Foreign Cinema Restaurant

Very cool place - great atmosphere. We dined on delicious food while watching fantastic Mr Fox a while back. This restaurant is also very child friendly - we went early for dinner and the staff were very accommodating with our little one who needed a high chair.

The only thing suggestion is to consider changing the menu every now and then - we ve been 4-5 times and each time, the menu hasn t changed much.

the good is not worth the price and the service is horrible!!!!!
The manager of the restaurant is very snob and customer service is very mediocre!!!!

This restaurant dates me, now that it seems to have become an institution, and forebearer to the Mission food scene that is now quite crowded. It's always a treat, and a SF standard can't miss for Brunch. It's a bit spendy, but the quality is stellar, and vegetarian to carnosaurus' will find something enjoyable. Speaking of vegetarian, you should challenge yourself to try the brown sugar glazed bacon. It's unreal. It's worth walking on the other side for a day. The Persian Bloody Mary's are SO good. Service sometimes gets backed up, and it certainly gets a bit "spacey". But overall it's a vibrant thrill of a treat to start a weekend day here. It's always something to look forward to, and remember for some time after. Thanks!

Easily the most dramatic architecture of any restaurant in the Mission, this place is a must-eat for locals and visitors. Brunch is perhaps even better than their dinner service.

This place is a really interesting venue for dinner. The entryway is a red carpet and add a nice touch. The movies playing on the screen create a great atmosphere. They put the subtitles on and there's no sound so you can still chat over dinner. The only thing that let it down was the food. The plates try so hard to look the part that they suffer in the taste. Also the server made an error calculating the bill which was never fully understood and no apology offered.

Nice place but did not enjoy the food, it s ok but not very tasty. Had the Risotto and Avocado appetizer and wouldn t recommend any of them :/

It's a restaurant that has been photographed. I do not think I need to go there. This is a very common place in Korea, so I was not expecting much.

Consistently delicious food and incomparable service. Dishes that are exciting, yet comforting and a menu that is always updated and fresh. A San Francisco gem for sure. The food and ambiance is hard to beat!

Foods were good and love that they play movies during dinner time. Servers were not as friendly as I hoped and this place is hard to reserve.

One of my favorite restaurants in the whole city. The unassuming outside still looks like a theater and once inside, it's a different modern and warm animal. The outdoor seating is great for summer nights with the movie playing on the wall but not distractingly so. On the inside it's fun to imagine where the screen was and where the patrons sat. The best part of course is the dining. The food has been superb visit after visit. The fried chicken is a must try even though it changes with minor tweaks every now and again. I have yet to have an unsatisfying dish.

My favorite Mexican restaurant in Montrose. We come here at least once a week. The Cadillac margarita are the best here!!

The food was amazing but I was hoping the movie would play a bigger role in the dinner. I highly recommend the crab cakes, duck breast, and the yellow tail.

Superb vibe! You should definitely check this out when you're in the mission district.

The food is really great, don't get me wrong, but the service knocks this place down to 3 stars. If I'm going to pay $50 for a meal, I'd like to be seated no more than 15 minutes after my reservation (it took them almost an hour to seat us on a Wednesday at 9PM), and I'd like the staff to be nice and helpful, which they were neither. I had the swordfish, which was delicious, but my favorite part of the meal was the pot de creme. Oh! And I was pretty happy to learn that they keep some Navarro grape juice around, though I was unimpressed by the fact that they diluted it with ice. Good restaurant that could definitely be done better.

I love this place: bring friends, family, a date, out-of-town visitors. The duck last time I was here was fantastic.

Really like the outdoor seating on sunny days, never been there for the movie nights

Beautiful interior and friendly service. Really pleased with my dinner, highly recommend the sole and the tuna toasts.

The back patio is like a scene out of a movie and so is their fried egg brunch dish. Truly amazing. Service is superb and food is tasty. Also, be sure to order the seasonally suggested cocktail and don't forget your brunch reservation.

Atmosphere was awesome and service during the private party was great!

Great food fancy place but I wish I could listen to what my date was saying. It was so loud! The space between our table and the one next to us was super tight too, I could hear everything they're saying. For the food, my favorite was the brandade! Never thought I would like fish souffle but the combination of the crunchy toast and smooth texture from the fish was unique

Went here for a friend's birthday and it was a really nice experience. Foods were amazing and they change menu frequently. Ambience was good, they played old movies on the wall at 8 pm. Had to reserve at least 1 week before.

