A friend recently asked me about restaurants in San Francisco and was shocked I’d never written about Foreign Cinema. Honestly? I was shocked too. It’s my favorite restaurant in the world. Yes, the world. And I travel to London, Paris, Mexico City…
Look, I’ve been lucky enough to eat at some incredible places. But there’s something about Foreign Cinema that just works. Every single time. Let me tell you why.
The Food. Oh, The Food.
Let’s get right to it. The food at Foreign Cinema is spectacular. Not in that pretentious, tiny-portion, “is that really food?” kind of way. It’s California Mediterranean done perfectly. Inventive enough to be interesting, familiar enough to be comforting, and flat out delicious. I’ve had many different dishes there and they all have delighted me. But seriously. Just try the fried chicken. Angels will come down and sing on your shoulder. I’m not kidding. Go there, order the fried chicken, and tell me I’m wrong. You won’t be able to.
The Vibe
Here’s what makes Foreign Cinema special beyond the plate: the venue itself. It’s in a converted warehouse in the Mission, and the main dining area is a walled-in courtyard where they project classic films onto a white brick wall. You’re eating incredible food while Casablanca or Lawrence of Arabia or some other gem flickers above you.
It’s fantastically romantic. But it’s not stuffy. The crowd is as diverse as San Francisco itself - date nights, family celebrations, business dinners, tourists who did their research, and locals who’ve been coming for two decades. The vibe is “old school” San Francisco cool - the kind that’s been around since the Gold Rush. Not trying too hard. Just… right.
You can sit inside by the fireplace if you prefer, but honestly, the heated courtyard is the experience. Dinner and a movie, but elevated into art.
Deep Bay Area Roots
The chefs behind Foreign Cinema came up through the Bay Area culinary tradition the old-fashioned way.
Gayle Pirie and John Clark first met at Vicolo Pizza in the Civic Center. They moved on to Zuni Cafe where they rose from line cooks to co-chefs de cuisine under Judy Rodgers. After Zuni, Gayle spent time as Alice Waters’ personal assistant at Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
That’s the California cuisine lineage right there. Zuni. Chez Panisse. These kitchens shaped an entire food movement, and Pirie and Clark learned their craft in both. Then, after nearly two years developing restaurants in Hong Kong, they came back to San Francisco to revitalize Foreign Cinema in 2001 and became partners and owners in 2002.
Since then: multiple James Beard Foundation nominations for “Best Chef: Pacific” and “Most Outstanding Restaurant.” Twenty consecutive years on the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Top 100 Restaurants” list. In 2019, September 18th was officially proclaimed “Foreign Cinema Day” in San Francisco, recognizing their “neighborhood and city-wide leadership and standards in excellence.”
Should they have a Michelin star? They’re probably too focused on what they do to care. If you’ve seen Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars on Netflix, you might be like me - skeptical of the whole Michelin star system. Foreign Cinema isn’t trying to impress critics. They’re trying to serve great food in a great setting, consistently, for decades. That’s harder.
One reviewer on TripAdvisor nailed it: “No Michelin star but so what! Not experiencing Foreign Cinema is like not taking a Cable Car ride while in SF.”
Quietly Generous
Something else I appreciate about Foreign Cinema: they give back without making a big deal about it. For their 25th Anniversary in 2024, they hosted a charity gala benefiting Hamilton Families, an organization working to end family homelessness in the Bay Area. That’s the kind of quiet generosity that matters. They don’t plaster it everywhere. They just do it.
Just Go
Here’s my advice. If you’ve never been to Foreign Cinema, go. For your next birthday. For your anniversary. Or especially if you want to impress someone special. Hell, go on a random Tuesday when you need cheering up.
Pro tip: if you can’t get a reservation, they serve the full menu at their bar Laszlo. The door is on the street and another in the main hallway restaurant entrance. Same food, same kitchen, fantastic music selection. Also incredibly cool! We dropped in recently for a drink before dinner and found our dear friend there with a friend. We joined them for a bit before going into the main restaraunt for dinner. When we were done our friend was still in Laszlos! It’s just that kind of place.
The Zagat guide says the food gets a “standing ovation.” Fodor’s says dinner here becomes “one joyous event.” The Infatuation loves it. The Chronicle loves it. Everyone who goes loves it.
I love it.
It’s my favorite restaurant in the world. Now you know why.
Disclaimer
My wife grew up with Gayle Pirie and they are still friends. Talk about old-school San Francisco. It says a lot about someone who grows up in normal middle-class neighborhood (whatever that means - back then it was mostly Italian immigrant families) in Cow Hollow (San Francisco), going to local Catholic schools - who ends up running one the best restaurants in the world. But Gayle is so humble. She has no idea what a bad-ass she is.
But no, I am not biased. Foreign Cinema is just that special. Don’t believe me? Just go. You will thank me.