Le Colonial

We found this restaurant in the Zagat book in the Tower at the deYoung Museum. Excellent!! We chose from the waiter Daniel's suggestions. The sea bass and pork chop entres were fabulous. The service was perfect: informative, non-invasive, prompt and genteel. Wonderful dining experience that rivals the 10.0 meal we ate at The Luxor in Las Vegas.

Posted 11/30/08

All around chic. Great for a leisurely dine or a happy hour snack. The decor is exquisite and the service top notch. But be warned: they serve up a devilishly delicious scorpion bowl but if you aren't careful it will sting you! It's one of the finest cocktails around but just be sure you have enough people to enjoy it with!

Posted 10/04/08

City Searchers!
Keep this place hush hush!! All I can say is this was the most amazing treat I have experienced in the city thus far!!
Came here with a party of 12 and ordered everything on the menu! including before and after drinks... so we all had a bite of something... I can not say enough about this amazing restaurant.... just do not tell anyone...

Pros: everything

Cons: nothing

Posted 08/21/08

My husband, 4 yr old son & I recently visited San Francisco for the 1st time - we are from the Wheeling, WV area and are appreciators of amazing and interesting food - but for us to find either, we have to drive 1 1/2 hours to either Pittsburgh, PA or 2 1/2 hours to Columbus, Ohio. For us, SFO was foodie heaven. On Sunday July 13th, we had been walking throughout the city, clutching our Fodor's guide when my husband said "Let's try this place." and off we went. Up some stairs to the beautiful outdoor atrium where some people were dining - my first impression was that we were not dressed well enough, but I saw a few others in jeans so we were ok. We were seated quickly and my son promptly fell asleep on the wall seat next to me. (Lots of walking likely took it's toll - but this was good because he was quiet.) Our waiter was Daniel and I agree with another reviewer - he was wonderful - service was perfect, he knows the menu, smiling, pleasant - could not ask for a better server. The menu has so many interesting dishes that it was difficult to pick. We started with the Banh Cuon (Steamed rice noodles stuffed with ground chicken and woodear mushrooms served with bean sprouts and chillies, nuoc cham) and Goi Cuon Ca Thu (Seared Ahi tuna summer rolls with rice noodles, English cucumber, cilantro, basil, red leaf lettuce served with ponzu sauce). IS YOUR MOUTH WATERING YET? THESE WERE JUST THE APPETIZERS! For dinner my husband had the Ca Hap La Chuoi and I had the Bo Luc Lac - we also had an extra side of Tau Hu Xao Thap Cam. My filets were the most tender beef I have ever had in my LIFE. EVERYTHING was amazing - but I have to mention the dessert, too: Coconut Panacotta- Delicate coconut panacotta served with carmelized pineapple and a pineapple sorbet. It was scrumptious - not too sweet but fluffy, smooth and delicious. We were treated very well, though we likely looked like tourists. Daniel was wonderful - NO COMPLAINTS from us. Expensive & worth it!

Pros: Ambience, food, fabulous menu

Cons: Price but this is San Francisco, so it is average.

Posted 07/22/08

The last time I visited Le Colonial SF was for my partner's birthday. It was a group of hotel sales managers and meeting plannera from the Bay Area. They were less than cordial to our goup. The hostess was extremely rude to begin with and was even ruder to one of our guests. She tried to ask the hostess for directions for her boyfriend who was on the phone and the hostess told her to tell him to check the website.
While upstairs having cocktails, the doors were open and it was a chily San Francisco night so we closed the doors. One of the staff came up to our party and said "those doors will remain open". There were a thousand other ways it could have been said. The server we had however was very nice and an excellent waiter. He seemed a little embarassed by some of the other restaurant staff.
A group of mine wanted to host a party of (20) for a dinner. I made reservations and had requests in order to get them paid in advance. No one ever called me back. When i called to ask what was happening a week later the girl on the phone told me her manager was out and that she wasn't sure they were holding my reservation any longer. I asked her if there was anyone else that could assist and she seemed put out. I told her that I would just cancel my reservation if they couldn't accommodate. She then said that I was rude and she didn't have to put up with it. Needless to say I cancelled my party of (20).

