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Mezzanine Private Dining Space - Foreign Cinema, San Francisco, CA

Foreign Cinema

4.8 (8975)
$31 to $50
Californian
2534 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94110

Make a reservation

2 people
8:00 PM
Booked 141 times today
Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
  • Neighborhood gem
Foreign Cinema is a one-of-a-kind, nationally acclaimed restaurant blending independent films with California-Mediterranean cuisine. Enjoy a stylish indoor dining room with a full bar and fireplace, or relax in our heated and covered outdoor courtyard where 35mm film screenings begin at dusk.

For those seeking a more intimate experience, our private dining options include the mezzanine, amate terrace, and gallery, thoughtfully curated by Modernism West. Our vibrant DJ/live music bar, Laszlo, serves craft cocktails, zero-proof options, a full dinner menu, and lively tunes to end your night.

We are currently accepting reservations for both the heated and covered outdoor patio and indoor dining up to 60 days in advance. Standard seating refers to indoor dining. For groups of 9 or more, please reach out to our private dining department at janine@foreigncinema.com for booking details.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Mediterranean
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 10:30 am–2:30 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (415) 648-7600 ext. 0
  • Website
    http://www.foreigncinema.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Gayle Pirie & John Clark
  • Private party facilities
    We provide distinctive private dining spaces for up to 350 guests, from intimately sized cocktail events, to large, formal seated events. Our chefs personalize each menu, matching, seasonal and market availability with guests’ special preferences.Inquire via email, janine@foreigncinema.com
  • Private party contact
    Janine Jacobson: (415) 648-7600 ext. 124
  • Location
    2534 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94110
  • Neighborhood
    Mission District
  • Cross street
    Between 21st and 22nd Streets
  • Parking details
    We recommend parking at the Bartlett Garage located on 21st St between Valencia and Mission.
  • Public transit
    MUNI: 14 Mission bus; BART: 16th & 24th/Mission station; Mission-Bartlett Garage: 3255 21st Street San Francisco, CA 94110
  • Entertainment
    We show a film starting at dusk only in the outdoor patio dining room. This is to provide a lovely ambiance, dialogue is not audible. While we take into consideration all requests for courtyard seating none are guaranteed.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

Experiences

  • Guest Chef Series: Cowgirl Creamery

    Oct 16, 2025 only
    Our Guest Chef Series is a collaboration with remarkable chefs who have made their mark in San Francisco Bay Area culinary history. Sue Conley and Peggy Smith ignited the farm-to-table food movement in the artisan cheese industry. Join us as we imbue our dinner menu with their delicious recipes from their iconic Cowgirl Creamery Cooks (Chronicle Books, 2013). Viva la fromage! Join us to experience and taste the memorable flavors of these distinguished culinary leaders. These are non-ticketed events with an à la carte menu.
    Guest Chef Series: Cowgirl Creamery Photo

  • Guest Chef Series: Jeremiah Tower

    Sep 25, 2025 only
    Our Guest Chef Series is a collaboration with remarkable chefs who have made their mark in San Francisco Bay Area culinary history. Let's bring back the alchemy of Stars, the legendary San Francisco dining institution led by Chef Jeremiah Tower, where he defined California cuisine. Join us to experience and taste the memorable flavors of these distinguished culinary leaders. These are non-ticketed events with an à la carte menu.
    Guest Chef Series: Jeremiah Tower Photo

Private dining

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Menu

Foreign Cinema's menu was last updated on 2/1/2022.

View menu on restaurant's website

What 8,975 people are saying

Foreign Cinema reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • San Francisco

    Californian

  • San Francisco

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Foreign Cinema offers a "unique dining experience" with "delicious" food and a "great vibe." Known for its "fantastic brunch" and "outstanding service," this San Francisco staple features outdoor movies, adding to its "charming" ambiance. Despite some concerns about portion sizes, the overall experience is consistently praised as "amazing."
8,975 Reviews

  1. Andrew

    New York City1 review

    4.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    I had booked an outdoor seat (that's kind of the point of this place) and was initially seated indoors until I pointed out that we were booked for outside. They got it sorted out and apologized. The waiter was sweet, but seemed kind of distracted and left us sitting unattended for a while. For the price point, I was a bit disappointed.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Moriah

    Kansas City / Kansas6 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    Food options are limited, but food was great. Our waiter definitely treated us out of towners differently. It was too loud to enjoy the movie and we didn’t receive any special treats for our anniversary… other than a generic card at our table.

    Is this helpful?

  3. Gary

    Deactivated - Central Queensland1 review

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Hadn’t been here in years and it’s nice to see that the service, food , etc remains superb s and a reminder to go here more often as it’s within walking distance of home.

    Is this helpful?

  4. richard VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area235 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent meal good service tasty chicken and lamb dishes

    Is this helpful?

  5. Bonnie

    San Francisco Bay Area33 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    The food was good, and our waiter, Brandon, was very good. But there were two gents who ruined probably everyone's dining experience by laughing WAY too loudly and WAY too often. It was incredibly irritating. I'm sure the staff can't tell them to soften their voices, but I wish they had. Otherwise, everything was great.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Danielle VIP

    New York City19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is such a unique spot! Definitely make a reservation for the outdoor terrace to enjoy the movie which started playing when it was dark out. The service is fantastic and the food had fun, innovative flavors!

    Is this helpful?

  7. brianna VIP

    Little Rock10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful brunch spot, perfect service and must try pop tarts

    Is this helpful?

  8. Stephanie VIP

    Los Angeles24 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    This place is very fun and has a great vibe. My only issue with the size of the portions. Very, very small for the price. I think my halibut was maybe 2 ounces.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Barry VIP

    Indiana10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic experience. Food and service was outstanding. Was not able to sit on patio for movie but Birthday Cake Dessert made up for the loss.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Patrick VIP

    Seattle / Eastern Washington1 review

    1.0

    Dined on June 22, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Worst restaurant we’ve dined at in SF. Very very poor value

    Is this helpful?

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 8975 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. San Francisco
  5. Mission District

Make a reservation

2 people
8:00 PM
Booked 141 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Foreign Cinema

2534 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94110

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Between 21st and 22nd Streets
  • Neighborhood
    Mission District
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 10:30 am–2:30 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Mediterranean
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    We recommend parking at the Bartlett Garage located on 21st St between Valencia and Mission.
  • Public transit
    MUNI: 14 Mission bus; BART: 16th & 24th/Mission station; Mission-Bartlett Garage: 3255 21st Street San Francisco, CA 94110
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Gayle Pirie & John Clark
  • Entertainment
    We show a film starting at dusk only in the outdoor patio dining room. This is to provide a lovely ambiance, dialogue is not audible. While we take into consideration all requests for courtyard seating none are guaranteed.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Website
    http://www.foreigncinema.com/
  • Phone number
    (415) 648-7600 ext. 0
  • Private party facilities
    We provide distinctive private dining spaces for up to 350 guests, from intimately sized cocktail events, to large, formal seated events. Our chefs personalize each menu, matching, seasonal and market availability with guests’ special preferences.Inquire via email, janine@foreigncinema.com
  • Private party contact
    Janine Jacobson: (415) 648-7600 ext. 124

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