ENCINITAS — After more than half a century of serving affordable food and drinks to locals, Captain Keno’s, a beloved Leucadia landmark, closed its doors for good on Wednesday.
Multiple individuals close to the matter say escrow on the sale of the property is expected to close sometime this week.
Keno’s closure marks the end of an era for the nautical-themed establishment, which has been a staple of the Encinitas community since it opened in 1970.
Owner Gerry Sova, 84, who opened the wood-paneled restaurant and bar using winnings from a Las Vegas keno game, reflected on the restaurant’s early struggles and the loyal following it eventually built.
“When I had no customers, in the 70s, I used to go out there and stand on the street and flag people in,” Sova said in an interview with the Coast News. “But now it’s the end.”
Sova’s son and business partner, Jeff King, recalled the early days when Sova ran the business entirely on his own. “
Encinitas only had like 6,000 people in it back then,” King said. “Gerry was doing everything; he was taking the orders, cooking the food, running back and making the drinks.”
Sova’s decision to open Captain Keno’s came from necessity.
“I had no money,” he said, with his signature dry humor. “I had to do something.”
With the restaurant already closed and the bar gradually running out of stock, longtime patrons and local figures have begun purchasing pieces of Captain Keno’s history.
Among them is professional surfer Benji Weatherly, who is opening Breakers, a new Hawaiian-themed restaurant in town, and has been buying up booths and decor from the old establishment.
“The idea of buying all this stuff is to repurpose it, to preserve the nostalgia of this town,” Weatherly said as he removed one of the restaurant’s iconic red leather booths. “It’s so all of this Keno’s stuff lives on; that’s kind of the whole point.”
In 2021, local developer Adam Robinson of RAF Pacifica Group purchased the land home to Captain Keno’s, along with several other businesses, in a deal reportedly worth $10.5 million. Plans for the site include the construction of 45 condos, commercial spaces, and parking.
As previously reported by The Coast News, Robinson also purchased the liquor license and rights to Captain Keno’s name to incorporate the iconic brand into the redevelopment.
As the end of an era approaches, patrons like Jojo Breazeale and Rich Wooler reflected on what made Captain Keno’s so special.
“So many of these people have been my friends that I’ve met here, and we will be best friends forever,” Breazeale said, gesturing toward the crowd at the bar. “And you see how when we walk in here that we’re all hugs and kisses, not because it’s the last day, this is every single time you walk in.”
Wooler, who has been coming to Captain Keno’s since the 1970s, remembered the quiet charm of the place and Sova’s constant presence.
“I used to surf down here with a friend of mine, and we used to come in here for lunch,” he said. “And I mean, it was quieter back then but it had a really good feel to it. The owner, Gerry, he was always here.”
As Captain Keno’s prepares to make way for new development, Breazeale expresses hope that whatever comes next will retain the spirit of the local community.
“We need to have more local people that understand our local people, you know,” Breazeale said. “I think we need to rally around our locals and help them build places that look like what we want, look like us and feel like us.”