Foreign Cinema
Private Dining
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Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Madras Curry Fried Chicken, Marinated Eggplant, Chickpea Salad, Baby Carrots, Kishmish, Spiced Honey
30 reviews
Oakland Spirits, Halfshell - Made with Hog Island Oysters
22 reviews
Grilled Brined Pork Chop, Fried Farm Egg, Shelling Beans, Grilled Kale, Dandelion Salsa
20 reviews
Waiter was a little dry, one member of our party felt uncomfortable asking for anything. It was a birthday celebration which I mentioned when I made reservations and the waiter did not even mention or ask. The wait staff was excellent, wished they were our waiter. I have been here before but this brunch was uneventful and disappointing
Maybe the best brunch I’ve had — and I don’t say that lightly. Epic menu, drinks, & vibe
Foreign Cinema's outdoor dining setup may be the best in the city. Fabulous! We were warm and comfortable. Worth the wait for a weekend reservation.
The ambience and setting is very unique and quite incredible! Unfortunately, the staff was inattentive and overall felt like a rushed dining experience.
I always enjoy the vibe and food at Foreign Cinema. However, their service just doesnt match the the quality of food. Slow and our waiter was aloof.
I was really excited to come here cause I'd never been. The food was great, although there were some dishes that came out without everything. The main pain point was our server. He was rude, rushed us through everything from ordering to eating to paying. We had to track down someone to get more water and our drinks too far too long to come out. I would def go here again and just keep my fingers crossed we got another server. Maybe he was having an off day.
Our server that night even ripped a piece of the menu due to the fact that I asked what wine I ordered. Love the vibes and the movies! Very good food too!
Amazing. Great service, phenomenal food, thanks for a great night!
The great energy here makes for a harmonic convergence of outstanding food (from the best and freshest ingredients), stellar service and an interesting crowd.
Amazing everything. I cannot wait to go back again. Food, setting, service, drinks... all were incredible.
Foreign Cinema is one of my go-to destinations for dinner in SF. I take all my friends who come to visit from afar. Last week I went twice. Once for dinner, the other for brunch. The food is surprisingly inventive and delicious. The staff is always welcoming and friendly. The space itself is large and open and I love the added effect that the movie has on one's peripheral vision as it plays out in the background. My one complaint (and this is after having several dinners here over several months) is that I wish the cocktails were as inventive and delicious as are the meals. In general, I am usually left underwhelmed. This is disappointing as I love a good cocktail! The wine list is great, however. As is the sommelier. Love this place, and love that it's so convenient to my home!
Delayed Valentine’s Day brunch!! The truffled rolled omelette was perfect, the baguette French toast amazing!!
Gin martini what a true martini should be with plain castellano olives accompanying it. Tequila drinks were delicious.
Had coffee and “pop tarts”, both guava and pineapple, to top
off the meal. Shouldn’t have but hard to resist trying
Jesus M. was our server extrordinaire, friendly and fun!
Can’t wait to return with friends to enjoy this great restaurant!
It was our first time dining at Foreign Cinema. I was expecting another over-priced brunch restaurant but since my daughter requested to come here to celebrate her 21st birthday, I gladly obliged. I ordered the grilled house brined pork chop. I was blown away by how perfectly cooked it was and well seasoned. Everything we ordered was excellent. Everyone from the front desk to the servers and manager(?) were nice and friendly. We highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely be back.
The service was fantastic! Great food, the poke and cheesecake were 👌🏼 and the service was fantastic! Will definitely be going back again soon!
Amazing food, service, vibe, and absolutely gorgeous outdoor seating. The opa was a little tough to eat, hence the 4 stars. Otherwise, eating here was an incredible experience.
Great experience at Foreign Cinema with the family. Staff was very attentive while giving us the space to enjoy our meal. I recommend Foreign Cinema to anyone looking for a great dining experience.
Anniversary date was perfect! Delicious food- although wish portions can be bigger. Overall experience is superb!
We were seated promptly. Our server was knowledgeable about the food and cocktails. We were warm as they have done a great job of having heaters well placed so you can relax and enjoy the meal and not be cold although you are sitting outside. The food was good. I would recommend dining here.
The food is consistently good. The ambience is lovely and the service is always excellent. I would eat there more frequently if I could get on their "list"!
Great food, service and ambiance! Highly recommend!
Omg this is one of my favorite dining experiences there is in San Francisco!! But please don’t tell anyone!😁
Always a great experience at Foreign Cinema!
Here for Valentine’s celebration. Solid place for eating outdoors and feeling safe during Covid. Food was okay... flavors were a bit off. Cocktails were great! It was raining and would’ve been nice if restaurant better prepared by providing umbrellas but we were out in the open and got wet. Fortunately it wasn’t a down pour but still... everything got wet. We left sooner than we liked and passed on dessert. Ended taking out party elsewhere for dessert.
Chef Gayle was amazing and came out to greet us personally, from 6ft away of course. Consistently great experience here. Can't go wrong.
We enjoyed a Valentines dinner here on a double date. We didn't restrict ourselves on ordering and we ordered a TON of food. The bill came out to about $850. Some dishes were AMAZING while some were actually a little boring and frankly small servings. We were told there would be lobster in our seafood sampler and it came out without it. Kind of a bummer for a $75 plate which included a couple of crab legs, a handful of oysters and some shrimp... Come for the ambience and the drinks, and the pretty little plates of food, but don't expect to get too full or feel like you got a lot of food for the value.
Every dish was perfect as was the service and ambiance. Everything done very safely with Covid protocols. Also very kid friendly yet still an elevated experience. Our entire family had a great time.
Great to see Foreign Cinema back. It's the best spot in San Francisco during this stage of the pandemic, when you can only eat outside. The space is beautiful and peaceful. The food is excellent. The service was flawless. A perfect time to enjoy this excellent restaurant.
It was a 5:15 reservation at a corner table for 3. We liked being able to control the
audio volume.
The food was tasty, gourmet and the desserts were exceptional: choc pot de creme,
lemon tart, and goat cheese cake.
We would have preferred 1940s and 1950s films rather than 1980s.
The service was excellent! We really appreciated the thoughtfulness of the staff on my daughter’s birthday.
Easily one of best restaurants in San Francisco, still going strong after twenty years.
Galentines brunch was lovely thanks to the wonderful staff at Foreign Cinema!
I can’t wait to return here again and enjoy the delicious meals selected by Chef.
Classic restaurant with consistently serving amazing food!
Foreign Cinema is one of our favorite restaurants in SF (and anywhere). The outdoor ambiance is lovely, with hanging lights and heat lamps to keep you warm. The film playing on the brick wall in the background only adds to the ambiance. We’ve never experience less than perfect service, and with a constantly rotating menu, we always get at least one new dish - and we’ve never been disappointed!
It's upscale for with a great ambiance
Last hurrah before lockdown
Thank you for another perfect meal. So glad to celebrate my bestie getting a new job today. Food was amazing and the service was divine. From the host, to our server to the person helping out with waters, bussing etc... So grateful.
It was great overall . It was recorded by our friends who live in San Francisco. We visited from IL. I felt that there should be more vegetarian dishes.
Friends Birthday
Perfect picturesque restaurant with incredible food, great staff, and a one of a kind vibe!
Excellent experience in every way, from the food to the service to the ambience. And it felt totally safe.
FAQs
Foreign Cinema offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (415) 648-7600 ext. 0.
Foreign Cinema is rated 4.8 stars by 7231 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.