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    Foreign Cinema

    4.0 (5.9k reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Foreign Cinema Photos

    Business Info

    FOREIGN CINEMA ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Foreign Cinema

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    Reviews With Photos

    Cheesecake
    Allen W.

    Great service! Food was great also - star players were the wagyu bavette and the cheesecake. The meat was very tender. Honestly the bread appetizer was also super yummy. It was sourdough and you could definitely taste the sour. The bread also came warm. It was fun to have the movie playing in the back, though I do wish there were subtitles.

    shrimp cocktail
    Jenny Z.

    Food is pretty good but portions are extremely small for the price you pay. Vibes are also great (the outdoor seating is nice even before the movie is playing) and the food comes out fast. Highlights for the appetizers include the salad, carrots, beef carpaccio and focaccia bread - this was so flavorful! For the mains, I would highly recommend the paella and steak - overpriced but the steak is one of the better mains. If you could only choose one though, get the paella Come for the vibe but be prepared for the bill!!

    Mary M.

    I've been to Foreign Cinema twice now, and both visits were exceptional. The first time was for dinner, where I enjoyed the carpaccio, tartare, steak, and risotto while sitting on the beautiful outdoor patio by the fire, watching an animated screening of The Zorro. The string lights, cozy atmosphere, and outdoor movie created one of the most charming dining experiences I've had in San Francisco. The second visit was for brunch, and it was just as memorable. Everything was delicious from the house made pop tarts, watermelon salad, and an incredible truffle omelet. The service was warm and attentive, and our server even brought treats for my dog, which made the experience even more special. Foreign Cinema continues to deliver outstanding food, impeccable hospitality, and a truly unique ambiance. It's one of those places you'll always want to come back to.

    Steak tartare (can you find the steak?)
    Otis M.

    Five stars for the ambience, three stars for the food. You dine in a courtyard which is generously warmed by heat lamps on chilly SF nights, and a movie is projected at 7:30 each night on the white wall at the end of the courtyard. You can have a complete drive-in experience at the tables on the edges which are next to those speakers our grandparents (actually me) used to hang on the windows of their cars in the 1950s, or just take a table in the middle and enjoy the extra entertainment. Very fun. I was with a large party so was able to sample several dishes. Oyster service was superb and the available mignonette was just right. An intensely anchovy-ish Caesar was great. I had had a very late lunch and decided to make a small plate my dinner with the sirloin steak tartare. The menu I had seen online said it came with "tonnato sauce, fried capers, preserved lemon, arugula, flatbread". My dish only included the last two items, in a sea of aioli. Maybe my bad not to check the paper menu before ordering, but this does not seem a judicial substitution. And the portion of steak was teeny. Also tried the brandade and a couple of mains and overall found just very cautious seasoning, a level below what it should have been in this environment and price point.

    Chicken
    Steven S.

    I just go back home from eating the most delicious lunch at this restaurant. The chicken with carrots was buttery soft and supple. The waiters were very polite and attentive to me during my experience dining here. The ambiance of the place was very old fashioned but very nice and pleasant. I recommend this restaurant for lunch. Do make a reservation if you decide to go there. 5 stars !

    outdoor seating
    Irene B.

    Foreign cinema is always one of my go to restaurants whenever I'm in SF. The atmosphere is hard to beat especially if you're seated outside. There's always a movie playing, the lighting is beautiful, and the heaters keep it comfortable even on colder nights. The service is consistently top notch and I love that they print their menu every day. I've always been a fan of their duck dishes and they're usually a must order for me. I've had both the five spice duck breast and peppercorn duck breast before and they were absolutely delicious. The most recent time I visited, we ordered the duck leg confit, which unfortunately didn't live up to my previous experiences. It was a bit under seasoned and lacked the flavor I was expecting. We also tried the oysters, halibut, and beef carpaccio. The oysters were fresh and paired well with the sauces. The halibut was cooked perfectly but could've used a little more flavor. The beef carpaccio was good too but the dressing was a bit heavy for my taste. They also have a great wine selection which is always a plus. It's still a restaurant I make a point to visit whenever I'm in SF. Even with a few misses on my last visit, the atmosphere, service, and overall dining experience keep me coming back!

    Trevor B.

    Finally visited the well known spot of foreign cinema. It's really nice inside, so much seating and it's beautiful. I love how it feels when you walk in. This spot is great for dates or friends dates etc. The menus have many selections in them. The drink menu has even more. They have something for everyone on the menu. The service is as you'd expect.. great! We had a lovely server and the food runners were a delight as well. The food was delicious, the chicken and the salmon were perfect portions. The martinis and caviar were great.

