Carlo opened softly this week with little fanfare, minimal public explanation, and no detailed announcement from TRG, creating a buzz among patrons eager to understand exactly what the hospitality group has been building behind the scenes. Those who have stepped inside describe Carlo as an intimate, jewel-box lounge defined by gold, shadows, and dramatic Roman motifs. The group’s promotional language calls it “a ritual,” “sensual, mysterious, and impossible to forget,” leaning into an intentionally mythic identity.
The concept is physically attached to Cardellino, TRG’s Italian chophouse on Goldfinch Street, but tonally it lives in its own cinematic universe. Guests enter through a concealed entrance, adding a theatrical flourish reminiscent of metropolitan speakeasies in New York or London rather than typical San Diego nightlife. Reservations, which recently went live on Resy, have already begun filling up as curious locals try to secure early entry.
Carlo’s launch arrives as Trust Restaurant Group continues one of the most ambitious expansion periods of any San Diego hospitality company. Founded in 2016 by Chef Brad Wise and Steve Schwob (who has since left the company) - with developer and San Diego Legion co-owner Ryan Patterson as a partner and investor - the group has built a reputation for bold design, meticulous execution, and layered concepts like Trust, Fort Oak, Rare Society, Cardellino, and The Wise Ox. Its footprint now extends from Hillcrest to Mission Hills to Solana Beach to Santa Barbara, with a Las Vegas outpost of Rare Society launched earlier this year.
But the group’s highest-profile upcoming project - a large-scale French brasserie in North Park - remains visibly, and significantly, delayed. Originally announced in 2024, the 5,400-square-foot restaurant at 30th & University, named A’L’ouest, has experienced repeated stalls despite early construction activity. While the website still advertises a summer 2025 opening, the structure remains wrapped, quiet, and unfinished as crews continue interior work behind closed doors. Although Trust Restaurant Group has stopped giving projected dates publicly, internal estimates now suggest a realistic opening sometime in the first quarter of 2026, assuming progress remains steady.
Carlo’s launch arrives as Trust Restaurant Group continues one of the most ambitious expansion periods of any San Diego hospitality company. Founded in 2016 by Chef Brad Wise and Steve Schwob (who has since left the company) - with developer and San Diego Legion co-owner Ryan Patterson as a partner and investor - the group has built a reputation for bold design, meticulous execution, and layered concepts like Trust, Fort Oak, Rare Society, Cardellino, and The Wise Ox. Its footprint now extends from Hillcrest to Mission Hills to Solana Beach to Santa Barbara, with a Las Vegas outpost of Rare Society launched earlier this year.
But the group’s highest-profile upcoming project - a large-scale French brasserie in North Park - remains visibly, and significantly, delayed. Originally announced in 2024, the 5,400-square-foot restaurant at 30th & University, named A’L’ouest, has experienced repeated stalls despite early construction activity. While the website still advertises a summer 2025 opening, the structure remains wrapped, quiet, and unfinished as crews continue interior work behind closed doors. Although Trust Restaurant Group has stopped giving projected dates publicly, internal estimates now suggest a realistic opening sometime in the first quarter of 2026, assuming progress remains steady.
The brasserie is designed to be one of TRG’s most elaborate builds to date, incorporating Parisian design cues, a wraparound patio overlooking the North Park sign, and a menu of wood-smoked French classics. The project is personal for Chef Wise, who has long eyed this marquee North Park corner, but its extended timeline and continued construction silence have become noticeable to neighbors and fans following the company’s rapid expansion. TRG’s only comments in recent months have been that the project is “actively in development” and on track for a future opening, though the company has adopted a more guarded communications approach than in past years.
In Mission Hills, meanwhile, Cardellino has continued to evolve after its 2022 transition from an all-day Italian eatery to an East Coast-style Italian chophouse. The restaurant’s shift allowed the team to incorporate more fire-driven cooking, charcoal-grilled meats, and Northern Italian influences, all of which now share a wall - and likely some late-night guests - with its mysterious new sibling, Carlo.
Carlo’s opening suggests Trust Restaurant Group is entering a phase of quieter, more atmospheric rollouts rather than splashy announcements. The group appears content letting intrigue and limited access do the work, particularly as the North Park brasserie remains under construction and other out-of-state Rare Society locations ramp up.
For now, Carlo offers San Diegans something unexpected: a secretive Roman fantasy bar hidden behind an Italian chophouse in Mission Hills, launched without explanation and already attracting interest. And while the city waits for TRG’s sprawling North Park French brasserie to finally materialize, Carlo offers a reminder that the group remains as ambitious, and as enigmatic, as ever.
Carlo is located behind Cardellino at 4033 Goldfinch Street in San Diego's Mission Hills. For more information, visit ciaocarlosd.com.
Originally published on December 1, 2025.
