Le Colonial

Once again we ate at my most favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the entire country. Le Colonial in San Francisco. You walk through a greenhouse on your way to the dining room which transports you back to french colonial Vietnam. Dark ceilings white walls crisp linen and add a few drinks you are already in the mood. The food and service ate both extraordinary. You won’t go wrong.

We came on a friends recommendation are were very pleased with the results. It’s located down a small alleyway that opens up into a nicer ambiance. The wait staff were impressive with their duties and were always attentive to the smallest detail. The food was great and I recommend the seared ahi over the sea bass but both were delicious. One negative, bathroom cleanliness could use some upgrading

Had high expectations walking in. Walked upstairs to the second floor lounge to some very good funky love jazz. Took 10 mins to be greeted for drinks by a very friendly but slow moving server. When the live music stopped there was no more ambience. The place emptied out and it was me, my friend, and despite being only mid way through our meal, the only house entertainment was the Irish bartender loudly recounting his sub par day to the GM. Really lousy finish in terms of customer experience.
Food was ok. Cha gio is decent. Au Poivre is tough even at medium.

I went here for my cousins 30^th birthday. I ordered the Alaskan fish wrapped in banana leaves and it tastes like Clorox… My cousin ordered steak and sent it back because it was over cooked. The only reason I give this place two stars is because the ambiance is really nice and I enjoy the dim lighting.

I really wanted to love this place. Beautiful atmosphere, Euro-​French plantation style décor. It was extremely romantic! Service was also on point. However, I left wanting more than what I got. I’m Vietnamese so I’m always so excited and hopeful for a high-​end, modern take that is still true to my roots. I didn’t get that here. Dishes were not authentic, more like a deconstructed, watered down version of the real thing. The prices were astronomical which wouldn’t have bothered me if I got something rooted in an authentic flavor. Even the nuoc mam dipping sauce tasted bland and watered down to cater to a more neutral palate. I’m going to keep searching for a high end Vietnamese restaurant that stays true to the cuisine and isn’t afraid to play with its strong flavors.

Not your typical hoisin-​sauce-​and-​Sriracha-​with-​chopsticks-​and-​napkins-​on-​the-​table Vietnamese spot. This place is fancy and the food is different. Try the tofu entrée. It’s awesome. And the drinks are legit.

Great mixture of Vietnamese/​French cuisine! Service and food was pretty on point. The environment inside is more dark and intimate but they do have a great outdoors seating with heaters.
What I recommend:
— Tuna Carpaccio: Ahi tuna carpaccio with crispy shallots, lemon confit, pickled jalapeño, daikon radish and coconut tapioca sauce
— Cha Gio Tom Cua: Crispy rolls with Dungeness Crab, shrimp, chicken, vermicelli noodles, taro, mushroom & nuoc cham
— Banh Xeo: Crispy rice crêpe filled with shrimp, bay scallops, bean sprouts served with lettuce cups, nuoc cham
— Ca Hap Nuoc Cot Dua: Coconut poached Alaskan halibut, mango & pineapple virgin sauce, mint & cilantro basil pistou
— Xu Bruxelles: Crispy sweet chili-​glazed Brussels sprouts, portobello mushroom, carrot chips & nuoc cham

Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten! Everything was amazing. We got the appetizer sampler and even ate the garnish. The rib appetizers melted in your mouth. The jasmine coconut rice was a little on the sweet side but not too much – perfect. I had the duck, which was superb.
The ambience was old French-​Vietnamese, elegant and understated. The service was friendly and expert. Dishes were unobtrusively set down and removed. Advice was freely given and was right on the mark.
Oh, and don’t pass up dessert, even if you don’t think you have room. They have a light glacé that was refreshing (and other delicious offerings such as passion fruit crepes and chocolate cake.
Go – don’t worry that it says Vietnamese even if you don’t usually eat that type of food. You won’t be disappointed.

