Central California’s famous Giant Artichoke Restaurant to close this week

The Giant Artichoke Restaurant, a longtime Monterey County roadside destination known for its fried artichokes and giant ornamental green sculpture, will close this week after 25 years under its current operators.

The Castroville restaurant announced the closure on Facebook, saying Wednesday would be its final day of operation.

“We’ve had the Restaurant for 25 years and it’s been an honor serving our community and faithful customers, buts time to move on,” the post said.

The operators said the building owners are selling the property and that they were willing to sell the restaurant’s recipes, but had not found no takers.

“We still have some fried artichokes and when these finish that’s it,” the post said.

The closure follows months of uncertainty over the property.

In April, owner Daniel Boudreault told KSBW that the building was available for sale or lease and that he was looking for either a long-term tenant or a buyer.

Boudreault said the restaurant operators were also looking to retire from the business.

The property is now listed for $1.899 million, according to a LoopNet listing.

It includes an approximately 3,726-square-foot restaurant building, an enclosed patio and an 18,231-square-foot commercial lot. The listing describes the property as being offered with its restaurant infrastructure in place and says it will be delivered vacant at the close of escrow.

The giant artichoke sculpture outside the restaurant has long served as a recognizable symbol of Castroville, a Monterey County community known for its artichoke farming. Historical accounts date the roadside restaurant and produce stand to the 1960s.

Caltrans documents say the commercial building was constructed in 1973 and that the adjacent restaurant, which operated under the same name, was remodeled that year. 

The restaurant’s menu currently offers about 35 artichoke dishes, including fried artichoke hearts, soup, nachos, enchiladas and artichoke bread. The restaurant said it goes through about 3,500 pounds of artichokes a week.

The closure follows the cancellation of Castroville’s annual Artichoke Festival, which dates to 1959, due to financial difficulties.

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This article originally published at Central California’s famous Giant Artichoke Restaurant to close this week.