Formosa Cafe

What is Formosa Cafe?

The Formosa is a restaurant with a bar, set at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and North Formosa Avenue. It began in an unusual home: a Red Car trolley, one of the streetcars of the region's old electric railway, parked just east of the studio lot. Its fame comes from that setting and from its long ties to the film business.

The cafe was also known for staff who stayed for decades. One bartender, Lindy Bremerton, spent almost 50 years behind the bar, and several other waitresses and bartenders put in between 25 and 40 years or more.

History of Formosa Cafe

Jimmy Bernstein, a prizefighter in the 1920s, founded the Formosa in 1925. In 1945 Lem Quon became his partner, and Quon took over completely in 1976 after Bernstein's death; Quon's grandson, Vince Jung, later managed the family business.

The studio across the street began as United Artists' lot and later belonged to Warner Bros., and its stars crossed over for meals. Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and David Janssen all ate here, and legend has it that Frank Sinatra passed many evenings there in the 1950s, missing Ava Gardner. In 1991, when its lease ran out, the cafe faced the threat of demolition as plans took shape for the studio's parking lot and a new shopping center.

Visiting Formosa Cafe: tips

Plan on a sit-down meal of an hour or more rather than a quick stop. Hollywood sights are close: Madame Tussauds Hollywood and the Hollywood Museum are each about 0.8 mile away. From here, Santa Monica Boulevard leads west toward the end of Route 66 at the ocean.