BOTTOM LINE: The food is good but nothing to write home about and the attitudes of some of the employees is awful. If you want great French Vietnamese food, Slanted Door is a much better option. Happy Dining.

Pros: Food

Cons: Service

Posted 05/08/08

Took my wife for my 49th B-day to a place expected to be exclusive, which it definitely was; pricey - yes, tasty - you bet! Hard to find is actually hidden, somewhat secluded, yet close to the top center. Like an oasis of a kind. Decor - stylish and appropriate to the name. Very tastfull and interesting, not boring. In my wife's words, the waiter just charmed her from the start with his relaxed, leasurely, yet knowledgable approach. Food - OMG! I never thought that beef could be soooo tender, melts in your mouth. Or fish in a banana leaf - you could eat it raw. Plus a lots of other interesting stuff, of course... Highly recommended!

Pros: excellent service, decor, atmosphere, food

Cons: pricey

Posted 03/10/08

Just came home from Le Colonia - WE LOVED IT! Service was fantastic (ask for Daniel's table). It was mother-in-laws 79th birthday. They brought out a dessert plate with Happy Birthday in chocolate - tall thin candle - was great. We took two kids (9 & 12) and two adults and one senior. No problem with older kids - they made extra effort for them. Great place for out of town guests. Decore nothing like you have seen before. Great lighting - everyone looks fantastic. Get the beef salad - could have eaten two. Not great for younger children (a older couple would not sit next to us - their loss). Was nervous about after reading very old reviews - they were all wrong. I will go back soon.

Pros: great lighting, good food, easy parking

Cons: hard to find, adults recommended

Posted 12/01/07

This place is the epitomy of customer disservice. Made a reservation for a group of 14, includying high executives and journalists on November 2007, printed out the confirmation e-mail and arrived 5 minutes early. Had to wait outside for almost 40 minutes because they couldn't find the reservation, was unwilling to join tables for us and did not offer any type of apologies. Manager was unprofessional, unprepared, screamed at us, blamed us for the mix up and left. Food quality was below average for the price, service was no better than a McDonald's. Will never come back.

Pros: Close to downtown

Cons: Service, food, price, quality

Posted 11/28/07

Seriously overrated for food and atmosphere. Food was just average and the atmosphere was one of crowded, noisy din. Service was below average and the host/hostess were rushed and distracted.
Overall, we could have done better.

Pros: It is clean

Cons: Food, service, atmosphere and price

Posted 11/13/07

Le Colonial has a live jazz/swing band on Thursday evenings. It's a fun place to have a cocktail and shake your tailfeather after work. No cover charge or drink minimum required. Food is expensive, but tasty.

Pros: good drinks, live music, good for groups, valet

Cons: difficult street parking

Posted 05/03/07

arrived to late to sample any of the renowned menu but had a fabulous time dancing with friends. the crowd was diverse and friendly. and the staff was great! especially the bartenders.

Pros: bar, people

Cons: very crowded

Posted 11/11/06

most dishes are very large so i'd suggest not getting too ambitious with the menu...the cold spring rolls are good but to be honest, most of the food wasn't too memorable either way.
i think what seems to stand out the most for me with the experience is it seemed like this was where all the dressed up hotties like to be seen. the food is pretty good and the service gets the job done, but the only thing that really stood out for me was the dramatic and beautiful entrance and the people to look at while i'm there. the tables are not very private and it's noisy with bar music from upstairs and lots of people walk through the restaurant. one definitely has the feeling of being "observed". it's a very loud, crowded and busy place on the weekends.

