Where Was Voicemails for Isabelle Filmed? The Vancouver and San Francisco Spots Behind Netflix's New Rom-Com

Quick Facts: Voicemails for Isabelle Filming Locations

• Vancouver, BC served as the primary production hub, standing in for both San Francisco and Austin, Texas throughout filming

• Principal photography ran from July to September 2025, wrapping after roughly two months in British Columbia

• Commercial Drive in Vancouver hosted several of the film's most recognizable outdoor scenes, including scenes near Havana Restaurant

• David Lam Park in Vancouver appears as one of Jill's go-to spots throughout the film

• Just two days were shot on location in San Francisco, capturing Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, the Palace of Fine Arts, and Golden Gate Park

• The Golden Gate Bridge bench scene was filmed using green screen at Martini Film Studios in Vancouver, with Battery Spencer Overlook being the real-world equivalent

• Director Leah McKendrick and cinematographer Julia Swain traveled to San Francisco during prep to let the city shape the visual language before shooting began

Image Source: Netflix

FIlming Locations for Voicemails for Isabelle

Voicemails for Isabelle was filmed primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a brief but strategically important location shoot in San Francisco, California. The film's story spans two cities, San Francisco, where Jill (Zoey Deutch) lives and works as a pastry chef, and Austin, Texas, home of real estate agent Wes (Nick Robinson). Vancouver doubled for both.

Cinematographer Julia Swain and McKendrick made a deliberate trip to San Francisco during pre-production, before cameras rolled, to let the actual city inform their visual approach. They studied the light, the color, the texture. Then they went back to Vancouver and recreated it. When they finally returned to San Francisco on location, they had just two days and a very clear shot list.

The result is a film that feels like San Francisco even when it isn't. That's a harder trick to pull off than it sounds.

Vancouver: Where Most of the Movie Actually Lives

The bulk of Voicemails for Isabelle was built in Vancouver, which has become one of the busiest production hubs in North America for exactly this kind of film. Its neighborhoods offer enough architectural and atmospheric variety to convincingly stand in for a range of American cities, and the production infrastructure is mature enough to support a fast, compact schedule.

David Lam Park, a waterfront green space in the False Creek area, served as one of Jill's regular haunts, the kind of place a grieving person finds herself returning to without quite knowing why.

And Commercial Drive, a colorful and energetic neighborhood known for its independent cafés, international restaurants, and community art scene, anchored many of Jill's day-to-day scenes. The street's lived-in personality, a mix of cyclists, locals, and the occasional busker, gave the film the kind of texture that a studio lot simply can't manufacture. Havana Restaurant on Commercial Drive appears as a key location throughout.

The Real San Francisco Moments

For all the Vancouver stand-in work, the film did make it to the actual Bay Area for two concentrated days of location filming. The crew hit Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, the Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Park, and Pier 39, capturing establishing shots and select scenes that ground the movie in a recognizable San Francisco.

Image Source: Netflix

The Powell-Mason cable car makes a memorable appearance, as does a walk past Lombard Street and a Chinatown sequence near the dragon mural at Commercial Street and Grant Avenue. Waller Street appears in a voicemail scene where Jill reacts to a piece of good news just before a date.

Where Is the Golden Gate Bridge Bench?

Jill’s bench overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the movie’s most important recurring locations. It is where she leaves voicemails, processes her grief, and eventually meets Wes. McKendrick described the viewpoint as a space between the active city and Jill’s more isolated emotional world.

Image Source: Netflix

The exact bench has not been clearly confirmed as a publicly marked filming location. Some location guides suggest that portions of the scene may have been completed using studio work, while Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands offers one of the closest real-world versions of the view. It overlooks the bridge from the northern side, with San Francisco visible beyond it.

Travelers should treat Battery Spencer as a place to recreate the shot rather than a confirmed piece of the set. There is also no guarantee that Zoey Deutch, Nick Robinson, or an emotionally devastating Taylor Swift song will appear once you sit down.

Vancouver vs. San Francisco: What's Worth Visiting

If you want to set-jet this one, you have two real options, and honestly both are worth it independent of the film.

Vancouver's Commercial Drive is a great afternoon, especially if you combine it with the waterfront at David Lam Park. The neighborhood has the kind of low-key, lived-in quality that makes it feel genuinely alive on screen.

San Francisco is, of course, its own argument. The Palace of Fine Arts at 3301 Lyon Street is one of the most underrated tourist spots in the city, a neoclassical rotunda set next to a lagoon that looks like someone built ancient Rome in the middle of a park. Fisherman's Wharf is busy and worth a meal.

Golden Gate Park rewards a full afternoon. And if you make the drive to Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands for the bridge view, go at golden hour. Bring snacks. It earns the trip.

Image Source: Netflix

Voicemails for Isabelle is the kind of film that makes a city feel like a character, even when that city is mostly pretending to be somewhere else. Vancouver does San Francisco well enough that most viewers won't notice the seams, and the two days of real location shooting add exactly the grounding the story needs. If the film sent you looking for flights to the Bay Area, follow that instinct. San Francisco is always worth it, with or without the voicemails.

Frequently Asked Questions: Voicemails for Isabelle Filming Locations

Where was Voicemails for Isabelle filmed?

The film was primarily filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, which stood in for both San Francisco and Austin, Texas. A small portion was shot on location in actual San Francisco over two days.

When did filming take place?

Principal photography ran from July to September 2025 in Vancouver, Canada.

What Vancouver neighborhoods were used for filming?

Commercial Drive and the area around David Lam Park are the most prominently featured Vancouver locations. Havana Restaurant on Commercial Drive appears as a key setting throughout the film.

Which San Francisco landmarks actually appear in the movie?

The two-day San Francisco location shoot captured Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, the Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Park, Pier 39, the Powell-Mason Cable Car, Lombard Street, and Waller Street, among others.

Was the Golden Gate Bridge bench scene filmed in San Francisco?

No. That sequence was shot on green screen at Martini Film Studios in Vancouver. The real-world equivalent of that vantage point is Battery Spencer Overlook in the Marin Headlands.

How did the filmmakers make Vancouver look like San Francisco?

Director Leah McKendrick and cinematographer Julia Swain traveled to San Francisco during pre-production to study the city's light, color, and architecture before building the visual approach. They then applied that language to Vancouver locations and supplemented with two days of actual San Francisco footage.

Is Voicemails for Isabelle based on a true story?

No. It's an original romantic drama written by Leah McKendrick, loosely inspired by the universal experience of grief and the things we wish we could still say to the people we've lost.

Who stars in Voicemails for Isabelle?

The film stars Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson as Jill and Wes, with supporting performances from Nick Offerman, Lukas Gage, Harry Shum Jr., and Ciara Bravo.