Foreign Cinema Restaurant Reviews

Brunch was good and the place has lots of sunlight coming in and has great ventilation

I've stayed in lots of Hilton hotels all over the world but this one was by far the worst by far, in fact it's the only bad experience I have had at a Hilton hotel. Staff not great, they don't enforce their own rules about parties and noise in rooms, breakfast had a massive queue, tables not cleaned or made

Great spot and fun experience. the movie is more of a background film, but makes for a great evening.

Just about the coolest place ever. The food is amazing and they always screen good films. It was more bustly and loud than I expected inside, but still a wonderful dinner experience.

Amazing food. Great service. And strong drinks. Definitely enjoyed the atmosphere as well.

Great dinner at Foreign cinema. First had a hip mexican beer with lime. Then a very nice salmon dish, a very rich steak and a nice chocolate dessert. Also very varied and fun settings. Projection on a white screen in the inner garden is a nice detail!

I always have a great experience at Foreign Cinema. Great food and cocktails.

We rarely repeat visit restaurants in San Francisco (given how many great places there are) but I think we've now been to Foreign Cinema 10+ times.

Everything is good. The outdoor seating is amazing, cocktails are great and you can't go wrong with the food.

Make sure to try the fried chicken. It's my favorite.

Went for brunch. Good food, different type of cuisine than your normal boring breakfast.

I know this place always gets good reviews. 5 stars for ambiance but food, meh. Portions are ridiculously small and expensive even for SF standards. Also execution could be better for some dishes considering the price points. I was extremely disappointed by the duck twice and were served different ways. I ve eaten here about 6 times and we ve always felt the same every time. So an extra star for consistency I guess. Fried chicken is bomb dot com tho.

Fantastic food at a great price. Amazing cocktails!

Great venue, great food. Upscale but not uncomfortable. Really good cocktails and wine list.

Everything was fantastic. The dishes are well made with fusions of flavors that go well with the meals. The service was prompt and friendly. Be prepared if you and your guests have a healthy appetite to spend between $150-$300 if you are ordering drinks with your appetizers and meals. We had everything we wanted for about $290 including 20% tip.
Really enjoyable. A surprising spot in the Mission that serves high end meals in a relax atmosphere. Highly recommend.

The food, service and atmosphere was fantastic! Would definitely recommend and return for another meal!

Excellent dining experience!

Drinks: I recommend El Diablo or the Led Zeppelin one.

Food: Delicious. I ordered the crab cakes and the sole. Love them both -- light, buttery, smooth.

Service: Incredible. I was in the bathroom when they brought my food out, and the covered it with a metal cover for me until I got back

Ambiance: Feels very crisp... industrial yet inviting. I love the fireplace inside and the tall ceilings. My only complaint is that it was a little too loud for my table of four.

delicious. Delicious and moody gangster. Of course the price is that gangster. In fact, if you are in a hurry Korean temper, you should not expect to receive orders quickly. Food and the atmosphere are the best overall. I made a reservation but there weren't many people

Found a hair in our food and they still charged us. Very over priced and not the best service. Definitely not worth all the hype...prices are genuinely absurd.

Great ambience and awesome food. We got a great server too who was friendly and helpful. Would have preferred outside seating but didn't get that.

The reception staff could be more friendly and nice and that would improve the overall experience. Getting a snooty reception when you arrive just gets you started in a bad way. I am gonna pay for my dinner !!!

Went for drinks at thus oasis is heart of Mission district

Very nice meal, and better than other star restaurants.
5 stars for food
5 stars for service
5 stars for the wine sommelier's knowledge

Price: Wine dessert with plenty of tips (about 20%) about 90,000 won per person
As price is expensive, there is taste and atmosphere is good.
The security is not good in the evening, we recommend using uber after meals.

Amazing ambiance and service. Their vegan "option" was weak AF though. A pile of weird sides/garnish (onions pickled in wine?) with no main. It's SF in 2019. Throw some beans in there at least.

What a wonderful restaurant! Such a great dining experience on my wedding day.

Great place for brunch, creative plates and cocktails

Great ambiance, tasty food, but small portions and a bit pricy. Brunch is more fun overall given the open and light-y space.

