Cafe Zoetrope

This is a restaurant focused on the mid to higher end dining experience owned in part or wholly by the Coppola family. There is a fascinating amount of memorabilia on the wall, especially in the stairwell on the way down to the restrooms (seriously, SF why are all the restrooms down a flight of stairs!).
Like just about everything else in SF there is street parking only, which means there is no parking. There’s some parking garages not too far away, but you’re gonna have to get here some other way then by driving your own car.
There is both inside and outside seating available. The inside is very snug as the tables are mostly tucked away here and there inside the somewhat wonky shaped dining area. Having a complete view of the entire restaurant will not be possible form any given seating selection. The ambiance makes up for this however, as the entire space is tastefully lighted and decorated. This would be a great place to take someone to impress them.
The food is awesome. The pizza is as close to perfect as you’ll find in this world, The pasta is also authentic italian style cuisine, making this one of the best places for this style of food in this area if not all of san francisco itself. There is a full service bar with a deep wine selection, but the focus here is absolutely the food.
The service was impeccable on our visit, even though our waiter was surprised by our readiness to order immediately. This wasn’t our first visit so we were already familiar with the menu, and knew what we wanted before he even handed us our menus.
The pricing? Well if you can keep it to 30 – 35 dollars a person, you’re doing great. This is not a cost effective place to eat, but man it’s good.

We had the tomato soup, pizza originale, the Puttanesca and the pork ribs special.
The ribs came as 3 ribs on a plate. Very Italian service.
Pizza $ 18
Ribs $ 12
Puttanesca $ 17.50
Soup $ 6
Glass of wine $ 11
In all, the food is ok, but not special. You can certainly get better in North Beach! If you are in the neighborhood, give it a try just to see the place. it’s nice inside. But it’s not a «must see» place. It’s a do-​it-​once place.
If the place was mine, I’d up the food quality to keep people coming back. North Beach has a bunch of competition.
Nice friendly staff.

Love the atmosphere here. I swing by here all the time for lunch.

Beautiful building with a rich and fascinating history. The food was very good and reasonably priced. I tried a flight of Coppola Winery wines and enjoyed them immensely. Highly recommended.

Pizza was great. Try the one with sliced meatballs. Pasta was solid. Service was great. Definitely will go back when I’m in town.

The food is good, and in all probability I would eat there again. However, my trip today left a distaste in my mouth.
My friends and I (25 – 35 years old) decided to stop there for lunch today. We arrived right when they opened. There was only one other patron in the café at the time. I was thankful for this because we were a rather large party of 11.
We ordered, yadda yadda yadda, then our food comes. One of my friends orders was done wrong. She ordered X and they gave you Y. Instead of waiting another 30 minutes (which is usually worth it) she just cancelled the order.
Later I hear the manager on duty, tight brown curls with bleach blonde at the nape of her neck, refer to my party as kids and talking about my friends order that was incorrect. She looked over at me and instantly knew that I heard what she said and walked away with our waiter to talk more. I thought it was awfully rude what she was saying. My party was nothing but polite, and the café was not busy at all.
Our waiter was wonderful. So there was that.
Overall, the I would still eat here because the food is worth it and my other experiences were positive.

In the historic building, houses American Zoetrope, the headquarters of Francis Ford Coppola’s film company, occupies the first floor.
There’s no better place to enjoy great company, food, and drinks, while experiencing an overwhelming feeling that you are sitting right beneath where the Godfather was written. It truly brings a overall dining experience.
The service there is impeccable waiters and both hostesses are eager to make sure that the customers are comfortable, happy, and have everything they need to continue the reputation of this restaurant.
My friend and I ordered the Picata appetizer plate. It consists of consist gorgonzola, salame, roasted peppers, mozzarella, mixed olives, prosciutto crudo, taleggio, pecorino, and caponata. In addition we ordered a carbonara pasta, smothered in Parmesan. Lastly, as true Foodies, variety is the spice of life, we also ordered the marinara Pizza with roasted garlic and wilted basil leaves it’s mouth –gasmic!
Ambiance: takes you back in time. The most notable thing about the ambience is the memorabilia of Coppola’s film career.
Whether being a tourist or local this is definitely a must see spot. For all ages and good for groups I highly recommend this Iconic location.

