Cantina Ultima to open in Milton
A new barbecue-fusion gastropub is coming to downtown Milton.
Owners Robert and Mercedes Legget say they hope to open Cantina Ultima at 102 Federal St. by the end of June, pending approval of their permits, and clients should expect the unexpected when Robert, a Johnson and Wales graduate, puts an original spin on comfort food.
“I’ve always wanted to infuse Latin food with pub grub and still have an American comfort food feel,” he said. “That’s what we are going to do here.”
The Leggets ran a barbecue-fusion food truck, Guerrilla Ultima, in Philadelphia for nearly five years before Robert, a self-professed beer geek, found the Milton location and they decided to move their young family south to open a brick-and-mortar location.
The truck is also coming down with the family, but the Leggets said it will be on hiatus while they open the new cantina, save a few Truckin’ Tuesday dates they’ve already reserved with the town.
“We already brought down a 60-inch reverse air-flow, wood-fired smoker that has spent four years on our truck,” he said. “But we want to make sure we don’t classify ourselves as any one thing; the clientele is really going to dictate where we go with the menu.”
Mercedes said they will be living above the restaurant, at least temporarily, and plan to open Tuesday through Sunday each week after they finish a facelift that will include displaying some of the articles her husband contributed to Philly Beer Scene magazine, including a column he had about cooking with beer.
Robert said he plans to operate a beer-focused bar with a few specialty cocktails and double the selection of craft beers on tap while he incorporates locally grown, sustainable foods into his Latin-infused, comfort food menu.
“Avocado ice cream in a squid-ink cone with smoked tuna, coconut ceviche,” he said. “We’re going to offer interesting stuff like that, but I still want us to be an approachable place to get a burger and some great smoked wings.”
For more information, search Cantina Ultima on Facebook.
