Angelika Film Center & Cafe – Carmel Mountain

Theater was nice, movie was good… but horribly understaffed food concession. After 20 minutes of 1 person muddling his way through each customer, we realized we had a choice of miss the start of the movie, or skip the the requisite buttered popcorn and refreshment. Chose the movie since we already invested 14/​ticket. Was still passed when I left though… I mean what is the point of going to the movies without buttered popcorn?
If I ever return, I will plan to pack a lunch!!!

Had heard great reviews from friends about Angelika and was excited to try some other luxury cinema than Cinepolis. Went there two weeks back to watch Joy.
First impressions, amazing ambience ! Great lounge inside and outside, amazing selection of alcohol, food and beer. We wanted to try their tandoori popcorn, but they were out of it. Common how can you be out of popcorn on a Saturday evening ?!
For the movies, I saw long lines for the tickets so I would recommend reserving your seats in advance. The seating in the cinema itself is very comfortable and cosy. Recliner seats in all halls. At the ticket price you cannot beat the movie watching experience.
So after a good experience, we had decided to head back this weekend to watch Kung Fu Panda. But realized they are not playing it !! I never saw that coming !! It was such a downer.
I will go back if they are playing the movie I want to see.

I bought two $ 25 gift cards over the holidays. They gave me a free pass good for January 2016. Since I haven’t been to this re-​vamped theater, I was looking forward to it. But I did not get to, so I never will.
I wanted to use the pass two days in advance to reserve a seat for a showtime two days from now. I was told they could not do that with this pass, it was only good on the day of use. It did not matter that in two days it would still be in the month of January. I do not recall reading anything about this limitation in the small print on the pass but maybe it said so, I do not know for sure. The gal just said that was the policy, sorry. The movie I wanted to see has been out for several months so it’s not like it was a new movie just released. But it only had 2 shows per day which is why I wanted to reserve the seat a few days before since I happen to be in the area. I disagree with this silly policy regarding the pass. I handed the pass to some stranger on my way out and hopefully they get to enjoy a free movie because I won’t get to.
I love going to the movies, but they lost a future patron to their establishment.

I’ve decided this is my new go-​to theater. We usually go to Regal in Escondido or San Marcos, and occasionally Mira Mesa. With the closing of the Landmark La Jolla, this is the best North County option for art movies.
They have reserved, leather reclining seats in all of the theaters. You can buy tickets on Fandango and print them on the lobby machines when you get there. They have a deal that any movie starting before noon gets you a free cup of coffee. That’s worth $ 3, according to their menu board.
The main selling point is that they also don’t interrupt the movie to bring you food at your seat, so no call buttons. This was what bugged me about Cinepolis, the walking in front of you, taking orders, signing checks, etc. If you want food, you need to get it in the lobby ahead of time, so leave some extra time because the lines can get long.
If you aren’t starving, you can wait to eat after the movie. Your ticket stub is good for 50% off food & drinks after your movie. They have outside seating and an upstairs lounge area for food. They have gourmet hotdogs, sliders, etc., and plenty of alcohol. I haven’t tried the food yet, be we have tickets for a 4 hour Shakespeare play broadcast, so we will probably order some food then.
They are also pretty brave, because it is the only theater where I can remember seeing carpet in the actual seat aisles. Most theaters are concrete for easy cleanup of spilled drinks, nachos, etc. I worked at a theater for years, so I have seen the horrible messes that can occur at a theater!

There’s no reason to go to Cinepolis anymore if you live close to Angelika Film Center. I’ve seen 2 movies here and I actually like this movie theater better than Cinepolis because it’s a little cheaper, better food, food is 50% off after your movie, better beer selection and moviegoers can bring their adult beverage into any theater unlike Cinepolis.
The seats are just as comfy as Cinepolis and they recline. There are less seats than typical movie theaters. You get a little table for food and drinks. They sell food and adult beverages downstairs and upstairs in the lounge. Beers are $ 8 – 10, but thats expected. They have a great selection like Stone Delicius IPA and Ballast Point Sculpin. The outdoor patio is spacious and the décor is really nice.
Because it is a luxury cinema, you don’t get some of the rowdy crowd that you might at an Edwards Cinema. Parking is 5x easier than at Edwards Mira Mesa. I will only be going to Edwards for free screenings now. The only downside to Angelika is that there seems to be only one bathroom. The restrooms are only on the east side of the theater. It’s 10x better than the theater that it replaced here.