I used Le Colonial for a private party of ~40. We had our own room, completely separated from the rest of the restaurant. It was easy to set up — I worked with Dalia and we did everything through email. The group rate was reasonable, especially compared to other options in SF! They also have discounted validated parking right nearby, which was helpful for a group that lives partially out of the city.
There was a very generous quantity of food for our famliy style meal — no one left hungry! The restaurant was accommodating for our dietary requests (no pork or shrimp) and gave us some additional options. Even with a group of vegetarians, vegans, and other food preferences, we had enough diverse dishes that everyone could eat a good number of items.
The only con I’d say is the servers and chefs were not necessarily up to date on all the information. We had asked to make all dishes vegetarian that didn’t include meat (ie don’t use fish sauce, oyster sauce), and the servers told us some dishes were not. I still don’t know if this was an issue with the food that was made or if the server just did not know. We had also tried to restrict our alcohol budget, and a server told us halfway through that we were over, but in the end we came in under budget.
Overall, would plan another event here! Very easy to work with, good food, and great for a large group.

A hidden gem, tucked away inside the city… come here for a fun time, and leave stuffed and satisfied by the wonderful entrees and interesting appetizers.
The waiters are knowledgable about wines, and make you feel like home. By the time we left, we were rather drunk from the wine (and cocktails from Top of the Mark), so I cannot remember all the stuff we ordered, but everything was fantastic!
Highly recommended for another unique SF dining experience.

In short: An all-​around wonderful experience. Quality drinks, exceptional food, attentive and helpful staff, great ambiance. We’ve already reached out to other friends of ours about going there for a ‘double date’.
The full story: We arrived early for our reservation and headed upstairs to the lounge for drinks. I knew what I wanted right away but my wife was undecided, we asked for the bartender for a recommendation and he was spot on with a sweet drink for her that was citrus based so it wasn’t cloyingly sweet. A great way to start the evening.
We were seated at a table for two, but unlike some places we’ve been the table was large enough for us to be comfortable with our entrees. I’m a tall person and not knocking my knees is a good thing. There is an outside area and an inside area. The outside is more of a street café feel with the glassed over trellises and open airy experience. Inside is a darker formalized setting with designed tin plated ceiling, and dimmer lighting.
Our waiter was extremely helpful. He knew the menu well as well as the preparation of the dishes and had excellent recommendations. I knew what I wanted but after we were done talking I’d changed my mind and know I was happier with the resulting meal than I would have been with my first choice.
We started with the tasting appetizer platter for two and you could taste the freshness of the ingredients in each bite. Even the fried foods were light and crisp without the normal heaviness from the fryer.
For the main course my wife had Ca Hap La Chuoi, a steamed Chilean sea bass wrapped in banana leaves. You could taste each ingredient, which was amazing for a dish like this. The fish was perfectly cooked, the pasta was light and complemented the dish. I had the special which was a lobster bisque with a puffed pastry butter crust. It had a coconut milk and lemon grass base with huge chunks of lobster. It was rich and amazingly balanced.
At the recommendation of our waiter we shared the Xu Bruxelles, Brussels sprouts, for a side. They were well cooked with thinly sliced carrots and a sweet glaze. It almost could have been a dessert on its own and went well with both of our meals.
Following everything else dessert did not disappoint. My wife had Riz Au Lait, a coconut based rice pudding with passion fruit, kiwi, licci, and sesame nougat candies. In her words «it was light and refreshing, the candies gave just enough crunch that it was perfect». I don’t remember what it is called but I had a rum sponge cake with a whipped topping and thin layer of custard, of course ordered with the side of hot spiced rum. I was blown away, the cake was a base flavor heightened by the topping and the taste just expanded in my mouth. After the bisque it was perfect because I think anything too sweet would have been unbalanced.
During the evening we were visited by not only our weighted and the support staff but also a gentleman in a suit and one of the two maitre d’. There was never a moment when our drinks were dry or we were left wanting for something. This is truly a marvelous place.