Pros: fun saturday night crowd

Cons: noisy, expensive, anything but intimate if you are past your twenty-something bar phase

Posted 11/01/06

I went to Le Colonial last Thursday with a few close friends. The decor was lush with an exotic foreign feel. I was tempted to sit on their outdoor patio because of the awesome weather, but we opted to sit in the main dining room instead. We were seated promptly by a very personable hostess. Our waiter was extremley helpful and informative and directed us towards ordering "family" style. This was much more fun for the whole table as we got to choose an array of many things. We started with fresh spring rolls filled with poached prawns. They were fantastic with mint and served with peanut sauce. Though I am bit of novice when it comes to wine, the French Sommelier helped us pick wine that was both good and in my price range (which was a pleasent surprise). The cubes of beef tenderloin and the lamb chops were the two best entrees that we ordered. Both portions were enourmous, with the lamb arriving with five chops. The service was well timed and there seemed to be a large amount of support staff running around clearing, bringing food and always kkeping us refilled.
I had always heard that the lounge here was amazing, so after dinner we went up and saw the thursday night swing band perform. Though by 9:45 it was pretty crowded we were able to get a table a bit away from the band and the dancers and got drinks from a cocktail waitress. It was nice not to have to fight through the people at the bar. we had a relaxing couple of cocktails and saw some fantastic dancers.
I will definitely be coming back soon, probably for my birthday. The place had a great atmosphere.

Pros: fantastic food and atmosphere

Cons: Pretty busy

Posted 10/19/06

Neat place, very interesting menu - but beware of BIG service / management issues.

We arrived for our reservation on-time at 8:45. We were seated right away. The waiter was good. Our order was taken promptly, and our drinks and appetizers were brought in good time. We finished our appetizers by say 9:10 (up to now, we really hadn't been paying attention to the time and we were in no rush).

At 9:40(!), the waiter first came to apologize for the fact that we hadn't been served our entrees. He apologized again around 10:05 (yes, folks, these are real times!). By 10:15 (over an hour after we had finished our appetizers), we were sufficiently ticked off that, even if the entrees had ever arrived, we wouldn't have enjoyed them anyway, so we asked for the bill for our appetizers and drinks. The one smart thing they did was not charge us for anything.

The waiter was very apologetic and could only keep repeating that he didn't know what had gone wrong - but never once did the maitre d' or management appear with either an explanation or an apology. They were conspicuously absent as we left - one and a half hours after we arrived and with no entrees!

It was an unforgivable performance for what pretends to be a first class restaurant.

Posted 10/03/06

My boyfriend wanted to take me somewhere special and chose Le Colonial. I was excited since I hear good things about the place but there were lipstick stains on my glass before I even touched it and flies in the water they brought to refill the glasses. The food was OK but nothing special. In general, the service was not up to par for such an upscale restaurant.

Pros: ambiance

Cons: service

Posted 09/27/06

My husband and I went to the bar last night for a cocktail. We ordered 2 vodka and sodas. When the bartender gave us our drinks, my husband handed him a $20. He then rang up the drinks and put the change in the tip jar. When my husband asks for his change back becuase he had no idea how much the drinks were, the bartended proceeded to say to other customers at the bar in a very loud voice, "Oh look, this guy gives me a $20 and now wants his change back". He then went back to the tip bar and took out $4 and slammed it on the bar. #1 - you always give a customer their change back to let them decide how much to tip. #2 - you don't make fun of customers in front of other customers. Of course we set down our drinks and walked out. We did complain to the manager and hopefully he will be reprimanded. Actually, he should be fired.

Posted 09/14/06

Le Colonial is a great place to eat and do the bar scene. They have excellent food and their bar is great too. Excellent place to take a date, but be prepared to spend some $$ cause the place is not cheap. Have no complaints about this place.

Posted 04/12/06

With all the Vietnamese restaurants in the city Le Colonial would understand that they have to be above and beyond in food quality and presentation along with service. The restaurant failed on all accounts. The three appetizers were luke warm as if they were made hours ago and kept warm for service. I have experienced far better presentation at local Vietnamese restaurants. The main course was abundant, but again, nothing above and beyond. The service was poor. I would not return.

