Once resting in the shadow of the Warner Hollywood lot, The Formosa Cafe served as the studio’s unofficial commissary to the stars in Hollywood’s heyday, unfortunately the cafe must now play a different role. The small red cafe with black & white awnings on the corner of Santa Monica and Formosa has for years seemed out of place due to the ever increasing encroachment of the surrounding neighborhood. Were it not for the green neon “Formosa” sign on the front of the 3500 square foot building, the West Hollywood landmark may, at first glance, appear to be a construction office for the soon to open 250,000 square foot mother of all strip malls reluctantly sharing the property.  This would not be the first case of mistaken identity for The Formosa Cafe since it opened its doors in 1934.

Once inside, under the low light of Chinese lanterns and the watchful eyes of Kirk Douglas, Lee Marvin, Bozo the Clown and the hundreds of “celebrities” whose 8 X 10 glossies line the walls in a rectangle of fame framing the bar below, one can quickly forget the mall-maniacal world on the other side of the door. The Formosa Café has a history deeply rooted in Hollywood lore, and many of the legends looking down on the patrons have at one time crossed the threshold seeking champagne and chow mein. Engulfed in the darkness of the Chinatown meets Tinsletown aesthetic with black bar stools, a black Formica bar top and deep red paint on the walls, you understand how difficult it can be to properly identify your drink, let alone other patrons, as was the case in the Lana Turner scene in LA Confidential famously filmed at The Formosa.

So dark is the cafe that the lack of lighting may be hurting food sales for sake of atmosphere and mood. As Confucius said: “Don’t eat what you can’t see.”  Or maybe it was ConFunkShun who said it, but whoever it was, it is sound advice.  Though you will be tempted by the smell of egg rolls hanging heavy in the air like a wrecking ball, the kind that almost leveled the Formosa before it was granted landmark status, you may want to forsake the food for another drink.  To paraphrase LA Confidential, mediocre Chinese food cut to look like haute cuisine is still mediocre Chinese food.

On the record, there is no mistaking The Formosa Cafe is a Los Angeles original, unlike the monolithic Mecca of retail therapy crowding in on the restaurant’s action.  While you may be able to find a souvenir on aisle 5 at the Target next door, I prefer sipping cocktails at a real Hollywood treasure.  – C.M.