The historic and celebrity-laden Formosa Cafe in West Hollywood, California, officially will reopen June 28 after two years and $2.4 million worth of renovations.
The Hollywood Reporter reports the revamp will “make it look almost exactly the same” from before its closing.
More from the exclusive report, which included a sneak peek of the interior:
Reopening June 28 after a $2.4 million, two-year face-lift by 1933 Group, the new Formosa will look a lot like the old (not like the botched 2015 renovation that deleted any remnants of its past). “I’m using my memories of Formosa, plus movies like L.A. Confidential, photos and artifacts, to make it look almost exactly the same,” says Group lead designer Bobby Green, who along with business partners Dimitri Komarov and Dmitry Liberman, has also restored Highland Park Bowl, Idle Hour and the future Tail-O-the-Pup. […]
Like an archaeological dig, years of lore were unearthed. Green worked with the last owner, Vince Jung, grandson of Lem Quon, who ran the place for nearly half a century, to gain access to old menus and hundreds of black-and-white photos that used to line the walls. Green also sourced items from places with as big a Hollywood connection as the Formosa itself, like pagoda-style roof tiles from Warner Bros.’ scenic department and glittery terrazzo floor tiles like those that line the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Other throwback trimmings include shaded light fixtures, anaglyph-printed Chinese decorations on the ceilings, and brass inlays on the floor. The new custom wallpaper is a combination of previous Formosa patterns that go back as far as the 1920s. Napkins, stir sticks, matchbooks and some glassware are all inspired by replicas of what was used during the 1940s. The new menu by chef David Kuo also harks back to Quon’s Cantonese fare, with updated Chinese-American dishes like General Tso’s cauliflower, orange chicken, and beef with broccoli.
The booths also were reupholstered and named after old-school Hollywood stars. Bugsy Siegel’s booth also includes the floor safe under the table. The new Formosa owners also salvaged an elaborate bar from Chinatown’s Yee Mee Loo’s. A 1902 Red Line trolley now houses a VIP room, where one can dial a vintage phone to order drinks.
Los Angeles Magazine was there with more details and photos from the Formosa’s soft opening Thursday night.
The Formosa Cafe’s website as of Friday night was still under construction, except for a placeholder home page and social media links.
The restaurant at 7156 Santa Monica Blvd. (aka Route 66) dates to 1925. The Formosa became a hangout for actors because it sat near several movie-studio lots. Among the stars seen there included John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Orson Welles, Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Marlon Brando, Elvis Presley, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Ava Gardner.
(Image of the Formosa Cafe in 2012 by Don Barrett via Flickr)