Central Cinema

Usually when I watch a movie from my couch at home I fall asleep halfway through it and have to watch it again and most likely another time after that. This theater solves that problem by installing uncomfortable benches instead of the usually plush Lay-Z-Boy type chairs. But that is a good thing! I watched a showing of the original The Shining and it was amazing! I physically could not fall asleep so I saw entire scenes I had missed before at home. At first I thought this must be a director's cut but no. Since I had eaten before I came (check out my review of Smith's just up the street if you are looking for a place to go to before or after the movie) all I got was a hot chocolate with a shot of Irish cream. It was a treat! So tasty and warming. I also had an iced tea which was refreshing. The food menu was extensive and the cocktail/beer/wine menu is extensive as well. The picture quality was spot-on and very easy and comfortable to watch. If I lived here this would be one of my top spots as the staff are friendly and the place is clean, there is plenty of street parking on Union, and the calendar of showings is full of older movies that you will want to see again. I recommend this theater for anyway especially those on a date.

Cozy cinema with a single screen that plays older movies. The food items are good and easy to order using their QR code. The tips are included in the prices, which makes it easier to order. The theatre is clean and the ambience is pleasant.

Central Cinema was a fantastic way to watch a Halloween movie during October. I was very impressed by the theater space - tons of comfortable seating and decent audio/visual setup. Food was a bit pricey, but I appreciated the variety of options and everything we received was tasty. Absolutely will return for more movies!

Kate and Kevin have created something very special here. I’ve lived all over the world and this is my favorite theater. I love taking my friends from out of town to a Heckle-vision night. Baron Von Terror is my favorite film host since OG Elvira. The films they pick are always so fun. My friends and I dress up for certain films and the crew there totally encourages us. The crowds that attend are always fun and wacky. I love being able to order food and drinks to our table. I dig that it’s away from the madness of the rest of the city. I adore that it’s across the street from Chuck’s Hop Shop, that’s where my cult and I like to meet up beforehand. I think I’m going to get married here one day.

I went to Central Cinema for a SAG Awards viewing party and was very impressed by the venue and atmosphere. The screen is marvelous and the seats are quite comfortable. There is a QR code at each station for ordering food and drinks. I did not avail myself of that this round, but I had a wonderful time in the quaint and cozy space.

This is a great local cinema. There is just one screen but the theatre is very comfy and they bring you food and drinks that you can order from your phone! We go for the monthly showing of "the Room" which is a strange cult movie with audience participation, but they show all kinds of other movies. The cocktails are really good, and the whole place is fun!

Favorite movie theater in seattle. Will need to go every other week at this point to see all the great films they are bringing in. 10/10. Popcorn and a good old fashioned intermission. The best.

Best place ever! Drinks are wonderful, food is outstanding! Cheese curds! Bbq cauliflower! Amazing pizza! Great beer selection. Such a gem of a place, it’s me and my husband’s go to date night spot and has been for 15 years. This place is just the gold standard of community friendly Capitol Hill spots. Never leave us.🤙❤️

A great little local biz with rando themes showing old school movies and no need to bring food. They have a full kitchen here and will bring it right to your table.

COZY MOVIE HOUSE ON CAPITOL HILL. My wife and I were there for a private event The seats all have tables and a QR code for ordering food. Apparently they do show classic and cult films. Check the schedule. The theater is pretty small there are tables for 4 and also for two. So you can sit with your friends! The screen is not giant like the mega theaters but large enough to enjoying this smaller space. We will be back.

One of my new favorite places. Saw "All About Eve" here on a Friday night and it was wonderful. Comfy seats, delicious burgers and sweet potato fries, and solid beer/cider selection. The service was great! We got there about 15 minutes before the show started which was plenty of time to pick seats and order. Easy to find street parking. Love all the old movie posters too, it's a super cute space. Can't wait to come back!

I love this place! They show B-movie horror, animated movies, and cult classics - I've come here for years for their regular showings of The Room, Rocky Horror and Hausu. The service is good and they have cute themed drinks.

