Comfy and intimate theater; #1 screen has electric recliner seats, so watch out or youll fall asleep (they forgot to mention no snoring in the theatre :-) zzz. Great treat bar, popcorn and sodas + homemade cookies and other local treats. Personal treatment on entry, into the theater and before the movie starts. Movies are Indy, so you get the pleasure of low venue movies in an excellent theater.

Very nice theater. Good viewing no matter where you sit. Recliners are very nice and comfy. They show movies that dont get shown in the bigger chains. So glad Aquarius is dedicated to showing quality films. Thank you Aquarius for the great films!

Great place to see independent films. Reclining seats make sitting up front comfortable. They have a beer/wine license. Assigned seats, so buy ahead online. We saw Parasite, and recommend it. Parking may be a challenge for evening shows.

Very comfortable seats. Very nice butter popcorn. Very nice candies. Very nice screen and picture quality. Very nice sound quality. I really loved watching Parasite here.

Nice narrow theatre w pretty universally good views. One issue that is an issue for quiet moments...you can totally hear the movie in the next theatre next door.

Nice selection of snacks and drinks. Spacious seating. Overall pleasant, cozy venue.

Great place for an indie film night. Comfy seats and they even serve alcohol.

Went here with a local who said it used to be a real “landmark”now it’s a hip classy theatre with excellent snacks & cozy seating.

Nice seats and cool movies. Nice change of pace from the regular stuff.

This is a wonderful theater. Its been recently remodeled and the seats are leather and recline . Also the theater is small so there is no difficulty with seeing the screen. They generally show art films here so you wont have to miss the films that the large mall complex theaters do not show. The atmosphere Here is intimate and friendly. Highly recommended. Parking is generally quite Easy.

Location was good. Staffs were kind and nice. Comfy seats and the place was always clean.

Super polite staff, quality b and w beverages, good seats, good flix.

Great place. Easy parking. Great seats

Very nostalgic town little movie theater, one of the last one. Please do not ever sell it or change it

Best service in the field.

This is a small but nice theater located at Palo Alto Downtown.I went with my husband for the first time ever. It has independent movies. When we went it was just showing 3 movies.It has a parking lot right next to it. However depending the time it can get full. We went at 4:45pm on a Saturday and it only had about 3 stops. I believe most of the people who parks there dont go to the theater.The staff is very friendly. It has pop corn, sodas and candies.I would go again ️

First off, finding nearby parking is extremely difficult, especially during prime evening hours! I had to circle around for 10 minutes, waiting for someone to leave. Inside they have a fancy touchscreen kiosk like panel to enter your confirmation number and pick up your tickets. The ushers were polite. The bathroom has some fancy features like a artsy looking urinal but felt a bit cramped. The theater itself was rectangular in shape, with lots and lots of rows. The screen size is a bit smaller vs the big movie chains. The leather-like seats was comfortable and had a nice smell to it. So in summary, its a nice, cozy, independent theater spruced up with some modern touches.

Renovated upscale indie movie theater in Downtown Palo Alto. Full bar service in addition to the usual movie snacks. All seats are reserved and lush though not recliners. Screens are small but not insulting with two theaters side by side in one downtown restaurant sized storefront space.

Great movies and excellent refreshments... The seats are somewhat uncomfortable unless youre sitting in the first 5 rows... Very nice people work there.

Solid theater but screen is placed to where youre always looking up, tilting your head up and the screen isnt very big.

They usually have better movies there than they have at the century theatersmovie house is clean with nice seats

Comfortable huge seats. Landmark also always has the best popcorn. Parking right across the street.

If I could give negative stars I would. Horrible customer service. Cheap seats, two claustrophobic theaters and garbage tier screens make for one hell of a combination. First time coming here: the screen started flickering green every few seconds. This started around 1 min into the movie and became exponentially worse as the movie went on. After 10 min, they shut the movie down, saying they were having projector issues. Surprise, surprise. Everyone gets to leave and flood the closet-sized reception lobby in an attempt to get refunds or switch to the next show.Worst movie experience I’ve had in my life.