Ticketing– inefficient. If you bought tickets online and didn’t print them out at home, you still need to present your phone or credit card at the customer service desk to get paper tickets.
Ticket takers– need training on how to handle crowds on the weekend. So arrive early.
Pros– green bean fries and house salad. Fresh, tasty and good portions.
Overall– Their customer service already needs serious work. The atmosphere tonight seemed chaotic b/​c the employees appeared unsure of what to do or who to help. Spend the extra money and go to Cinepolis. You won’t be disappointed and the seats are WAY better.

I’ve come here about half a dozen times since it opened in the summer and I’m ok with it. Not quite as fancy as cinopolis in del mar but it’s also $ 5-​$ 7 cheaper also. You get the same reserved seats and pretty good menu, you just don’t get to order from your theater seat and the food isn’t as fancy. I’m ok with that in most cases. Also it’s not as crowded and the parking is easier than cinopolis. Don’t get me wrong, I love cinopolis del mar too but this one gives you a little more bang for the buck without having to worry about finding enough seats for your group.

It was raining last night & the staff (two gentlemen) saw us approaching, held the door open and provided us cover from the rain. Chivalry is not dead. Thank you.
Well, it’s no Cinepolis… which I kinda find refreshing. No servers taking ordering, blocking the view, or interrupting the movie. The chairs are larger, as is the aisle walk space, and more comfy. I almost fell asleep, because it feels like sitting in a huge overstuffed recliner.
The snacks are also cheaper than Cinepolis & I love the bar & open outdoor seating area. The outdoor seating area has plenty of seats & there is also more seating on the second floor.
It’s also beautiful and so clean. The staff is so friendly. It’s a small space, but they’ve managed to make the set up so efficient. Plenty of room for a quick bite and drink before the movie. Great location too. Several dinning options within a short walking distance.
Grab your sweetie and a blanket, grab a cocktail and enjoy the show.

Angelika, Angelika. What can I say? I’ve waited quite a bit for you to open and I am happy to say that I’m impressed!
Experience.
+ I order my tickets through Fandango, which I recommend because it beats lining up at the box office onsite. Once you get onsite you can scan your bar code at the kiosks next to the door — they’ll print the tickets you need to show the attendant.
+ Matinée prices are $ 8.50/ticket!
Eats.
+ kale grilled cheese. You can add bacon for $ 2.50. The kale is ‘grilled’ and you can barely taste it because it really just looks like pesto in all that grilled cheese gooey goodness!
+ the burger. Oh the burger. it’s juicy and delicious — but large enough for 2 to share!
+ popcorn. A large (regular) popcorn comes with a free refill. It’s good for 2 to share. It’s alright, just add more butter/​salt and you’re good to go!
+ kids meal. I ordered the grilled cheese (which is the same bread as the kale grilled cheese — just minus the kale) and it came with fries, a cookie and a small drink. The cookie is from baked bear (chocolate chip, macadamia and oatmeal are 3 of the 4 options — I can’t remember the last one!)
Tips.
+ the food is made fresh. You order at the counter and pick up to the right of the counter. You can order things and make modifications to have it just the way you want! Nothing is premade.
+ coffee. They carry Inteligentcia coffee — it’s goood (…and STRONG!)
+ chai latte. This is the best I’ve had in a while — I’d come back just for this
All in all — I’d consider Angelika to be the in between from Arclight and Cineopolis. You can reserve seats at both — but Cinepolis provides the ultimate experience. I can’t compare it to ‘The Lot’ because I have yet to go there, but here are some pitfalls with Angelika:
— The seats are close together. EVERY SINGLE ONE. For example, there’s no table or place to put your purse, unless you put it on your lap or on the floor
— You can’t put the arm rest up (so no snuggling or extra room between two ppl).
— The tables (at each seat) provide enough room to place one entrée on, but that’s it. For example, if you get popcorn, pizza and a drink, you’d have to place your popcorn tray on top of your pizza tray because there is nowhere else to put it — unless no one is sitting next to you then you can put it on the seat next to you. you catch my drift.
So as much as I want to give this place 5 stars, I can’t. It is a great option if you’re in the area though!

Without question, the @angelikafilmSD is the best new theater in San Diego. If you’re familiar with Cinépolis seating, then you have an idea of what Angelika offers. The difference, in my opinion, is the pricing and beverage quality. Angelika offers good food and snacks, especially the popcorn options, however they kill it with the drinks. There’s a wide selection of craft beer, wine, and a solid cocktail list.
The seating is reserved so you never have to stand in line for a new film (i.e.: Star Wars), or worry about arriving early enough to snag the seat you want. They also have a large outdoor TV screen and seating area where you can order food (via waitstaff), watch football games, etc. One of the best movie experiences in the region.