Soggy, small hot dog in dough just slipped out immediately, plate was already greasy before I ate it, every burger should have fries if it's going to be $21,overpriced food, tacky interior, and the seating is straight up benches that make your tailbone hurt after 20 mins making you want to leave, Zero foot room either. Service was good though.

The food is pretty great, and the service is always amazing. Love the vibes, love the movies. :-)

Great service. Friendly staff. Clean and fun experience. Was enjoyable for all. Would go again.

Saw the update from the owner, I want to clarify I love this place and love coming here but I still have a few inquiries lol. I appreciate that they pay their workers a fair wage and don't have them rely on tips. Although I feel the prices are still a tad high for some things, especially considering it's $21 for a cheeseburger that doesn't even have fries. I also wish the drinks had larger options or free refills, I get the pricing due to the sugar tax though. I remember a few years ago the menu used to fluctuate, which I really enjoyed having new menu items every once in a while. They had a grilled cheese with tomato soup at one point that I still think about. I also wish they had more condiments in the self serve area, some hot sauce would be appreciated. Another issue is that I have gone before and had items say they are sold out on the ordering service but the staff say they are available, none of these are really something big just a few minor issues. I do LOVE the fruit crisp that rotates often that is one of my favorites, I also love the intermissions and comfortable seating. All in all I love this place, just wish it was a tad more affordable or their was bigger servings, and that the burger would come with fries.

This is one of my new favorite places. The theatre is really small and old school, booths are surprisingly comfortable. Instead of playing movie trailers before the show, they play these fun little indie short films. The food is surprisingly really good . . . we got the cheese curds and ranch and I genuinely crave them. You also get a LOT of beer for the price you pay. The food and drinks get to you fast and the service is super friendly! Definitely recommend this spot!

I've been to central cinema twice now and I love it! They have awesome films (I've seen Psycho and 10 things I hate about you) and they have delicious food! My partner and I shared popcorn with lime and habanero salt! It was amazing! I then had a main of the cauliflower wings which were already gluten free and easily made diary free / vegan without the ranch sauce! They were some of the best cauliflower wings I've had! I highly recommend ordering them. My partner had a pizza which he said was great (no gluten or dairy free options for the pizzas). I highly recommend going to central cinema - they play great nostalgic films and have delicious food!

In common this is a good place. We were here at Stargate movie. You can enjoy good old school movies with food and drinks which you can order. Also it's a good idea to invite some experts which will discuss about movie before and after. All these things a definitely pros. But cons also were and they are pretty big as we think. One thing is uncomfortable chairs and sofas. There are not so big spaces for your legs between chair and table. And of course it's not so comfy to seat about 3 hours on chairs. Another thing is bad smell. It was until people do not order their pizzas and pizza flavor has become sensitive.

Great place to see a movie! Food and drinks came out quick! I wasn't there on a particularly busy night, but still they seemed to have a lot of orders that they took care of efficiently, and it didn't distract from the movie-watching experience.

Great place to go for 2nd run movies & event night. Food is hipster pub fare but they can run out of food quickly. Fancy cocktail options if you're in to it.

We rented the theater for a non-profit movie screening to support Save Elephant Foundation in Thailand. Central Cinema went out of there way to make sure everything ran smoothly and added a few things (like Thai music) to make it more special. The staff was wonderful and friendly, food was good, and everyone loved the unique ambience. Thank you Central Cinema!

Love this movie theater :) The movie selections are fun, the atmosphere is friendly, staff is kind, and the french fries are great! As is the wine, specifically: The Long Little Dog, blanc -- grab yourself a bottle

Totally charmed by this place. The WR code method of ordering food from your seat silently is perfectly suited for the setting. The service was prompt, and silent! They had an intermission in the movie so people could get refills and go to the bathroom without disturbing the movie for others.

Recently visited this cinema to watch Dreamgirls with some friends. I kinda love the fact that there's only one theater in this cinema... and it's not very large. Allows for a fun, intimate experience while watching the movie. I think there were only 6-8 people in the theater for the movie on the night that I visited (though there were a couple more people in the little seating space in the front of the cinema), but the cinema shows a range of older movies and I assume some are more popular than others. The tickets were $8 a piece, I think... but a drink and a grilled cheese/tomato soup combo during the movie were an additional $20+. Service was prompt and friendly.

