Canvas replaces the hotel’s former dining operation, Watercolors, with a bright, airy space that evolves throughout the day, offering guests a polished breakfast service in the morning, a health-leaning lunch menu in the afternoon, and an evening lineup of shareable plates, cocktails, and live music. The restaurant positions itself as a community-driven gathering point designed to reflect the creative pulse of Little Italy, an area that has become one of San Diego’s densest culinary hubs.
The new menu brings a globally influenced approach with a focus on California produce and modern comfort dishes. Breakfast options include Turkish eggs with labneh cream and chili crunch, croissant eggs Benedict with shaved ham and mustard hollandaise, farmers market carpaccio with heirloom tomatoes, and Mishima American wagyu steak and eggs. The kitchen also turns out Hamachi crudo with yuzu mango vinaigrette, chilaquiles, avocado toast, and a lineup of smoothies featuring ingredients like spirulina, maca, collagen peptides, and sea moss - fitting for the wellness-minded hotel crowd.
Lunch and dinner options expand into wagyu burgers, spicy fried chicken sandwiches dressed with cabbage-cilantro slaw and house pickles, carrot hummus, tuna tostadas, a colorful array of salads, and shareable plates like bone marrow, burrata, crispy blossoms, and flash-cured crudo. Steak lovers will find a pan-seared American wagyu with romesco and chimichurri, while dessert offerings include coconut panna cotta, flourless chocolate cake, and warm honey sticky pudding with pecan bourbon gelato.
The bar program, a cornerstone of many RMD concepts, delivers a lineup of signature cocktails that lean toward fruit, spice, and botanical notes. Guests can order drinks such as the Stay Classy - made with spiced rum, passionfruit, vanilla honey, and prosecco—or the Western Gull with gin and rhubarb. A double-bourbon riff called Buttoned Up, the tequila-watermelon drink On the Harbor, and the coffee-fueled Heaven on Earth served tableside in a French press round out the menu. Zero-proof options such as the No-Groni, Flightless, and Garden Aside appear alongside smoothies and cold-pressed juices, which positions Canvas as an approachable stop for hotel guests, business travelers, and neighborhood regulars.
RMD has also introduced weekly programming, including its new Wednesday live-music series from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., offering a relaxed lounge environment in a part of Little Italy more known for its bustling bars and restaurants. With its location inside the Carte Hotel, Canvas functions as both a standalone neighborhood café and a built-in amenity for the boutique hotel’s guests, adding another hospitality venue to RMD’s rapidly growing footprint.
The opening comes during a year of major movement for the hospitality group, which recently became a formal partner in Ballast Point Brewing Company and has been expanding its event operations and restaurant portfolio across San Diego County. Canvas marks one of the group’s more versatile projects, bridging daytime café culture with evening social space while retaining RMD’s signature design language and high-energy service style.
Canvas Café and Lounge is now open daily at the Carte Hotel at 401 West Ash Street in San Diego's Little Italy. For more information, visit cartehotel.com/dining/canvas-cafe-and-lounge.
Originally published on November 27, 2025.