Very small bar area, could be cool, we just stopped in for one drink in the iconic building. The food smelled delicious, however we did not sample. The wine list was extensive, beer list somewhat lacking. Overall, I would Give it another go should I be in the area again

Café Zoetrope is such a lovely restaurant. The service was attentive and polite, the food was absolutely delicious, and the ambience and surroundings are beautiful and classy, but still quite relaxing. I would definitely come here again for a nice date.
Also, if you come during the evenings, you’ll get to take in the great sight of the flashing green lights of the building at night. It’s very beautiful here, and a nice walk from the Financial District and through Chinatown.

I am surprised that Mr. Coppola would let his name be associated with this restaurant. The people were very nice but didn’t know the wines, didn’t bring the food in the correct order, and definitely did not know how to cook caciotorre.

Great pasta and a relaxed ambience. This is a good place to come for dinner if you are looking to spend some time with someone while sharing excellent food.
But don’t be surprised if they prepare the food even faster than you would’ve imagined.

Actually zero stars.
Went in today for a drink, not any crowd to speak of. Took a seat and was accosted by a VERY rude employee who said I couldn’t sit where I was.
I left, probably never to return.

Terrible service. Walked in for drinks and deserts was told we can’t sit at a table because it’s for customers who are eating and only two tables had people in there. Waiter or hostess was not attentive and not too friendly. He said it would be easier on him if we sit at the bar. We then sat at a table and he was goofing around w other waiters and we had to get up to get our own menues. We ended up walking out of the place in 5 min when he got mouthy w us.

Wonderful food, great location, easy to get into on a Thursday evening. Waitstaff was efficient and very good. Great San Fran eatery!

Zoetrope is one of my SF go-​to restaurants and has been for years. Always have a great experience. Besides the legendary Coppola wines and the comfortable setting, there’s the menu. The four-​cheese pizza, the Penne, the Caesar’s salad, the soup specials and the spaghetti and meatballs, to name a few, are all outstanding. The service is always right on top of it, led by Casey Welch, who runs a fun ship. Always recommend this place to friends and tourists looking for a great local restaurant. Relax and take in the hustle and bustle at a street-​side table, if the weather cooperates.

Wow, what a complete and utter disaster we experienced when it came to the overall service at this restaurant. We had dined at Café Zoetrope about a year ago and we had an amazing experience all around… but this time around it was truly terrible. The food was four stars, but the service would be zero stars if that were an option. The so called manager (or person in charge) was more interested in partying with his friends and staff and cursed loudly with the staff throughout our entire dinner while loudly offering shots to the staff and a few of his friends who were sitting at the bar. It was apparent that he was setting the bar very low for what might be expected from the staff as far as service goes. I will never go back to Café Zoetrope based on this past experience.

This quaint little café looks quite appealing and the food smells exquisite, however the service is lacking greatly. We walked in and stood at the entrance for a few minutes and after not being greeted, we finally walked up to the bartender. He asked us if we had reservations which was surprising since it hardly looked busy at all. After being informed there was only bar seating available, we crammed ourselves into a corner table facing the window. We sat there staring at the menus and waited about ten more minutes.
Finally, we got fed up with being ignored, walked out, and informed the couple outside to take their money elsewhere.
Such a shame that a renowned San Francisco eatery is lacking in something so vital — service.

Coppola’s place.
The man that gave us the movie The Godfather serves up pizza pies, pasta, & wine.
The strengths are in the sauces & the pizzas. The food is solid fare across the board. But you can’t go wrong w some red wine & a pie. It’s totally the way to go.
The main appeal is clearly Coppola’s association, & the sentinel building location. His offices are upstairs. He owns the building.
Off the beaten path of north beach, it’s a good spot for a quiet meal. The vibe is warm & casual.
Order a pie, lick red sauce off your lips, sip some wine, & soak up the atmosphere. And remember, nothing is more important than family.
3 & ½ stars.

