Sunnyvale's Agape Grill will close its doors on Stewart Drive for the final time on Friday, October 2, serving customers until 2:30 p.m. before ending a run of more than 16 years at the same address. The family-run Greek and Mediterranean restaurant, located at 845 Stewart Dr A, announced the closure on social media, telling regulars it has been an honor to serve each guest.
According to WhatNow, Agape Grill said the closure comes as its lease expires, citing what it called unfortunate circumstances. The restaurant told customers it hopes to find another location in the near future and plans to post updates on its website and social media pages. Sourcing on the restaurant's exact tenure varies: WhatNow reported the business was established in Sunnyvale in 2010, while separate reporting has described it as serving the area for 16 years.
Agape Grill has built a following on homemade Greek and Mediterranean cooking, with a menu built around dishes like Lamb Tender, Seafood Souvlaki, and Horiatiki salad, per the same account. Beyond its lunch and dinner service, which includes both dine-in and takeaway options, the restaurant has also handled corporate and home catering, in-house banquets for up to 200 people, and off-site wedding dinners.
Owners Point to Rising Costs and a Lease Running Out
Co-owner Allen Francis offered a more specific picture of the pressures facing the business in comments to ABC7 News. “We need to find a new location. But everything is kind of expensive because of inflation,” Francis said. That station reported the restaurant would have to close next year to make room for new homes going in, a framing that differs from the lease-expiration explanation the restaurant itself gave on social media.
Agape Grill's stretch of Sunnyvale has drawn housing development interest in recent months.
Housing Proposals Circling the Stewart Drive Corridor
ABC7 News has reported on two nearby projects: the Sunnyvale Park Place Project on De Guigne Drive, which would add 370 residential units on a former business-lot site, and a separate City Ventures proposal for 30 new townhomes on another business lot off Stewart Street. Separately, SFYIMBY reported in February that a planned development would bring 28 new townhome-style condominiums to 845 Stewart Drive, replacing a small office structure with four three-story buildings. It is not established whether that 28-unit proposal is the same project as the 30-townhome plan described elsewhere.
A CEQA record for the 845 Stewart Drive proposal, filed with the California Environmental Quality Act database, states that the project is consistent with the general plan, applicable general-plan policies, and zoning designation, and that it would sit on a 1.16-acre site surrounded by urban uses. The final disposition of the broader Sunnyvale Park Place proposal has not been confirmed.
Regulars React as the Countdown Begins
News of the closing has drawn a wave of goodbyes from longtime customers. One commenter wrote, “So sad to hear! Good luck finding a new location! Hope to sit down at a table again soon!” Another added, “Good luck finding another location, you guys are the best, the food and service is excellent. We will miss you.”
For now, Agape Grill has not identified a new home. The restaurant has said only that it hopes to reopen somewhere new and will share updates through its own channels once there is news to share.
