Canario Brings Chef Jeremy Nelson to Former Woodhouse Space on Russell Street
Nelson and Marco Piazza plan a 42-seat tasting and a la carte room at 19 W. Russell St., with no opening date announced.
Another chef-driven room is lining up for the Short North, this time in the former Woodhouse Vegan and Park Service Coffee space on West Russell.
Canario is the collaboration between chef Jeremy Nelson of Umbral Supper Club and hospitality partner Marco Piazza. The restaurant is planned for 19 W. Russell St., a roughly 1,200-square-foot, two-level brick room with an open kitchen and about 42 seats. The menu concept pairs an eight-course tasting with a la carte dinner options, backed by cocktails and a curated wine list.
Details in this story draw from 614Now and What Now Columbus reporting on Canario.
The name, the dog, the scale
Canario is not a Canary Islands theme restaurant in the marketing sense. Piazza has said the name nods to his Presa Canario dog, whose face also informs the logo. The intimacy of the room matches that personal tip of the hat: forty-two seats, open kitchen energy, exposed brick, and a format built for tasting-menu focus rather than High Street volume.
Nelson brings the Umbral supper-club resume to the pass. Guests should expect chef-led pacing on the tasting track, with a la carte plates for tables that want more flexibility. Wine and cocktails are part of the promise, not an afterthought bolted onto the food.
No date on the door yet
Neither 614Now nor What Now has published a firm opening day. Coverage in mid-September 2026 still describes Canario as coming soon, with Instagram positioned as the place to watch for timeline updates. Until keys turn, treat Russell Street as a construction-and-permitting chapter, not a walk-in reservation.
The address carries recent Short North history. Woodhouse Vegan and Park Service Coffee shared the space before Park Service's final day there around July 5, 2026. Canario inherits the brick box, not those menus. Coffee seekers looking for Park Service's next chapter should watch the Metsi's daytime partnership instead of waiting for espresso to return to Russell Street.
How it fits the corridor
West Russell sits near Goodale Park, a quieter pocket than the densest High Street blocks but still walkable to galleries and dinner spillover. A 42-seat tasting room will not absorb Gallery Hop crowds alone. It will give the district another intimate chef counter for nights when you want a reservation, not a patio shout.
Map the blocks on our Short North page. For a High Street evening that stays practical, use cheap date night. Steak nights in the same neighborhood still point to 2026 Best Steaks. If the tasting format is the draw, Best Unique Dining Experiences is the list that already collects Columbus rooms built around a point of view.
Canario is not serving yet. When Nelson and Piazza open the kitchen, Russell Street gets a small, chef-led room named for a dog and sized for people who like their dinner deliberate.
