Foreign Cinema

Fantastic food and service. Loved it!!

Alfredo was a great server and very patient with our group. Everything was excellent except the Baked Alaska was different. The chocolate pot was the best I have ever tasted. The duck had perfectly crisped fat.

Always a wonderful time at Foreign Cinema. Great food,love the ambiance. They always treat us like we’re special. That’s why we keep coming back, especially for our anniversary!

Great location, however rather noisy.
Flexible staff.
Beautiful menu. Champagne risotto was best risotto ever!
Nice wines and good action on our remarks.
Would definitely go back.
It was rather expensive but worth it!

overall, i was disappointed in this spot. there is so much hype around it and the food was just ok and the service was awful. our waiter was quite awkward at first and then he became very rude. the calamari appetizer dish was awesome and the risotto was good. everything else was just ok. would not come back.

Service and food is great! Would definitely recommend.

We had a not great experience. 6pm reservation, ordered food right away and did not get served entrees until almost 8pm. Asked for multiple things and server forgot. Meal was $300 for 4 people which also felt high for the poor service.

Great food and ambiance, definitely top notch!

Flavor is mediocre at best. Server had an unfriendly demeanor and disposition. Food is way over priced for the flavor and portions provided. The only positive was the ambiance. Great courtyard to have dinner.

The food, the ambiance, and the overall experience was incredible. One of our favorite restaurants in San Francisco. The patio is so romantic. However, our server was a bit cold and condescending but we'll try it again and hope for a better experience.

Always love a Foreign Cinema brunch. But this time, for dinner, the service was really amiss.
Front doors were jamming so that multiple guests thought the restaurant was closed, servers were confused or awkward, and we were asked several times whether dishes belonged to us or whether we ordered them etc. Overall lots of misses in service at every turn. A little embarassed as a couple, but would have been even more so had I brought a client.

Great food. Horrible service ! African American gentleman server who seemed tired and completely not into being there ! Slow service but worse disinterested and lackluster . Told us lunch crowd had worn him out . Ya no kidding !

This is our second time to FC. we brought some visiting family members this time. They were out of so many dishes by dinner on Sunday, it actually starting getting funny whenever the waiter came back to tell us that they were out of sow thing because brunch was so busy. Not his fault- but perhaps tell people upfront when you are out of something, that way they can order the right drink, and they don’t get their hopes up. Food was not as good as the last time, either.

Food was delicious and the service great. Even gave us a candle in our dessert as we were celebrating our honeymoon.

We were very underwhelmed. The food was not impressive at all. Small portions, overpriced, and most of it did not taste super fresh. We had oysters, lobster, shrimp cocktail and the baby lettuce salad. Cocktails were innovative and tasty, but small. Wine pours were meager and expensive. Noisy. We would not go back. We had great expectations after a rave recommendation. So disappointed.

I really like Foreign Cinema. The food and the ambiance are really nice.

The servers are really nice and accommodating, but I recommend slowing down a bit. Our awesome waitress came back as soon as we sat down. That's nice but we hadn't had a chance to look at the menu yet. Food came really quickly, so were the constant "is everything ok", we felt rushed and constantly interrupted. As soon as one of us put our fork down, we were asked if we were done. Our plates were removed really quickly too. There were a lot of empty tables so i'm not sure I understood the rush but either way, it did impact our experience.

Really poor service mind.
No smile no attention to customer.
Compared with service, high price as well.
Just for atmosphere experience is good.

One of our favorite restaurants in the city. Never disappoints!!

I hadn’t been here in years and it is still amazing. Good, service and ambiance are still wonderful. I would recommend Foreign Cinema to anyone.

Our first visit here and it was great. A very cool place from the minute you step into the old hallway used for the movie theater. The interior of the restaurant is spacious and fun. We were there before it got dark enough for the movie to be shown, but I can imagine it would be a lively atmosphere in the courtyard area.

The food was excellent, from the soup, the baby lettuces salad, the baked cheese and duck appetizers, to the swordfish entree. Well prepared with unique seasonings. The pot de creme was rich without being too heavy.