Cons: cold food, bad service, high prices

Posted 04/01/06

I took my boyfriend to dinner here for his birthday. The food and presentation was delicious! We were seated promptly. The service was ok...a bit slow and not as attentive as I would have liked. Overall the experience was good until the end when the hostess didn't thank us or give a farewell greeting. That kinda left me sour after spending a good amount of $$$ on dinner, champagne, and wine. Overall value is questionable.

Pros: good for groups

Cons: expensive

Posted 03/28/06

I hosted a business dinner of 6 (~$500) on a day when a Democratic Party event was happening upstairs. It took 45 minutes for the first attention from the bussing staff: water. We were able to order drinks 20 minutes after that. I suggested that they had an opportunity to "make things right"--so they charged my credit card twice like soggibiscotti (found it on my Amex statement), but did nothing else except apologize about having to serve the "VIP's" upstairs. I used to host larger work gatherings in the Bar upstairs, but I can't give business to an establishment that treats "average" customers with contempt.

Pros: Trendy

Cons: Terrible service, Disrespectful, Average food

Posted 03/21/06

We just experienced our 2nd Thursday night here in the bar upstairs dancing to the retro sounds of the Martini Brothers. We also loved the bar food, cocktails and fabulous people watching. Wow, what a fun scene. It is really hard to find this type of experience. Our waitress was charming and worked her way through the crowd with skill. Her great service added to our experiece. We have had dinner in the downstairs dining room numerous times and must say the food is at an all time high. We were glad to see the Chef wonderfully featured recently by food writer Michael Bauer. But, don't miss a Thursday night with the Martini Bros.

Pros: food, people watching, service

Posted 02/09/06

I went in there very interested in possibly having my wedding reception at the restaurant, or at the very least my rehearsal dinner.. When I asked the one of the hosts up front what the protocol was in renting the space for the evening his reply was "no one does that, that's WAY too expensive" Not only was this terribly uninformative, but totally inappropriate. I called their special events contact twice in hopes of getting a productive response and never received a call back. Overall-the restaurant is charming and unique, which is a big draw for special events and parties, but if their service is so poor in getting basic responses about planning an event in their space - one has to figure that the staff and service throughout the event will be inhospitable and ultimately NOT worth the apparently "too expensive" cost.

Pros: unique atmosphere

Posted 01/31/06

Let me start right off by saying that the food was spectacular. That said, I can say that the greeter, the waiter and the level of service in general would have been surpassed by The Sizzler. I received Saigon chicken noodle soup, a very tasty clear broth -- too bad I had ordered the lobster consumme. My allergic-to-shrimp friend had been given 2 non-shrimp choices on the online tasting menu, was then told that she could only order either the shrimp or a comparable veggie option, not the Ga Roti Xa (lemongrass marinated chicken) which had also been on the menu. After the waiter made the biggest stink about it, which I thought was pretty weak and unprofessional, we asked the manager, who of course said that it was merely a mistake. At least we finished off with gr8 flourless chocolate cake w/sweet cream & seasonal fruit with sorbet.

Pros: Incredible food, Well-rounded winelist, Beautiful ambience

Cons: Terrible service, High snooty potential, Union Sq parking

Posted 01/29/06

This was my favorite restaurant when I lived in SF. This weekend I visited and we made a reservation for Dine About Town, but when we arrived they informed us they were out of that option. Much later, the server returned with a substitute. We ordered appetizers which never arrived. The server was absent most of the time. A woman at a nearby table was so drunk she had to be CARRIED OUT. In the end, the server came over, apologized for bad service and disorder, and suggested we return, and he'd give us the manager's card. He didn't, and didn't make any adjustments to our bill to demonstrate apologies for the incompetence. I feel badly that I wasted my one "fine dining" experience on this trip to SF on Le Colonial. It is no longer the classy establishment I remembered so fondly from my years living in the City.

Pros: food

Cons: poor service, drunk patrons, disorganization

Posted 01/16/06

Food was wonderful. Rice paper wrapped rolls were wonderful. Entress werenderful, shrimp with curry coconut sauce with veggies and sea bass. Dessert, cream carmel with pineapple, coconut, ginger was great. Service was just average. Waiter never once checked back with us to see f everything was ok. Food was slow getting to us.