So much fun!!! Need an evening out to see an old movie and SING OuT LouD with your friends or family? You found the spot! Get up and dance but don't hide in the corner! Almost guaranteed fun at the Central Cinema! If you get tickets to Momma Mia.. invite me!! They have food.. they have drinks too!

Came here for the Office trivia, and was super impressed! I am used to trivia nights being so packed there's no seats left, but here it was quite spacious. The space is a theatre with a retro feel. The seats are comfortable, cushioned booths, all faced towards the big screen. The service was super chill, nice, and welcoming. The menu prices are also reasonable! Central Cinema hosts other trivia nights and also old movies. I will be back for sure!

Central Cinema is the coolest! You get to watch a movie (usually a cult classic or an incredible B-movie) while snacking and enjoying great cocktails. We love CC!

Central Cinema is a civic treasure: one of Seattle's neighborhood movie theaters. That doesn't mean it's perfect, just that it's a neat place, and that I'm glad it's there. I'll start with a long story about the restaurant aspect of the place, then get to the movie theater aspect. My most recent visit to Central Cinema was for the Oscars show. When I came in the door, I was a bit puzzled; they didn't have anyone at the door to sell tickets. (Oh! The show is free!) They weren't even counting guests to make sure they didn't go over capacity. I found a friend seated in the front row, where they had parking for her scooter. (If you were there, you probably spotted it.) Our other friend arrived a bit later, as the pre-show was ending. My friend had ordered a salad before I arrived, so I'm not sure how quickly she was served. But she seemed quite pleased with the salad itself. I had eaten not that long before the show started, so I was more in the mood for dessert than a full meal. I ordered a cake. After a long time, the server returned to tell me that they were out of cake. I quickly looked for a back-up plan, and ordered the cookie and soft-serve dessert. Again, it took a long time for the order to arrive. I hadn't expected much from soft-serve, so when it was kind of so-so, I wasn't disappointed. But the cookie was small and also pretty so-so, which was disappointing. Meanwhile, our other friend ordered a hard cider (which she praised enthusiastically) and a sausage dish. Since the Oscars are a long show, we were still there by the time that I was hungry for dinner. I ordered a three-cheese pizza. Again it took a long time to arrive. But it was good. I shared some of it with the friend who had ordered salad, and she was pleased too. Paying the tab was pretty efficient. By the end of the evening, I recalled that on previous visits the food and drink service had been slow before. Next time I'll keep that in mind, and make sure not to expect them to be quick. And hey, I can't complain too much about Oscars night because the place was packed and admission was free. So, what about the movie theater aspect of the place? The projection screen is well proportioned to the room, and there's a stage in front of it so that the front row of seating isn't uncomfortably close. I'm pretty sure they have only digital projection; it doesn't look like they'd have room for a film projection booth without losing seating. The sound is good, but they had it turned up a bit too loud for the Oscars show. (The loudness of ads was particularly bothersome.) When I've been there for film events, the film sound has been good too, but I seem to remember that it was also a bit louder than I like. The bathroom facilities are nicely maintained. The thing that makes the place a real treasure is the film selection. Sure, they sometimes show things one could see at a regular theater (probably things that are a bit off the mainstream). But they have a lot of special events too. One such event that I recall was a STIFF film screening (when it stood for "Seattle True Independent Film Festival"). They hosted SIFF fund-raising events way back when. Now they have a varied program that includes a lot of oldies, and sometimes audience participation events such as sing-along shows and their "Hecklevision" series. (I haven't been to a Hecklevision show, but having seen the poster for it at the Oscars event, it's on my to-do list now.) And the place is just plain cool. It's great that Seattle has so many neighborhood theaters. And a theater that serves food and drink to the seating area is a bonus, even if it's slow. Between Central Cinema, the SIFF theaters, the Grand Illusion, Northwest Film Forum, the Cinerama, the Crest and the former Landmark theaters, locals like the Majestic Bay and the Admiral and some I haven't been to, the chain places, and Scarecrow Video, Seattle is a great place for film. If the food service were faster, Central Cinema would earn an easy four stars ("Yay! I'm a fan!"). The pizza was good, but I given the slow service I think it would be grade inflation to go higher than three stars ("A-OK.") Even if it is a civic treasure.

