Pizzeria Farina Announces It’s Closing Doors on Main Street, May 31st

After more than a decade of serving handcrafted Northern Italian-style pizza, Pizzeria Farina will close its original Main Street location on May 31st, 2025.

A small room with a big influence, Farina helped shape the direction of Vancouver’s modern pizza scene when it opened in 2011 — and it hasn’t stopped delivering since.

From the start, Farina’s brilliance was rooted in its simplicity. The dough — lighter and less chewy than traditional Neapolitan; reminiscent of what you’d find in Northern Italy — was perfected by opening chef J-C Poirier. The room’s timeless design, by Craig Stanghetta (of Ste. Marie Studio), still feels relevant today; while Glasfurd & Walker’s branding continues to hold strong more than a decade later.

Although the flavour and blistering on Farina’s pies could easily trick you into thinking they’d come straight from an old-school, wood-fired hearth, remarkably, this tiny Main Street spot baked those deceptively simple pies in a gas-fired oven. Back in August of 2011, we toured the space before it opened; then we returned as the restaurant’s very first customers, and many, many times thereafter… See the gallery below for evidence – both of Farina’s progression over time, as well our deep love of the pizza that they made.

“This space has meant a lot to us,” says Kitchen Table co-owner, Jennifer Rossi. “Farina on Main helped shape who we are as a group. We’re so grateful to everyone who’s supported it over the years — it’s been a beautiful run.”

Although the Main Street location’s chapter is ending imminently, the Farina legacy continues at Farina a Legna on the North Shore, with plans for retail offerings already underway. In the meantime, you have a couple of weeks left to stop in for one final pie, and to raise a toast and give a proper send-off to a neighbourhood institution.

Why We Care

Pizzeria Farina’s pizza has seen us through moving days, park hangs, hockey playoffs, and those (numerous) rainy, don’t-want-to-cook Fridays. It’s been a quiet constant — there when we needed it, no explanation required. But beyond personal cravings, Farina helped raise the bar for pizza in this city. It showed that a tiny counter spot with a gas oven and a short menu could still deliver serious quality. And in doing so, Farina shifted what we expect from a pie in Vancouver. We’re sorry to see it go.