The Apollo restaurant was established in 1970 by George and Toula Sakellaris. George and Toula immigrated from small villages in Southern Greece in the 1960’s. As newly married couple in their early 20’s, they opened the Apollo Restaurant on the Kingsway. In the beginning, the Apollo was open for breakfast, lunch, and late night food. A typical day began with Toula opening the restaurant at 6:00am, and George closing the restaurant at 2:00 am.




In 1977, the Apollo underwent a major renovation to convert the restaurant from a diner to a dining room. Ten years later, in 1987-1988, another renovation occurred, this time expanding the kitchen and dining room, to accommodate the ever-growing loyal clientele. The Apollo is now in its 41st year of operation.




The Apollo specializes in many areas but is most well known for its authentic Greek cuisine and certified Black Angus Beef. The restaurant also provides catering services and now sells extra virgin olive oil imported directly from Toula’s family estate in Greece. The olives are handpicked, cold-pressed and the oil is shipped to the Apollo.




Over the four decades in business the restaurant has received many accolades, such as the lifetime achievement award from Business & Profession Women Greater Sudbury, and most recently the Hospitality Award at the Chamber of Commerce Bell Business Excellence Awards. Also, Sudbury has bestowed various titles on the Apollo such as best Caesar salad and best server within the City of Greater Sudbury.




Toula’s view on customer service is to treat every customer like they were a guest at her home and the relationships that she has generated with her clientele directly reflect the success of the restaurant.




Toula is no stranger to community involvement. The Apollo assisted in creating the Maison Vale Inco Hospice and has donated money to the local Iris Addiction Recovery for Women. Additionally, the Apollo plays host to a soup of the day event in February, where a portion of the proceeds go to The Heart and Stroke Foundation.




Forty-one years ago, Toula took a risk opening the Apollo. With a lack of business experience and Sudbury being a blue collar city, introducing a fine dining establishment was no easy task. The success of the restaurant speaks for itself.