Cañonita To Temporarily Close for Renovation

“Old Mexico”-inspired Cañonita restaurant at the Grand Canal Shoppes gets ready for its second major upgrade in four years. One of the best people-watching destinations at the shopping center plans to spruce up its interior and also create a Street Taqueria, described as “a food truck façade offering grab-and-go Mexican street food.”

To help the improvements run smoother, the restaurant will temporarily close on Friday, Aug. 18, and will reopen on Tuesday, Aug. 29, but the work will continue until a final reveal in October. Among the changes, “new furniture, lighting fixtures and textures.”

Located in the Grand Canal Shoppes on the shopping center’s replica of St. Mark’s Square, with a patio right by the water and the gondoliers floating by, Cañonita opened in 1999, shortly after the debut of the resort. Parent company Tavistock allocated an estimated construction budget of $439,627 across the 5,869-square-foot space. The exhibition kitchen remains.

The restaurant recently welcomed back executive chef Daniel Marquez, who previously filled the position from 1999 to 2012.

Cañonita’s operator, Tavistock Restaurant Collection, also runs seafood concept AquaKnox on the resort’s restaurant row.

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