Restaurant Graveyard

The ever-evolving Restaurant Graveyard series looks back at the countless, long-shuttered establishments that helped to propel Vancouver’s food and drink forward. May they never be forgotten!

Restaurant Graveyard / Chinatown

On Liquor, Licensing and Loopholes, with Keenan Hood

We catch up with The Keefer Bar’s General Manager, Keenan Hood, for a recap on the closing of the Keefer Yard, and the successes of the past couple of years…

Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

The Cozy Prairie Themed Bar Tucked Away on Cordova Street

This cozy, unpretentious Saskatchewan-themed Gastown tavern was a beer- and bourbon-lovers' living room, with a food menu that could have been featured entirely in Scout's 'Comfort Food Guide to Vancouver'.
Restaurant Graveyard / Yaletown

The Slick, Pacific Rim-Inspired Restaurant Was a Yaletown Fixture for Five Years

Goldfish Pacific Kitchen was a professionally-run, West Coast meets Asian restaurant owned by the legendary Bud Kanke.
Restaurant Graveyard / West End

Remembering the West End’s Charming Ligurian Restaurant and Its Stunning Patio

The 110-seat restaurant and bar specialized in the regional cuisine of Liguria, with seafood dishes figuring highly.
Restaurant Graveyard / Hastings Sunrise

Remembering Master Chef Cafe, One of East Van’s Last Greasy Spoons

A cash-only spot to the end, the friendly Master Chef Cafe was in operation on East Hastings from 1953 until 2014.
Restaurant Graveyard / Kitsilano

May the Prettiest Restaurant in Kitsilano Rest in Peace

From 2016 to 2021, the award-winning Mak N Ming consistently met guest's high expectations with sincerity and skill.
Restaurant Graveyard / False Creek

Remembering the Waterfront Weirdo Once Lauded as Canada’s Best New Restaurant

With its bucket seats and spinning wine machine, Harry Kambolis' Nu Restaurant was a little ahead of its time.

Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown East Side

Remembering the Downtown Eastside’s Short-Lived Asian-American BBQ Restaurant

Opened by the award-winning Campagnolo crew in 2011, The Fat Dragon lasted just nine months at 566 Powell Street.
Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

Remembering the Gastown Restaurant That Elevated Vancouver’s Pizza Game

Located at 62 East Cordova St. in Gastown, Bill McCaig's Nicli Antica Pizzeria made AVPN-certified pies for nine delicious years.

Restaurant Graveyard / West End

Remembering the West End’s ‘South of the Border’ Shrine to Margaritas and Good Times

Located at the top of Davie Street's west slope, Lolita's served an industry crowd for a dozen years before closing in 2017.
Restaurant Graveyard / South Granville

This Long Gone Vancouver Wine Bar Would Be Packed if It Was Still Around Today

Located at 1459 West Broadway from 2003 to 2012, the award-winning Cru was an inspiration for our Restaurant Graveyard.

Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

RESTAURANT GRAVEYARD // Remembering a Gastown Original With a Mirrored Ceiling

The first Boneta was famed for its well-tended bar, industry-friendly atmosphere and French-inspired fare.
Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

The Beautiful but Haunted Vancouver Restaurant That Never Lived Up to Its Potential

Century was a 'Modern Latin Cowboy' themed restaurant located in the old Lola’s/Ballantyne’s address at 432 Richards Street.
Restaurant Graveyard / South Granville

This Was Once Upon a Time Vancouver’s Most Popular Restaurant Chain

The Aristocratic was well known for its cheap burgers, neon signage and 'Risty' character sporting a top hat and monocle.
Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

Remembering the Tiny Gastown Sushi Restaurant That Was ‘Delicious for You’

Cheffed by Keith Allison, Sea Monstr Sushi was connected to the Sharks + Hammers clothing and lifestyle shop on Alexander St.
Restaurant Graveyard / False Creek

This Was One of the Most Influential Restaurants in Vancouver’s History

Harry Kambolis' "C" Restaurant was a game-changing icon that helped put Vancouver’s emerging food scene on the map.
Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

Remembering One of Vancouver’s Longest Running Restaurant Institutions

La Bodega was a Howe Street fixture from 1971 to 2014, serving up Spanish classic like albondigas and pitchers of sangria.
Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

This Long-Gone Restaurant Was Key to the Development of Vancouver’s Craft Beer Scene

The list of brewers who developed their skills at this restaurant speaks to the evolution of the Lower Mainland's craft beer scene.
Restaurant Graveyard / West End

Remembering Coal Harbour’s Short-Lived ‘High Priced Jewel Run by Amateurs’

Chef Liam Breem's promising, 74-seat, French and Mediterranean-inspired Verre lasted less than two years at 550 Denman St.
Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

Remembering Gastown’s Ambitious but Doomed Modern German Restaurant

The 2015 arrival of film director Uwe Boll's Bauhaus restaurant was met with deafening quiet from the community it sought to join.
Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

The Most Cursed Location in Vancouver Spat This Fine Restaurant Out In Only a Year

Previous to Ensemble, the space ate Piccolo Mondo, Saveur and Corner Suite Bistro De Luxe. After Ensemble, it swallowed others.
Restaurant Graveyard / Commercial Drive

Remembering the Commercial Drive Restaurant Where All the Cooks Liked to Hang Out

While it did attract many off-duty cooks, bartenders and servers, to the neighbourhood at large is was like a second living room.
Restaurant Graveyard / Mt. Pleasant

Remembering East Broadway’s Peruvian-Inspired House of Good Times and Pisco Sours

It's been a year since the closure of Mt. Pleasant's Chicha restaurant, but its memory persists for good reason.
Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

This Dark and Sexy Restaurant With a ‘Nuevo Latino’ Theme Was Once a Gastown Hotspot

Cobre enjoyed a five-year run before shutting down in 2012 with the chef launching Cuchillo a few blocks east on Powell Street.
Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

This Acclaimed Gastown Restaurant Will Be Remembered as One of the Best of Its Generation

The city - and most immediately the 100 block of West Hastings - is so much the lesser for the loss of Wildebeest.
Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

After a Six-Year Run, This Impressive Hotel Restaurant Was Replaced by Something Even Better…

Oru Cuisine was the fine dining establishment that operated where Botanist currently excels in the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel.
Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

This Shuttered Gastown Restaurant May Have Been Tiny, But It Sure Left a Big Hole

The Sardine Can was a small and subtly stylish restaurant that turned out classic shareables like patatas bravas and albondigas.
Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown East Side

Remembering Old Country Fish & Chips, an East Hastings Fixture for Over 25 Years

Opened by Bert Love and John Dobson, the long-serving restaurant's slogan was "From the sea to the pan."