Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Cafe Zoetrope

    3.7 (528 reviews)
    ModerateItalian, Pizza, Wine Bars
    Closed 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Order Cafe Zoetrope Takeout or Delivery

    Cafe Zoetrope Photos

    Business Info

    CAFE ZOETROPE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Intimate
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    You might also consider

    More like Cafe Zoetrope

    Recommended Reviews - Cafe Zoetrope

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Desert menu
    Pete A.

    Came here on a Saturday after this San Francisco 49ers got destroyed in the playoffs. My sister and her husband were here from Atlanta. We wanted some dessert so my brother-in-law got a dessert drink and a tiramisu. I tried the tiramisu is really good. I had a cappuccino which was good and a cannoli which was a classic Italian style. Service was friendly and prompt. We were able to sit right outside on the sidewalk. Inside is very classic Italian style. Definitely will be back here.

    Sazerac
    Frederick H.

    I love traveling with my sister. We walk a lot, we stop and eat and drink, we walk some more, we eat some more! No automated taxis for this team! Walking around North Beach on a rainy Sunday afternoon, wanting to be fortified for our plane flight out, we stopped here for a snack. Had wine and the charcuterie plate, and chatted with our table-neighbors. The wine was great, but I don't remember what it was - the waiter recommended it. I had a Sazerac which was yum. The snack plate was great - especially the olives, eggplant, salami, bread.... Yeah, all of it was great. It's a precarious walk down to the bathroom, so don't have too many glasses of wine! And we enjoyed the automated poetry machine.

    Bathroom selfie
    Edie N.

    This is that beautiful green building in north beach and it is as beautiful on the inside as it on the outside! Service was quick and friendly. I loved the servers recommendations for drinks and how patient she was with answering questions about the menu! Food was decent. It seems like more of a dinner place than lunch but we were happening to walk around in that area. We will definitely have to come back for dinner next time!

    Michel R.

    Omg, being a SF native and resident of NB and I have never been here (don't come at me) until yesterday :p Me and boo decided to come here on a whim date after commiserating at Washington square, basking in a beautiful spring day in the city. We happened to fall into Zoetrope during the happy hour time and were we lucky because all the happy hour stuff was super good. We started off with drinks (boo got a fernet smash) I got a sbagliato... They asked if we wanted bread and it was complimentary so duh, choice of either rolls and focaccia (you'd be a fool to get rolls when focaccia is the only right answer) So good especially with the olive oil and balsamic. Then we got the happy hour menu proscuitto tea sandwiches & the mortadella w/ stracciatella wrap. It also came with fresh basil inside, just divine. Simple but yummy little lunch, will definitely come back. Nice service, chill vibes, lots of people working and sipping cappuccinos. I had one for dessert as well. Don't forget to get an auto generated short story from the machine in the middle of the dining room. You get to choose how long you want the story to be, either a 1,3 or 5 min read. So cute!

    Jon L.

    Recent SFGate review of Cafe Zoetrope was a little harsh on their food but I still think it's a quaint and charming spot for drinks and good conversation. To be fair, I seldom come here for a full meal - just wine and light bites. If that's what you pop in for, you'll find the space cozy and inviting. Lots of film history and memorabilia on the walls. Wine is reasonable and they have a full bar too if you want cocktails. Friendly bartender the one time we sat at the bar. The food is fine especially if you've seen the constraints of their basement kitchen. I've split sandwiches and pizza but if I have one wish that would be to bring back the happy hour lamb wraps. That was tasty. But at the end of the day, Cafe Zoetrope's charm is its ambience.

    Scott F.

    Great ambience. Loved the ser er. I ordered pasta puttanesca. For some mysterious reason they don't make it properly with anchovies. The server said the chef could add them. OK. The dish came. Good red sauce. But 3 bits of olives, No capers at all & anchovies on the side. You have to cook the anchovies so they melt into the sauce. In short, not a puttanesca. The shabbily dressed maitre d asked if everything was OK & I pointed out these missteps & all he said was "Well, the kitchen is about to close, so sorry about that," as he tried to tuck his wrinkled sweaty shirt back in his pants, & sauntered away, offering no solution. Francis needs to pay his restaurant a visit and soon.

