The coolest thing about Francis Ford Coppola’s casual Italian restaurant in San Francisco, Cafe Zoetrope, isn’t the food. Which is not to say the fare isn’t good, because it is—very good, in fact, and reasonably priced. Nor is it that the smart wine list includes selections from his eponymous Geyserville winery, along with other pours, some premium, from California and Italy.

It’s not the fact that the eatery is situated in the historic Sentinel building, a flat-iron, wedge-shaped North Beach landmark from 1906. In 1972, Coppola bought the building (can you imagine?) to house his production company, American Zoetrope. The Godfather II and III, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, Dracula, and other titles were written, edited, or sound-mixed there.