Definitely among my best dining experiences. Everything we were served was perfect and the flavor combinations were really unique. Service was on point too. Absolutely loved it. (If you are going with the impression that you will get to watch the movie, you can't. You can't hear the audio)

Miniscule portions of uncreative and extremely overpriced food. Will never return. Avoid at all costs.

Outstanding SF classic restaurant. Ambience. Check. Cocktails. Check. Foreign flicks. Check. Crazy good locally sourced Cal-Med cuisine that fires on all cylinders and simply satisfies the soul. Check. Tasty brunch? Check and check. Go often.

Fantastic food with a modern edge, great wine and the environment is very cool

The food is delicious here. We didn't have dessert here because we were pretty stuffed at the end of the plates.
There were 2 of us eating and we shared 2 main entrees which was the swordfish and the pasta dish they had on the menu. The flavors of both were superb! The swordfish was really filling for the size.
The appetizer was the pancha! Calamari, just so many flavors involved. The calamari tasted like it was roasted. Definitely order it, you won't regret it.

Our hostess was wonderful. Overall experience was phenomenal.

Food was good but they took too long to bring the plates after we ordered. Service was not great and prices are extremely high for what you get. Decoration is very pretty though.

Great ambiance. You would not have guessed from the exterior. Come for brunch and order the sesame chicken!

A fav spot for quality californian food. Nothing to complain about. I will be bringing friends next time. It has a nice atmosphere.

Great atmosphere and concept. Food is delicious with top service. I would only say that the access to movie is not viewable to people indoors which is bit of a bummer as its like missing out part the experience of watching movie.

i went on a sunday, the service was very slow and the food is very overpriced. meh.

Good place for tasty Californian food. Food was so yummy. The staff was very welcoming and sociable. The bill was good for what you get. Ambience is similar to Fresno's scene.

Great brunch in the Mission. Foreign Cinema has a wonderful ambience. Features new Californian comfort food classics like poke and sesame fried chicken. They have a well-stocked oyster bar, and projected movies in the courtyard providing entertainment to go along with your conversation.

For my 30th with a group of 7, I finally visited this mission establishment! We made reservations through Open Table about 1 week prior so the only time slot we could get was ~6pm.

Ambiance is awesome. What a unique restaurant. Indoors felt cozy, outdoors were under a large tent with heating lamps and the famed theatre .

Cocktails were standard. Not much to add there. I do remember their gin martini being real nice though.

Food! Apps were ok. We got a fondue and a calamari dish that was a bit fishy. For my main entree, I got the Kobe steak which was cooked to perfection. Fantastic flavors and meshed really nicely with the seasoned kale. Desserts were meh aside from the olive oil cake.

Knocked down a star for service. Our server was oddly distant and we had to flag him down several times just to get our initial drink order in. No bread unless it s asked for as well. All in all, a good experience.

Perfect birthday dinner. Calamari was amazing, my pork chop tastes as sexy as it looks and the Chevre cheesecake was killer! I want to go back already!

Three of us "Foodies" had dinner this week at Foreign Cinema and declared it was the best meal we've eaten all year. Each serving was WONDERFUL and creatively prepared and served. The servers answered all our questions and took excellent care of us.

Good and friendly staff, awesome wines and delicious food. Very good for special occasions.

Best brunch in the known universe.

Be sure to get the slow-cooked brown sugar bacon, and wash it down with the a Bloody Mary.

Really good. Highlights were the steak, the salmon. Our server highly recommended the fried chicken but it was just OK. Was expecting more of a movie theatre vibe... only the front of the restaurant really has that aspect.

Beautiful place with incredible food that is certainly unique, but tries a little too hard.

Fantastic atmosphere, tasty victuals. Fresh oysters. Go.

Average experience. Nothing to write home about. Food was salty and overpriced. Ambience was just okay. Small desserts were outrageously overpriced. I probably got my hopes too high after reading all the good, high reviews. Unfortunately I would not come back unless someone else is picking up the tab. I hate feeling cheated by overpriced, average restaurants.

I love love love it in here. If I could stay here all day, it would be a good day. Delicious bloody mary's and super friendly staff. The atmosphere is great and super outdoorsy. It's great if you want to do brunch with friends or family. Lots of veggie options, too.

