L.A. Confidential is one of my all time favorite movies, and any time I can make it to one of the filming locations, I’m overjoyed. The Formosa Cafe is not only where parts of L.A. Confidential were filmed, but also where one of its most iconic scenes (ironically not in the book) happened.
The scene isn’t really an exaggeration of who you would expect find at the Formosa. In fact many celebrities cozied up in the red leather boots, including Humphrey Bogart, James Dean, Howard Hughes, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, and, yes, Lana Turner. Located on Route 66 and across from what became a studio with a rotating door of owners, it was understandable that the Formosa became a watering hole for Hollywood stars.
It was also a hot spot for the mobster scene, with Mickey Cohen and Bugsy Siegal. Bugsy even had a private safe installed in the floor at his favorite booth, where those in debut to him could slide money through a slot, that he would pick up later. It’s said Bugsy had an office and “ran a lot of his operations out of [the Formosa].”
Sadly the Formosa has a muddy history, full of legends and rumors, but its fairly accepted now that the Formosa started out life as the Red Post Cafe in the 1910s, becoming the Formosa Cafe in 1939. It’s then that an old Red Car was added to the building, and is said to be the oldest remaining Red Car, dating to 1904 (although some sources say 1902.) Stars and drinks flowed over the decades, but in the 1990s it was almost torn down. A lackluster remodel took place in the early 2010s, and it abruptly closed in January of 2017. Thankfully Bobby Green and his 1933 Group stepped in to save the day. Green and his cohorts are responsible for both new, retro bars and restoring old California haunts, including Tail O’ the Pup.
The restoration took years and $2.4 million dollars. Finding parts for the Red Car were especially difficult. Green said “We’re not only restoring the restaurant and the bar, we’re restoring the train car and making it way more visible as a train car than it ever was before.” They even had parts manufactured when they couldn’t get their hands on the real thing.
As the Formosa has always been a Chinese food restaurant, Green chose to highlight the often overlooked contributions of Asian actors in the motion picture industry. The back dining room features vintage lobby cards, photos and more honoring them, curated by Arthur Dong. Dong authored Forbidden City, USA: Chinese American Nightclubs 1936-1970, and Hollywood Chinese: The Chinese in American Feature Films. Dong notes that the display is all encompassing, “Chinese characters on screen have been played by people of other ethnic groups, including Japanese and Korean actors.” The exhibit also discusses the harmful issues of stereotypes and yellowface as well as the successes of the first nearly all Asian cast film Flower Drum Song, from 1961. Another addition to the room is a bar from Chinatown’s Yee Mee Loo.
LA Confidential isn’t the only one of my favorite movies to film at the Formosa. The criminally underrated 2001 film The Majestic also shot inside the Formosa. Here the Formosa stands in for Coco Bongo, a fictional tiki bar on the Santa Monica Pier.
As mentioned earlier, the Formosa sits across the street from what is simply called The Lot, with its origins in 1917 when it opened as Hampton Studios, in 1922 it became Pickford-Fairbanks, followed by United Artists in 1927. By 1940 Samuel Goldwyn Studios took over, and in 1980 it changed hands yet again, becoming Warner Bros.’ Warner Hollywood Studio. In 2012 it became The Lot. Films like Stagecoach, The Outlaw, Some Like It Hot, Guys and Dolls, Calamity Jane, West Side Story, Star Wars (apparently George Lucas reshot some of the cantina scenes here) and L.A. Confidential filmed across street from the Formosa.
Grab a bite or a drink at the Formosa Cafe at 7156 Santa Monica Boulevard (aka Route 66) in West Hollywood. I highly recommend weekend brunch and getting the steak and eggs, or the ever popular Loco Moco! You can check out the menu, hours, make reservations, and even get merch on their website.
Outfit
Vest: Thrifted
Dress & Belt: Buffalo Exchange
Necklaces: I can’t remember!
Shoes: Classic Rock Couture
Sources
Aberdeen, J.A. “The Lot” Hollywood Renegade’s Archive.
Djang, Daniel. “Formosa Cafe: The Story of an LA Icon.” Discover Los Angeles, 7 May 2023.
Elliot, Farley. “94-Year-Old Formosa Cafe’s Hidden History Is Absolutely Wild.” Eater Los Angeles, 14 August 2018.
“History of an Icon.” The Formosa Cafe.
“Pickford-Fairbanks Studio” The Academy Museum
Saperstein, Pat. “The Formosa, Legendary Hollywood Hangout, Gets a New Life.” Variety, 29 June 2019.
Shatkin, Elina. “Everything We Know About The Formosa Cafe’s Origin Is Probably Wrong.” LAist, 13 August 2018.
Shatkin, Elina. “The Formosa Cafe Still Has Its Swagger – And A Room Dedicated to Asian Actors.” LAist, 9 August 2019.
“The Lot at Formosa, Set Your Stage.” The Lot.