The most luxurious cinema I have ever been to. Auditorium 1 has fully reclining, lazy boy style seats. So comfortable that I fall asleep half the time watching the movie.

Clean. Cozy. Comfortable. Higher-end snacks and overall environment. Friendly staff. Great art-house movie selections. I love Landmark Theaters.Update: I called with a question and left a VM message during their non-business hours on a Saturday. A staff member attentively returned my call with the information I was looking for in a timely manner; great customer service. Thanks Aquarius.

Nicely remodeled theater with comfy seats. The place to go to catch Indi or foreign films that dont make it to mainstream theaters.

Reserved reclining seats. Long narrow theater. Sound quality was ok. I could hear some of the loud noises from the other theater through the walls. Best buttered popcorn I have ever had at a movie theater. Free covered cups of water and they automatically ask if you want ice. Show small distribution high quality independent movies.

Nice theater. The left room has very comfortable, full reclining seats. The right screen room has average seats. friendly staff and usually has must watch films

A friendly, helpful staff. Unique Independent, Artsy, and Foreign films are shown here. The theatre was recently rennovated: so now it looks great, and it is kept very clean. Expect roomy leather seats here. In one of the two theatres, the seats recline. The theatre has great access for wheelchairs or handicapped persons. There is Handicapped parking at two parking lots beside the theatre. The theatre offers teas, coffee, soda, wine, and other great drinks. Tasty food selection, snacks, popcorn, candy bars, cookies ... better quality of items compared to most other general movie theatres. Offers senior and student ticket prices. This is a very popular movie theatre for Palo Alto, Stanford, and neighboring communities.

Love this theater, nice people, recliner seats, great snack bar, excellent fresh buttered popcorn, wine and beer, cute downtown location, vintage and relevant. Saw Isle of Dogs tonight. Top notch, all around.

New favorite theater for Indie films with large comfortable reclining seats and enough legroom for Shaq.Choose your seat in advance and prepare NOT to have your eardrums shattered.Although I did not try the food and drinks the selection included wines, imported beers and and actual food like Mac and Cheese.Next door and across the street are some excellent restaurants.

I have been to the Aquarius twice now and had a negative experience on both occasions related solely to the theater. While I did not enjoy the films played at those times either, I intend to critique only the merits of the theater since film choice is subjective. I have three primary reasons for this rating:1) Bad sound quality – The first film I saw, The Third Man, was near incomprehensible due to the muddy audio. While I feel this may be due to the substantial age of the film, I had similar problems when viewing a new release at my second attendance. I’m not sure if this is due to the acoustics, the sound system quality, or both. Regardless, it breaks immersion and enjoyment.2) Artificial and Drab –The theater decor is minimal and lacks identity, charm, and character. Tickets are purchased from a kiosk and the seat choice operation seems unnecessary. It seems very removed from the idea of an intimate or homey cinematic experience. Some words I would use to describe this theater are grey. Inauthentic. Plastic.3) Overpriced – It’s too expensive for this caliber of experience.I highly recommend supporting The Guild if its still open at the time of this review or another established theater.

Very nice and unique theater. Reclining leather seats with ample leg room. Parking is tight so plan accordingly.

Cozy little theatre.

One of the last small art house theaters. Support them while you still can. Recently updated seating.

Whats not to love about this theater?! Im sitting in a recliner with a great selection of snacks, beers, and so on, during the afternoon discount ticket time, watching a great film! Aquarius was a really good movie theater, now its a great one!!

Great little movie theater. Nice seats in Auditorium 1. Above average popcorn and very good chocolate selection

Comfortable, clean, great recliner seating. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Pricey all-in with food and drinks for a movie, but great theater for intelligent films.

