Message from Le Colonial

An escapists paradise in the heart of the Gold Coast
  • Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine
  • Private Space Available
  • Lunch and Dinner 7 Days/wk

Transporting guests to another time and place, Le Coloinal vividly recaptures the beauty, romance, and spirit of French colonial Southeast Asia from the 1920's. Le Colonial is situated in the heart of Chicago's esteemed Gold Coast in a charming two-story vintage rowhouse. Le Colonial is heralded for its offering of two distinct atmospheres under roof. A 90 seat dining room is on the first level which is adorned with handsome, louvered shutters; potted palms and tropical banana trees; slow moving ceiling fans; tightly woven rattan chairs; and nostalgic black and white photos of life in Saigon during the turn of the century. A seductive Bar/Lounge on the Second Floor includes an enclosed Terrace overlooking the bustle of Rush Street for year-long enjoyment. Le Colonial serves authentic Vietnamese Cuisine seven days a week and is open for Lunch and Dinner.

MarkerLe Colonial

4 Star Rating - Very good 4 reviews – Review Le Colonial
937 N Rush St
Chicago, IL 60611

Editorial Description by Citysearch
Upscale French-Vietnamese fusion fare in lush, luxurious Gold Coast surroundings.
Rated 9.7 out of 10 by Citysearch.

4 Reviews of Le Colonial in Chicago

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Great food in the bustle of Rush Street  4 Star Rating - Very good

I stopped at Le Colonial recently after several years. Had luinch ouitside on a beautiful Saturday afternoon where the streets were full of people for people watching! The service was excellent - I was seated promptly, water arrived within minutes. I had the baby eggroll appetizer - which was perfect for one - and a very flavorful chicken entree. Prices are not cheap, but it was a great experience, well worth the price!

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Fresh, flavorful cuisine  4 Star Rating - Very good

Appetizers were amazing-the beef strips, chicken w/mushrooms, and the beignets were absolutely delicious. We also got the tuna tartare and I felt the tomatoes overpowered the tuna-but still good. My entree, the chicken in a basil chili sauce was spicy, a little sweet and reminded me of more thai food than vietnamese-but very good. Absolutely order one of the signature cocktails-especially the margaritas. The service was prompt and attentive. I'll be going back for sure.

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Beautiful  4 Star Rating - Very good

Le Colonial's bar area and dining room are beautiful. It is a great spot for a romantic dinner. The food and service is also terrific. I will definitely go back.

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Nice!  3 Star Rating - Satisfactory

The food is good and the atmosphere is comfortable. They have good seating available downstairs and outside during the summer. Yummy mango martinis. Great service!

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5 Reviews by Citysearch: (read all 35 reviews on Citysearch)

Great for something different 4 Star Rating - Very good

if you are tired of typical restaurants (the endless debate of Italian or Chinese) this is a great alternative. Good vegetable and meat options with Vietnamese influence. Not 'too' authentic if you want to try a safe dish, but there are also some unique options if you want to be adventurous.

great atmosphere - beautiful dining room with casual outdoor dining option in the summer.

Posted 07/22/08 at 7:14pm

Sensational dining experience 5 Star Rating - World class

Some might say I am crazy, but I enjoyed my dining experience at Le Colonial almost as Charlie Trotters. The food, service and ambiance were all sensational.

Posted 07/16/08 at 9:18am

The Best Vietnamese restaurant - not only in Chicago - but that I have ever had! 5 Star Rating - World class

When you dine at Le Colonial you truly feel like you have stepped out of the city streets and into French Colonial Vietnam. The food is suberb and quite reasonable for the exceptional dining experience you will receive. It's best to make a reservation on weekend nights and if you do - try sitting outside on the second floor for a truly romatnic evening. This is my favorite place to dine in Chicago and I have taken many of our friends and they always come back.

Pros: Food, Ambience, and see and be scene place
Cons: Really needs reservations on weekend to get in - not a stop by spontaneously place.
Posted 05/31/08 at 3:42pm

For people who don't know s*it about s*it - which includes the chef, apparently 1 Star Rating - Unsatisfactory

This place is just more proof that you can't get good, finely prepared asian food in Chicago. I'm Singaporean, and I've eaten Asian cuisine prepared by excellect chefs from Hong Kong, China, Shanghai, Thailand, etc. often in fine dining situations. To me it's blatantly clear that the stuff that we got at Le Colonial is food that any self-respecting Chinese restaurant would be ashamed to serve.

I ordered the Sea Bass - and while I have to admit that the ingredients were of good quality, the execution was just absolutely uninspired, not to mention lackadaisical. The way they deployed the sauce just lacked any kind of fine touch, and so what should have been a clean, happily savoury dish turned out to be just over-salted and overly rich. An absolute waste of a nice piece of fish and some otherwise lovely tomatoes.

My partner ordered a kind of broth with tofu. That was absolutely mystifying. It was basically just a tomato base that tasted like it came from a can, with what seemed to be cooked-from-frozen vegetables (the kind that come pre-cubed etc.), and some otherwise unremarkable tofu. Fine the tofu was egg-ish tofu, so it was smooth and not tough, but the combination of it just made for an over-salted soup that (and I'm not exaggerating) you could have poured out of a can. Whoever let that leave the kitchen, much less get on the menu, must have testicles of pure steel.

My appetizer was barbequed pork ribs, which were okay. She got what were supposed to be "popiah", which, to be fair, we know has many many variations. But these again were nothing that you couldn't get from a half-way decent takeout place. Basically it's just a not-even-that-fancy spring roll.

For dessert I had the fried banana wanton, which to anyone else is a variation on pisang goreng. Not bad, but someone seemed to have found a new toy when it came to the powdered sugar. Still not as good as some of the well made versions back in Singapore.

As a last note, the decor is embarassing.

Pros: I could get a reservation on a Friday night
Cons: Mystifying food. Decor put together by a drunken sailor with no taste.
Posted 02/09/08 at 8:53am

GREAT FOOD! Great for large group! 4 Star Rating - Very good

I was very impressed with the service and atmosphere here. They seated our party of 10 on time and the service was great throughout the night. The food was so YUMMY! We all loved it! They really made my birthday last October a meaninful one. Since then I have been back a few times and have continued to be happy with their service level and the food. I highly recommend LC for a nice evening out!

Posted 01/06/08 at 1:36pm