This was my second visit here. Each time was not planned. The first time we were supposed to go to a different restaurant near by but they had to close, so we came here. Good food good service. Then last night we were in the area and tried to go to two different spots but each had a 20 minute wait so we came here. So worth it! We walked in and we’re automatically greated with a smile and felt welcomed. They said about a 5 minute wait for a table so we sat outside to check the menu. Some older gentleman were out there chatting and enjoying themselves and sparked a convo with us. Then our table was ready. We asked for the waiters recommendations and we pretty much ordered all of them. Everything was excellent. Of course we all tried each others. The porterhouse was seasoned perfect, not too much, had a great meat taste with a slight char. The mario pizza with a huge slice of sausage was delish. The rib appetizer was tender and tasty and the linguini with clams was on point.
Not only was the food great but the service was on point. Being a native to the city I have seen and felt a huge change. A great division in cultures and classes. Coming here reminded me of home. Of what it used to be like in the city. Talking to strangers, enjoying good food with friends and having friendly service and no division. Thank you for that, it truly made our night special. This will be our go to from now on.

Great meal!
They made a great Manhattan and Old Fashioned. The wait staff wasn’t in the way and let us enjoy our time without pushing us along too quickly.

This place is such cool venue. Exterior and interior are equally unique and impressive. I have a small, sausage pizza. Which, given my size, would have been easy to eat. But there was so much sausage on the pizza, it was a bit overwhelming. The smart choice would have been to only eat half, and take the remainder with me… but I’m not known for making smart decisions. Ended up eating the entire thing, and walked 10+ miles around the city to walk it off. Worth it. Totally.

I’ve passed by this place so many times, but I finally had the pleasure of having dinner here recently with a large group of people who were «carbing up» for the Nike marathon. I wasn’t marathoning but partook in the carbing anyway! If I see pasta with clams (linguine vongole) on the menu, I will get it without hesitation so this was my entrée choice for that night. The pasta was cooked just right and clams were so fresh and tasty. My friend eyed my entrée so I gave her a taste — only a taste because I wanted it all to myself muahahhaaaaa! ;) No but seriously, it was so good that I’m still thinking about it and want to go back ASAP for more! They had a nice house red wine in a carafe that was perfect for our group of 11 — we got more than a couple of course! This place is excellent for large parties who want excellent pasta and Italian food.

great area in Little Italy to have appetizers and wine with friends. Love the history behind the café that this was once the spot where the Godfather 1 – 2 were edited. Love the pictures on the wall and the friendly staff.

Good food (had cream of asparagus soup, bread, and split spaghetti and meatballs), good wine, good atmosphere, really bad service.
Recommend the Coppola Malbec. Don’t be offended if you need to ask for it a couple times.
Make sure to remember what you ordered– I’ve just watched 4 tables get served the wrong items.

Some of the most delicious and authentic Italian food I ever had (including in Italy itself). Also the location can’t be beat; what can be greater than a nice quiet dinner in North Beach.
Do try the gnocchi; they’re different but super delicious!

I have dined here several times. The place is decorated very cool with many things from the movies. The food has always had good flavor. Unfortunately I am no longer able to dine here because they don’t offer gluten free pasta.

Pizza crust that could have been served as bread it was so perfect. Meatballs the size of your head. And spaghetti al dente. Perfect.

Don Corleone speaks… «Some day, and that day may never come, I’ll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, accept this justice as a gift on my daughter’s wedding day.» I could almost hear Nino Rota’s music swell in the background as the scene fades to black, and the next scene opens without Brando (demanded too much money) but with Jamie W. and I entering this strangely cramped space filled with movie memorabilia (photo:
) and not all of it related to Francis Ford Coppola who owns the familiar copper-​green-​patina Sentinel building in which the café is housed (photo:
). We were surprised to be seated right away at the table nearest the front door, but it could have accommodated four hefty tourists.
Indeed we counted ourselves lucky, as the rest of the restaurant, at least what we could make of it, was pretty well packed with mostly foreign tourists judging from the animated hand movements and the boxes of Niebaum-​Coppola wine being purchased (photo:
). The menu fits on a vertical piece of paper, so there’s nothing too fancy here. We started with their self-​proclaimed house specialty, The $ 9 Caesar Salad which they claim originated in this building at Caesar’s Grill much to the chagrin of Caesar Cardini presumably, who has the more popular claim of being the Caesar Salad inventor in Tijuana. No matter as it was delicious and decadently creamy with fresh egg yolks and topped abundantly with anchovies (photo:
).
We also tried the $ 11 Oven Roasted Calamari which came drizzled in a basil vinaigrette accompanied by Kalamata olives and chopped tomato (photo:
). Very rustic, very simple and quite satisfying with the squid pieces quite plump and fresh. For his entrée, Jamie went for the $ 17.50 Spaghetti alla Puttanesca which came mixed in a fresh tomato sauce with olives, capers and chopped garlic (photo:
). It reminded us of our good friend Linda’s homemade sauce and while nothing could compare to hers, this was pretty darn tasty even if it did seem a bit overpriced. I decided to try the even more decadent $ 19 Bumbola ai Broccoli e Salsiccia, which was a big bowl of creamy richness due to the ample amount of fontina blended in.
Bumbola is a chubby, spiral-​shaped pasta that’s meant to look like a bumblebee. Soaking up the cream quite easily, it was mixed with broccoli rabe, Italian sausage, red wine and shallots into quite an indulgent mountain of tasty carbs (photo:
). I probably should have entered a decathlon from the abundant portion I received, which explains why both of us bypassed dessert here even though I’m sure something sweetly Neapolitan was probably waiting in the kitchen. Maybe because we were famished when we came in and our go-​to Italian options have been dwindling with the recent demise of Stelline, but we frankly liked Coppola’s cucina. It was an offer we couldn’t refuse. Rimshot, please.
FOOD — 4 stars… nothing inventive but pretty satisfying homestyle food for the undiscriminating
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… a cool, evocative space if a bit of a jigsaw
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… fairly attentive even though we weren’t big spenders, i.e., there was no Inglenook wine in our glasses
TOTAL — 4 stars…“Leave the gun, take the cannoli”

