Mission, San Francisco · restaurant
An open-air courtyard behind a blank Mission facade where films project on whitewashed brick at dusk. Foreign Cinema has been running this since 1999, and the room still fills without coasting on nostalgia. The California-Mediterranean menu changes daily with what’s in season: oysters from the raw bar, the perennial Madras curry-sesame fried chicken, and plates that shift fast enough to justify returning often. Weekend brunch in the same courtyard is its own draw.
Rotating Pacific selection from the full raw bar; ask what landed today
Ham & gruyere toast crowned with egg and bechamel, served with fries
Chickpea hummus, Moroccan carrots, radicchio, the perennial menu anchor
Daily rotating raw & cooked shellfish with ponzu and yuzu mayo
Peppercorn-crusted, medium rare, roasted cherries, sautéed turnip greens