The last few times we’ve gone to Le Colonial, we’ve only had drinks. We were just here again for drinks but this time we sat in the patio. We usually sit in their lounge which is great for large parties. Our server, Kevin, was great. He was attentive and very friendly. The cocktails were all very good and the prices are what you’d expect from a fancy restaurant. We had an enjoyable time relaxing in the nicely decorated patio. The lounge chairs were comfortable.

Le Colonial is tucked away from the main streets in a parking lot. The lot is valet only, but probably a better option than taking your chances on the street, & they validate.
It exudes a tropical theme with wicker furniture, palm fronds, and ceiling fans gently spinning away. The upstairs lounge features live music and comfy couches. The outdoor veranda with glass roof is the highlight of the restaurant and has an elegant feel to it.
With all the good things going for the décor, it makes you look forward to some equally interesting dishes. Ah, the fusing of French & Vietnamese cuisine. Always an interesting combination, but not always executed well. I’ve been here a couple of times, but haven’t really been left with strong impressions.
The last time I was here, we had reservations, but were told our table wasn’t ready yet. So we headed upstairs and got a couple of drinks and took in the atmosphere. When we were seated, I was a little disappointed that they gave us the table under the stairs, since the place wasn’t full yet. It felt a little uncomfortable as we were constantly aware of footsteps going up and down the stairs. I brushed it off and looked forward to eating. Good food trumps a good seat. After all, you can’t eat décor.
We wanted to order items we ordinarily wouldn’t be able to find at a typical Vietnamese restaurant, like phở or lemongrass chicken, but somehow still ordered fried crispy rolls. We still wanted to choose dishes that had a good balance of both French and Vietnamese influences, but somehow chose a lot of beef. Aren’t we a couple of carnivores.
$ 7 Saigon Beer,
$ 12 Le Colonial — Absolut vodka & passionfruit purée: super sweet cocktail
$ 15 Thit Kho Chien — Twice cooked pork belly, bok choy, hosui pear and quail egg & caramel sauce:
Interesting combination of meaty pork, soft eggs, and chopped up vegetables. The pork belly was pretty good, although the meat under the fat was just a little tough. Each piece of pork belly was topped with a quail egg. The vegetables were chopped up into what looked like a relish and topped with some microgreens. I couldn’t really taste bok choy. I like Asian pears, but the taste was lost in the relish. I think I would have liked the combination more if the vegetables weren’t chopped into such small cubes. Also, the sauce was a little too sweet. With all the wet ingredients, I think it might have been good with rice though.
$ 12 Cha Gio Tom Cua — Crispy rolls with dungeness crab, shrimp, chicken, vermicelli noodles, taro, mushroom & nuoc cham:
The rolls were plated on top of a square of banana leaf. It was accompanied with some lettuce and coriander, which I assume is meant for making a lettuce wrap. They had a nice crunch, but the flavor of the filling was lost. I couldn’t taste crab or shrimp in the rolls.
$ 37 — Bo Bit Tet — Grilled prime ribeye steak with pommes frites & green peppercorn scallions sauce:
The slab of ribeye had very nice grill marks and was plated atop a bed of kale. The bowl of fries sat on top of another square of banana leaf.
The steak was slightly overcooked past a medium rare. It still had some juices though. The green peppercorn sauce gave it a smoky, mesquite flavor. The kale was rather spicy. Again, more relish-​style vegetables, this time on top of a steak. It wasn’t bad, but some roasted carrots would have been nice instead of chopped up scallions and carrots.
I think I was more impressed with the cool looking steak knife than the steak itself.
$ 32 Bo Luc Lac — Wok-​seared filet mignon cubes, sweet-​savory soy, pickled red onion, on a bed of watercress, fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes & crispy lotus chips:
The little nuggets of beef were sweet and juicy. The fries were thinner than the ones with the ribeye, very crunchy. The meat juices mixed with the watercress, giving them a good flavor. The dressing tasted tangy to me, but I didn’t really need it. The beef tasted good on its own.
The food was okay, but not the most impressive. Perhaps we should have ordered with more variety instead of two beef-​y dishes. The best part of the experience was definitely the cocktails and the ambience.