Fantastic atmosphere even in the rain. The food was excellent as well, try the tuna.

I am a big fan of Foreign Cinema for dinner. The food is excellent starting with their oyster selections. Main course was steak and it was perfectly done. Portions are just right and the prices are very reasonable for what you get. We brought a bottle of wine and champagne and they only charged us corkage for one ($10). The ambiance in the courtyard with the film playing on the wall is just icing on the cake. If you want to sit in the courtyard (where they play the movies), be sure to make a reservation and and ask to sit out there.

Whenever I have visitors coming to SF this is always the place I recommend first! Both dinner and brunch are amazing. Service is always on point and ingredients are always fresh. I the atmosphere is cozy, inviting, unique and sophisticated. Love how they play old movies on the giant white wall and constantly innovate their menus. I ve been here about half a dozen times and have never been disappointed. Keep it up team!

Absolutely love the energy and atmosphere inside and outside with the projector screen. The service is pretty efficient and friendly. The wait times even with a reservation can be pretty long sometimes. Food was superb. Highly recommend the Madras Curry Sesame Fried Chicken. Gravity with Sandra Bullock was the film being shown which was pretty boring.

Beautiful location but unfortunately the food doesn't match up. Usually too much salt in the food and the service can be slow and unfriendly. Still worth going but more for drinks and oysters.

Lighting and interior is top notch. Food very consistent and very tasty. Very warm and inviting space.

Great food, however, the service is rather slow. Be prepared to spend at least two hours for your meal. I guess long enough to watch the movie.

Service was friendly but painfully slow. Poached eggs were way over done, medium rare burgers were raw in the middle. Fries were perfect, three course kids meal was impressive.

Delicious brunch with varied menu - we probably could have chosen and eaten everything on it. The cinnamon bun was a definite highlight, as well as the scramble which mixed together so many textures and flavours. Only reason for 4 stars out of 5 was the service - they were quick to move plates away and a little brusque.

Had brunch here, and it was delicious. The champagne omeletes are light and flavorful. Great atmosphere, too -- very open, pleasant to hang out and enjoy your meal. The wait can be crazy long, so do plan accordingly.

This is a beautiful space with bad food. Best for a drink and a snack. The entrees are over wrought with no thought how they taste.

Really enjoyed the ambiance of the place! Quite a special place to be for dinner. Definitely recommend the calamari as one of your entree dishes!

Good drinks and good beer. Food good also, but a little pricey.

Very homey feel of the place with good food and fast service!

Unique menu, packed with healthy options alongside with some sweet treats. Brunch was delicious! Cool atmosphere.

Foreign cinema is by far the best place in the mission for an fancy meal! The food is excellent-- and the cocktails are unique and delicious. It is a bit noisy inside, but the outside area is a great place to sit when its not too cold.

The food was so amazing. We went for brunch and definitely recommend sitting outdoors where the heaters are sufficiently warm and you get to enjoy the breeze. Service was on point and attentive. Will definitely be back!

Foreign Cinema is in the running for my favorite restaurant in the city, along with NOPA. The restaurant is housed in a beautiful space, you wouldn't know it judging by the large silver doors on the exterior.

Once you walk in though you'll be greeted with a beautiful warm interior along with a gorgeous outdoor seating area, showing of course, foreign cinema. Anyways onto the food, get. the. fried. chicken. Actually just get SOMETHING, everything here is delicious.

The service is top notch as well. On a few occasions, they have had the chef cook something specifically catered to me and the wait staff is attentive but not overbearing, as some fancier restaurants can be. This place just feels comfortable and perfect for a gorgeous night on the town.

Pros:
- beautiful outdoor patio, and indoor seating
- their brunch is just as good as dinner
- gorgeous bar and good cocktail menu
- FOOD +++

Cons:
- Expensive (but worth every penny)

I was in SF last weekend and wanted to pick up some wings before heading home. They are ONLY accepting phone orders, so I recommend ordering prior to your arrival. My order took ~20 minutes and there's little to no parking in the area anyway.