Central Cinema is one of the most fun community theaters you can find! The staff is great, the A/V is all updated, and the beer is just right. They even have a killer popcorn topplings selection, which tastes just right on a good night. The food... well, it leaves something to be desired, kind of like a bad dive. There's great vegetarian and vegan options if you're hungry, though, and I still order food there half the times I go. It's a great place, so please support them however you can. Get a couple pitchers and sing along! Don't forget your compostable spoons for football night!

Since my move to Seattle less than 6 months ago I have probably been to Central Cinema nearly a dozen times. I just cannot get enough of this amazing establishment. I am constantly gushing about how much I love this cinema to everyone it comes up in conversation with. The cinema itself is relatively small and homey. It has big comfy bench seating with tables for your food. There is a self serve water station (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU) and menus available for beverages and food. The ticket prices vary from roughly $2-$12 depending on what time and what type of event you are attending. I have yet to make it to their Hecklevision showings (they are so late and I tend to zonk out before 9) but I have attended their regular showings, matinee showings, final showings, and Harry Potter Birthday Bash. Every time has been worth it in my book. The service is always good and the server we usually has tends to remember us and our orders. They are very kind and put up with my ridiculous requests to burn my pizza. Oh speaking of pizza, they offer a wonderful gluten free vegan crust option as well as vegan cheese! The flip side is delicious. They also have a variety of popcorn flavors and I highly recommend the cinnamon sugar as it is dessert in popcorn form. This is a great place to enjoy good older movies in a theater setting while enjoying a decent enough meal in the process. The staff is great and it is a treasure for Capitol Hill. I highly recommend checking this place out and supporting such a great small business! P.s- The owners are complete sweethearts and I love how often you get to see them around the business!

I have been docking a lot of my former favorite spots lately, and Central Cinema isn't helping buck the trend. I should have remembered how weak the drinks are here, but ended up ordering two of the summer (new) specialty cocktails. At $10 and $12 a piece they are really watered down. Very disappointing. The Bolo something or other was advertised with tequila, absinthe, and another liquor I can't recall now but tasted like lemon water infused with some absinthe. NO tequila flavor at all, so apparently CC is pouring so very lightly these days they managed to miss the tequila altogether! The old fashioned was too sweet and my vodka soda was slightly better but even Rainier is overpriced here. Take out the cost of popcorn we ordered and we paid around 10 a drink, even for wells. Just too expensive for having such tiny pours. Service is incredibly slow, which is semi understandable since the place is always packed, but maybe consider having a dedicated host, at least for the first 15-20 minutes of the showing. Movie Cat Trivia night I came separately from my guest and had will-call tickets. The guy (who ended up serving in the theater all night) at the ticket counter told me they would tell the second party that I was inside already, but when he arrived no one was there to tell him that so he was stuck outside waiting while I was inside waiting. I mean half of that is my fault, but don't tell me you will be around to ask questions of or help point him my way and then know full well you will be too busy working inside the theater to actually do this thing you said you would do. I also should have guessed that Movie Cat Trivia was going to be a huge let down. Everyone talks about the trivia in reviews here but do you realize how few of them actually review it? The events SOUND cool so everyone talks about going back for the trivia and never does? Here is a review for Movie Cat! I actually went! I paid $6/ticket to go to this thing and left early! I am the cheapest girl you will ever meet-- me leaving an event I paid for before it is all finished is unheard of. The hosts are really long winded about themselves and their own side projects (which also cost more money), they aren't really funny, they know a ton about movies and the trivia is pretty unique. That being said there are parts of this they really need to either reconsider or stop using altogether. Like I said I left early, so I didn't see actual scoring of the final round, but the movie math and spliced faces were some real BS. The movie math required THREE or FOUR movies for ONE SINGLE POINT. Like you have to get all of them to get a point. WTF. The spliced faces required identifying both actors and then writing down the movie title they both appear it. While it sounds really fun and kind of creative the shots they chose were pretty pathetic-- bad angles, sometimes much less than half the face pictured... It just wasn't fun at all and I love trivia. TL;DR: Go for cool movies, go for great food, DO NOT get a drink, probably think twice before doing trivia.