1. Really overpriced
2. Worst vietnamese food I have ever had
3. Spring rolls had hard outer wrapping
4. soggy tasteless egg rolls
4. Hanoi bouillabaisse was horrible. fish was hard, muscles were under-​cooked, everything super fishy
5. bread and dip with Hanoi bouillabaisse was not worth eating
6. Staff was nice but slightly pretentious
7. Good wine list
8. placed on open table reservation but had no reservation in their system when i arrived
9. chocolate cake was dry, tasteless and simply not good. I don’t know how you mess up chocolate cake!
10. Save your money and don’t eat here

My best friend and I discovered Le Colonial when she was living in Chicago and it was our favorite restaurant there. I was thrilled to discover their other location here in SF! Now Le Colonial is our go-​to whenever she comes to visit me here! The upstairs bar area has an amazing happy hour menu and live music throughout the night. It never seems very crowded and would be great to bring a group of friends. The menu downstairs is so incredibly delicious — we tend to over-​order but that’s okay because I look forward to the leftovers too!
We love to start with the savory phở ga and some fresh spring rolls. We usually share one or two entrees (one of which is definitely the lemongrass chicken!) and get two veggies (the green beans with shiitake mushrooms are a must). Plenty of food for two and prepare to leave in a food coma; the good kind!

Holy wow… I miss SF and all its amazing foods.
So I have to disclaimer that I myself have never been to Le Colonial, so this is an unusual Unilocal review. A five star review based purely on LEFT-​OVERS.
Yes, you read correctly. The food is so good that leftovers earned Le Colonial a five star review. So the story goes like this… a work conference brought our entire company to SF. While I had to attend a network dinner elsewhere, my team went to Le Colonial for dinner. When we met up later for drinks, my coworker Chris (knowing my love of food, and the likelihood of me being still hungry despite just having dinner) handed me a neatly packed brown box.
Me: What is this?
Chris: Open it.
Me: [open box, sniff] OMG [nom nom nom nom, breathe, nom nom nom]
It was so good I could cry.
So I had to do some research… and found the dish is called Bo Luc Lac… which comprised of wok-​seared filet mignon cubes, sweet-​savory soy, pickled red onion, on a bed of iceberg lettuce (which I did not see), watercress, cherry tomatoes, crispy shoestring potato fries.
I say again, OMG. This will definitely be added to my list of must eat places in SF.

Been here a few times and always had a fairly just-​below-​average time. The food is OK, I guess, but not anywhere near the quality and inventiveness I remember from the Le Colonial in Chicago. Still, I come back again and again for the theme park style French colonial environment. The service was always really fun though. I remember well when a waiter recommended a great bottle of wine that «is like having sex in your mouth.» I was sold, though this is definitely an unconventional service approach.
But I’m done with this place now. The manager last night was bafflingly rude and combative about a mistake related to the Dine About Town program. Turns out that if you look at the menu for the evening, at the very bottom, in fine print, you’ll see that they don’t offer that menu for parties of 6 or more.
Unfortunately, no one in our party ever bothered to look at the menu. Certainly not that closely to see the fine print. So we booked a table for 7 through the Dine About Town site.
40 minutes after we’d been seated, the manager refused to honor the special menu for our table. He suggested we could leave or sit at two separate tables on opposite sides of the restaurant. Very strangely, he claimed we made the booking on the phone and were told them that they could not accommodate our group but that’s just not true (we booked through Dine About Town, via Open Table).
It all came down to a lack of functionality at Open Table. That service can’t block a bigger table just because of the referring site. But the manager was bafflingly aggressive and rude about this. He refused to accept any responsibility for this or to be accommodating in any way. He was going to let us walk out an hour now after we sat down because of the error. That’s not only bad business, it’s just plain rude.
After another twenty minutes of stewing, he came to his senses and allowed us to stay. But the damage was done.
So, I’m done with Le Colonial. It’s not worth the stress and aggravation.
(PS I would have preferred to order from the full price menu but after fighting tooth and nail for the special menu, I couldn’t possibly go back! Damn.)

