Under the Radar Restaurants: Canary Club in Bonita Springs

I once lived above a pizza shop that, inexplicably, ran a Monday special: five-dollar margaritas and ten-dollar margarita pizzas. What started as a frugal date-night dinner turned into a ritual and eventually a cherished friendship with the owner. Those Mondays became something to look forward to. Which is why I want to suggest a new Monday ritual for your calendar: Canary Club.

Sometimes the best places are hiding just out of reach. Canary Club, a Middle Eastern–inspired pizza spot in Bonita Springs, opened in early summer but somehow flew under my radar. They’ve just brought back an amazing special: Mondays are a buy-one, get-one free pizza for anyone dining in.

The restaurant is the latest venture from chef-owner Brandon Schewe and his wife, Caitlin Emery Schewe, who also run The Bohemian and Downtown Coffee and Wine Company. The couple met in Naples’ restaurant scene before making Bonita Springs home. Canary Club offers a chef-driven menu with wood-fired sourdough pizzas, house-made mezze (Middle Eastern small plates), and craft cocktails with a twist.

From the moment you step inside, the space feels fun and inviting: a wall-to-wall orangy-pink glow, an airy dining room, open kitchen, and a generous patio. In the back, a bright, yellow–tiled wood-fired oven radiates warmth and holds up to twelve pizzas at a time. Casual by design, the room doesn’t take itself too seriously, but the food most certainly does.

“Chef-driven” is a phrase that’s been dulled by overuse, but here it earns its place. The menu is deliberate and confident, refusing run-of-the-mill offerings. Pizzas are made on sourdough crust, paired with cold and hot mezze like blissfully smooth hummus with za’atar pita (that’s hard not to order), melon and cucumber salad with labne and schmaltz, and wood-roasted cauliflower with green harissa and goat cheese crema. Regular cheese pizza? Not here. They serve adventurous combinations like mushroom “shawarma” with brie and burnt onion cream, lamb with muhammara and caramelized onions, and harissa BBQ chicken with goat cheese. Desserts include creations like “Relax, Have a Snickers,” with date caramel, halva, and banana gelato. A full lineup of cocktails, wine, and beer rounds out the menu.

Canary Club is made for a casual night out, and on weekends they have live music acts to add to the atmosphere. Bonita Springs might be a bit of a trek for a weekly habit, but on any Monday that’s testing your patience, Canary Club might be exactly what you need.

Canary Club
10610 Founders Way, Suite 140, Bonita Springs, FL 34135
Open daily 11:30 AM–10:00 PM; Sunday 11:30 AM–9:00 PM; closed Tuesdays.
Mondays: BOGO Pizza (dine-in only)
canaryclubbonita.com
239.776.8065.

Originally published in
The Naples Florida Review.
Read the full edition here.