Melanie was our server and she was knowledgeable, helpful, and always within reach when we needed her.

This restaurant was highly recommended by several local foodies so maybe we just ordered the wrong things. We found the food very disappointing and quite overpriced for what it was. However, the wine list was spectacular and the sommelier extremely helpful.

We showed up right at opening for a Saturday brunch. Everyone was friendly and sat us right away. The place has a lot of character but the food stole the show. I had the pork chili verde and was extremely happy with it. I tried my wife’s French toast and was amazed. It was all good!

The food was absolutely delicious! Definitely is on the expensive side but you will have a good time :)

Held a surprise birthday party for my wife. Foreign Cinema was great about seating everyone before we got there and humoring me when I came up and said we had a table for two. Our server was great and the chef even brought out an extra dessert. Food and ambiance were great.

our food was amazing! the corn ice cream was like nothing i’ve every tasted before... brilliant. it was a romantic and lovely evening overall.

Food and service excellent - wine list is pricey - starts at the $70 range. Inside is noisy - outside is a better bet if you want to hear the person you’re with

Great experience. Everything about the Birthday dinner was thoughtful.

The host wasn’t very friendly and guided us to a table inside, tucked in the corner right next to where a large family was seated while there were many empty tables outside!!!!! It was clearly mentioned on the reservation that the event was special (my birthday + a date) and they didn’t even bother checking that I guess! Didn’t quite expect that service on a birthday :(

Although the food was great, and I loved the atmosphere the service was what made th experience go downhill. We waited about 10 minutes to get helped by our server, but what made my experience bad was the fact that I waited for my entree for 30 minutes. YES 30 MINUETS!! Not once did our server come to check in during that time, and when he did he told us that he was going to check on our plate. By that point we had already asked for the bill, and wanted to go home. What made the experience even worse was that it was my wife’s birthday and we wanted to celebrate and have a good time. Unfortunately the service made us want to leave and completely disappointed the occasion.

It was a little confusing as to when the movie would be playing. We were not so subtly told to move tables so they could get other paying customers in our seats. We were told to move to the very front or side tables to await the movie, but it was so awkward. The idea is cute, but the execution left much to be desired for the price.

Foreign Cinema’s experience was outstanding. It really makes a difference to have knowledge and passionate people providing a wonderful service to clients . From the moment you walk in to the moment you leave everyone is very attentive polite and helpful. The food was delicious as well ! Can’t wait to go back soon

Best French Toast Ever. A great wine list. One of my favorite places to eat.

Food was good. Place was pretty. Service was very slow

My favorite restaurant! Always delivers a great time!

Outdoor seating was cozy despite the summer SF winds. Friendly, thoughtful service and delectable food. We both had the NY steak for our entrees but I don’t think you could really go wrong with anything the menu.

Perfect for a festive closing dinner with client.

Arrived here for brunch on a Saturday- reservations are definitely needed! The service is outstanding and the food is good. It's one of those cute places where they definitely overcharge you for everything and you get a moderate portioned food. They try to be bougie and they succeed. I'm not sure it's worth the hype- I can definitely get more for less elsewhere. But, if you want to be where the trendy folk are- this is your place. I enjoyed the cinnamon bun and the brunch bowl- something you can share with one person or just for yourself. The outside scene is nice and there is shade to shield you from the sun. Once you go, I don't know if you need to return. Glad I tried it. We enjoyed the scene and the parties around us made it nice and lively.

Fiancé and I went out to dinner. Slow service was kind of a bummer but the food was amazing!

Our waitress had a very unfortunate personality, would rarely ask us what else we needed, never smiled, would only take 1 order then walk away as we were talking. When we asked how certain dishes were, she would only say "yeah its really good". She wouldn't acknowledge our questions, for example, I politely asked for more water and she walked away so I thought she must not of heard me, but she came back and just slammed the the water container on the table and walked away without saying a word. Normally, waitresses would serve the water for you and then be social.

Amazing and unique place in SFO. Don’t miss this spot for a very, very unusual dining experience.