It’s a tall order to make Western Pennsylvania feel like the Caribbean, but Collyn and Carlos Milanes Jr. were up for the challenge. The couple, owners of the popular Cuban food truck Milanes Mobile, which launched last May, are expanding with a brick-and-mortar restaurant in McKees Rocks.
Milanes Cuban Corner is set to open at 112 Chartiers Ave. in McKees Rocks Plaza on Saturday.
Similar to their food truck, which the Milaneses built out and decorated themselves, almost everything in the new restaurant is DIY — decked out in candy-colored hues to evoke a Havana alleyway. To transform the storefront, previously a Subway restaurant and a bakery, they stripped wallpaper, added paneling and repurposed wooden shutters to evoke the architecture of historic Havana.
Cuban artwork, brought by Carlos Milanes’ aunt, hangs on the walls. A line of colorful Panama hats sits atop the front counter, next to a vintage cash register and neon juke box Collyn Milanes thrifted.
“There’s a little bit of everything to look at,” she said. “You’ll notice, ‘Oh gosh, there’s a bird up there, or a chandelier …’ We had a vision we tried to go with. I [painted] the mural there, and we actually made the cigarro and banjo signs, too. We try to do everything ourselves, because it’s easier, and we get it done correctly.”
The Milaneses weren’t necessarily planning to expand so soon, but landed in McKees Rocks Plaza while in search of a bigger commissary for their food truck. By chance, developer Craig Rippole, partner at Trinity Commercial Development, which owns the plaza, is a neighbor of Carlos Milanes’ father in Sewickley. Rippole had plans to develop the plaza, anchored by an ALDI supermarket, and thought a sit-down restaurant would fit the bill.
“He found out we had a food truck and [saw] we had a good following [online],” Collyn Milanes said. “And he was like, ‘Have you guys ever thought about a restaurant?’ ”
With Rippole’s help, the couple received support from nonprofit Food 21 and the McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation. The Milaneses see the new Cuban Corner slotting into larger efforts to boost the Chartiers Avenue corridor, which runs from near their restaurant to the Roxian Theatre. A catering partnership with the Roxian is already in the works, Carlos Milanes said, and the borough has been warm and welcoming.
“I think this is a good starting restaurant for this area, because it’s comforting. It’s a very comforting type of food,” Collyn Milanes said. “And we have a little bit for everyone. If someone just wants to get a pastry and a coffee, they can, or if they want to get a full-blown meal, they can totally do that too.”
For loyal fans, rest assured, the food remains the star of the show. The Cuban Corner menu will feature the food truck’s most popular dishes — completa (rice, beans, meat and plantains), picadillo (seasoned ground beef), and a Cuban sandwich with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles served on house-made Cuban bread. The Milaneses believe it’s the only authentic Cuban sandwich in the region.
Having a walk-in cooler and freezer, as well as more kitchen and storage space, will also allow for an expanded menu. On Wednesday, as the Milanes prepared for opening day, they tested another addition, Cuban espresso (or café cubano) — an espresso shot with a distinct, sweet taste — poured from a newly installed espresso machine.
Fusion dishes like Cuban egg rolls and Cuban fried rice, made with guava sweet chili chicken, will also be in more regular rotation.
“I think we’re excited for people to be able to try more of our menu and more of what we offer,” Collyn Milanes said.
“We’re really resilient,” she added, recalling her and her husband’s leap into owning their own business. “I’[d] been in the food industry for a long time, serving and bartending, but never on the cooking end.”
Carlos, raised in Miami by his Cuban parents, and Collyn, a Bellevue native, spent months learning and perfecting generational recipes from Carlos Milanes’ mother. The couple has six children together, and both left full-time jobs to launch their food truck.
“We had to learn quick. We’ve had some speed bumps along the way… [but] you’re one of the hardest workers I know,” Collyn said of her husband. “I’ve seen him bust out 30 tickets, plus another 20 on the side in that tiny little food truck. So I have all faith in him.”
They joked that despite their shared passion for food, both are shy and could launch their restaurant without any fanfare.
“I’m just wanting to open the door, hurry up, and start,” said Carlos Milanes. “We like to eat our own food, so I just like to share that with everyone.”
For more information, visit Milanes Mobile on Facebook.
