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 / 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."

Restaurant Graveyard / West End

Remembering the Original ‘Hapa’ on Robson Street, a Dark and Sexy Game-Changer

The modern Japanese concept thrived for years in a dark space that made guests feel like they were being let in on a secret.

Restaurant Graveyard / West Side

Remembering a Legendary West Side Cal-Mex Restaurant That Burned to the Ground

Launched by a family of American ex-pats that missed the food of their native LA, Topanga was a rare, irreplaceable institution.

Restaurant Graveyard / Kitsilano

Remembering One of the Better Restaurants to Ever Rise and Fall in Kitsilano

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro was a beloved casual eatery on West 4th that enjoyed an eight-year run from 2011 to 2019.

Restaurant Graveyard / Chinatown

Chinatown’s ‘Bestie’ Is Closing, Will Serve Final Plates of Currywurst This Weekend

Clinton McDougall and Dane Brown's 25 seat restaurant at 105 East Pender St. is closing after a seven-year run.

Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

The Vancouver Restaurant That Promised a ‘New Service Idea’ and Was Open All Night

Located at 608 West Pender Street, the mysterious Central Cafe was a fixture of downtown dining for decades.

Restaurant Graveyard / False Creek

Remembering the Beloved Tex-Mex Restaurant That Joked About Cheating ‘Tourists & Drunks’

Launched in 1988, Carlos 'n Bud's was defined by its affordable Tex-Mex menu, relaxed attitude and sun-soaked patio.

Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

They Don’t Make Art-Deco Lunch Counters in Vancouver Like They Used To…

Located between the Commodore and the Orpheum, the 1930s/40s Hollywood Cafe offered 30 cent lunches and an on-site palmist.

Restaurant Graveyard / Main Street

Award-Winning Italian Restaurant Permanently Closes After 12 Years on Main Street

We can't blame greedy landlords or property developers for this one. Campagnolo was closed by Covid-19, plain and simple.

Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

Five Years Ago Today, This Recently Shuttered Restaurant Got Off to an Excellent Start

Royal Dinette, launched in the Financial District in the summer of 2015, was the first local restaurant to fall during the pandemic.

Restaurant Graveyard / Chinatown

Remembering the Promising Chinatown Restaurant and Bar That Never Really Caught On

The 80-seat Juniper lasted five years at 185 Keefer Street having never fulfilled its pre-opening promise.

Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

Remembering the Hotel Restaurant and Bar That Championed Local Seafood

Yew in the Four Seasons (2007-2020) set an example of what a hotel restaurant could be in city in search of its culinary identity.

Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

Remembering the Restaurant That Made Vancouver Think It Had Officially Hit the Big Time

The coming of Market by Jean-Georges was a signal that our little town would soon join the ranks of the world's great food cities.

Restaurant Graveyard / Kitsilano

It Was Only in Kits for a Few Years, But This Airy Bistro Made a Delicious Impact

A contemporary of neighbours Gastropod and Fuel, Laurent and Valerie Devin's Bistrot Bistro outlasted both.

Restaurant Graveyard / West Vancouver

This North Shore Restaurant Won Big Awards (But Lasted Only Five Years)

Named one of Canada’s Top Ten Best New Restaurants of 2008 by enRoute magazine, Fraiche was a breath of fresh, mountain air.

Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

Requiem for a Short-Lived, Spanish-Themed Wine Bar in Gastown

Though wine bars are rare in Vancouver, Tempranillo was not as successful as it could/should have been, closing a year after opening. 

Restaurant Graveyard / East Vancouver

This Casual French Bistro in East Van Might Be Gone But It Will Never Be Forgotten

Chef Brad Miller's Bistro Wagon Rouge took over the old Dockers Diner address in 2013 and enjoyed a six-year run.

Restaurant Graveyard / Fraserhood

Remembering a Charming Fraserhood Restaurant That Was Doomed From the Start

It is a cruel facet of the human experience that sometimes young, well-loved restaurants close before their time...

Restaurant Graveyard / South Granville

A 20-Year Fine Dining Legend Enters Vancouver’s Restaurant Graveyard

For much of West Restaurant's nearly 20-year run, the Toptable icon stood astride Vancouver's hospitality scene like a colossus.

Restaurant Graveyard / Downtown

One Hundred Years Ago, This Was Vancouver’s Most Elegant Cocktail Bar

"In the dying wet hours, there was no way to get close to the bar. The supply of beer ran out, and the bartenders served only straight drinks..."

Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

Remembering the Beautiful, Short-Lived Gastown Restaurant That Never Sold Flowers

Despite some positive reviews and a very good looking design by Craig Stanghetta, Blacktail Florist didn't last two years.

Restaurant Graveyard / West Side

Kerrisdale Restaurant Shutters After 14 Years of Deliciousness and Skulduggery

Senova started out as a critically-acclaimed Iberian eatery but after an ownership change would slowly devolve into irrelevancy.

Restaurant Graveyard / Main Street

There’s a Special Place for Ping’s Cafe in Vancouver’s Restaurant Graveyard

This short-lived Japanese yoshuku-style comfort food restaurant was a little ahead of its time in Mt. Pleasant.

Restaurant Graveyard / Yaletown

Remembering the Elegant Weirdness of Yaletown’s Long-Shuttered Elixir Bistro

The first (and very likely last) Vancouver restaurant to ever screen a live feed of its dining room above its washroom urinals.

Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

This Promising Vancouver Restaurant Closed Long Before it Should Have

Despite good reviews, a solid drinks program and a very interesting menu, The Abbey didn't last two years in the old Wild Rice address.

Restaurant Graveyard / Fraserhood

The Worst-Named Restaurant in Vancouver Has Closed After 14 Months

Escobar, so named after the murderous Colombian drug Pablo Escobar, earned its special place in Vancouver's Restaurant Graveyard.

Restaurant Graveyard / Gastown

Remembering a Prolific Restaurateur’s Counter-Service Experiment in Chinatown

Sean Heather launched this small coffee and sandwich shop (cheffed by Lee Humphries) at 75 East Pender St. in May, 2010.