Food was great...but a little too expensive for the amount of food served and service they give. Hostess seemed lost at best and fake nice. The waiter seemed overwhelmed, most probably not his fault. Some orders took an eternity. A great amount of the front house employees had a cloud of passive-aggressiveness.

Great for that fun 3rd date, in a city full of flakes and neurotic better halves, this will for sure make the evening full. The atmosphere is cozy enough to feel like it's midnight in Paris, mind you the weather is fit outside. The only downside, is well, not hanging in the inside bar later. For a longstanding piece of the mission that has been here for the 8 years I have lived here, i herald this place.

One of the best restaurants in San Francisco. Both brunch and dinner are amazing.

Nice food, excellent atmosphere, very welcoming chef/owner. Book in advance try to get a table in the patio.

Great place but both of us had to send our food back. The pasta was very undercooked and the steak was cold. They also probably shouldn't keep the patio open during winter without enough heaters, it was freezing.

The food was delicious, good wine, friendly staff, relaxed beautiful ambiance.

Creative, unique, finessed but unpretentious food in an upscale setting -- great for a special occasion.

I had always wanted to come here, my boyfriend had already been here with his parents, but I really insisted. So for dine about the town he took me. The food was really bad. The carpaccio, a favorite of mine was just gross. You can share nothing, and there was nothing that had a particularly unique or interesting taste. I have read reviews that say brunch is the way to go.

BUT, it is very pretty outside.

I've had one of my favourite meals ever here. I've also had several expensive meals that were only really good.

Trendy restaurant. Have been here twice and the last time I was at the director's table so I've pretty much had the entire menu. Nothing special but the drinks are good.

A welcoming, excellent, and professional crew liked John was a big help for me to choose the best food to order. He assisted my inquiries outstandingly. You never fail me to expect more and more from you John. I would definitely recommend and refer your services to everyone without any hesitation. Optimum!

Really great food and drinks, a must try for mission. And no, did not play a foreign movie :)

Been here a few times for brunch and dinner. Definitely fun to take visitors to since it is in the mission and the al fresco seating with old movies is cool. That being said, the food is much like many SF eateries in that it is quite pricey for somewhat rich foods and inventive combinations.

food: B-
service: A
ambiance: A+

For all the hype I was disappointed. We did go for brunch so maybe the dinner / movie thing is a better option. I can't blame them for the super loud early 20 somethings next to us but it didn't help. The pop tart was good but the waiter didn't bring the one we ordered, and we couldn't find him to tell him so just ate it. The mushroom omelette was a block of eggs and was overwhelmed by fake truffle oil flavor. I tried to find our server to order another drink but we were done with the meal so decided to go elsewhere. My husband liked the Croque Madame very much but the flaws outweighed the positives. The sister bar next door was much better.

We had Easter Brunch here and it was fantastic, to start the Spring Bellini with fresh strawberries, Then we had Oysters, Beef Carpaccio, Swordfish and Chile Verde. And if that wasn't enough you get dessert and I had Creme Brulee. The food was very good and they only get four stars because they were out of several items on the menu including the sought after crab sandwich.

You will not be disappointed. This place is gorgeous with all the great foods to match. The plates reflect a solid take of Californian cuisine; the use of fresh ingredients in their expertly balanced in their dishes will ensure that you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The cocktails are unique and pair well with the seasonal tastes. Be sure to check out their more adventurous dishes, like the balsamic egg scramble.

Really awesome food, drinks and vibe. Busy so reservations are a good idea.

Ordered 3 oysters. They never came out and instead they gave me 3 random oysters for free. I got worst Norovirus (gastroenteritis) in my life (it was so bad that I literally thought that Im gonna die), ending up missing my flight and whole schedule. The servers were not doing well on what they suppose to do (did not explain anything about oysters, gave me wrong check, very impolite, etc.) The food was not bad but the servers and oysters ruined everything.

Best brunch in SF. Food is amazing, ambiance lovely and service super friendly and fast! I highly recommend this place!!

Went there to celebrate my husband's birthday. He loved the ambiance and the food was good. Don't go here for the movie experience because it's not audible and barely visible with all the restaurant lighting. The drink recommendations by the server were on point! I would go back here but maybe not for a special occasion.