    Private booth
    Richard W.

    Iconic locale for Francis Ford Coppola fans - there's plenty of memorabilia and photos to look at. Menu is a half flyers worth of items and the backside is wine and cocktails. Pizza Originale Love the fresh authentic tomato sauce which is light, fresh and airy. Sausage is packaged and uninspiring and the dough is average. Braised Lamb Shank Thick heavy sauce, with an over salted shank. Fortunately there are potatoes to balance out the salt. Roasted Cauliflower Theres a rather unique cumin type of spice that I don't think was the best choice. It just doesn't integrate well. Caesar Salad Very good choice - the anchovy dressing is mouthwatering and a can't miss for Caesar salad lovers. You gotta come here once for the experience but I definitely wouldn't put it high on my list of north beach eateries. That's all...

    1/4 Muffuletta
    Amy B.

    We just had this craving for muffuletta and we knew cafe Zoetrope has that. We sat outside because we had our dog with us. We ordered half a muffuletta to share between 2 people and the Argentinian short ribs. They actually split the muffuletta for us with salad on both plates. The short ribs were good size with chimichurri sauce. The muffuletta was delectable and reminded me of the one from the central market in New Orleans. Service was excellent. They even brought water for our dog. A great lunch all in all.

    Linguine alla vongole
    Shay B.

    This restaurant is owned by Francis Ford Coppola. A friend made our reservation on Chinese New Year parade. We wanted to have a meal before watching the parade. First try they got me with their linguine alla vongole. I've been back four times since and brought my friend and my Mom from out of town. Each time I order the same dish.

    Konrad J.

    Cafe Zoetrope is a cute Italian restaurant in Little Italy in a gorgeous building on the ground floor. The big draw for us to make reservations was the short story vending machine, which is free. For the vending machine, you can select a story in 1 minute, 3 minute, or 5 minute read times. It prints on thick receipt-sized paper (think a thick extra-long Walgreens receipt). You get a randomized short story and it's a cool experience. The food isn't anything exciting. It was decent, but nothing memorable. I had the Linguine Alle Vongole, which was fresh clams, white wine, parsley, and red pepper flakes. I added more pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt because it wasn't very flavorful. For dessert, I had the chocolate mousse, which was more firm than I'm used to, but it wasn't anything I'd write home about. Our server was attentive, friendly, and knew the menu well. After the short story vending machine, the service was the best part of the experience with the food coming in last.

    Complimentary bread
    Nikka C.

    Cozy ambiance, great staff, but average food. Along with the complimentary bread, we tried: - Pasta carbonara ($24) - Grilled chicken sandwich with a side cedar salad ($17) - Tiramisu ($12) The carbonara was good, but not super memorable or different than other carbonara I've had. The portion is pretty small for $24 The chicken sandwich was also good but didn't stand out. I read reviews that the "Cesar salad is the best I've ever had" and not sure why. Again, it was GOOD! But not "THE BEST I've ever had" haha and same goes for the tiramisu. I really wanted to try to chocolate mousse but our waitress said the portion is tiny so we opted for the tiramisu. The restaurant itself has a great vibe and the bathrooms are super clean

    Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
    Patrick J.

    Came for lunch on a weekday. The food here was good enough. The bread that was brought to our table seemed like prepackaged dinner rolls. The spaghetti Alla carbonara was good and filling but was not hot. The prices were reasonable and the service was friendly. The decor was inviting and casual.

    Decor
    Helen H.

