishes from the smaller plates include the Tuna Ceviche Tostada with avocado and charred pineapple agua chili, the Local Littleneck Clams with local clams & chorizo, serrano & Tecate, and Seafood Ceviche with fluke, scallop, squid, shrimp, habanero & pomegranate. Meat and Fish-based tacos include Niman Ranch Short Ribs Birria braised in adobo sauce and consommé, and 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 and Local Market Catch Whole Fish roasted on cedar with citrus.

Tasty Drinks

Guests at Rita Cantina can enjoy a lineup of refreshing spirit-forward cocktails focusing on various tequilas, agaves, and mezcals. The cocktail menu is categorized by Bottled, Signature, Frozen, and Margarita & Mojitos.

Rita Cantina’s bottled cocktails include timeless recipes with an updated twist, meant to stay fresh and taken to-go. Highlights from this section include the Oaxaca Old Fashioned with tequila, mezcal, agave, and orange bitters; the Mezcal Negroni with mezcal, Campari, and sweet vermouth; and the Tequila Forever Margarita with tequila, Rockey’s Agave, pepper blend, and acid.
The signature cocktail list pays homage to classic summer refreshments, utilizing in-season and local ingredients to provide the highest quality beverages. Highlights from the signature cocktail list include the Watermelon Daiquiri with rum, watermelon, lime, the Mezcal Mule with mezcal, ginger, lime, and bubbles, and the Horchata Colada with rum blend, horchata, pineapple, and lime.
Rounding out the cocktail program are the Frozen, Margarita, and Mojito offerings. Guests can enjoy frozen Margaritas, Spicy Margaritas, and a Margarita of the Week, which will rotate flavors based on in-season ingredients. Finally, guests can enjoy Margaritas and Mojitos made with fresh fruit of their choice, including watermelon, passion fruit, cucumber, ginger, and more.

Beautiful Design

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 interior is warm and inviting, boasting Oaxacan fabrics, brightly colored patterns, 4 booths, and a full bar with 10 seats. The bar and dining room lead out to a back patio with indigenous plants, Adirondack chairs, and picnic tables. At the center of the outdoor patio is a bonfire where guests can enjoy s’mores and drinks after finishing their meals.

Fantastic Retail

Locals and visitors alike can enjoy Rita Cantina beyond the restaurant’s walls through extensive to-go offerings and merchandise. In addition to branded retail merchandise, Rita Cantina offers 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, East Hampton, NY. The restaurant is open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday from 4 pm to close, Happy Hour from 4 pm-7 pm featuring $1 oysters and $10 margaritas or glass of wine. Reservations can be made by calling (631)329-3663, through their website at https://ritacantinahamptons.com/ or on the Resy app. 
— Compiled by Emmy Sammons