Great place to have a party, especially during brunch. Book well ahead as it fills up. Great food and brunch drinks. Love the decor and energy. Reminds me of restaurants in SoHo NYC.

I've lived in San Francisco for decades. How did I miss this place before? I first took my daughter here to dinner a couple months ago and, last weekend, attended a corporate holiday party here. Both visits were excellent.

For dinner, the menu didn't have a lot of vegetarian options, so I explained my preferences to the server, and the chef made a special plate that included many sides from the menu. It was one of the best restaurant meals I've had in my entire life. All dishes featured ingredients at the peak of freshness and perfectly prepared. I'd happily eat that meal over and over again, if I could.

The hors d'oeuvres for the corporate party were amazing--everyone noted that the food at this party was far beyond what had been offered in prior years at other venues. They cleared two of the three rooms of tables so we could freely move about or dance to the music, or sit and chat in the third room. The two bars offered a great selection of wine, beer, and cocktails, and the hors d'oeuvres were plentiful. This vegetarian particularly loved the fried rice balls with spicy tomato dipping sauce, but they had many vegetarian options including a winter squash soup served in tiny little glasses. It was the best holiday party I've attended!

Not an inexpensive restaurant, but well worth it!

Really cool place, sit outside if you can. They have black and white movies on the patio showing. The ambiance is fabulous. The food good but very small portions and fairly pricey. We had to sit inside but we really enjoyed our dinner.

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Excellent appetizers - the sea bass cevice is well balanced and subtle.

Fashionable place in San Francisco. I think it is excessively expensive, but in line with the prices of the city. 60 or 70 $ per person. Dinner outdoors, with light bulbs and good atmosphere.

Yes the food is delicious, yes they have amazing outdoor space, yes they show movies, yes they have heaters so you can enjoy Casablanca with your mouthwatering bites and wines. You come here for the experience

The ambiance is wonderful. The food is excellent. And the service is top notch.

Very rude service :( we felt humiliated. The food was okay, but we couldn't really enjoy it.

They have great food and the cocktails were quite excellent. It lives up to the hype everyone puts on it, but with that much hype it's hard to leave a lengthy review about how mind blowing a place was. Don't get me wrong, it is great, but it is what you expect from a popular spot.

I love this restaurant it's very cozy with nice service the food is so good delicious.

It's a lovely place, nice atmosphere (fireplace!) with attentive service. We had a reservation and were seated immediately. The food was fine, nothing special or super exciting, but tasty. The wine options were good too. I'd go again when I'm in the neighborhood.

Had a positively amazing time here last night, what a unique gem of an experience this place is. The service was positively impeccable from start to finish. We arrived a bit early for our reservation and enjoyed a half bottle at the bar, where the bartenders were friendly and welcoming. We were seated and our server Leo provided knowledgeable answers to our questions and made excellent recommendations. The wine list here is deep and wide and has enough eclectic and rare finds to interest to keep even the well informed wine lover coming back, and with Steven the Sommelier as an enthusiastic guide even newbies are sure to be guided to a wine experience to remember. The vegetarian risotto was perfection, and my carnivore companion was thrilled with the fried chicken. All the starter plates were luscious, and the ambiance throughout the night changing as the movie started on the wall and the lights dimmed made a truly memorable experience. I will be back again and again, I can't say enough.

Definitely not for those on a tight budget! The building is beautiful. We had a cocktail at the bar while we waited. Friendly bartender, but I thought my cocktail was a little on the sweet side and not well balanced. My fiance liked the saratoga. We sat outside which was a little chilly but nice ambiance. Our server was very friendly and prompt. We ordered oysters, smoked salmon, tuna, and the lamb grille. All of the seafood was deliciously fresh. The lamb grille was tasty with a spicy sausage. They only feature one wine by the glass. Wine list is extensive but pricey. We ordered a half bottle of Santa Maria Valley pinot which was quite nice. Desserts were pretty good. Dessert wines were better. I would go back for the outdoor ambiance, wine and starters.

Special and very nice casual atmosphere and perfect for an evening with friends or a date. Films are beamed onto the wall and the kitchen does its job very well. Delicious dishes with many local, very good ingredients, well crafted. Friendly but sometimes slow service. The kitchen is Californian but with an international twist and here and there is e.g. an arabic element taken to court. The cocktails are solid.

One of the best restaurants in SF ! Lovely place and the ambience is very cozy . Will come back for sure .