I ordered my tickets ahead of time and in the email it said I could bypass the box office. The ticket usher then proceeded to tell me that I did need to print my tickets and over-explain why I needed to do so. The theater is small and charming with large comfortable seats, but the chairs do recline a little too much for my liking.

Reserve seats ahead of time and enjoy fully reclining seats with a sip of wine or beer. Small snacks and the usual theater concession offerings. This theater has been renovated and makes going out on a date or family time more comfortable and special.

I had to get a replacement for a ticket for the National Theater shows. The manager had to hunt through his past receipts to find hen I had bought the ticket and he did it with patience, grace and great good humor. What a nice guy!

Very posh look and friendly staff. Great movies and amazing seats (at least on side one-->think super awesome leather recliners). Reasonably priced for the area, especially if you get a matinee or discount rate ($9.50).

Awesome and love the (cozy) venue and downtown location.

We saw The Grand Budapest hotel here when it was out. Its a small theater, but they play the artsy films I like. They have a small concession stand. Good price for a matinee and definitely doesnt feel like a chain theater assembly line experience. There are several parking lots within a couple of blocks.

Was a very nice atmosphere, great beverage & food choice, also nice reclining chairs.

Movie Man of his word....Pope Francis.....impressive. hopeful, & well done. His wisdom & humility & words are moving in our chaotic world....

The theatres and screens are small, but super comfy with reclining seats and a massive amount of space between aisles (the most Ive ever seen). Its a really nice place to watch a movie.One odd little thing that I liked is their popcorn bags are compostable but oil and butter dont soak through them.A drawback with this theatre is parking if you go during the day. The most convenient lot right next door has a two hour limit, which is hard to fit a movie into.

Definitely more on the retro side, but I enjoyed the small, older movie theater experience. The seats arent particularly comfortable and the screen is small, but I think if you are looking to watch something a little out of the ordinary, this is a great place to go.I came here for a movie screening and my group had rented out the theater so that was an absolute blast. The staff was very friendly even though it was probably a little overwhelming with all of us there! Overall, Im a fan! Great location for the theater as well. Super walkable.

They really fixed it up. Airplane seats. And we like the smaller movies.

Nice new recliners

They have the recliner seats so even if you are in the first 2 rows is not too bad. you do choose your seat so have everyone with you when you buy the tickets!

Nice neighborhood cinema. Love the fact that you can reserve seats. It is advisable to buy seats online as the theater tends to fill up on weekends.

Good old-school Cinema.Indie movies

Lovely theater, clean,sleek, modern. Updated two years ago, seats are comfy. Nice menu, had the southwestern spring rolls, something different, popcorn fair, not enough salt even for me, but ok. Bathrooms clean too.

Great theater in the center of downtown Palo Alto. Pretty comfortable seats, good concessions, and always an interesting mix of films rotating through.

Comfy chairs and great movies.

This is a small arts theatre. The staff is helpful and friendly. Its clean, comfortable, and the film offerings are really good.

Was pleasantly surprised with how nice this local theater was! Really comfortable seats for very reasonable prices compared to how much most theaters cost now days.

Reserved seats and good selection of food.

The cozy, intimate theaters are perfect for getting engrossed in artsy films. Grab a glass of wine, put your feet up in your pre-selected recliner seat, and join your hundred new best friends to enjoy great indie movies not shown in the big commercial theaters

Parking can get a little hectic, but pretty cool theater, comfortable seats and cute theater.

Just be a little more welcoming upon arrival

Not great seats okay. Not stadium seating. Really wanted to see the movie. They make up for lack of ambiance with good food. Goes beyond popcorn candy choices.

Great small-theater experience. Good selection of snacks with clean and comfortable seats.

Theyve updated this theater though the screen is still small. If you like some of the less mainstream but still very good movies, this is the place to go.

So cozy, so small, old time solo screen cinema hall. Loved it. What else can I say? Nostalgia, nostalgia, nostalgia.

