Formosa Cafe, Chinese restaurant in West Hollywood, United States
Formosa Cafe is a Chinese restaurant located at 7156 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, featuring red vinyl booths and walls decorated with black and white photographs. The menu includes Chinese-influenced dishes such as Beijing Chicken, Mongolian beef, and pork belly skewers, accompanied by tropical cocktails.
Prizefighter Jimmy Bernstein founded the restaurant in 1925 in a converted Pacific Electric Red Car trolley situated next to the United Artists studio lot. The building has preserved this original structure, linking early Chinese American food culture to Hollywood's entertainment era.
The walls are covered with black and white photographs celebrating Chinese American entertainers and their connection to Hollywood's film industry. These images reflect the restaurant's longtime role as a gathering place for performers and studio workers.
The restaurant sits at a busy intersection with good foot traffic and nearby parking options available. The setting is casual and accommodates both individual diners and larger groups with flexible seating arrangements.
The building houses one of the oldest surviving Pacific Electric Red Cars from 1904, fully integrated into the restaurant's structure. This preserved trolley is among the last examples of this iconic streetcar line and makes the space feel like a living museum.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