Fantastic local cinema showing a mix of new flicks and classics (by which I mean art films, b-movies, cult classics, all-time favs, etc). They serve food and beverages - yes, alcohol - in the theater, though placing an order before the film starts is wise because the servers try not to disrupt too much once things get going. I enjoyed a cocktail and the polenta fries, both of which were delicious - and the serving on the polenta fries was huge! Prices are a bit pricy, but they're a movie theatre, so you should go in expecting that. At least in this situation you get slightly pricey delicious food instead of just boring junk food! The seating is sort of booth style, with everyone sitting side-by-side so you can face the screen. There are two levels, the main floor, and then another seating area just a few steps raised up in the back. Added-bonus, hilarious trailers, including one with Kevin Bacon about talking during the movie that was oscar worthy.

This place is such a gem. Total dine-in theater experience. Not as fancy as the likes of iPic, but very chill, fun, & hip atmosphere. They have a mini dining area in the front when you first walk in, but also allow dining within the theater which is a major bonus. Most importantly they play classics & pay homage to cult indie films. I went for their monthly viewing of "The Room". Definitely going back if I'm in the area again.

I love this place so much. This was the first place after moving to Seattle that I went and thought "wow, that really felt like I got to be a part of Seattle". It's welcoming, the food is good (though sometimes the more adventurous dishes fall flat), and the movie selection is fantastic. This is a perfect place for friends to gather and do hecklevision, to take someone on a date and quietly exchange comments in your private booth with some wine, or to go alone and just soak in some great vibes!

I adore central cinema! It's my favorite movie house in town. Yeah, there is Cinerama with its laser projectors and stuff, but they don't serve beer direct to your seat and they sure as hell don't show amazing movies like The Last Dragon and Point Break, and they sure as hell don't have HECKLEVISION, which is the most hilarious movie going experience you can have in Seattle. Great staff, great service, and the food is good too. I've also thrown an event here before and the team was super great to work with.

Love this place! They show the coolest movies and host fun events like FRIENDS Trivia Night! The set-up is nice, too, as there are booth seats with a table, which is handy for when you order food and drinks. Plus, there's a happy hour, with cheap snacks, in addition to their full menu. Parking is usually easy to find as there is street parking nearby, and a neighborhood across the street where I always find parking at. Most importantly, you can tell the staff love working here as they're all fun, friendly and encourage costumes for themed events. You save two bucks if you get your tickets online instead of at the door, and popular events sell out quickly.

Love this place. I've been going to CC for about 4 years now. They have such a great selection of movies, it's a great place to go see classics on a big screen with your friends while enjoying a drink. Just some observations - the service can be slow, they usually only have a couple of people working, so things are going to be a little slow. Get there 10 minutes before the movie starts and you will be fine. The food isn't great, but it works. They are a movie theater, not a 5 star restaurant. I usually stick to the popcorn and pizza, can't go wrong with that. Still gladly give this place 5 stars. I've had a couple of less than desirable experiences, but those are nothing compared all the amazing experiences I've had.

Welcome to the gentrified CD. I wanted to love this retro movie theatre so badly! Unfortunately my whole experience was a big fat sign that I should never ever set foot in this establishment again. We ordered guac and chips as well as two fizzes (they were apparently out of iced tea and lemonade which made up basically half of the non alcoholic drink menu). Our guac and chips came out in ten minutes and the drinks came out another ten minutes later. The service was relatively slow, but it wasn't something that bothered me until I actually needed something urgently. My friend and I had eaten about three chips before we realized the guac had a hair sticking out of it. We flagged down a server (wasn't our original server) and let him know. He was quick to grab the guac and said he'd take care of it. About ten minutes later, no guac and the movie was about to start so we flagged down our original waiter and asked if the guac was coming. He went and I quote "this is first I've heard of any guac" and stormed off. My friend made a comment that we could point out the server who took our guac but to our dismay he just ignored us. What really was the cherry on top was the fact that he came all the way around to the other side and screamed at us "NO SERVERS HAVE HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THE GUAC" and aggressively grabbed the plate away. At this point, the movie hadn't even started and the night was ruined. After being disrespected so well, we left during intermission. Of course, we had to track down our server to give us our check when we had requested it 10 minutes earlier. He seemingly forgot - AGAIN. Save your self money and just watch the reruns at home. This theatre isn't worth it.

