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Cafe Zoetrope

3.7 (528 reviews)
ModerateItalian, Pizza, Wine Bars
Closed 12:00 pm - 8:00 PM

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CAFE ZOETROPE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Intimate
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Cafe Zoetrope

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Sazerac
Frederick H.

I love traveling with my sister. We walk a lot, we stop and eat and drink, we walk some more, we eat some more! No automated taxis for this team! Walking around North Beach on a rainy Sunday afternoon, wanting to be fortified for our plane flight out, we stopped here for a snack. Had wine and the charcuterie plate, and chatted with our table-neighbors. The wine was great, but I don't remember what it was - the waiter recommended it. I had a Sazerac which was yum. The snack plate was great - especially the olives, eggplant, salami, bread.... Yeah, all of it was great. It's a precarious walk down to the bathroom, so don't have too many glasses of wine! And we enjoyed the automated poetry machine.

Bathroom selfie
Edie N.

This is that beautiful green building in north beach and it is as beautiful on the inside as it on the outside! Service was quick and friendly. I loved the servers recommendations for drinks and how patient she was with answering questions about the menu! Food was decent. It seems like more of a dinner place than lunch but we were happening to walk around in that area. We will definitely have to come back for dinner next time!

Michel R.

Omg, being a SF native and resident of NB and I have never been here (don't come at me) until yesterday :p Me and boo decided to come here on a whim date after commiserating at Washington square, basking in a beautiful spring day in the city. We happened to fall into Zoetrope during the happy hour time and were we lucky because all the happy hour stuff was super good. We started off with drinks (boo got a fernet smash) I got a sbagliato... They asked if we wanted bread and it was complimentary so duh, choice of either rolls and focaccia (you'd be a fool to get rolls when focaccia is the only right answer) So good especially with the olive oil and balsamic. Then we got the happy hour menu proscuitto tea sandwiches & the mortadella w/ stracciatella wrap. It also came with fresh basil inside, just divine. Simple but yummy little lunch, will definitely come back. Nice service, chill vibes, lots of people working and sipping cappuccinos. I had one for dessert as well. Don't forget to get an auto generated short story from the machine in the middle of the dining room. You get to choose how long you want the story to be, either a 1,3 or 5 min read. So cute!

Jon L.

Recent SFGate review of Cafe Zoetrope was a little harsh on their food but I still think it's a quaint and charming spot for drinks and good conversation. To be fair, I seldom come here for a full meal - just wine and light bites. If that's what you pop in for, you'll find the space cozy and inviting. Lots of film history and memorabilia on the walls. Wine is reasonable and they have a full bar too if you want cocktails. Friendly bartender the one time we sat at the bar. The food is fine especially if you've seen the constraints of their basement kitchen. I've split sandwiches and pizza but if I have one wish that would be to bring back the happy hour lamb wraps. That was tasty. But at the end of the day, Cafe Zoetrope's charm is its ambience.

Scott F.

Great ambience. Loved the ser er. I ordered pasta puttanesca. For some mysterious reason they don't make it properly with anchovies. The server said the chef could add them. OK. The dish came. Good red sauce. But 3 bits of olives, No capers at all & anchovies on the side. You have to cook the anchovies so they melt into the sauce. In short, not a puttanesca. The shabbily dressed maitre d asked if everything was OK & I pointed out these missteps & all he said was "Well, the kitchen is about to close, so sorry about that," as he tried to tuck his wrinkled sweaty shirt back in his pants, & sauntered away, offering no solution. Francis needs to pay his restaurant a visit and soon.

Private booth
Richard W.

Iconic locale for Francis Ford Coppola fans - there's plenty of memorabilia and photos to look at. Menu is a half flyers worth of items and the backside is wine and cocktails. Pizza Originale Love the fresh authentic tomato sauce which is light, fresh and airy. Sausage is packaged and uninspiring and the dough is average. Braised Lamb Shank Thick heavy sauce, with an over salted shank. Fortunately there are potatoes to balance out the salt. Roasted Cauliflower Theres a rather unique cumin type of spice that I don't think was the best choice. It just doesn't integrate well. Caesar Salad Very good choice - the anchovy dressing is mouthwatering and a can't miss for Caesar salad lovers. You gotta come here once for the experience but I definitely wouldn't put it high on my list of north beach eateries. That's all...

1/4 Muffuletta
Amy B.

We just had this craving for muffuletta and we knew cafe Zoetrope has that. We sat outside because we had our dog with us. We ordered half a muffuletta to share between 2 people and the Argentinian short ribs. They actually split the muffuletta for us with salad on both plates. The short ribs were good size with chimichurri sauce. The muffuletta was delectable and reminded me of the one from the central market in New Orleans. Service was excellent. They even brought water for our dog. A great lunch all in all.