Came here for my father’s birthday dinner.
I’m trying to be as neutral as I can because I’m a vegetarian. But has the chef even tasted the tofu dish? Flavorless. $ 17 and there is fried bland tofu sitting on my plate that I could have made myself. Extremely disappointing and is the main reason I’m writing this review.
My brother ordered the seafood with the curry sauce, and the sauce was flavorful and great, I dumped it on my tofu.
We enjoyed the veggie spring rolls and the pot stickers.
Overpriced, but the décor of this place is beautiful, service was great and the dessert was as well.

Our first time here.
And…SU-PERB. In every conceivable way. Eight days have passed and we’re still discussing the experience.
Thank you, SF Restaurant Week.
We sure would love to return… but likely can’t afford to until the NEXT Restaurant Week! :-(
Soooo many more dishes we’d love to try, in addition to spending some time in the bar upstairs.
It pains me to do this, but minus one star for the garbage-​laden, strangely sketchy dark alley the restaurant is in.

One of the best meals we have ever had! We had the app tasting for two, ahi tuna entrée and the Phở entrée, jasmine rice and another sticky rice dish. Outstanding food! We ate at the bar upstairs and had 4 delicious cocktails!!! Love this place!

As we bask in the faux antique lighting in the large upstairs lounge one cannot escape the feeling that you are visiting someone’s very large estate. Reflecting on a wonderful experience that nourishes one’s soul and body. Coming from an Asian palate we would have to say some of the best flavors around, truly delicate and pure, not from a purely soy base. We had the filet mignon, black cod, tofu and spinach and soup. All were superb! What is added bonus is the incredibly beautiful atmosphere, you really feel like you could be in Saigon in the French era. Add to that live jazz Monday through Thursday and danceable dj music Saturday night and who have the best value around !

Le Colnial is a quaint and quirky little place. The courtyard and indoor dining area alone make it a charming little gem hidden among the hustle and bustle of Union Square/‘Loin area.
Our dining group decided to order family style in order to broaden our menu exploration.
We began with cocktails and two appetizers. I’m a HUGE fan of fresh spring rolls, so those were a given. We also opted to try the Banh Hap So Diep (pot stickers). Both were great starts to our meal. I particularly enjoyed the plating of the spring rolls nestled in the tangy ginger sauce.
Now, onto the mains…
Hanoi Bouillabaisse, which is Mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, black cod in a red coconut curry sauce with fennel, saffron potatoes and
mixed herbs served with toasted baguette & rouille. This dish had a flavorful broth, heavily accented with herbs, particularly a bit overwhelming with sage.
Bo Luc Lac, Le Colonial’s take on wok-​seared filet mignon cubes, accompanied with sweet-​savory soy, pickled red onion, on a bed of watercress, fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes & crispy lotus chips. This was my favorite dish. The deep, heavy sauce enhanced the flavor of the beef and was offset by the light and playful watercress. It’s also gluten-​free.
Vit Sot Me, black pepper duck with leg confit. This dish was just a-​ok for me. I’m not a fan of duck and confit, so I only sampled it. The table sure enjoyed it.
We also ordered a side of green beans and were very impressed by the texture of the beans and tangy flavors of the sauce topping them.
For dessert I strongly recommend the chocolate cake! This flour-​less cake is just the right amount of chocolaty satisfaction and contains a surprise peanut butter middle. The crème brûlée was also delightful, but overshadowed by the cake.
After dinner we moseyed up to the upstairs bar, but we were sadly too late because they apparently close early on Mondays. We vowed to make another trip back just to check out the bar.

I am surprised why the ratings are low. I came here for company celebration party I was underestimating this place based on the review. My God, every thing whether it was pork or chicken or tuna was amazing. Full bar with some great selection of high end scotch and excellent service. Man the sprouts are simply out of the world. I an not a big fan of sprouts and I have to admit the best I ever had. The ambience is amazing. Excellent place.