What a charming little theatre! My friend and I came here to check out a showing of my favorite animated Japanese film, My Neighbor Totoro! Looking at their calendar, this theatre shows old movies, cult classics, and does fun theme nights like 90s singalongs (yes!!!!) and movie trivia night. The theatre is small and when you walk in the front half of the theatre has small booth seats and tables facing the screen. I think the back part had chairs and tables. The great thing about this place is it's full service dining. So no separate concessions area. A server comes to you and you order popcorn from him. You can get real butter on your popcorn or fancy options like garlic powder and curry powder! They also have other snacks like garlic knots. And you can also get real food, like pizza and burgers! It's pretty awesome. It's literally dinner and a movie at the same time! Efficient!! The server comes in and out during the movie and asks if there's anything else you want, so be aware of that - there may be slight interruptions. It's a great idea for an movie theatre and it was such a fun experience!! Plus any theatre that will play Studio Ghibli films is awesome!

Great place to come see a movie, and enjoy some drinks and food while watching. We played Simpsons trivia here (buy your tickets ahead of time!! We almost didn't get in). It was a lot of fun, although shorter than the Geeks Who Drink trivia group. The food was decent, expect bar quality food.

..."I HAVE NO WORRIES, HONEY", is what was commented to me, my husband and our guest from Mexico earlier tonight when I realized I booked tickets on a Saturday for a Tuesday movie (that was sold out) not realizing I didn't change the date when I booked it, rather... booked it for that night. When we all entered, he searched my name and asked me for a confirmation email... he looked at my email and rather abhorrently, embarrassed me in front of me, my guest, and others waiting for absentee's. When I told him, "no worries"... it was a polite gesture to the fact that I made a mistake. I wasn't expecting a response, "I HAVE NO WORRIES, HONEY". He owns his own baggage and shouldn't pawn his off on others...

Hadn't ever been here before but they do event rentals and I was having a special birthday, so I figured why not? Absolutely surpassed expectations. It's a really cool space with comfortable seating, service at the seats, and perfectly acceptable sound and projection quality. The food is good if not great -- I had and enjoyed the steak frites. In general the movie lineup is awesome; good variety of classics, recent worthwhile movies, and so on. We'll definitely be back down for other flicks this year.

Eat. Drink. Watch... more like DINE. Drink. Watch. because it's practically like a theater restaurant: in the theater, there are servers! Holy crap! This place is amazing. A ridiculously awesome menu, great movies (came here to see Fresh last Friday with Elle), cool decor & design. I like how they used the colors in the bathroom to make it feel like it's not so huge/high. I had the wild alaskan wild salmon sammich with sweet potato fries----OooooooMG! So good. Also tried the garlic powder popcorn: tasty & different, just know it does make a small mess. I want to go back just to try other food stuffs. The theater seating arrangement is quite diverse: Front outsides: sofa bench (wood chairs in rear) + table. Front center: 2 sofa benches together (wood chairs in rear) + table. Rear: classroom-style chairs with fold up tables. Oh, and I had the best seat in the whole theater---4 feet from the water container! Woot.

I really love this place! Movies, drinks and grub? What an enlightened way to enjoy a flick? Unlike the other theater restarants which pretty much show first fun movies, programming at Central Cinema is a bit more eclectic ranging from grindhouse to 80's classics, to obscure documentaries. What this place lacks in stadium seating and THX sounds more than makes up for it in ambience and fun vibe. The food is quite good and the service has always been very earnest and sincere. Last night I had the spinach curry soup and arugula salad (did I go veggie all of sudden?) which was very good. The space is a bit small and its very easy for this place to sell out so come early for the events that are likely to be popular. Prices are usually $6-$8 depending when you come early or by at the door. Special events may cost upwards of 10-$12 which is still pretty reasonable. What a great jewel in the CD!

