The Formosa Cafe

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.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Highly recommend the Formosa for a delicious dinner and drinks. The hostess, manager, bartenders and servers always treat guests like friends. Must try their signature cocktails.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Service a bit slow but the food was great.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Ride that kool Hollywood vibe 🤠

The food was fantastic and memorable.

Different parts of the restaurant had a different feel. Some spaces were quieter, some more lively. The space we were in started with having to speak a little loud to be heard. There was a large party with a birthday and they were spirited in the most positive way. After that, the space was more quiet and empty.

The music contributed to a great vibe starting with disco classics and 80's classics to 60's Nancy Sinatra Jr., Patsy Cline and Serge Gainsborough and on to Amy Winehouse & Foo Fighters.

Hiccups: while our server was very friendly, they weren't attentive. There were awkward moments where I noticed them clock watching, not being available/difficult to get their attention, and doing tasks that could have waited in favor of customer attention. It was too long a wait both to place our order and to get our check. A save was being able to ask other employees to get our servers attention and/or other employees offering assistance.

The hostess was friendly and assisted us with a merch purchase.

We heard of the restaurant as we are Bosch enthusiasts and we are glad to have visited.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

The food and atmosphere were amazing. Dan dan noodles and crispy beef were so good!

Our server seemed kind of stretched thin, and distracted and had to cover multiple areas. Took almost 15 minutes to place the order, and another 10 minutes or so just to get the check.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

Food ordered: orange chicken, kung pao brussel sprouts, veggie eggrolls, veggie bao
Drinks ordered: secret garden, sichuan fogcutter

Overall, ambiance here is top tier! We had no reservation and walked in on a Thursday night with no issues. The food was BOMB and had many vegetarian friendly options. (Brussel sprouts are a MUST have!) We loved their fun drinks and cups, however they were a little on the lighter side. But still very good and very cute. Bonus points: they sell merch. 😋

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Great experience if you are visiting L.A. Went with four pals and we shared a bunch of food. Everything was tasty, service was very friendly. Has a great vibe and was an excellent start to our trip.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious food, cool atmosphere. Shrimp fried rice comes with fried egg on top!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Haven't been here in 15+ years, hasn't changed. Stopped in for Happy Hour yesterday, everything was great.

Thinking of moving back to the neighborhood so hope to make it a regular.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing service!! Kelly was an amazing and attentive waitress during our dinner. Will definitely be coming back more frequently!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food

Pricey but fun with a group

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 2

Very good Chinese food. Old school Hollywood joint. Fried rice and orange chicken were one of the best. Try to sit inside the trolley car if you can.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We loved this place! All of the drinks and food dishes were fantastic. The atmosphere is fabulous too.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5