This review is for the restaurant — unfortunately, we did not make it to the bar upstairs which is suppose to be really nice I guess.
The food was not that great. I have been wanting to try this place out for a long time, mainly because it looks so enchanting from outside and the décor inside is also very nice. But every dish we ordered was either flavorless or too salty. Maybe I’ve just become spoiled with all of the amazing food SF has to offer these days, but I would def not go here again. It was not awful by any means, it was decent; just saying there is much better out there.

Bring back the live music + dancing please? Fantastic upstairs lounge and drinks. Not so friendly staff.
One star for poor management.

I’ve admittedly only been here for corporate events but it’s such a special spot! Tucked away off a Union Square alleyway is this like French-​Vietnamese villa. Completely decked out.
The menu is ridiculous. Very interesting dishes, with an emphasis on the seafood. I didn’t have a single bad dish and I think I’ve eaten my way through most of their offerings. from 5-​spice lamb chops to sea bass in banana leaf… I especially enjoyed the brussels sprouts and crab noodles as sides. Strong flavors, almost a bit much sometimes. I was binging on the brussels and then I was like AH too sweet can’t do it anymore!
The only thing is that their desserts were a bit of a letdown. just didn’t think much of their cassava cake, chocolate cake, or flan. It’s like they went big on the normal menu and neglected the desserts. Which was totally okay because we were all absolutely stuffed from dinner.

Ambiance: Amazing! The place is very cool looking, nice little building nestled behind a Post street and up the alley. The entrance is beautiful as you walk through the lounge before you enter the restaurant area. Inside, the décor and dim-​ish lighting complement a nice intimate dinner setting.
Food: I got to try a number of different dishes, out of their appetizers, entrees and side dishes. It was a business dinner that I attended so it was a selection of everything for a set price that included wine as well. The food was ok. It was good, but it wasn’t worth the price at all.
–Appetizers: the best was the Cha Gio Tom Cua (egg rolls) with crab, shrimp, chicken, noodles and mushrooms inside. Goi Ga (salad), Ga Satay (chicken satay skewers) and Goi Coun (fresh shrimp spring rolls) was just typical.
–Main entrees included Ca Ri Tom (coconut curry prawn), Ga Roti Xao Xa (lemongrass chicken), Thit Kho Nuoc Dua (coconut braised pork shoulder). In my opinion, the best was the coconut curry. That had wonderful flavor, but seemed a little bit watered down. Despite that, it was still delicious. The chicken and pork shoulder were not amazing. Both were tasteless. The pork shoulder was almost just cooked inside water, instead of having any coconut flavor at all.
–Side dishes: Xu Bruxelles (crispy sweet chili-​glazed brussel sprouts), and Com Chien Le Colonial (fried rice). My favorite was definitely the brussel sprouts. It had no bit of bitterness at all, and delicious caramelized leaves with unbelievable flavor. YUM!
Service: Because we had a big party, the staff were super busy getting everything out. But the people serving our tables didn’t seem happy or talkative. They weren’t rude, but they didn’t show exemplary service besides their speed and efficiency.
Overall, I liked the place. I wouldn’t go back for the Vietnamese food as I could probably get that somewhere else for cheaper and still be good. I liked the variation in the dishes but can’t get over the price. If I ever do go back, the only thing I want to order is the brussel sprouts because those were the bombbbb!

Very rude service!
We ordered a bottle of wine, and after tasting it– we were not feeling it! So then the waitress told us she has to inform the manger before we can get an exchange. Few minutes later, the manger rush to our table and told us angrily: «If you don’t want the wine, we would have to pour it away!» WTF was that?!?
We felt bad and didn’t know what to do, so we said its okay– and we’ll just kept the wine.
But service like this and the attitudes are NOT ACCEPTABLE! Why would you let your customer taste the wine if we MUST accept the wine.
And the rude service award goes to… Nur the
Manger!
FYI: our bill was $ 508 (party of 8), and we pay 20% tips! Why? Because we are nice people– and not cheap like this ‘high end’ restaurant! The bottle of wine we ordered was priced less than $ 50, so probably only cost the restaurant less than $ 15 for inventory.
I am so disappointed at their service, I will never come back! Unbelievable Nur, your service was extremely ridiculous.