I love that this place exists. Tucked away on Capitol Hill with parking that's not too headachy, they have themed movie nights and sing-a-longs and cult classics for a good price. There's also tasty food and adult beverages! I've always had great service from the servers with minimal disruption during the features. A friend and I went to the Gay Pride Pajama Party for Spice World and we had an absolute blast, clad in our pajamas as our favourite Spice Girl. This place is awesome. The seats are comfortable and if you can snag one, grab a booth for a more intimate evening. I highly suggest getting on their mailing list or making it a point to check their monthly calendar. You can buy seats online or become a member to purchase discount admission.

Worst.service.ever. If I could give zero stars, I would. I was the 5th person to walk into the theatre and an hour later our order still hadn't been taken. I went up and asked a very rude redhead with glasses if I could order and she said she had orders to put in. There were a lot of people in the theatre and literally every single one had ordered and most had eaten before she ever even took our order despite being one of the first few to come in. She was bitchy and snide. I will never go here again.

Love it! Good movies. Relaxed atmosphere. Good service, when it's not too busy. Delicious popcorn. Okay food. You can drink beer!

Central Cinema is one of those quintessential Seattle venues that you hope cool, long term visitors discover. On any given night you can find trivia, 90s sing along, movies, sports ball games, or a combination of the previous. It's rare to find an event venue where a fun time is always had by all. I highly recommend checking out their calendar and buying tickets in advance!

I'm not sure what happened this time around. We've been there many times before, thoroughly enjoying the service and films! We have advertised the business by word of mouth, exhaustively. This time, however, we're reassessing our opinions. First, the friend we had planned to meet with arrived 15 minutes earlier (due to public transport) than we had and was raving about the server and the service she was receiving before we got there--after we arrived (my boyfriend and myself) she noted the service changed drastically. Second, we ordered two items off them menu that were *gasp* not available anymore (removed from menu completely or were seasonal). Spaghetti and meatballs and fiddleheads. We have ordered these items may times before, but the menus were laminated (and by the sounds of it the menu was under revisions) and could have easily indicated that items were not available with a simple cross out--why wait until the customer spent minutes deciding before their decided item was not available, and then waiting another 10-15 minutes before being able to order again? Here's a sharpie. Third, service was very slow. This could be to the increase of customers showing up for the movie, but even after the mishap of menu items, the server took forever to loop back around to us. Our friend noted the shift in service after we arrived. Fourth, we ordered dessert later into the movie at the same time our friend ordered dessert--and we received an unwanted replacement. She received her dessert as she ordered (she was happy) and we relieved nothing (sad face). Our server had somehow 'forgotten' our order for dessert, so instead of apologizing when he realized his 'mistake' and asking if we would still want the dessert, he presented us with the bill and Sour Patch Kids (as a replacement for the chocolate lava cake we had originally ordered). Note: we do not enjoy sour patch kids, thanks for asking. Fifth; after leaving a personal note on the back of the receipt explaining the unfortunate situation, I had returned back to the table to see if I had forgotten anything.... only to witness the server throwing down the Sour Patch Kids angrily (we didn't eat the sour patch kids) and crumpling up the receipt/note we had left behind. Noted, writing a review on Yelp. Sixth, after I received the bill and Sour Patch Kids the rest of the movie was awash. I couldn't enjoy it due to the service we had received--I was incredibly uncomfortable and upset. We have been there many other times and have received exceptional service, and today we left today with a sour taste in our mouths--no not the sour patch kids. It was my friend's first visit and she wasn't impressed after the fact (apart from when we were not there and the waiter was overly attentive, to the point of annoying her). Perhaps I am being too insensitive, but we weren't looking for anything out of the ordinary, just the service any person would expect who has been to Central Cinema before--the experiences we had prior to tonight! If your menus are outdated and/or under revision, note that for the customer before they decide to order the item(s) that are unavailable. If a customer orders dessert, remember they ordered it, and serve it--even if that means they will be enjoying it during the credits. How would you feel if your friend orders dessert when everyone orders dessert, and only she gets dessert and you get nothing--apart from a bag of candy you never asked for (we can't get chocolate lava cake any any gas station) as a replacement is heavily assuming. We wanted the chocolate lava cake and we would have paid for it. As a customer, why not spend money on a new film or stay home (for free) and watch Totoro (film shown)? It's not like the films being shown here are *only* available in theaters. Will we be back? We're still deciding. Our friend was offended for us. We're thinking that we'd rather experience re-runs from the comfort of our own home where we aren't discriminated against (this is how we perceived our experience, even if this wasn't the case, please communicate it) and can control the experience than from a restaurant theater with employees that don't seem to have it together. If we're back, I will more certainly consider updating this review if the experience has changed. As it stands now, I'm canceling all future events. We can watch re-runs elsewhere--we came for the experience. Future requests: a menu that reflects what is actually available, service that treats everyone equally.

