The Hong Kong Café was a Los Angeles restaurant and music venue that was a part of the Los Angeles punk rock scene during the late 1970s and early 1980s when the club was owned and operated by Barry Seidel, Kim Turner and Suzy Frank.

Located at 425 Gin Ling Way in the Chinatown district of Downtown Los Angeles, California and across the way from sometimes rival Esther Wong's Madame Wong's,The 4th Wave & The Chinatown Wars. Retrieved on August 1, 2010.Oliver, Myrna. "Esther Wong, 88; 'Godmother of Punk' Whose Venues Showcased Pop, Rock Acts in '70s, '80s" The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, 17 August 2005. Retrieved on 2010-08-10. the former Chinese restaurant1979 When Chinatown Was Punk—pt 1 , April 16, 2008. Retrieved on August 1, 2010. was open to audiences of all ages.

It can briefly be seen in the 1974 movie, Chinatown.

History First run of shows: 1979-1981 The Plugz and UXA played at the club's opening night on June 7, 1979,Thirty Years Ago Today in LA: Hong Kong Cafe Opens, 7 June 2009. Retrieved on 2010-09-05Flipside Fanzine Live Show Database 1979 Retrieved 2010-09-05 and numerous bands, including X, Catholic Discipline, The Mau Maus, Bags, The Smart Pills, Nervous Gender, and The Alley Cats, performed there until its closing in January 1981.Hong Kong Cafe , 16 April 2008. Retrieved on 2010-08-01.Catholic Discipline (r.i.p. 1979-1980) Concert footage filmed at Hong Kong Café appears in the Penelope Spheeris documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization.Valentine, Gary. New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop, and Others, 1974-1981, page 203. Da Capo Press. 2006.

The Hong Kong Cafe was typically more open to punk and hardcore acts than Madame Wong's. Black Flag played some of its first few shows at the Hong Kong Cafe.Black Flag Gig Archive Retrieved on 4/5/2018

Aftermath The space is currently occupied by Realm, a housewares and gifts retailer.Realm. Retrieved January 15, 2011.

Shows at the Hong Kong Café Shows from the Hong Kong's first months:

Date Band Band Band Band Band

Also appearing were Phil Seymour, the Textones, and Moon Martin. June 5, 1979 Daily Planet Elton Duck June 6, 1979 Uncle Jammer June 7, 1979Thirty Years Ago Today in LA: Hong Kong Cafe Opens, 7 June 2009. Retrieved on 4/5/2018 The Plugz U.X.A. June 8, 1979 The Alley Cats Bags June 9, 1979 Snapp Blow-Up June 10, 1979 Ryno Curtis Bros. June 18, 1979 Black Flag The Last June 22, 1979 The Controllers Fear The Plugz X Black Flag June 29, 1979 The Controllers Fear The Plugz X Black Flag July 1, 1979 The Dogs The Tremors July 2, 1979 Copter Big Wow July 3, 1979 Gorilla Fingers July 4, 1979 The Flyboys Fear Satin Tones July 5, 1979 The Weasels The Silencers July 6, 1979 Pink Section The Units The B-People July 7, 1979 The Pink Section July 8, 1979 The Plugz The Tellers July 9, 1979 Roy Loney & the Phantom Movers The Real Kids July 10, 1979 The Shieks of Shake The Blitz Bros. July 11, 1979 The Alley Cats The Eyes Human Hands July 12, 1979 X Unknown Unknown July 13, 1979 Unknown July 14, 1979 Unknown July 15, 1979 Bags Controllers The B-People July 16, 1979 Yankee Rose Shandi Cinnamon July 17, 1979 Germs Adaptors Extremes July 18, 1979 The Real Kids July 19, 1979 Bates Motel Hero Johanna Went July 20, 1979 The Plugz Go-Go's July 21, 1979 The Alley Cats Penetrators July 22, 1979 Elton Duck Daily Planet Dianna Harris The Tufftones July 23, 1979 The Most Keller and Webb July 24, 1979 Suburban Lawns The Eyes The Brainiacs July 25, 1979 The Weirz U.S. Rock July 26, 1979 Middle Class U.X.A. Agent Orange July 27, 1979 Bates Motel The Meckanics July 28, 1979 Bags Nervous Gender July 29, 1979 Ivy and the Eaters Big Wow July 30, 1979 Ivy and the Eaters Big Wow July 31, 1979 Axis The Real Kids August 1, 1979 Fear Shandi Johanna Went August 2, 1979 D.O.A. Pointed Sticks August 3, 1979 D.O.A. Pointed Sticks August 4, 1979 X Eddie and the Subtitles August 5, 1979 Reddi Killawatt Prankster August 6, 1979 Suburban Lawns Rotters Spy August 7, 1979 Simpletones the Crowd Stepmothers August 8, 1979 U.X.A. Flyboys Silencers August 9, 1979 Zero's (S.F.) Urge August 10, 1979 Zero's (S.F.) Urge August 11, 1979 Nervous Gender Human Hands August 12, 1979 The Plugz August 13, 1979 Bates Motel August 15, 1979 Germs The B-People VS. October 22, 1979 210 IQ References

External links

Hong Kong Cafe Realm The Go-Go's Notebook: Hong Kong Cafe