How to get a reservation at Foreign Cinema

Foreign Cinema, Californian in Mission

Findable to book. 80% of the 30-day booking window was open at the last check. SnagRes has recorded 151,683 open time slots at Foreign Cinema across 53,520 calendar checks. Of those openings, 16% were before 6:00 PM and 41% fell in prime time, 7:00 to 8:30 PM.

Release
Foreign Cinema releases reservations 60 days ahead, at 12:00 PM.
Holds for
At Foreign Cinema, a table for two stays bookable about 3.1 days once it appears; a table for four, about 3.2 days.
Best odds
Wednesdays are the easiest night at Foreign Cinema: 100% of them had a table open at the last check, against 3% on Saturdays.
Source
SnagRes checks Foreign Cinema on OpenTable continuously. The release time is confirmed against Foreign Cinema's own booking listing. Last checked 7 September 2026.

Foreign Cinema is an easy one right now. 80% of the next 30 days had a table open for two at the last check, so you can likely book the night you want. It books on OpenTable in Mission, San Francisco, and we will keep an eye on it in case that changes.

Booking statistics last measured 2026-09-07. How we measure this.

How hard is it to get a table at Foreign Cinema?

41% of the open slots recorded at Foreign Cinema fall between 7:00 and 8:30 PM, out of 151,683 observed, so prime time genuinely does surface here.

The times we see open run from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and the single slot that opens most often is 6:30 PM.

We have never once seen a Saturday come open, which usually means Foreign Cinema is closed then rather than simply full.

Wednesdays are the softest night on this calendar, open 100% of the times we checked, against 3% on Saturdays. Moving your plan by one weekday is often worth more than moving it by a month.

OpenTable windows run long, often 60 to 90 days, so the far edge of the calendar rarely matters. What moves is the near term, as people cancel and rebook.

Observed booking pattern at Foreign Cinema
MeasureValue
Share of the 30-day window open, party of 280%
Share of the 30-day window open, party of 480%
Open slots falling between 7:00 and 8:30 PM41%
Time that opens most often6:30 PM
Range of times seen open5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Easiest nightWednesday (100% open)
Hardest nightSaturday (3% open)
Never observed openSaturday
Booking platformOpenTable
Open time slots observed151,683

The release time above is confirmed against Foreign Cinema's own booking listing. Availability figures are measured from our own checks of Foreign Cinema (151,683 open time slots, 53,520 date checks).

Which night is easiest to book at Foreign Cinema?

Across 6 nights measured at Foreign Cinema, Tuesday holds longest at about 3.4 days. A night that holds longer is a night you can still book after the release has passed; a short one means the table is gone before most people look.

How long a table stays bookable at Foreign Cinema, by night
NightStays bookableTimes observed
Mondayabout 3.2 days8
Tuesdayabout 3.4 days10
Wednesdayabout 3.4 days10
Thursdayabout 3.1 days8
Fridayabout 2.8 days10
Sundayabout 2.8 days8

What is the best way to book Foreign Cinema?

  1. Check what is open at Foreign Cinema right now. Start from the live calendar on this page rather than from OpenTable. It shows every date in the 30-day window with its current status, so you can see at a glance whether anything is bookable before you spend time on the platform.
  2. Aim at a Wednesday. Wednesdays are the softest night on Foreign Cinema's calendar in our data, open 100% of the times we checked, against 3% on Saturdays. Shifting the day is usually worth more than shifting the month.
  3. Widen your time to include 6:30 PM. 6:30 PM is the slot that opens most often at Foreign Cinema. The full range we see open runs 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
  4. Set an alert instead of refreshing. OpenTable windows run long, often 60 to 90 days, so the far edge of the calendar rarely matters. What moves is the near term, as people cancel and rebook. Cancellations arrive on no schedule at all, which is why refreshing by hand does not work. Star Foreign Cinema on SnagRes and you get an email the moment a table appears, with a link straight to OpenTable.

Where can you actually get a table instead of Foreign Cinema?

These are SF restaurants close to Foreign Cinema in cuisine or neighbourhood that were measurably easier to book at the last check. Ranked by how much easier, not by similarity alone, because a list of equally impossible restaurants helps nobody.

Alternatives to Foreign Cinema, ranked by how bookable they actually are
RestaurantWhy it is similarWindow open
Nopaalso Californian, NoPa100%
Delfinaalso Mission100%
Penny Romaalso Mission87%
RT Bistroalso Mission87%

Frequently asked questions about booking Foreign Cinema

How hard is it to get a reservation at Foreign Cinema?
At the last check, 80% of the 30-day booking window had a table open for two at Foreign Cinema. About 41% of open slots land between 7:00 and 8:30 PM. SnagRes checks OpenTable continuously and emails you when that changes.
What time can you actually get a table at Foreign Cinema?
The open times recorded at Foreign Cinema run from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and 6:30 PM is the slot that comes open most often. These are the times left available, not the restaurant's full service hours.
What is the easiest night to book Foreign Cinema?
Wednesday is the softest night on Foreign Cinema's calendar in our data, open 100% of the times we checked, against 3% on Saturday.
What is the best party size to book Foreign Cinema?
Two and four book about equally at Foreign Cinema in our data, 80% of the window open for two against 80% for four, so party size is not the lever here. Shifting the night or the seating time moves availability more.
Is Foreign Cinema open on Saturday?
We have never recorded an open table at Foreign Cinema on a Saturday, which normally indicates a closing day rather than a full book.
What time do Foreign Cinema reservations open?
Foreign Cinema releases reservations 60 days ahead, at 12:00 PM. OpenTable windows run long, often 60 to 90 days, so the far edge of the calendar rarely matters. What moves is the near term, as people cancel and rebook. SnagRes also watches continuously, so cancellations arriving off-schedule are caught the same as scheduled drops.
How far ahead does Foreign Cinema release tables?
Foreign Cinema releases reservations 60 days ahead, at 12:00 PM. A new date appears at the far edge of that window each cycle, and cancellations can surface at any point in between.
Which booking platform does Foreign Cinema use?
Foreign Cinema takes reservations on OpenTable. OpenTable windows run long, often 60 to 90 days, so the far edge of the calendar rarely matters. What moves is the near term, as people cancel and rebook. SnagRes watches OpenTable for Foreign Cinema continuously and emails you the moment a table opens.
Can you walk in at Foreign Cinema?
SnagRes tracks reservations rather than walk-ins, so we cannot see a live bar or counter count at Foreign Cinema. Many rooms do hold a few seats for walk-ins, often early or at the bar, so it is worth calling ahead. If you would rather lock in a table, star Foreign Cinema and we will email you the moment a reservation opens.
Is using a reservation alert legal?
Yes. SnagRes only notifies you when a table opens; the booking itself is an ordinary reservation you make yourself on OpenTable, under your own name. It does not resell tables, run bots to hold them, or automate the booking, so it does not cross the lines a resale or auto-booking service does.
Does SnagRes book Foreign Cinema for me?
No. SnagRes tells you the moment a table opens at Foreign Cinema and links you straight to OpenTable with the date prefilled, then you complete the reservation yourself. It never logs into your account and never books on your behalf, which is what keeps your account in good standing.

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