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

Opened in the old Coco Pazzo location (1864 West 57th Ave.) to critical acclaim in 2005 by celebrated restaurateur Manuel Ferreira (see also Le Gavroche), Kerrisdale’s Senova focused on the food and drink of the Iberian peninsula (or as the restaurant called it, the “cuisine of the sun”). Ferreira would sell the eatery four years later in 2009 and move to the Okanagan Valley, where he would launch the award-winning Miradoro restaurant at Tinhorn Creek. The new owners would keep the Senova name (Ferreira’s hometown in Portugal) but switch the concept to Italian with a focus on pastas. Though the food and service continued to be of mentionable calibre, there were always whispers of turmoil behind the scenes. Several complaints to the Employment Standards Branch were filed by staff over the next decade, with disputes over missing paycheques and ownership infighting even making the news. The restaurant – which regulars will remember for its transportive dining room, its crescent bar and its aromatic open kitchen – would unceremoniously shutter in early September, 2019. Above and below are photos from Senova’s website in the early days…

Senova

Neighbourhood: West Side

1864 West 57th Ave.

(Closed)