The Capital Grille confirmed plans to open a freestanding steakhouse at SanTan Crossing in Gilbert. The restaurant will sit at the southeast corner of SanTan Village Parkway and Williams Field Road. It would be the brand’s first East Valley location. No opening date has been announced.
If you live in Gilbert, Chandler, or Queen Creek, this shortens your night out
Right now, the closest Capital Grille to the East Valley is in Phoenix at 2502 E. Camelback Road. The other Arizona location is at 16489 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale. If you live in Gilbert or further southeast in Queen Creek, either drive is a real commitment before you even sit down.
A Gilbert location changes that. SanTan Crossing sits directly adjacent to SanTan Village Mall, just off Loop 202. That is a short drive for most of the southeastern East Valley — no freeway-to-freeway transfer required.
The Capital Grille is not the only reason to pay attention here. Yard House — another Darden Restaurants brand — is also planned at the same address. Two upscale national brands at one corner sends a clear message. This stretch of Williams Field Road is becoming a dining destination, not just another fast-casual strip.
Capital Grille at SanTan Crossing: the location and footprint
The Capital Grille’s Gilbert restaurant will be a freestanding building at the southeast corner of SanTan Village Parkway and Williams Field Road. At 9,134 square feet, it is a full-scale version of the brand — not a reduced suburban prototype.
The Capital Grille started in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1990. Its kitchen dry-ages steaks on-site for 18 to 24 days. In-house butchers then hand-cut them before service. That process sets it apart from most steakhouse chains, and it is central to what guests pay for. The wine program is also notable. The Phoenix location’s wine list runs more than 350 selections. A floor-to-ceiling kiosk holds 3,500 to 5,000 bottles at a time.
A Capital Grille exterior at dusk. The brand dry-ages steaks on-site for 18 to 24 days before in-house butchers hand-cut them. (Courtesy photo)
Yard House is coming too: two Darden brands at one address
Yard House — also owned by Darden Restaurants — plans to open its first Gilbert location at SanTan Crossing. The footprint is 5,700 square feet of interior dining. It also includes an 850-square-foot covered outdoor patio. That is a smaller scale than the Capital Grille. The two concepts serve very different price points and occasions, so they complement rather than compete with each other.
Darden running two brands at the same development is not unusual. The company operates multiple concepts and often groups them near busy retail. It does deepen the case for SanTan Crossing as a true dining destination.
The development: twenty-one acres, twelve buildings, and a familiar name behind it
A street-level rendering of SanTan Crossing shows the dark gray facade treatment planned for the development’s retail buildings along the Williams Field Road corridor. (Courtesy rendering)
SanTan Crossing covers 21 acres directly next to SanTan Village Mall. The land was acquired for $24.5 million. Real estate database Vizzda shows that a company owned by Arte Moreno — owner of the Los Angeles Angels — holds the parcel through San Tan Crossing LLC.
Accelerated Development Services is the developer. Velocity Retail Group is handling leasing. They launched that effort on March 17, 2026. Velocity described SanTan Crossing as a “premier restaurant and retail development along Loop 202 at Williams Field Road in Gilbert.”
Plans filed with the Town of Gilbert’s Planning Commission show 12 buildings in total. Accelerated Development Services filed them on behalf of San Tan Crossing LLC. The mix includes stand-alone, single-tenant, full-service restaurant buildings and several drive-thru pads.
The full build-out calls for about 57,402 square feet of restaurant and retail pad space. There is also 21,900 square feet of inline shop space. As of May 2026, Velocity Retail Group’s marketing materials showed five of the 12 buildings already leased. The Gilbert planning filing did not name specific tenants. Accelerated Development Services lists Starbucks and Mattress Firm as build-to-suit projects at the site.
Velocity Retail Group’s leasing materials note that SanTan Crossing sits directly across from a planned Whole Foods. That Whole Foods — 43,000 square feet — anchors the competing Signature at SanTan Village development. It sits on the northwest corner of the same intersection. Velocity cites that traffic draw as a selling point for incoming tenants.
No opening date yet — here is what to watch
No opening date has been announced for the Capital Grille or Yard House at SanTan Crossing. Leasing launched in March 2026. Site plans reached the Gilbert Planning Commission by May 2026. The project is moving forward, but construction on full-service restaurant buildings in a new development takes time beyond the permitting phase.
Watch for permit filings with the Town of Gilbert and construction starts on the 21-acre site. When the Capital Grille pulls a building permit, a rough opening window will come into view. Until then, no date has been given.
For more on what is opening in Gilbert, see our coverage of Roka Akor at Northside SanTan Village and the 1933 Lounge at The Gilmore. For other upscale steakhouse news, see Bistecca & Bones at High Street in Phoenix and Terry Black’s BBQ in Old Town Scottsdale.