Pros: Food, Nice Dining Rm

Cons: Wait Staff, Parking

Posted 01/07/06

after 5 years of making this a regular happy hour/dinner spot, i am officially turned off. last dinner was ridiculous: AFTER reservations, took 1 hour to be seated ... after being seated, took 20 minutes to get WATER! ... after water, took another 20 minutes for our wine/food order ... when the food came, it was COLD! ... paid a $400 bill for this business dinner, and got charged TWICE on my credit card! i am absolutely done with this place!

Pros: unique

Cons: service, service, service

Posted 12/22/05

The lounge has live music on Thursday nights. Depending on whos spinning, the DJ music is good as well. Its a popular place and therefore gets very crowded and loud. Seats are tough to come by. Service is slow and unfriendly and the unimpressive overpriced appetizers are barely edible. Drinks are often spilled on the dance floor and unfortunately take forever to be cleaned up if it can be called that. I was carded outside the main entrance one night by a big, rude bouncer. It was startling because Id been coming there for many months and had never been carded. Its a restaurant first and foremost so the only people who should have to card anyone are the bartenders. Im nearing 30 and look it so it was entirely inappropriate. I always dress sophisticated but many dont. A dress code should be enforced like no jeans or flip flops.

Pros: live music, people watching, valet, but it costs!

Cons: expensive, poor service, small dance floor

Posted 09/06/05

A great place to take your guests from our of town, but the food and wine are a bit on the expensive side (compared to the many comparable restaurants in the SF area.) With appetizers and a mid-priced bottle of Pinot and 20% tip, we left at over $120 per person.

Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere

Cons: Cost, Noise

Posted 06/17/05

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is adventurous. I have been here 4X with husband and/or friends and everyone has loved the variety of dishes, tastiness and ambiance. My sister even brought a picky person who enjoyed it! In the bar try one of the rum drinks from the old Trader Vic's menu--they are delicious!

Pros: ambiance, variety of dishes, good drinks

Cons: price, crowded

Posted 05/29/05

the food was great. But after we spent time in the bar upstairs and it was so boring. The croud was too snooty to have fun and the bartenders were rude. Would not go back for night life but would ge back for food.

Pros: food

Cons: bar scene

Posted 03/14/05

The large amount of people on busy nights does not affect the quality of service; though hurried, the servers were competent and helpful. The tables were close together, but it added to the dimly-lit, romance-inducing atmosphere of the place. Food, especially desserts, were creatively prepared and tasted quite good.

Pros: romantic

Posted 03/11/05

It's tucked away in a little alley but once you go inside the nicely designed, trendy decor and the chic environment set the mood for a special night. There are two floors, and the top floor has a decent size bar with comfortable couches where you can eat as well. The first floor is the restaurant.

When I went, there were lots of young to middle aged beautiful people and the ratio of guys to girls was pretty even. Definitely a chic place that I will go to again, next time with some friends.

Parking is convenient if you pay $10 because there is a lot literally right next to Le Colonial but good luck trying to find free parking at night in this part of town.

Pros: Trendy atmosphere, Tasty food, Drinks

Cons: , hidden location

Posted 08/13/04

Charming Vietnamese restaurant tucked between Sutter/Post, Le Colonial is a gem of a restaurant. An open greenhouse area leads to a cozy, romantic dining room with a sexy lounge/veranda upstairs. Food is Vietnamese fusion, we had the appetizer sampler platter and I had the Duck Vitay in orange sauce ($25). Dessert was a large chocolate/caramel fondue and a rice pudding brulee, either could have served three people. Decor is retro-Vietnam and service was good except for our waitress who mis-timed many steps. Overall a great spot for a cozy dinner date...