Huge huge huge huge fan!!! Came here twice in one week because it was just that fantastic.
1) the prices are really quite on par for what you receive. Lower than cineopolis but higher than a typical theatre– the quality is worth it.
2) the food is actually quite delicious and makes for a great date night meal.
3) you can get a bottle of wine for $ 32 (same bottle at bev mo is $ 19 so the mark up really was not terrible).
4) you can buy tickets online but you will have to pay the fandango fee so if it’s not Star Wars level popularity just buy them in person and pick your seats when you purchase the tickets.
Beautiful renovation and my new go to movie experience!

Watched The Force Awakens with the family here for the first time. It’s a very high end movie theater compared to what I’m used to, and I love it. There’s more luxurious food here (a little pricy, but hey it’s a movie theater) and also alcoholic beverages. Upstairs is a lounge for the older crowd to hang out and wait for a movie to start.
I would recommend coming early to get a ticket or ordering a day before like we did. There’s not much seating compared to a regular theater. The seats are big and super comfortable and recline back with a foot rest. These seats don’t go as far back as the AMC in La Jolla, but still awesome. I love theaters that offer these kinds of seats; makes the movie experience so much more enjoyable.
After the movie, you can use your ticket to get any food or beverage item for 50% off. I would definitely recommend this place for having a fun night with the family or a nice date. If I lived in San Diego, this theater would be my go to place.

This is by far the best movie theater I’ve ever been to and I am insanely jealous of anyone who lives close enough to take advantage of it. Walking up to it you immediately notice how nice it looks and that it has an outdoor seating area. The bathrooms felt like they should be in a ritzy hotel. In the lobby there’s a two story vaulted ceiling with a chandelier hanging down from it. One wall has posters for classic movies (which they occasionally play, by the way). There’s a display case showing some of the liquor available, as well as beer on tap. I’ve never seen things such as chocolate truffles or pastries sold at a movie theater before. Of course they have the standard offerings such as popcorn or you could get a full meal. Just as I said with my local theater that I enjoy, I don’t know how the food is and I don’t care. If it’s great then that’s a bonus. If it’s not then the theater is nice enough to make it not matter.
We went to see Star Wars the week it opened so the crowds were what kids these days call «cray cray». It didn’t matter because we were able to reserve our tickets days ahead of time. We were able to pick the exact seats we wanted. When we left for the theater there was no rush and no need to go early even though we were seeing a movie that had unprecedented demand. The theaters here are actually small compared to a normal theater, which I find to be a huge plus. Less people means less chances to have a movie experience ruined by rude people. I actually rarely go to movies anymore. Getting a nice TV and a Blu-​Ray player just killed any desire I had to put up with candy bag crinklers, cell phone talkers, seat kickers, fortune tellers, etc. Here not only do you get an incredibly comfortable recliner that you can practically lie down in, but you can easily walk past someone who is fully reclined. Because the next row is so far away it’s hard to hear the people in it. Plus you don’t have to worry about stepping on someone (or their purse) if you have to leave in the middle of the show. We have a theater where I’m from with reclining chairs, but this place trumps it in every way. The price isn’t that much higher than a standard movie theater. I would n-​e-​v-​e-​r go back to a regular movie theater if I had an Angelika anywhere near me!

Fan on this place!
As a price point, this place is cheaper than Cinepolis and Archlight. It’s about two dollars more than Edwards and UltraStar Cinemas. What makes it a better choice is its location if you live in the Rancho Penasquitos, Carmel Mtn. Ranch or 4S/​Rancho Bernardo Area.
The theater is not too huge and not too small… It’s a perfect size. Parking isn’t difficult and the place is easy to get in and out of.
The food and drink options are well priced and make it even more of a value of you stick around after the movie for 50% off!
There’s free coffee before noon and the drinks are pretty much refillable though they don’t advertise it as it is self serve.
The selection of beer and liquor are sure to make you enjoy the movie.
Now to the theaters and seating:
The theaters are a decent size and the sound quality is perfect! Not too loud. The insulation is good enough where you can’t hear the other theaters. The seating is assigned which is a plus as it allows you to get to your seat right up to the last minute. The spacing of the seats and rows is great. What makes this a great option over Cinepolis is you can buy a full row as opposed to only a pair of seats. The chairs recline and are leather! The best seats in my opinion are on the very last row and near the walkway. There’s more elbow room and space.
The is definitely my theater of choice going forward and can’t wait for the next blockbuster release!
Thanks Angelika Theaters for providing my neighborhood with a great option to relax and enjoy a movie.