Linguine alla vongole
Shay B.

This restaurant is owned by Francis Ford Coppola. A friend made our reservation on Chinese New Year parade. We wanted to have a meal before watching the parade. First try they got me with their linguine alla vongole. I've been back four times since and brought my friend and my Mom from out of town. Each time I order the same dish.

Konrad J.

Cafe Zoetrope is a cute Italian restaurant in Little Italy in a gorgeous building on the ground floor. The big draw for us to make reservations was the short story vending machine, which is free. For the vending machine, you can select a story in 1 minute, 3 minute, or 5 minute read times. It prints on thick receipt-sized paper (think a thick extra-long Walgreens receipt). You get a randomized short story and it's a cool experience. The food isn't anything exciting. It was decent, but nothing memorable. I had the Linguine Alle Vongole, which was fresh clams, white wine, parsley, and red pepper flakes. I added more pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt because it wasn't very flavorful. For dessert, I had the chocolate mousse, which was more firm than I'm used to, but it wasn't anything I'd write home about. Our server was attentive, friendly, and knew the menu well. After the short story vending machine, the service was the best part of the experience with the food coming in last.

Complimentary bread
Nikka C.

Cozy ambiance, great staff, but average food. Along with the complimentary bread, we tried: - Pasta carbonara ($24) - Grilled chicken sandwich with a side cedar salad ($17) - Tiramisu ($12) The carbonara was good, but not super memorable or different than other carbonara I've had. The portion is pretty small for $24 The chicken sandwich was also good but didn't stand out. I read reviews that the "Cesar salad is the best I've ever had" and not sure why. Again, it was GOOD! But not "THE BEST I've ever had" haha and same goes for the tiramisu. I really wanted to try to chocolate mousse but our waitress said the portion is tiny so we opted for the tiramisu. The restaurant itself has a great vibe and the bathrooms are super clean

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
Patrick J.

Came for lunch on a weekday. The food here was good enough. The bread that was brought to our table seemed like prepackaged dinner rolls. The spaghetti Alla carbonara was good and filling but was not hot. The prices were reasonable and the service was friendly. The decor was inviting and casual.

Really bad muffuletta (Tablehopper's phony photo taken from an old styled photo posted by the restaurant vs. what we got)

Decided to give it another chance in case the last time was a one-off. It's bad now, and not what it used to be. They are clearly cutting costs on ingredients and using lesser quality. The chef must have changed because the food is now bland. Also doesn't taste freshly made. Business for restaurants has been difficult, especially near the financial district (although nearby North Beach is hopping). However, cutting like they've done hurts them even more. I can't imagine they will make it unless they return to serving the delicious food they used to make. Wish they would because I miss that restaurant. Previous review: Something has changed - either the chef, recipe or both. The historically remarkable Spaghetti and Meatballs (exceptional for such a standard dish) now lacks any notable flavor and is too salty. Gone is the amazing depth of flavor. The meatballs were dry, didn't taste fresh and flavorless -- and felt like a chore to eat them (like those bad cafeteria meatballs from childhood). $27 is steep, but was justifiable when this dish was extraordinary. Would have given 3 stars, but to charge so much for mediocre food pushed it down to 2 stars. Another change that shows decline is they don't grate fresh parmesan over your pasta - it's now a bowl of finely grated parmesan that's not as good. The bread used to come warm and delicious and these were cold and stale. This place was such a gem. It's sad to lose a special place with outstanding food.

Decor
Helen H.

TLDR: Come here for the absolute VIBES. Food is standard and good, but the indoor decor and general atmosphere is really special. FOOD: 1. Calzone (4.5/5): They can make any of their pizzas into calzones so I had them make the sausage, mushroom, and mozz pizza into a calzone and I IMPORTANTLY asked them to add tomato sauce (which wasn't originally on the pizza). This was absolutely delicious and filling for two! 2. Soup of the Day (4/5): It was also enough for two people and was a nice, warm start to the meal, especially on a rainy day. Our soup was like an Italian vegetable and sausage soup. 3. Caesar salad (4/5): A simple, good Caesar salad but I wouldn't say best we've ever had. 4. Not going to lie, their restaurant bread was REALLY good. Incredibly soft like milk bread. I loved it and I'm usually picky about restaurant bread. SERVICE: - I thought we had really attentive service! Our waitress was super accommodating, bringing us more salad dressing quickly when we asked for some and walking us through the pizza/calzone section when I could t make up my mind ENVIRONMENT & AMBIANCE: - The pictures can't capture it fully but the inside of this restaurant is just completely transformed to bring you back to another time period somewhere in Europe. Photos everywhere, a revolving door entrance to add to the magic of feeling transported, old artifacts carefully placed around. I thought definitely one of the more unique places to dine in SF. OTHER: I wouldn't say you need a reservation for this place and can probably walk in. We barely found openings for reservations so we thought it would be packed but when we got there, there was definitely space for walk ins.