Pros: Decor, Large Portions

Cons: Service spotty

Posted 08/06/03

I just revisited Le Colonial after hearing of their new chef. While I sat down and ordered with a bit of hesitation, thinking the the food would not be as good, I was blown away. The meal was unbelievable. I have been going to Le Colonial since it opened, and have never come anywhere close to a bad meal. Sure the prices are high, but this is San Francisco, in the most expensive neighborhood, in a 4 star restaurant, in a class by themselves. Two floors, extreme oppulence, great service, resectable (unique) wine list, sexy upstairs bar and an atmosphere you would only find in Europe. I was born and raised in S.F. and know my city and it's restaurants ... this is it.

Pros: great food, courteous staff

Posted 07/06/03

Le Colonial has great decor and ambiance but the food is so overpriced and the portions are tiny. I'm Vietnamese and am familiar with the dishes served here.

You won't find fusion cooking here but everyday vietnamese dishes with a few other ingredients thrown in for a twist. It's not worth your money.

Pros: romantic decor

Cons: overpriced dishes

Posted 04/30/03

mediocre food at high prices with snobby SLOW service. The ambiance is beautiful, but the food portions were tiny for the price. Fusion food has been done far better at other restaurants (try Roy's instead). To top off the evening was a "mint-julip creme brulee"... I'd be embarassed serving a desert this bad. I recommend going just for drinks so you can see the interior design.

Posted 01/24/03

This elegant Vietnamese restaurant offered good food that while not the most authentic, is at least creative. The crab balls appetizer were excellent, the cari tom (prawns curry) very tasty, and the mousse dessert was good but not great. The service was very good and the ambiance was quiet and romantic.

Posted 01/23/03

It's definitely a place you only want to try once. Just for kicks. Food was mediocre and didn't thrill me at all. The people in my party agreed. Great bar otherwise.

Pros: Bar

Cons: Food

Posted 01/22/03

I ate at Le Colonial and enjoyed the varitey of tastes and presentation. The food was good but not the best Vietnamese food I have had. I also liked the decor very much.

Posted 12/19/02

We ate at the bar on a Wednesday night. At 11:30, after 2 drinks each and a few apps, the lights went on and we were handed the bill and told the bar was closing. The server hovered until we left. Unacceptable service for any restaurant, even in the bar.
There is better fusion food at just about every other restaurant of this type in the city. Only go if you are tolerant of poor management.

Posted 12/07/02

Nothing terribly new or exciting in terms of food but generally all pretty good. I just like the place for taking big groups for dinner - family style. It's also good for groups since you know people like to be "fashionably late." In which case, you can continue to sip one of house cocktails at the upstairs bar while waiting.

Pros: Good for groups

Cons: parking is ridiculous

Posted 10/02/02

It's quite an experienceto dine at Le Colonial. The decorations and the ambience add to the feel of the place. You feel like you're in Vietnam, but with a French touch to it. The food is euroasian mix. It's so delicious-one plate is tastier than the other that you can't decide which one is your favorite. It's well worth the price and the service is outstanding. Take note that there is a lounge/bar with great music and dancing upstairs. It's great fun.

Posted 09/12/02

Beautifully decorated, delicious food, valet parking, lounge to relax afterward. What more do you want? We had a fabulous dining experience. We were promptly seated. Service was impeccable and ever so courteous. The food was fantastic. And you know how you're too full to move after you eat? Well, you don't have to. Just head over to their lounge, sip exotic drinks, relax and enjoy.

Posted 08/13/02

A great dining experience--almost made me think that I had been transported to the set of "Casablanca" in the 1940's. And the food, ce magnifique! Appetizers of Crayfish & caviar or Chilled eggplant soup with red pepper sorbet...lamp chops that melt in your mouth and duck breast with "forbidden rice," topped off with Apricot-cherry croustillant with pistachio icecream.
Nothing could top this experience.

Pros: atmosphere, innovative menu, attentive service

Cons: Noise level moderate

Posted 07/27/02

I first tried Le Colonial when the hosted my company's Xmas party. The food was great so I decided to go back later.

I was not disappointed. The food and service were great. The beef tenderloin is to die for! The banana wonton dessert was heavenly. Will definitely go back again and again

Posted 07/21/02