    Fried anchovy stuffed green olives
    Rianna M.

    This place!! If you're in SF you must. It's kind of in a sketchy area but it's worth it. Cool concept - it's a huge space with two levels and an adorable outdoor patio space. The walls inside are covered with photos of films and they even play one featured film at the end of every night. The menu is constantly changing - it feels like they actually try here which I think is hard to come by (especially in LA). Everything from the flower arrangements to the food feels intentional and special. We started with the fried anchovy stuffed olives- I'm not an anchovy gal but it was delicious- super salty and crispy. We also ordered the focaccia -- now this is really special- it's super crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Will be thinking about this for days. The popular/ recommended dishes for that night were the pork tenderloin and the five spice duck. The pork was tender but a little dry- it definitely needs the sauce. But the duck -- that'll make you levitate for sure! The spices just work so well - it felt like a modern take on pecking duck and it was cooked so perfectly (medium rare). The portions are also pretty big and feels like it's worth the money. Service was also really good. We ended with the birthday cake for dessert. It's a fun, colorful multi layered cake with chocolate ganache, pistachio and strawberry-- unexpected and not overly sweet. What an experience - will come back to SF for this one.

    Sam P.

    It's been a year since I have been to Foreign Cinema and I have been craving this restaurant so I was so excited to be back! Enjoyed their courtyard and tonight's movie which was the Goonies!! And of course the amazing food! Ordered a lot of smaller dishes to share : Caviar, olives, sashimi, salmon ( that was the standout), calamari and biriani ( also spectacular) Food was great, as was service, drinks and the whole ambience! One of my absolute favorites time and time again!

    Butterscotch pot de creme
    Franchesca L.

    We went to Foreign Cinema during SF Restaurant Week and we should have checked the à la carte menu first before ordering. Some of the options from the three course set menu combined would have been cheaper than the $60 restaurant week special. With that being said, we got the zucchini soup, heirloom chicory salad, acquerello risotto, butterscotch pot de creme, and guava semifreddo. Everything was super yummy! The risotto could have used some more flavor, but we added some salt and pepper ourselves. The staff were super friendly and the atmosphere in the courtyard was so cute! I definitely recommend coming here at night!

    Focaccia
    Jasmine M.

    Hosts were the best people out of those I interacted with. Absolutely welcoming and cheery :) Which helps for when they broke the news of them running behind. We had an 8:30PM reservation but ended up getting seating closer to 8:50PM :/ On top of that, our waiter was chill but didn't seem too interested in taking care of us. I won't hold that against him too much as we were close to closing. It's pretty loud outside, not too sure about the inside. Other people had their heaters already on; we didn't ask to turn it on, and they didn't ask if we'd want it on. The outdoor movie is a pretty cool idea... but does it have to include movies that had blackface. I get it, classics are classics.... But it's not much of a welcoming, inviting, or safe environment if we use that as entertainment or art in the background... This is not a hypothetical question: who is welcomed in this space? There are plenty of classics that don't have such racist aspects. We got one of the Wagyu dishes... 2/10. It was cooked to medium... but it was too salty for my liking. The hummus like food below it was okay. 6/10 oysters. Nothing special. They're oysters. 4/10 birthday cake. Small scoop of ice cream on top of dry cake :/ 3/10 focaccia. Dry, flavor lacking. Comes with a very small saucer of olive oil. I honestly went because my partner raved about how hard it was to get seating... maybe we should've taken that as a sign as to not come in here.

    Marisa M.

    This place is pretty cool! They have a cozy outside space where they project a movie on the brick wall. They played the goonies the night we had dinner. There are old drive through speakers on the sides where you can hear the movie from and you can control the volume. We sat outside and it was a bit chilly but got warm quick with all their heating lamps. They accommodated our party of 10 but anymore people they said they wouldn't be able to accommodate. We ordered a variety of appetizers. For dinner I got the fish which was a sword fish and it was very good but tiny. The meals are expensive around $40 and not that much food on the plate. The desserts are also expensive, it was $14.50 for a slice of cake. It was a good slice of cake but not worth the price. We split the bill and I paid close to 180 for one person with tax and tip. On the dessert menu there was a section called wet finish, which we all had a good laugh about :) It was nice for a team outing and the atmosphere is one of a kind. Service is great as well. Just thought the portions were small for the prices.

    Birthday cake
    Maureen Z.