Espresso machine at the bar

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3 months ago

Excellent aperitivo hour. I had a French 75 that was made perfectly. The vibe was cozy and very Italian feel. Loved it.

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4 months ago

Overpriced food of mediocre quality. Crammed location and uncomfortable seating. Will not be back

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Cafe Zoetrope Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Cafe Zoetrope

Do they have gluten free options?

Hi Nonie Thank you for your question. We do have gluten free option, mostly of our pasta dishes are available with a quinoa base gluten free Penne Pasta. And we also have… Read more

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Roaming Goat - Dates, halloumi

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Have dined here twice and both times did not disappoint! The service is great, and the food is…read morefresh and delicious. I especially love the dip trip and grilled halloumi. The burrito salad was alright, could have used a little more flavor in my opinion. I really like the small plates and sharing atmosphere of this place, and appreciate all of the vegetarian forward options. The space is small and intimate, definitely great for a date night or girls night! I will say if you make a reservation (I'd recommend, it's a small place and gets busy) be sure to be prompt as part of our group was running about 10 minutes late, and the servers kindly let us know we only had the table for an hour and a half, which is fairly strict on weekends.

Came by on a Sunday during happy hour. We ordered a few food items off the happy hour menu: hummus…read moreand muhammara (a must!) with pita, aleppo fries, and falafel. We also ordered the non-happy hour burrata salad and the filet kebab. Our server was very attentive, though our main food items were somehow forgotten and we had to remind them.. but once they arrived, everything was great! I loved the pomegranate in the burrata salad. I also appreciated the non-alcoholic options, including my favorite Fentiman's rose lemonade. I would definitely recommend this place, especially for happy hour. My only small critique is the restroom, since the entire restaurant is so classy and chic, it would have been the perfect finishing touch if the restrooms matched the same vibe.

Photos
Roaming Goat - Inside

Inside

Roaming Goat - Brussels

Brussels

Roaming Goat - Outside

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Outside

Waystone - Fries and chicken bites

Waystone

4.8(91 reviews)
0.4 miRussian Hill, North Beach/Telegraph Hill

We believe in second chances. And by we I mean me, my friends, and Tom…read more We showed up last night and immediately the atmosphere was different. Every single table was full and bustling. The people were laughing, the drinks were flowing. It smelled really good, which we would later find out was from the food especially that Mac and cheese. We started off with different wines, some that Tom recommended based on what we told him we didn't like or did like. He apologized for our previous experience and was genuinely a nice guy. Honestly it's very admirable for a business owner to take feedback to heart and want to incorporate it. Plus he's a really cool guy when you get to know him. The staff was busy running around but still made time to come check on us. Our final verdict is we came on a bad day. This time we got the actual Waystone experience. We finally got to try the chicken bites with a creamy aioli, fries with yogurt sauce, and the star of the show was the Mac and cheese. Tik tok did live up to the hype and we will have to come back for one of their jazz nights. Be warned this place gets busy! But it's worth it.

Waystone is technically a wine bar, but spiritually it's a community living room disguised as a…read morejazz lounge with snacks. Yes, the wine is excellent..(not selling you 'natural' actively fermenting bottles) thoughtfully curated... the cab franc , interesting without being pretentious. Yes, the bites hit (shoutout to the watermelon salad). But what really makes Waystone magic is the people. Everyone who works here is warm, funny, and present in a way that makes you feel like you belong, whether it's your first visit or your 50th. Live jazz nights here are their own kind of therapy. I once saw a harpist who made me feel like I was floating inside the music. No cover, no pressure, just ridiculously good musicians making the whole place glow. One thing I love: the rotating local art. The walls change every so often as new artists take over, and it completely shifts the energy of the space. You might not love every piece, but that's kind of the point--it's alive, it's personal, and it's supporting real artists in SF. And if you do love something, you can take it home (yep, everything's for sale). Whether you're here for the jazz, the wine, the art, or the people.. waystone shows up with soul. I'd give it six stars if I could.

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Waystone - Ribs and Mac and cheese

Ribs and Mac and cheese

Waystone - Fries

Fries

Waystone - Bar area

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Bar area

Cafe Zoetrope - italian - Updated May 2026

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