Cafe Zoetrope
Italian · Alameda
About Cafe Zoetrope
En Café Zoetrope, te invitamos a disfrutar de la auténtica cocina italiana y una cuidada selección de vinos en un ambiente único. Ubicados en un edificio histórico de la Alameda, nuestro café, creado por Francis Ford Coppola, te sumerge en el mundo del cine mientras saboreas platos clásicos y delici...
En Café Zoetrope, te invitamos a disfrutar de la auténtica cocina italiana y una cuidada selección de vinos en un ambiente único. Ubicados en un edificio histórico de la Alameda, nuestro café, creado por Francis Ford Coppola, te sumerge en el mundo del cine mientras saboreas platos clásicos y deliciosos. Ven a vivir una experiencia inolvidable donde la gastronomía y el séptimo arte se fusionan.
What Customers Say About Cafe Zoetrope
Cafe Zoetrope offers a charming Italian dining experience with a unique atmosphere, often described as having a "Godfather" vibe. Customers rave about the ambiance, friendly service, and delicious dishes like the lamb shank, spaghetti, and pizza. Some find the food inconsistent.
Popular Dishes
Best For
Tip: Enjoy the unique atmosphere and short story vending machine. Trust the waiter's wine suggestions.
Features
What to see nearby
Data from Wikidata
Explore the area around Cafe Zoetrope
Cafe Zoetrope is located in Alameda, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Historical Heritage
- Montgomery Block (A 255m) — former building in San Francisco, California, United States Hito histórico de California
- Bank of Italy Building (A 294m) — building in San Francisco, California Hito histórico nacional
- Niantic (A 303m) — whaling vessel Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- U.S. Appraisers Stores and Immigration Station (A 314m) — historic building in San Francisco, California, United States Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
Museums
- The Beat Museum (A 194m) — literary museum in San Francisco, California
Parks & Gardens
- Transamerica Redwood Park (A 296m) — park in San Francisco, California, United States of America
Other Points of Interest
- Columbus Tower (A 23m) — building in San Francisco
- Columbia Savings Bank Building (A 197m) — building in San Francisco, California, United States
- Hotaling Building (A 203m) — building in San Francisco, California, United States
- Condor Club (A 213m) — early strip club in San Francisco, California, that helped set precedent for the legality of nude dancing
Data from Wikidata
Frequently asked questions about Cafe Zoetrope
Cafe Zoetrope Alameda Reviews
Food was great! A little quiet but an appreciated respite in the busy city. Very friendly staff. Pizza crust was exceptional.
I’ve never had a bad meal here or service. The service is really top notch and they pay such close attention to details. The food is pretty good. The atmosphere is lovely. They also serve the directors cut wines which are a favorite. Recommend!
Fabulous vibe in a beautiful building, and the food was outstanding. The braised lamb shank was fall-off-the-bone tender and every bite exploded with flavor. The risotto was perfectly cooked and also full of flavor. The spaghetti and meatballs were delicious, with big meatballs that weren't dry at all. Both the pizza (mushroom and Italian sausage with white sauce) and calzone were excellent. The service was attentive without being overbearing. There's also a free Short Story Generator that was fun. I saw another review that claimed they don't have "traditional Italian menu items, like chicken parm", and had to laugh. My dude - the menu is chock full of traditional Italian items (spaghetti alla puttanesca, penne all' arrabiata, linguine alle vongole, etc.) Chicken Parm is Italian-American (not that there's anything wrong with that...), not traditional Italian.