I’ve enjoyed dining here several times before and came back tonight after dinner with a couple of friends. I was super excited to show them this place. We went upstairs to get drinks and dessert, but the music was too loud, so we went back downstairs. I asked if we can be seated, but an older guy with a French accent asked me if I was having dinner. I said just desert and drinks (The place looked pretty empty so I didn’t think it would be a big deal), The older man with a French accent then sent us back upstairs. I explained the music was too loud, but he replied «just seat towards the back».
Hmmm I don’t know just the way he said it felt kinda weird and rude. I was very disappointed and regretted coming here with my friends.
Guy with a French accent: if someone is asking to be seated and you have plenty of space, don’t be an a**hole, just seat them and treat them like the only customers there
(Btw the drinks took like 30 min)

This place is spectacular in design. It gave a colonial feel like the name of the restaurant. The service was alright. The food came out very quickly, but the check took forever to arrive at the table.
For an appetizer, the appetizer tasting platter was ordered. This was a chef’s choice of 5 dishes. The dishes were short ribs, cold noodles with shrimp, beef on a stick, wonton, and an egg roll. The names may not be exactly what they were called, but it resembles closely to what the foods were.
The short ribs were great. The sauce was tangy and there was plenty of meat on the bone. It was my favorite appetizer.
The cold noodles with shrimp were bad. I am not sure if they were noodles, but that’s what it tasted like to me. I just did not like the seasoning that was on the noodles or shrimp.
The beef on a stick was solid. There were lots of flavors here and the beef was tender too.
The eggroll or what appeared to be an eggroll was a little too crunchy to my liking, but the inside flavor was good.
The wonton or what appeared to be a wonton was real good. I used a sauce that was given to us and this made the wonton even better. It was a lighter version of a duck sauce I believe.
For dinner, I ordered the Ca Thu Nuong ($ 28). It was a very rare piece of ahi tuna with potatoes and noodles on top of a salad. The tuna was cooked to perfection. I just wish there was more of it. The potatoes and noodles with the salad were a nice complement.
For dessert, the Le Colonial banana split was ordered ($ 15). This was solid. There was a peanut sauce on top of the caramelized bananas and ice cream. The other problem was there was some spicy ingredient in this dish. I am not 100% sure what it was, but it appeared to be some type of pepper. It did not complement this dish at all.
Will I go back? I might.

My wife and I have eaten here a few times and had a wonderful experience every time — great food, interesting and delicious cocktails and none of the service issues that others have noted. This time however, of course when we bring friends with us, the ball was dropped, from a great height.
First off, in a restaurant that was half empty, they sat us next to another table of four, so close in fact that he had to ask one of them to move their chair so we could get in — why do restaurants do that? There were so many open tables, there was really no need — the other table even jokingly said «welcome» to which I replied «sorry, we’re late».
Anyway, we had a big night ahead of us, so after sitting down and starting off with some cocktails, we decided to go crazy on all the yummy appetizers and just order them all, vs eating a load of heavy entrees. We started off with a couple of the appetizer sampler platters and then planned to order more of what we liked. A few minutes after we placed that order, to a somewhat surprised looking waiter, the manager came over and said that if we plan to just order appetizers then we need to move upstairs to the bar. Excuse me? Yes we are very busy tonight and we would need the table for customers ordering entrees. Again, the restaurant is more than HALF EMPTY!
So, I have never, in my life, reserved a table in a restaurant, and then been told what I can and cannot order. We pushed back, said that that was pretty lousy customer service and he quickly backtracked and said that as we already had drinks, we could stay. How very gracious of him.
The waiter then brought out one sampler platter, not two (as one is only enough for two people and we were four) — so we had to wait then another 10 mins for them to bring out a second. Frankly, these were just OK, the crab meat puffs were so over-​pureed that it tasted like potato in there — not what we have been used to here.
Turns out we did order more food, and their specialty entrée with the cubed filet mignon dish which was delicious. That plus cocktails, they certainly made their money but we certainly didn’t appreciate the attitude with which it was delivered.
After recommending this place to friends, I was embarrassed walking out the door.

