Foreign Cinema

About the Business

Specialties

Foreign Cinema opened in 1999 in San Francisco's Mission District. Offering eclectic California-Mediterranean cuisine, Foreign Cinema's Chefs/Owners Gayle Pirie and John Clark change the menu daily to reflect the finest organic, seasonal produce, meat and fish available. Foreign Cinema provides an industrial chic setting with a warm yet lively vibe. The indoor dining room features a fireplace and open kitchen, and foreign and independent films are screened against the white wall in the covered outdoor patio. Adjacent to the restaurant, Laszlo Bar serves as the perfect stop to sip a cocktail after dinner with a bar program paying a playful homage to noteworthy classic and modern films with cocktails such as La Dolce Vita and Vertigo.

Meet the Business Owner

Business owner information

Gayle and John C.

Business Owner

Gayle Pirie and John Clark have been deeply involved in the competitive and innovative ferment of the San Francisco restaurant scene for over two decades. Long standing tenures at Zuni Cafe and Chez Panisse earned them critical approval for the purity, quality and consistency of their cuisine. In 2001 the duo took over the kitchen of Foreign Cinema as Chef/Owners and implemented an ever changing Mediterranean influenced menu and full oyster bar, earning the restaurant three stars from the San Francisco Chronicle and ten consecutive "Top 100" rankings. They have also received rave reviews from the New York Times, Gourmet, Cosmopolitan, San Francisco Examiner, SF Weekly, and San Francisco magazine. Additionally, Pirie and Clark have published two cookbooks, Country Egg, City Egg in 2000 and reprinted in 2008 by popular demand, and Bride and Groom, published in 2006.Pirie and Clark live in Berkeley with their two children, Magnus and Pearl.