The Formosa Cafe

Pretty outstanding happy hour. Came around 4pm on a Tuesday and it was full but not overwhelming. Waited in the front of the restaurant when I walked in for a table, which took a few minutes, but then a waiter hurried over and apologized for the wait/seated me right away. The waitress was so lovely; their service is memorable. Food was good! There wasn’t much I could eat on the happy hour menu because I’m vegan, but the brussel sprouts are def something to write home about. Cocktails are just ok. I ordered the Colonel drink and didn’t feel a thing, which makes me believe it was pretty watered down. I’ll probably come back to try other HH drinks. Would def bring a friend or date here; the atmosphere is beautiful.

Delicious Chinese food with unique menu items all delivered in a fantastic old school Hollywood atmosphere. From the pictures on the wall of the great stars of the past and the booths where Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Burt Reynolds hung out, you can feel the history and reminisce about the past. The boa, lettuce wraps, scallion pancakes, fried tofu, and chicken salad all were excellent choices. They also had great drink choices. The only downside was that parking was in a paid parking lot and the restaurant prices were very high.

Utterly disappointed with this one, saw on a blog it was voted best restaurant in West Hollywood at one point, not sure how accurate that was. Fried rice and chow mien were bad, not sure how they can name the chicken wings Sichuan chicken wings, tasted like bad buffalo wings, wonton soup was good. Environment very dark. Should have gone Panda Express.

1 star FRONT BARTENDER REVIEW: snottiness was absolutely unneeded when I asked about what was popular on the menu. I assume as a bartender, I’m sure it’s NORMAL for people to ask what was popular. I was there on New Years Eve, he was the bartender at the end of the bar. He had his friend sitting at the end of the bar while he was working. Normally I would order a whisky on rock, but this isn’t the place for that. ofc I wanted to try a nice cocktail and everything was pretty basic. ATTITUDE WAS UNNECESSARY. UNPROFESSIONAL. As someone who has opened many restaurants in LA and works with LA Times, SBE, etc. highly disappointed at the professionalism. I would have had them off on the spot. Food was okay. If you’ve never had authentic Chinese food or Michelin Chinese food, this would be good. The cod sauce was WAY too salty and the rice under seasoned. All the other stuff was normal. Top self whisky and tequila was overpriced, they charged the same as a 4 star hotel bar, no where near that. Love the spot bc it’s historic, but the servers there make it unbearable. Every single bartender had an attitude or made zero eye contact when we needed WATER. One of our friends needed water and they just ignored us. What a hazard. We’re not at the Ritz guys, calm down.

The decor was awesome. We loved the speakeasy Asian vibe. The food was fantastic. Walnut Shrimp and Kung Pao chicken for the mains. Amazing and plentiful. Tuna tar-tar for an appetizer. Excellent. Drinks were good. Service was awesome. We were there for New Year's Eve.

Come for the history, not the food. There was a time period in Hollywood when Asia was fetishized. The architecture, Asian women in tight dresses, and the color red. This restaurant (and the Chinese theater) are relics of that history. Ordered their lunch box as takeout on a weekday. To be fair, I think the appeal of this place is the atmosphere and interior aesthetic. You get the chance to sit in the theoretical exact same spot as some of Hollywood’s most beloved stars. I didn’t experience any of that, so I’ll just review the food. Their food is targeted toward an older American generation who wanted to say they’ve had a taste of Asia without the actual commitment to eat anything authentic. But in a time when younger generations seek out the latest authentic niche food spot to post on their socials, The Formosa is far-and-away out of date. The fried rice is under-seasoned, if seasoned at all. The orange chicken is edible but not orange and a tiny bit bitter. The walnut shrimp had a nice bite to it with your standard coconut flavoring. Generally speaking, their food is edible. And to top it off, it’s all rather overpriced. I’m not the target demographic for The Formosa and I’m sure that many people go and have a great time. But, respectfully, if you’re not a tourist and you’re just looking for food, I would try looking elsewhere first.

Really great vibes, incredible fresh food that didn’t leave us feeling too heavy, and a beautiful interior. Some of the best tofu I’ve had in a long time. Noodles for the chow mein were so fresh. Crab ragoon dip was amazing. Bar in the back dining room was so cute. 10/10 love