A charming little cinema offering unique screenings of classics and off the beaten path films. You'll sit on desks if you're late, or get a cozy booth if you get here a little earlier. They serve pretty decent food here, despite it being a little pricier than I was expecting, but nothing hair raising. I dropped around $20 a person for tickets plus appetizers/entrees/drinks. If you think about it that's the same price you would pay for crappy popcorn and a drink at a normal theater. The pizza never disappoints, and the salads have been really good here. One thing to be wary of are the occasional obnoxious people, but thankfully the theater is self policing. I had an annoying experience for a while with an overly rowdy girl and her 'boyfriend' screaming every time Christian Bale was nude during an American Psycho screening. Thankfully they were quickly silenced by a staff member. This is one of my usual haunts. Its a great place to go for a different type of theater going. Overall its a fun time, and awesome for groups.

This is a neat place. Aside from the obvious partisan politics which really needs to be ignored on the signage (and in the urinal), this is a neat place to watch retro movies in a dinner-theater setting. Experiment with different seatings to see what is most pleasant! (I hear the tall chair seating is uncomfortable)

This place is so fun!!! Watch a movie & eat/drink at the same time. What a blast! the food was pretty good too and the price reasonable. Parking was super easy to find and the staff were nice. Would definitely go back & check out another movie! Not good for big groups though, so just go with a friend or two.

I cam here on Prince's birthday and they were having a purple rain party in honer of him. I truly enjoyed it here! I moved up here from Austin Texas where we have Alamo Draft house. I loved the concept of Alamo but it changed dramatically and I ended up hating Alamo... Central Cinema reminded me of the good old days of Alamo. The food here was delicious and cheap. I wen't with a beer and a sausage pizza. I also shared a garlic popcorn with my friend, and they also provided us with a pretty cool prince snack pack. There was a pretty cool Prince costume contest and they also played most of his videos before the actual movie began. Yes all in all I would love to come back here and watch a classic sometime. Parking isn't as bad as people say it is, in my opinion.

"The first rule of Yelp is - you do not talk about Yelp. The second rule of Yelp is - you DO NOT talk about Yelp. Third rule of Yelp, someone yells Stop!, goes limp, taps out, the Yelp is over. Fourth rule, only two stars to a dump. Fifth rule, one Yelp at a time, fellas. Sixth rule, no shirt, no shoes. Seventh rule, Yelps will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule, if this is your first night at Yelp, you have to Yelp." Ummm...obviously, I just saw Fight Club at Central Cinema (on a Friday night). This movie was announced in the Seattle Weekly and this was the first time we sat in the theater-style/stadium seats in the back. Man, I loves the Pigs In A Blanket here!

Fun venue. $6 movies and good bar menu. Burgers are great. Fun atmosphere. Drawback is that some families come with their kids sometimes and they make noise.... this place isn't designed to absorb sound as every sound is reflected off the walls.

I am very sad to drop my rating to three stars and I hope to bring it back up soon, but then.. I'm not really sure when I'll be back! The movies are still great, but something has happened to the food. Last time I went, everything was basically inedible. They added fancier items to the menu (but why? bring back the garlic knots and dispel with the fance) which are not well made. Half the fun of going is the eating! Maybe they will work out the kinks as they adapt to the new menu, but it would be better to stick with simpler comfort fare -- things that are easy to eat in the dark and reliably satisfying.