This quaint little theatre shows some very good indie movies and classics. Ive always had an enjoyable movie watching experience here

Wonderful small historic theater with comfortable seats and reasonably priced drinks and snacks.

Small theatre, but seats are recliners and very comfortable. Good place to watch foreign movies, if you want something non Hollywood.

Always great films and pleasant staff.

Great little theatre with friendly staff that walk you to your seat. Chairs were comfy and a Saturday afternoon showing of Only Yesterday wasnt crowded at all.

Small theatre, 2 screens, but not the old fashioned big theatre that are so scarce now. Popcorn although freshly popped, didnt taste like it. If its not an old style theatre, Ill stick with the big multiplex. Seats are not very comfortable, screen is small, and the front where you pay and get food is disorganized.

Very nice theater! I love that you have seat reservation. Theit seats are amanzinly comfortable. Popcorn is refillable too! Highly recomend it.

Great place to watch films that arent shown in bigger theatres. tickets are cheaper too!

Excellent! Great seats. No crowds

Just the right amount in a compact place to appreciate a good movie w others.

The only seats were in the front row and because the chairs recline, the screen but was fine. Points off for reverberation, perhaps we were too close to the speakers.

Nice place. Serves beer and wine. Chairs lean back too much for the back rows.

The seats are so comfortable here, and the popcorn is great!

Small theater with very comfortable sitting, wine and the usual movie treats. Recommended to get the tickets in advance.

Nicely remodeled theater. Very pleasant and comfortable

Amazing theater with a good selection of independent and international movies, and super comfortable seats. I love it!

Beautiful and smaller setting for a theatre. A different movie watching experience.

Tiny theatres but a fun spot. Looking forward to when they begin serving beer and wine (they told us that was coming soon)

A great local theater with some interesting movies. Good for people living nearby for a nice evening of entertainment.

I like this theater. They have a good range of movies as well as the national theater live selection and special events.

Very comfortable seats, great non Hollywood movie selection

Awesome place to go see that movie your cousin made and keeps sending you the youtube link to

Love how they support indie films and the movie halls are quite unique

The go-to for indie cinema. Their revamped seating and food items are nice touches.

$9.50 for students is the way to go if you still have a local student ID on hand :) Jake was extra accommodating to a packed theater on Saturday night and again on the following Thursday when we had the whole theater to ourselives!

Cozy, reclining leather chairs, selectable seat location, usher to purchased seats, absolutely the BEST tasting popcorn in any movie theaters in the Bay Area.

Great independent movie theater (Landmark) with excellent movie offerings.

Great indie theater located in the heart of downtown palo alto.

Great seats, great movie!

Great small place to catch an indie flick!

Friendly staff, comfortable seats, great film selections.

Great little theatre showing artistic and indie films

The seats are soft love it when i went too see the movie hunt for the wilderpeople

I reviewed the Guild Theater in Menlo Park recently and I have similar nostalgic feelings for what is now known as the Aquarius Theater, on Emerson Street in Palo Alto. This charming, run-down theater has been an institution in Palo Alto for decades. Its a theater with two sides, showing at least two films all the time but, astonishingly, on some weekends, managing the gymnastic feat of showing six films on some sort of rotating basis whose logic only the management has mastered. These theaters are beloved, not because of any comfy factor one could identify, certainly not because of mainstream blockbuster movies which make their way there. There is no comfort. There are no blockbusters. The Aquarius shows only first-rate independent and foreign films which appeal to a certain type of educated audience which appreciates films which are challenging, thoughtful, ambiguous and complex. Sometimes segments of the audience will gather in front after the film to discuss its themes, its merits, its undercurrents and assumptions, and to compare the film to other work by the same director or the same cinematographer. Aquarius filmgoers take their films seriously but have joyous times discussing them. And, again like the Guild Theater in Menlo Park, the popcorn is outstanding. And -- I say this out of pure love -- one could visit either theater and count it as an anthropological field trip.