Pretty cool that Carmel Mountain Ranch gets a new luxury cinema of it’s very own.
The seats are recliner seats and you can reserve the spots you want, which was VERY helpful when it came to getting 20 seats for the new Star Wars movie! We didn’t have to rush and fight for a seat — every man for themselves– we all could go in leisurely. If I’m going to be nitpicky though I have to say that the seats don’t recline as far back as I would like them to.
The price of the seats online were $ 16 each through Fandango.
We sat outside together in a large patio furniture area and we ate all sorts of great stuff. I can vouch for the Burger, the Kale Grilled Cheese and the Classic Mule. You can get 10% off with your movie ticket stub after the movie, so hold on to them :)
Yeah you can not only get alcohol at this theater, but get craft cocktails and and espresso style drinks.
The service was nice and I saw that they patrolled their theaters pretty regularly.
Overall a great movie going experience.

Just around the time Star Wars came as a topic in our conversation, I got invited out by Mr. W to check it out a couple of weeks before to reserve the tickets. And I had no clue whatsoever that it would take place here until we drove here yesterday night/​this morning — 12PM. Spotting the name, it clicked that this was one of the hot new places that opened up that I had been wanting to check out.
Walking in, it looked much more than your usual theater place. Seats and lounges about outside of the entrance which would have been perfect on a daily day just not at night where it was somewhat chilly as it was 12pm in the morning. Inside was nice and toasty, and everything just looked real swell. They had a food counter straight in front of you along with the soda machines on the right and left side. Tickets were on your right when you walked in. Very clean place. The bathrooms also (well I could vouch for the ladies) was pretty clean.
As we had reserved tickets, there were assigned seats. We had pretty good ones for the movie — F12 & F13 plus they were recliner seats in Theater 7! Lots of leg room and everyone sank into their seats happily settling in for the movie. Would not mind coming here again just hopefully at a earlier time if my schedule permitted it. Lots of parking available!

I used to go this theatre as a teen back when it was a Pacific Theatre and then as Reading. After 3 turnovers, I have to say what an upgrade!
The lobby was dope, especially the wall with old movie posters. The concessions is top notch and what a selection of craft beers! Prices for food and drink are movie theater high but the bonus is you get 50% off AFTER your movie! Now THAT’S a deal!
Comfy, reclining seats and seat tables with drink holder are perfect for your food, drink, sunglasses, keys and cellphone all in front of you.
Everything is so crisp and clean! I hope they keep it up.
I love how theaters are doing the assigned seating. No more rushing to get there early to guarantee a good seat.
Only complaint is unlike Cineopolis, there are no in seat call button with waiter service. But I do like what I see and I will come back!

My husband and I went to see The Martian there the other night. It was easy to buy the tickets on line with Fandango but warning-​you have to stand in line to get a voucher for the movie. The people who take your tickets have no way of checking to see if you bought the tickets.
The concession stand is amazing. Old fashioned candy. An amazing beer and wine list. All kinds of popcorn. And a variety of other foods.
It’s not like the other alcohol allowed movie places that rhyme with Bineopolis. There is no server waiting to take your order. You get your stuff before you go in. The seats are just as comfortable. And the sound quality is great.
The first movie of the day is $ 8.50 and is an awesome deal. And your ticket stub gets you 50% off all food and drink after the movie. Definitely a great addition to Carmel Mtn Ranch! So happy it’s here.

I was fortunate enough to get an invitation to a free screening that intended to show off the new theater. You will be blown away by this theater! I will see every film that I possibly can here because the General Admission process are so reasonable for what you get.
The theaters are small, which I love because I don’t like to feel like I am a mile away from the screen. The seats are buttery leather that recline. It is comparable to Cineplex without having to pay an arm and a leg. The sound in the theater was really good, and you don’t like about this much, but I have been to some unbalanced theaters in my day and no one wants to leave the theater with a headache.
Unlike the Cineplex there are no waiters, but that is a small price to pay. The snack bar has craft beers on tap and is fully loaded with your movie treats.
The staff was beyond friendly and was very happy to provide assistance to me. They have a full calendar of family friendly events. This is a new San Diego gem and I hope this theater will be around for years to come!

This place is very similar to Cinepolis in Del Mar. The prices are cheaper, it’s more for a casual date night. But definitely a modern step up from Edwards Theaters in Mira Mesa. There are no servers that take care of your needs throughout the movie. You purchase your own food and drinks at the front counter. Soda and Icee machines are self serve. And I believe there is a bar upstairs for single and ready to mingle folks.
Definitely happy about this theater opening up because it’s close to home for me :) Can’t wait to come back!