I’ve been nostalgic for North Beach over the last few months so I’m excited that my office is now only a few blocks away. I had been staring at Zoetrope Building (what a beaut!) all week and in the mood for a leisurely sit down lunch so I decided to give it another try.
The thing is this place is such a tourist magnet that it doesn’t have to be good. So I went into the meal with low expectations. Fortunately I was blown away and think it might become a weekly habit.
Staff is friendly and chatty without talking your ear off. The food, chose the Carbonara, was the best I’ve ever had. Super fresh. Super hot! Perfectly balanced with flavor.
Here is to tradition!

Don’t eat here. We ordered the grilled calamari which came out very tough and our pasta was in a soup bath of red wine sauce. The best way to describe it was like a bowl of Lucky Charms leftover milk. Wasn’t even slightly reduced into a normal pasta sauce. The only good thing we had last night was the wine suggestion and the caesar salad.
Poor food and service overall. Coppola and Italy would be ashamed.

It might be a Cali thing since I’m noticing a very lax service industry.
The waiters here were all friendly, but not overly attentive. They made sure our waters were filled and that we got out food, but that about it. I think they may have asked if our food was good, but I can’t remember.
The food was tasty. It wasn’t too much food. They serve proper portions! Not enough food for 3 people in one meal.
The minestrone was tasty. It wasn’t overly seasoned, but the flavor of the veggies was there. I could go for more actually and it was perfect for today’s chilly weather.
The arbiatta had the perfect amount of spice! It tasted fresh although my pasta was a bit too al dente for my taste.
My cousin ordered the Malfatti which absolutely DELICIOUS!!! It was perfect balls of spinach and ricotta in a creamed tomato sauce. I wish I had ordered that to be honest.

El café de Coppola. Las paredes están cubierta de posters y objetos del cineasta. Muy buen sitio donde pasarse a comer o tomar un brunch. El precio es un poco alto pero el local y la comida bien merecen la visita.

Un moment vraiment agréable et européen au beau milieu de San Francisco.
Certains diront que c’est un café à touristes de par les nombreux hommages au cinema et aux Coppola, mais la qualité des mets est au rdv. Nous avons pris la formule du jour à 15 $: lasagnes bolognaises, lemonade et cookie. Le tout était fin et en bonne quantité.

Nous avons diné dans ce resto un soir lors de notre dernier séjour à SF, et franchement, ce fut la bonne découverte du séjour: nous avons très bien mangé et le cadre est très sympa. En-​dessous de Financial District et Chinatown… On peut revenir à pieds vers Union Square…
Pâtes aux palourdes pour moi: je me suis régalée! Parmi les meilleures que j’ai mangé…
Si on ajoute à cela les serveurs très sympa et ouverts à la conversation, l’ambiance agréable: nous avons passé une bonne soirée et j’y retournerai volontiers la prochaine fois que j’irai en voyage à SF… et j’espère que ça arrivera rapidement!