Central Cinema

It’s a movie theatre. It’s a restaurant. It’s a cool neighborhood hangout. Central Cinema has opened a funky joint to watch films and slurp down pizza and beer. The space is well designed for viewing and eating. Each pair of seats has a table in front in which to place your food and beverage. And the seating lay-out makes it easy for waitstaff to maneuver around with your order. I will say the pizza is a work in progress. The dough was chewy and tasty, but the toppings were average and there was a distinct lack of cheese and sauce. On the plus side, the beer was cold and delicious. Especially when paired with gourmet popcorn. Ours was covered in brewer’s yeast. The film selections are second run, and tend to lean toward the alternative/cult/classic side. Most show for a week or less, so make sure you check their website to know what’s coming. If you go, consider arriving a little early to get a good seat and place your order. We arrived late and had to sit in the front row while waiting half the movie for our food to show up. (They did placate us with popcorn.) Movie and beer has long been a winning combination. Now you can have both at Central Cinema. more

Ever get home from work only to be greeted by flavorless left-overs and insipid network television; then Seattle’s Central Cinema is the place for you! Like some magical all-curing elixir, the Central Cinema is a guaranteed remedy for the “dull evening” blues. Set inconspicuously on the corner of 21st & Union, this place has everything you want in a convenient, inexpensive and entertaining evening: easy street parking, great food, beer & wine, good service, and of course, movies that entertain*. Tickets are only $5 and they have $5 pizzas and $10 pitchers during happy hour! I admit that this review is completely biased. I love this place and go there all the time and I want to make sure this place stays in business. So check it out… http://www.central-cinema.com/ *The word “entertain” may be subjective but entertain is what these movies do by anyone’s definition. They may be great, they may be terrible, and sometimes it is too close to call. Where they get their play list is a mystery. Late night commercials on IFC? Obscure corners of IMDB? One thing is for sure…you walk away with plenty of conversation and a feeling that you did something fulfilling with your evening. more

It's a very old concept, dinner and a movie. Many entrepreneurs across this country have tried this merging of movie and dinner approach, some good, some not so good, and most good ones I knew have gone out of business. (Oddly I know of some badly executed ones that are still in business.) In this town we have Central Cinema, and they do it in good taste! They have decent drinks (a small but tasteful variety of beers includes microbrews, and some wines - wish there were mixed drinks, but oh well), a succinct but somewhat interesting menu (personal sized pizzas that are not just pepperoni, sandwiches, salads, "tapas plate" which includes killer hummus, edamade, pig in a blanket with turkey or tofu option, and also rich desserts), and usually a good selection of one movie at a time. I like their movie selection - this time we saw Vodka Lemon, a bittersweet old people romance flick from an ex-Iraqi Kurdish director set in a little Armenian village. They'll show good older movies like Run Lola Run and Triplets of Belleville (one of my all-time favorite!) in the coming days. Whoever picks movies for this place has a good taste. The food, while they try, is not that stellar but sufficient to serve your needs when you want to combine dinner that's not hot dog/popcorn and a movie. I do appreciate that it's not just a burger and pizza fare. Their herbal tea is good, hummus excellent, pizzas pretty good, salmon burger satisfactory, but the edamame was mushy and kind of gross. This last time I went for a quirky option of pig in a blanket, and while the pastry had good ingredients and intentions, it was a little mushy inside also. They play old cartoons (like Betty Boop) and interesting old educational clips (sometimes satirical while the original was not meant to be so) before the show, making the wait time more entertaining and much more interesting than a conventional movie theater. The wait staff is friendly and usually helpful. Overall I give it a "great" rating, because of their semi-interesting menu selections, availability of alcohol, excellent pre-movie entertainment and excellent movie choices. Movies are cheap here ($5), and in my mind, we should always encourage combining drinks, better food and a movie :-) P.S. If you ever go to Boulder, don't miss Boulder Theater - there's nothing like watching The Big Lebowski in bathrobes while sipping White Russians, in the middle of downtown. more

I only wish this place was open more. They are open Wednesday through Sunday and it seems like I am always in the mood for a movie and their delicious food on Mondays and Tuesdays. Central Cinema is a theatre that shows movies in their second run. The main draw is that you can be served food and drinks during the movie. Also of note is the fact that their tickets are only $5! An evening's worth of entertainment ends up being very inexpensive if you go here. Their bistro menu has nice options like thin-crust personal pizzas, sandwiches, and salads. My favorite is the Sienna--aged provolone with caramelized onion, pine nuts, and basil. Their desserts are huge and decadent. You can pair your meal with local microbrews, wine, tea, coffee, or specialty sodas. Also of note is their popcorn with real butter. I'd recommend that over the popcorn with dijon. I thought it would be powdered mustard, but it was drenched with way too much liquid mustard instead. I haven't been to a matinee yet, but I've been most excited about their "children's movies" in the past. The Muppet Movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... I will definitely be going to The Princess Bride, which plays this week! Matter of fact, I'll also be seeing their evening show, Repo Man, too! more

Central Cinema is a great concept. Why not skip the restaurant and go right to the movie to eat! I had very low expectations going here the first time but was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful food offered here. Also the whole structure looks and smells brand new (it must be?!) The seating was completely comfortable and the movie sound and picture quality was incredible! From what I have seen of the forthcoming calendar they plan to offer a diverse selection of films which will not only bring back some classics but highlight some films many may not have know ever existed. more

Dinner and a movie--I had never been to such a palce before the Central Cinema and now it is my absolute favorite place in town. They show older movies (the last one I saw there was The Muppet Movie) and have a small, cafe-type menu. You can get coffee, tea, sandwiches, pizzas, salads, and elegant desserts, not to mention gournet popcorn with such toppings as brewer's yeast, dijon, curry and dill. I am even a fan of the children's menu pig-in-a-blanket. The best part, of course, is that they serve wine and beer. more

Some of you may recall the cinema up on Aurora from about 10 years ago that used to serve real food and show a film simultaneously. I cant recall the name but that has probably been subconciously destroyed because the experience was so miserable. Now Central Cinema comes to town and is just what the Dr ordered. They host a mixed menu for BOTH kids and adults. Also they serve beer (Thank you God). They have some unique menu items and while the food is not astounding it was good enough to bring me back to see another show with friends or family. They tend to show films that both young and old can appreciate (upcoming Charlie & Choc Factory & Pee Wees Big Adventure). Cheers! more