    TLDR: Come here for the absolute VIBES. Food is standard and good, but the indoor decor and general atmosphere is really special. FOOD: 1. Calzone (4.5/5): They can make any of their pizzas into calzones so I had them make the sausage, mushroom, and mozz pizza into a calzone and I IMPORTANTLY asked them to add tomato sauce (which wasn't originally on the pizza). This was absolutely delicious and filling for two! 2. Soup of the Day (4/5): It was also enough for two people and was a nice, warm start to the meal, especially on a rainy day. Our soup was like an Italian vegetable and sausage soup. 3. Caesar salad (4/5): A simple, good Caesar salad but I wouldn't say best we've ever had. 4. Not going to lie, their restaurant bread was REALLY good. Incredibly soft like milk bread. I loved it and I'm usually picky about restaurant bread. SERVICE: - I thought we had really attentive service! Our waitress was super accommodating, bringing us more salad dressing quickly when we asked for some and walking us through the pizza/calzone section when I could t make up my mind ENVIRONMENT & AMBIANCE: - The pictures can't capture it fully but the inside of this restaurant is just completely transformed to bring you back to another time period somewhere in Europe. Photos everywhere, a revolving door entrance to add to the magic of feeling transported, old artifacts carefully placed around. I thought definitely one of the more unique places to dine in SF. OTHER: I wouldn't say you need a reservation for this place and can probably walk in. We barely found openings for reservations so we thought it would be packed but when we got there, there was definitely space for walk ins.

    Really bad muffuletta (Tablehopper's phony photo taken from an old styled photo posted by the restaurant vs. what we got)

    See all

    Photo of Lisa M.
    2
    270
    28

    4 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 days ago

    Simply put. The best spaghetti and meatballs in San Francisco. A beautiful restaurant with great service.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 2
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Excellent aperitivo hour. I had a French 75 that was made perfectly. The vibe was cozy and very Italian feel. Loved it.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jon L.
    220
    1148
    1279

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Scott F.
    306
    201
    157

    1 year ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 2

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Shay B.
    0
    12
    22

    11 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Overpriced food of mediocre quality. Crammed location and uncomfortable seating. Will not be back

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Ruth C.
    0
    335
    50

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 2
    Love this 4
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Jon F.
    54
    46
    14

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Al L.
    1515
    2165
    30778

    3 years ago

    Helpful 13
    Thanks 2
    Love this 18
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    4 years ago

    Helpful 11
    Thanks 0
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 14

    Cafe Zoetrope Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Cafe Zoetrope

    Do they have gluten free options?

    Hi Nonie Thank you for your question. We do have gluten free option, mostly of our pasta dishes are available with a quinoa base gluten free Penne Pasta. And we also have… Read more

    View All 3 Questions

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Italian 97,057 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Waystone

    Waystone

    4.8
    (92 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    Lovely little wine bar for a night out! Super busy and loud but a great ambiance. Small indoor and…read moresmall outdoor seating. The wine was pretty good, and the tapas were amazing! I loved the poke. It's a bit sweeter but a great taste. Also a cute dog roaming around. Definitely will be back!

    We believe in second chances. And by we I mean me, my friends, and Tom…read more We showed up last night and immediately the atmosphere was different. Every single table was full and bustling. The people were laughing, the drinks were flowing. It smelled really good, which we would later find out was from the food especially that Mac and cheese. We started off with different wines, some that Tom recommended based on what we told him we didn't like or did like. He apologized for our previous experience and was genuinely a nice guy. Honestly it's very admirable for a business owner to take feedback to heart and want to incorporate it. Plus he's a really cool guy when you get to know him. The staff was busy running around but still made time to come check on us. Our final verdict is we came on a bad day. This time we got the actual Waystone experience. We finally got to try the chicken bites with a creamy aioli, fries with yogurt sauce, and the star of the show was the Mac and cheese. Tik tok did live up to the hype and we will have to come back for one of their jazz nights. Be warned this place gets busy! But it's worth it.

    Photos
    Ribs and Mac and cheese
    Ribs and Mac and cheese
    Fries
    Fries
    Bar area

    See all

    Bar area

    Cafe Zoetrope - italian - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...