The Café Zoetrope Italian Restaurant is right on the corner of Kearny and Whocares, its easy to find and parking is a snap! Now, ..think about this for just a second, there's about 3 Italian restaurants in SF for every 10 people, and that's a lot of Pastapazzoo! Well, I've had the pleasure of eating at about 150 of them, and let me just say this about Café Zoetrope...the Chicken Cacciatore is most likely the best I've had in SF...It was Amazing, and in every aspect worthy of 5 stars! ☆☆☆☆☆
I recently stopped by Café Zoetrope in San Francisco, and it honestly felt like stepping into a little corner of Italy tucked right inside the city. The place has such a unique charm—the moment you walk in, you’re greeted with film posters, memorabilia, and that warm, cozy atmosphere that makes you want to stay longer than you planned. I ordered a glass of Coppola wine and a plate of pasta, and both were just perfect—simple, flavorful, and comforting. What I loved most, though, was the vibe. It’s unpretentious, welcoming, and you feel like you’re part of a story unfolding in this historic building. It’s the kind of café where you can sit for hours, sipping coffee or wine, enjoying good food, and just soaking in the atmosphere. Definitely one of those spots that makes San Francisco feel so special
Went for an aperitivo, staff very nice and great cocktail makers. There’s a machine that prints short stories (you choose 1, 3 or 5 minute reading times) which is great to accompany your drink. Had the arancini di riso which were really tasty. Loved the Coppola artefacts dotted throughout - a must for any fan.
We tried the steak salad, spaghetti, and lamb shank, and each dish was absolutely delicious. The steak salad was perfectly seasoned, the spaghetti was rich and flavorful, and the lamb shank was cooked to perfection.The ambiance was warm and inviting, creating a wonderful atmosphere to enjoy our meal. The service was top-notch, with friendly and attentive staff. Highly recommend this spot!
I loved my little lunch there so very much!!! I totally trusted the waiter with his suggestions for wine and pizza and didn't regret it at all. Had a glass of Primitivo and Prosciutto pizza. Delicious!!!!!! The pizza crust was the best I ever had. The staff is super friendly. They charged my phone and as locals, suggested places to visit through my stay in SF. I liked the vibes of the place. From the pictures and posters on the walls, you can see many memories were made there. Love the place and would definitely visit again when back in San Francisco!!!
Beautiful café-restaurant located in a historic building that is worth reading about. The ambiance is classic and cozy, and the service was very friendly. The spaghetti meatballs were good, but they lacked salt and the depth of flavor I would have expected. Aside from that, I can recommend this place and would consider coming back.
A restaurant owned by the famous Francis Ford Coppola, yes, the one and only Coppola who directed the all time classic Godfather trilogy!!! The restaurant itself is so "Godfather" if you know what I am talking about, so low profile from the outside, you wouldn't even notice that there's a restaurant inside, but the interior design is authentic Italian style, you will definitely enjoy a cup of espresso here.
Overall experience was good. The amount of pasta didn’t reflect the price but the linguine with clams was delicious and the meatballs made from veal were delicious as well. We sat outside to enjoy the nice weather and service was also great as our waiter scooped spoons of Parmesan cheese to our liking on our plate. The Italian soda and complimentary rolls were good also.
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.
The atmosphere was great however the food and the service have so much to improve. The service was nice but pretty slow and inexperienced . We ordered the lamb and it wasn’t good at all. The meat had a strong smell and taste which usually happens when the meat quality is not as great as it should be. The pasta carbonara and pizza weren’t nothing special to repeat. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend to go there.
Very cute Italian cafe. Loved the atmosphere. Buy that was as far as it went. Started with bread with balsamic & olive oil. The balsamic was thin and very sour. The olive oil had zero flavor and the bread was dinner rolls. Next was a Cesar salad. This was pretty good. For the main course I ordered arrabbiata. I got a little heat from the spice red chili but other than that it was incredibly bland. I didn't even finish it.
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About Cafe Zoetrope
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916 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Alameda, CA 94133
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building in San Francisco
literary museum in San Francisco, California
building in San Francisco, California, United States
building in San Francisco, California, United States
early strip club in San Francisco, California, that helped set precedent for the legality of nude dancing
former building in San Francisco, California, United States
building in San Francisco, California
park in San Francisco, California, United States of America
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