We got two orders of wings and went home. I guess if we were realllly hungry we would've eaten it in our car LOL. But we didn't! We had an hour drive home and by the time we got home, it was STILL warm and crispy. It was great!! :')

There's a reason this place is iconic. They take something like an ordinary salad and elevate it. Our little gems salad was outstanding. Love the mezze plate, smoked salmon, corn risotta. Didn't love the lavendar-scented goat cheese. The panna cotta was amazing.

Omggggg this place was to die for thank you to the chef for all you fed us Ceejays mommy Nina and I can enjoyed food and drinks you had us so good yummyyyyyy

This is extremely overhyped... Not that anything was wrong with the food but, e.g., the Kobe beef tasted nothing more than a Costco stake I'd make at home. Well, possibly way more salted. I'd save my splurges for a better place.

Overpriced. Great chicken, the rest was just okay. Interesting posters on walls and the movie was fun to watch.

Excellent food with menu that changes daily and a a great wine selection. Great atmosphere for date night or celebrating something special.

A longtime Mission classic. For brunch, the food has a Persian influence; for dinner, it seems like more straight-ahead California cuisine. And in the evening you may be able to watch classics like the Thai Tears of the Black Tiger (with the volume all the way down) which elevates any meal. The cocktail program is creative and proficient as well.

Brunch tip: you can use the neighboring bar, Laszlo, as overflow seating when the restaurant is too full, as they have an arrangement where you can order off the menu and have the food delivered to the bar. This probably works for dinner too, except that Laszlo is less likely to be any less packed than the restaurant.

Came here for a birthday. Fabulous food, fun and unique atmosphere, and great service. Can't wait to come back

I love this place for a late brunch or dinner for a 2 top. Top notch in terms of food and well worth the money. The ambiance of the outside on a nice summer night is unbeatable.

Try their home made pop tarts. They are to die for!

Californian food and the feeling at this place is excellent. Bring your hunger - portions are filling. Food is similar to a cafe in Indianapolis I loved.

Excellent food and atmosphere. Looking forward to sitting in the seating under the tent so I can see the film.

It's ok but for the price there's better places in the neighborhood. Music inside was too loud.

Always a pleasure having dinner here! It's difficult to grab a reservation, but worth the constant trying!

don't miss the brunch. it's great for impressing the out of town guests

I've had so many friends tell me to check this place out while I'm in town and I can see why now. The food and atmosphere was excellent and the service was unparalleled. I loved that they put our name on the menu for an added touch. It's little things like that, that set this restaurant apart from others. Definitely a busy place so I would recommend making reservations in advance as I doubt they have tables readily available for walk ins.

Everything was absolutely amazing however my top favorites were the grassy oysters and grilled calamari! Must order!! Thank you for making my first experience so wonderful, will definitely be back again!

We came in close to 2pm for the Saturday Brunch. Big crowd but staff handled the numbers well. They got us seated quickly and treated us well. Food and drinks were quite good but the courtesy is the thing that struck me today.

Amazing food and atmosphere. Expensive but you get what you pay for.

Beautiful setting, great for brunch and great drinks.

Received great service here, the food was special. I would come to try more! They were out of our frst choice dessert but still had a great meal. Bread was hot and fresh, duck cooked perfectly

Fun place to hang out with a group of humans. The floor under the table is smooth concrete and comfortable to lie on while your owner eats. Table is big enough that you don't get kicked either. The dishes smelled awesome and the salad croutons that fell to the ground were good. Many of the dishes were a little on the salty side, but the prep was well done. Can get a bit noisy at rush hour, but the staff is attentive and fast and dishes come out hot. Price feels a little high for what you get - portions (especially for appetizers) are small - but not unusual from other SF area restaurants.

Overrated - mediocre at best despite any contrary reputation

The brunch here was exceptional. We ordered the duck tostada, balsamic fried egg and cinnamon bun. My favorite was the duck tostada.

Fantastic food and really good for a large group. There were 9 of us and we easily got a reservation by calling them up the same day (it was a Saturday). Don't miss the Madras fried chicken, the duck or if you're a dessert fiend like me, the coconut tres leches. Heavenly food in a beautiful setting. Friendly service too.

FYI: Our total bill for 9 people came to $600 without tip. Not cheap but worth it!

Crowded and fancy atmosphere with amazing cocktails and small overpriced portions, although prepared well. No emphasis on food responsibility or resourcing