HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Bugsy Siegel's booth, a safe under the floor, and the spirit of a proprietor who reportedly pinches slow servers
7156 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Bar and restaurant; food and drink prices vary. No cover charge.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Indoor restaurant bar on street level.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1939 · Opened 1939 across from Samuel Goldwyn Studios · Bugsy Siegel's regular haunt and alleged safe location · Owned and operated by Lem Quon for decades · Survived 1980s demolition threat · Restored and reopened 2019
The Formosa Cafe's location across Santa Monica Boulevard from what was then the Samuel Goldwyn Studios lot positioned it perfectly as an industry hangout from its 1939 opening. The building's core is a vintage Pacific Electric Railway trolley car — the kind of repurposed rail car that several Los Angeles establishments of the era used as their physical anchors. The restaurant expanded around that core as business grew.
Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel was among the most prominent early regulars. Siegel ran gambling and organized crime operations in Los Angeles during the late 1930s and 1940s, and used his Hollywood connections as cover for and supplement to those operations. He reportedly maintained a personal safe hidden under or near his preferred booth — the table where he conducted informal business. Siegel was shot and killed in Beverly Hills in June 1947; the Formosa's owner at the time, identified in some accounts as Goldie, died in or around the restaurant in the 1940s as well.
Lem Quon, a Chinese immigrant, acquired the Formosa and ran it for decades, becoming its defining figure. Quon's longevity and personal connection to the space — he worked the restaurant through the entirety of its Hollywood golden era — made him the human anchor of its reputation. He died after many years of ownership.
The Formosa survived multiple development threats, including a late 1980s demolition proposal that was defeated by community and preservationist pressure. The 2019 restoration, conducted by 1933 Group, returned the space to a version of its mid-century appearance while making it operational as a contemporary bar and restaurant.
Sources
The Formosa's haunting traditions are unusually specific in terms of the behaviors attributed to the named figures. Bugsy Siegel's ghost is not described as a generic apparition but as a presence associated with a specific booth — the one where he reportedly operated and kept his safe. Staff accounts describe a seated figure visible briefly at that table, as well as unexplained movement of bottles and glasses on the bar during off-hours.
The Lem Quon tradition is the more colorful: the longtime owner who spent his life in the restaurant is reported to pinch servers who aren't moving fast enough. Several accounts attribute specific incidents — a server feeling a sharp physical touch on the shoulder or arm with no one nearby — to Quon's intervention. The details are consistent across multiple staff reports documented by ghost walk researchers.
The death of the individual referred to as Goldie — described as being shot in or near a phone booth — appears in some accounts but has not been independently documented with the same specificity as the Siegel and Quon traditions. The claim is noted in tour operator research but should be treated with caution absent a newspaper record.
The Formosa's restoration and continued operation as a working restaurant means that staff turnover regularly refreshes the pool of people who might notice anomalies. Reports of unexplained activity continued after the 2019 reopening, suggesting the tradition is not dependent solely on the physical layout of the pre-restoration building.
Notable Entities
The Formosa Cafe operates as a full bar and restaurant and has been serving Hollywood industry regulars since 1939. The vintage trolley car that forms the core of the building is original. Bugsy Siegel's preferred booth — reportedly over the location of his hidden personal safe — is in the dining room. Walk-in seating is typically available, though waits can be long during peak evening hours.
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