    This is such a lovely place, perfect for a group dinner or date! They played Fantastic Mr. Fox during our dinner (starting around sunset, so book your reservation accordingly), though I wish they would play it with closed captions so that we could actually watch it if interested as it's too loud with chatter to actually hear the audio. However, the ambiance is beautiful, both indoors and outdoors. The food was amazing as well! Be prepared to wait a bit between courses, as this is definitely meant to be a slow-dining experience.

    Pesto pasta, medium rare wagyu

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    Foreign Cinema Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Foreign Cinema

    Will I be too formal/overdressed in a mint sleeve button down shirt? Is it that casual? I'm scared people will judge me for that

    Naah that's perfect! Plus no one will judge you no matter what you choose to wear! Go in and have a good time, that's all that matters :)

    When do they play Sound of Music?

    I'm not sure! I was lucky enough to see it when I went in January but the movie changes every night? Or week? If you check the website you can see what movie will be playing :)

    How are Wednesday and Thursday night? Are reservation recommended?

    Book well in advance for a Thursday - the place is consistently booked out for weekends - weds you may have more luck

    Are you able to walk in on a Friday or Saturday night for 2? If so how long is the wait

    You should make a reservation. Waiting times are probably extremely long.

    Will we still be able to see the movie at 9:30pm?

    Typically, the film starts at dusk so you should be fine. But mostly, it is atmosphere and just fun to have on in the background.

    Is the patio covered, for rain protection?

    Oui oui! It is!

    Do they accept reservations for brunch on weekends?

    Yes, I made reservations via OpenTable.

    Does Foreign Cinema have valet parking?

    No valet parking

    Is it absolutely reservation only?

    No but it's always packed so if you were planning on a weekend I would make a reservation. You might be okay early in the week but may still have a wait - weekends would be a long shot

    Do you need to dress to impress? Or jeans are allowed It looks really fancy

    I have never been turned away for anything I was wearing. I think I wore jeans once, but with a collared shirt. I probably wouldn't go jeans and tee, but while the place does have a very refined and fancy feel, it is also very welcoming and friendly.

    Hi do you accept walk ins?

    FYI bar is always open seating and they serve the entire menu ...same at Laszlo (sister bar right in front)

    How is parking, specifically for a motorcycle? Is it safe?

    Pretty easy on Mission but if worried there's a parking garage on 21st about 1.5 blocks away.

    Is the outdoor patio rain ☔️ proof?

    Yes, it is covered.

    Do they have high chairs for young kids?

    Sorry for the late response. Yes we do have high chairs.

    In the reservations floor on Opendoor, what's the difference between Standard and Outdoor seating options?

    I called them about this same thing, and they said that "Standard" means indoor. I believe they've opened the indoor dining room at limited capacity.

    Does Foreign Cinema require reservation for outdoor dinning during this pandemic?

    They're still taking reservations- while I'm not sure they're required they're always super busy and I would highly recommend making one!

    I saw that there's outdoor seating right now, is the seating more spread out than usual or is it still pretty close together?

    I would say more spread out. They are also utilizing the back of the gallery next door, which obviously increases the seating area. Go check it out.

    Is a reservation required?

    Reservations aren't required, but this is a popular, busy place, so I personally wouldn't try it without, and especially if your party is more than 2 people.

    What is corkage fee?

    $40

    Film showing during Brunch?

    There is no film showing during brunch. It only happens after sunset.

    View All 43 Questions

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    The Beehive

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    Cool bar with bites in the Mission District. We got there shortly after it opened at 4pm on Friday…read moreafternoon. I was craving a refreshing craft cocktail and got one with the Green Emmanuelle. I liked the cardamom in the Beauty Mark as well that my partner ordered. We ordered shishito peppers and mushroom bahn mi sliders. The mushroom bahn mi sliders were amazing - the quality fillings and taste of the soft bun - I was unexpectedly hit with a bite of spice from maybe jalapeño seeds left but didn't sour my experience. The shishito peppers ended up being extremely spicy as well, those are usually just a few spicy and not the majority. The roasted lemon and salt was a wonderful combo but just too spicy to eat. However, the server very kindly removed it from our bill without us asking. We order the crostini because we were still hungry and that was an absolute hit. Delicious med-soft crostini with luscious berries and sweet honey. I didn't care my hands got sticky as it was soooo good! Great experience, I would be weary if the peppers as I'm a bit spice-intolerant but everything else was spot-on.

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    Uni Amaebi Don: Soy marinaded raw sweet shrimp, santa barbara uni, ikura, soy marinated yolk ($44 +$3 nori)
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    Foreign Cinema - breakfast_brunch - Updated August 2026

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