Old Hollywood's Rich Chinese Legacy

The Formosa Cafe
POV
Formosa Cafe was the Old Hollywood stomping grounds of Bogart and Ava Gardner dating back to 1939. The recent revamp retained historic elements. Red trolley train car, vinyl booths and Bugsy Siegel’s safe. Now serving a menu of updated Taiwanese-American classics.
Formosa Cafe was the Old Hollywood stomping grounds of Bogart and Ava Gardner dating back to 1939. The recent revamp retained historic elements. Red trolley train car, vinyl booths and Bugsy Siegel’s safe. Now serving a menu of updated Taiwanese-American classics.
DETAILS
Los Angeles, CA Hours Mon - Fri 5PM - 12AM Sat - Sun 5PM - 2AM Mentioned in Los Angeles Magazine, LAist, and Eater
ABOUT
Because one of the most prominent decor themes in the Formosa is the old black and white headshots, we wanted to give the newer areas of the Formosa a part to play, too: to tell a storied history of Chinese Americans in Old Hollywood. To do this, the Formosa Cafe team collaborated with the original family and local historians to procure all the original photos and artifacts and bring them back to their original home where they belong. With the new addition of the historic Yee Mee Loo bar area of the Formosa, we decided to tell a story about the influence of Chinese Americans in early Hollywood. Arthur Dong, Oscar-nominated filmmaker and award-winning author of the book “Hollywood Chinese,” dug into his singular collection of photos, lobby cards, and headshots to curate a showcase of Chinese American talent and milestones from Hollywood’s golden age. - Formosa Cafe
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