Foreign Cinema
Gayle Pirie and John Clark were line cooks at Zuni Cafe and then its co-chefs de cuisine. They took over this Mission kitchen in 2001. The room opened in 1999 and projects films on the back wall of a covered courtyard after dusk. In January 2026 the James Beard Foundation named it a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant.
Why go
You walk in on a red carpet down a long hallway. It opens into a courtyard with high white walls and string lights, and a film running behind you.4 Inside there is a brick room with a fireplace. Another doubles as an art gallery.
The Chronicle's Top 100 write-up listed the specialties in 2013. Beef carpaccio, house-cured sardines, sesame fried chicken, a harissa-spiced pork chop. Oysters on the half shell ran to twenty varieties.3 The menu changes and I have not found a recent bylined review to say what is on it now.
Pirie and Clark met at the old Vicolo Pizza and went to Zuni together. Then they spent nearly two years in Hong Kong building restaurants.6
Order this / avoid
- Order: oysters and wine, which is what The Infatuation sends people here for.
- Order: the beef carpaccio.
- Order: brunch on the patio, which is where The Infatuation sends people.
- Avoid: booking the courtyard without checking the sky. The venue says weather moves those tables.
What locals & experts say
- The San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 write-up, 2013:
When visitors want a restaurant that encapsulates the Northern California sensibility, Foreign Cinema is the first place that comes to mind.
3 - The Infatuation SF (Julia Chen, Mission guide):
Foreign Cinema is hands down one of the most unmissable and unique dining experiences in the city.
4 The Infatuation is owned by JPMorgan Chase. - Dianne de Guzman, Eater SF, January 2026: she notes the semifinalist nod landed just after the restaurant's 26th anniversary in 2025.2
Good to know
- Getting in: walk-ins are welcome and bookings open 60 days ahead, daily. Ten people is the online cap; eleven or more goes through private dining.
- Where: 2534 Mission Street, in the Mission.
Verdict
could-visit — The room posts its own sold-out nights, and there are plenty of them. Look at that list before you fix a date.