Canvas Restaurant & Market — Restaurant in Orlando

Our family recently visited Canvas Restaurant & Market in Lake Nona, and while there were definitely some highlights, the overall experience left me with mixed feelings. The atmosphere and setting were the strongest part of our visit, but unfortunately, the service and food execution didn’t quite measure up to the expectations we had coming in.

Starting with the positives, the location is stunning. Canvas sits right on the lake, and the outdoor covered patio provides one of the most beautiful dining backdrops in the Lake Nona area. It’s peaceful, scenic, and truly one of the best spots in Orlando to sit and relax while enjoying a meal. The vibe of the restaurant is modern yet warm, and it’s the kind of place you could easily bring family, friends, or even clients to impress them with the atmosphere alone.

Now onto the food and service, where things got a little more uneven. Service was noticeably slow from the very beginning. Our drinks took longer than expected to arrive, and throughout the meal our server did not refill drinks without being asked. Dirty plates sat at our table for longer than they should have, which made the experience feel a bit less polished, especially given the caliber of restaurant Canvas presents itself to be.

As for the food itself, there were some standouts but also several disappointments. We started with the Nutella donuts as an appetizer, and while they were absolutely delicious, warm, soft, and full of flavor, it took nearly 25 minutes for them to arrive at the table. For something labeled as a starter, that kind of delay really slowed down the meal.

The main entrées brought more inconsistency. I tried the Crab Eggs Benedict, which had wonderful flavor overall, but the execution fell short. A key part of any Benedict is the runny yolk, and unfortunately the eggs were cooked through and lacked that creamy texture that makes the dish special. The Mojo Pork Benedict suffered from the same issue, the flavor of the pork was great, but the eggs were again overcooked, which made the dish less enjoyable.

Other items ordered at the table included the Biscuits and Gravy, which were decent but somewhat dry. There was too much biscuit compared to the amount of gravy, making the dish feel unbalanced. The kids’ pancake and sausage plate was fine, nothing particularly memorable, but certainly acceptable for a children’s menu option. The fresh fruit on the side, however, was a bit aged and not as vibrant or fresh as you’d hope for at brunch.

To sum it up: Canvas has incredible potential. The setting is unmatched, and some of the flavors show real promise. However, the slow service, lack of attention to detail, and inconsistent food execution really stood out on our visit. With quicker, more attentive service and more care in the kitchen to get the small things right (like properly runny poached eggs), Canvas could easily become a top brunch destination in Orlando. For now, I’d recommend going more for the atmosphere than the food, but I hope to see improvements on...

Innovative entrees at this lakeside location make this a very popular, noisy Nona destination for family and friends. We came for our anniversary on a Friday night and, thanks to our 7:15 reservation, we got right in. Unfortunately there was a mixup about who our server was to be. Other tables seated after us got their orders in before my husband went in search of the manager who had seated us. Soon after that, our lovely server came and graced us with pleasant, attentive service. From then on the meal was perfect.

We ordered the Dry Rubbed Chicken Wings as an appetizer, and I recommend you get the accompanying spicy ranch sauce for any seafood entree you get later; it went very well with my salmon and my husband’s red snapper. (My lemon burre blanc sauce with fresh dill on the salmon could hardly be tasted, although the grilled lemon half did provide enough acidity for the plate). The chicken wings also came with a side of blue cheese sauce, which was thin and smooth and tasted of blue cheese (thankfully it wasn’t vinegary) with a hint of fresh garlic. I ordered a side of onion rings as a starter. Those came with a horseradish cream sauce that punched me nicely in the nasal passages.

The Crispy Red Snapper was a sculptural piece of artwork to behold. Two pieces actually. “Do you think this is one or two fishes?” my husband asked. We saw 2 tails so we think it’s two. They boned and breaded the fish before frying it into a bowl shape with the tail sticking up; it cradled a green sprouts mixture and was drizzled with maybe remoulade sauce?

My salmon was accompanied by a “fingerling potato and bacon hash.” I added grilled asparagus with Parmesan and a marinara sauce on the side. In the end, I preferred my salmon with my husband’s side of mashed potatoes, which were substantial, not watered down at all.

We finished the meal with cafe con leche and a blueberry cobbler a la mode. The blueberry mixture was enhanced by fresh lemon. The cobbler was more of a damp cake at the bottom of the little cast iron skillet in which it came.

This seems to be a great place to bring your kids. For future celebrations like an anniversary I’d come here for lunch when you can see the lake.

By the way, the “Market” refers to the front coffee shop area which is a counter serve setup; it gets very crowded after school when elementary students and tutors mix with people doing remote work at the high top tables, sofas and other tables in front of the main restaurant. The coffee shop area closes in the...

What to say about Canvas?

First of all, we have to talk about location. This restaurant is in the up and coming area of Lake Nona, so it's pretty much far a way from everything and most of the clientele comes from this area. I had never heard of this restaurant except for relatives that live in the Wyndham Lakes neighborhood, which is very close to it, or by word of mouth.

Canvas is on a standalone building in a very picturesque subdivision of Lake Nona, pretty much in the middle of the 3 storey/2-car garage townhomes. It is next to the clubhouse and another building used for events, etc.

There is plenty of parking and they have Valet Parking from the evening on, adding more to the price point.

The concept and decoration are great. It consists of a market/coffee shop/bar/restaurant under 1 roof and each section has its own sitting area. Additionally, there are two patio seating areas, one covered by glass and one covered by a screen, like a big lanai, and that's where we sat when we went.

The service is good. The wait staff does their rounds and make their presence felt.

The beer selection could be better, especially if you don't like to drink IPAs all the time. I just ended up going for a Michelob Ultra.

Now let's talk about the food. The menu items offer a good variety. However, sometimes it's better to be better at one thing that shoot in the dark trying to be good at everything. This is the case of Canvas. First of all, the appetizers are great, especially the calamari and the fried yucca. However, when we get to the main course things got a bit disappointing. The mofongo costs $28. I am not Puerto Rican but have eaten this dish at plenty of restaurants and friends/family houses, and I am so sorry but your version doesn't cut it, not to mention that the portion is honestly not worth that much money. The burger I got was very good looking, and the add-ons I chose were all there and tasted good, but the burger as a whole was tasteless and I had to make sure I was eating the meat with something else. Additionally, I didn't like the fact that you don't have any gluten free bread.... Like, get with the program. Revise your main dishes and if you will serve ethnic foods have more tastings and compare it to other places flavors and portion sizes. I am giving a 3 star for the staff, decoration and appetizers, which, again, were good. But I don't think I will be back to have...