As most reviewers have mentioned, this place could easily be a 4.5−5 star joint if they could get their service aspect together,
The venue is totally cute, romantic and charming. I feel like I’m being taken back to the 70s, and fought the urge to want to smoke some long stemmed cigarette (or something like that?). I feel like Marilyn Monroe could walk out any minute! Also loved the heated outdoor patio area, but that’s where the praise ends.
The food was good enough I’d come back, but I definitely prefer the house. Ahi tuna was okay, papaya salad and Brussels sprouts were great but both the mains (bo luc lac and sea bass) were pretty forgettable.
My biggest beef? As others have mentioned, le colonial has truly terrible service. If you’re going to spend roughly 60/​head, I do expect to not have to continually chase people down for things like water, more drinks etc. Would probably never come back, as The House has way better food and service, even if that restaurant is crammed in to a little rinkydink shoebox.
It’s too bad– you could have been a great restaurant le colonial!

Prepare to go back in time… and not in a Tardis. Le Colonial (I understand it use to be called Indochine) is a beautiful place to go back in time during the 40s and 50s of Vietnam.
Ambiance: Absolutely beautiful! You really feel transported to that time period. And you wouldn’t guess that you’re in the outer skirts of the Tenderloin area.
Entertainment: Live entertainment on a practical nightly basis. They had a wonderful light jazzy quartet when I went. And they were so delightful. Seeing people dancing to the fairly light and happy tunes really made my day.
So happy that this place exists in SF. Such a gem.

WOW! Culinary orgasm! 10 stars!
Food, ambience, service and atmosphere supremely elaborate and highly impressive. The drinks were strong and had it going on!
Started with the Phở. Delicate broth and noodles carried exceptional layers of flavor. One of the best phos I’ve ever had.
The Goi ga shredded chicken and cabbage salad was uniquely satisfying. If you’re looking for a sexy vegetable dish this is the one. Bursts of citrus and crispy shallots packed a punch.
The Goi coun cold shrimp spring rolls are officially the best I’ve ever tasted. Hearty rolls with fresh, crispy veggies accompanied by a perfectly salty sweet peanut dipping sauce. The imperial rolls were very good also, but the goi coun blew me away.
The Suon Nuong baby back pork ribs were super tender and the meat fell right off the bone. The hoisin barbecue sauce was perfect and didn’t overpower the smokey, barbecue flavor.
The Tom Hum was my favorite entrée. Wok fried Maine lobster with garlic butter and garlic noodles was an unexpected winner for me. This lobster was so different and delicate due to the wok fry preparation. It was juicy, buttery and decadent. Stole the show! And the garlic noodles were some of the best ever.
The Cuu Nuong were beautifully seared lamb chops that flourished across the plate. This was the most elegant entrée. The lamb chop bones made an exquisite pattern and were layered with beet, taro and squash salad. The char on the lamb was impeccable and the meat was cooked beautifully.
The Bo Luc Lac was another remarkable choice especially if you enjoy filet mignon. The filet was tender, marinated well and served like a salad with thin, crispy potato strings. Not too heavy.
My favorite dish of the night was the Xu Bruxelles Sprouts. Ahhhhhhhmazzzzinggg! I could eat those every night. They were a crispy, sweet, spicy, glazed brussel sprout and were nothing like any brussel sprout I’ve consumed in my life. Such an effortless yet extravagant take on brussel sprouts. A must have!
Finally, the Com Chien Le Colonial shrimp fried rice was well seasoned, pan crispy, delightfully buttery fried rice. Lots of garlic and small diced veggies really makes this fried rice elite compared to all others.
For dessert we enjoyed the vanilla bean panna cotta, chocolate lava cake and cream puffs. All were superbly rich and divine. Cannot say enough wonderful things about the food and overall experience. I’m excited to come back and devour it all again!

Bonne cuisine et beaucoup de plaisir avec des amis