Netflix’s Voicemails for Isabelle looks like a love letter to San Francisco, all cable cars, cliffside bridge views, and pastel Victorians. Zoey Deutch plays Jill, a grieving pastry chef who keeps leaving voicemails for her late sister, only for a stranger named Wes (Nick Robinson) to fall for the woman on the other end of the line.
Here is the twist for set-jetters: most of the film was not shot in San Francisco at all. The production spent only a few days in the real city and built the rest in and around Vancouver. Below is the complete map of both, and which spots you can actually visit.
Want the deep dive on the movie’s most famous image, Jill’s bench above the Golden Gate? Read our full guide: Jill’s Bench: The Real Golden Gate View You Can Visit.
Quick Facts
- Film: Voicemails for Isabelle (2026), Netflix, released June 19, 2026
- Director/writer: Leah McKendrick
- Stars: Zoey Deutch (Jill), Nick Robinson (Wes), Nick Offerman (Chef Bastien)
- Filmed: July to September 2025
- Main location: Greater Vancouver, British Columbia
- San Francisco location shoot: a brief few days, for the landmark exteriors
- Stands in for: San Francisco and Austin, Texas
Where Was Voicemails for Isabelle Filmed?
The short answer: mostly Vancouver, with a short San Francisco location shoot. The crew flew to San Francisco for a brief few days to capture the real landmarks that make the film feel so rooted in the city, then recreated everything else, interiors, apartments, and even parts of Austin, back in British Columbia. It is the same on-location-plus-studio trick behind many recent releases, such as our Project Hail Mary and Narnia (2026) guides.
The Real San Francisco Locations
These are the genuine city spots the crew filmed during their short shoot. Trace them and you can walk Jill and Wes’s day almost beat for beat.
The Golden Gate view (Battery Spencer)
The sweeping bridge view behind Jill’s bench is real, even though the bench scenes were shot on a green screen up in Vancouver. The viewpoint is Battery Spencer, a free hilltop overlook in the Marin Headlands, about 25 minutes from downtown. It is the single most iconic image in the film.
Full visiting guide, parking, and best times: Jill’s Bench: The Real Golden Gate View You Can Visit.
Union Square
Jill and Wes share their first kiss here, across from Macy’s, after their “Golden Gate Giggles” tour. It is the city’s central shopping plaza and one of the easiest stops to reach on foot or by cable car.
The Powell–Mason cable car
The pair catch a classic cable car mid-date. The Powell–Mason line is a working piece of living history and one of the most photogenic rides in the city.
Pier 39
They stop to watch the famous sea lions barking and sprawling on the docks. Pier 39 is peak tourist San Francisco, and the sea lions are free to visit year-round.
Chinatown dragon mural
A Chinatown sequence was filmed near the dragon mural around Commercial Street and Grant Avenue, in the oldest Chinatown in North America.
Waller Street (Jill’s apartment)
Jill’s home is a yellow Victorian at 667 Waller Street in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood, on the block near Pierce and Waller. It is also where she leaves an overjoyed voicemail about landing the baker job. Please remember it is a private residence, so admire it from the sidewalk.
The postcard trio: Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard Street, Palace of Fine Arts, and Golden Gate Park
During that short shoot, the crew also grabbed Fisherman’s Wharf, the famously crooked Lombard Street, the Beaux-Arts Palace of Fine Arts, and Golden Gate Park. Together they give the film its unmistakable San Francisco postcard glow.
The Vancouver Locations (the “Fake San Francisco”)
Most of Jill and Wes’s world was actually built in British Columbia. Here is where.
Havana on Commercial Drive
Chef Bastien’s restaurant, the source of Jill’s professional misery, is really Havana at 1212 Commercial Drive, a long-running spot that serves Cuban food rather than Bastien’s tyranny. Storefronts along Commercial Drive were dressed up for other exterior shots too.
David Lam Park, Yaletown
Jill’s dessert-nacho food truck scenes were filmed at David Lam Park in the Yaletown area, a waterfront green space along False Creek.
Gastown
Vancouver’s historic Gastown district, with its brick facades and cobbled streets, lent its old-city character to the production.
Martini Film Studios, Langley
The interiors, including Jill’s San Francisco apartment, the kitchens, the Austin scenes, and the green-screen bridge bench, were built at Martini Film Studios in Langley, a large facility with eight sound stages.
Recap: San Francisco vs Vancouver
| Location | City | In the film |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Spencer / Golden Gate view | San Francisco (Marin Headlands) | Jill’s bench view |
| Union Square | San Francisco | First kiss |
| Powell–Mason cable car | San Francisco | Their date ride |
| Pier 39 | San Francisco | Sea lions |
| Chinatown dragon mural | San Francisco | Chinatown scene |
| 667 Waller Street | San Francisco | Jill’s apartment |
| Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard St, Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Park | San Francisco | Postcard landmarks |
| Havana, 1212 Commercial Drive | Vancouver | Chef Bastien’s restaurant |
| David Lam Park | Vancouver | Food truck scenes |
| Gastown | Vancouver | City exteriors |
| Martini Film Studios | Langley, BC | Interiors, sets, green-screen bench |
Plan Your Own Voicemails for Isabelle Day in San Francisco
Because the real spots cluster in the city center and along the waterfront, you can string them into one walkable day: start at Battery Spencer for the bridge view at sunrise, cross back for Union Square and a cable car, ride toward Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39, then loop through Chinatown. Add Lombard Street, the Palace of Fine Arts, and Golden Gate Park if you have wheels. And yes, cue up Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own,” the sisters’ song, somewhere along the way.
Conclusion
Voicemails for Isabelle is a reminder that a film’s “sense of place” is often stitched together across two cities. The San Francisco you fall for is real in its landmarks and recreated everywhere else in Vancouver. The good news for travelers: the most meaningful spot of all, that Golden Gate view, is genuine, free, and waiting.
Start with the view that defines the film: Jill’s Bench: The Real Golden Gate View You Can Visit.
FAQs
Where was Voicemails for Isabelle filmed?
Mostly in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, from July to September 2025, with a short location shoot of a few days in the real San Francisco for landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge view, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Palace of Fine Arts, and Union Square.
Was Voicemails for Isabelle filmed in San Francisco?
Partly. The crew spent only a few days shooting real San Francisco exteriors, but the bulk of the film, including interiors and Jill’s apartment, was made in Vancouver, which also stood in for Austin, Texas.
Is Jill’s bench a real place?
The bench itself is a set piece and those scenes used a green screen in Vancouver, but the Golden Gate view behind it is real. It is Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands. See our full Battery Spencer guide.
Where is Jill’s apartment in the movie?
Jill’s yellow Victorian is at 667 Waller Street in San Francisco’s Duboce Triangle neighborhood. It is a private home, so please view it only from the street.
What song do the sisters share in Voicemails for Isabelle?
Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own,” which returns at the film’s most emotional moments.
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