Le Colonial

Le Colonial Wine List Review We recently ducked into Le Colonial for dinner on a Saturday night, and the... more

Le Colonial is such a pleasure to visit. The dining room and patio are so beautiful, it feels like you are in a different world.\r \r I ordered a mojito, the filet mignon and the delicious rice. Everything was fantastic! more

Celebrated my Birthday here last night. Wow, a treat for sure. The drinks were tasty, the food over the top delicious and the atmosphere an equation for a successful night. Try the Banana wrapped fish dish, the fillet migon cube and the Jasmine rice-sensational! Not to mention the artfully prepared banana split dessert. Pros: food, charming atmosphere, drinks Cons: cost more

I have not had such EXCELLENT customer service since I dined out of state in New Orleans @ Nola.(An Emmeril restaurant) Let me begin with this: I felt transported back in time to a trading post in a productive era by walking down a Tenderloin alley. The decor was french w/ asian flair & old world accents. (we were told this was the old Trader Vic restaurant) The hostess was prompt & gracious while leading us to our seats. My guest & I sat at a rear booth that gave a picturesque view of the whole dining area we were in. Our server was instantly at the table offering beginning beverages. Also, a step behind was a man I assumed was the owner greeting us warmly & asking us to enjoy our meal. I asked our server to begin with what he thought was appropriate. He brought a signature Pura Vida which teleported me to a tropical local. The subtle jalapeno hint was not overpowering & fresh. My guest received a light cucumber gimlet which disappeared & before she could ask for another the server said he needed to remedy the issue, quickly bringing another. He then discussed the finer points of the menu & then spoke on the specials. We asked him to put down what he thought we'd appreciate.(Crazy, right?) He said the specials were the perfect ""surf & turf"" & dashed off. In between the wine master(sommelier), came to see what we had ordered and decided we needed a white as well as a red to try. (Who am I to protest?) I knew I'd be sitting for awhile. He returned with a crisp Gewurztraminer & a Pinot Noir.(it did not agree with me) When I told him that it was not my taste & I was more of a Zin girl, he vanished & returned w/ a fruitful Zinfandel. First came the tasting platter. Best thing on that plate: the mini drummettes & spring rolls w/ lettuce wrap. Honorable mention to the pork ribs w/ 5 spice. Out came the next special dish, a melt in your mouth ahi tartar on avocado w/ taro chips. We could not decided on the eggplant or the coconut rice & the server said he would bring both. The egglplant had so much extra on it, people who dislike eggplant would have ate it! The rice is something you just have to go try for yourself..no word...no words... As for the perfect ""surf & turf, that consisted of the BEST lobster I have ever had in my life, over baby bok choy & an infused butter. The cut of steak was so lean & seared to an exquisite medium rare(I didn't even have to ask)& it could be cut with a butter knife. Now I wish I could stop there, but where would I be without desert? I thought by sharing one, we wouldnt feel so guilty. Get the picture of what you think a banana split is out of your head!! Le Colonial has revamped it so splendidly you won't miss the old version. (4 kinds of ice cream, handmade chocolate & carmel, bananas that have a sugar carmelized on them so clean that you will dream about this snack) Also, the bus staff were fast & effecient. Soon as the plate was completed it was gone from the table. There was NOTHING negative I can say about this meal. I kept thinking & thinking but there is NOTHING. The worse thing in the restaurant (not their fault)was some obnoxious man that was dining at the table adjacent to us that was saying highly inappropriate things & almost got knocked down when he was inhibiting my passing by standing in my way. (I actually had to push him out of my way)The server was polite when I would have thrown him out. Other than that I was suprised, because the crowd was a mix of twenty & thiry-somethings locals. I would have guessed it was more of a tourist spot, but as I began hearing Dj beats from upstairs(yeah, they have a dance lounge..to be reviewed @ another time),it struck me as a SF secret hangout. Pros: appetizers, entrees & dessert.YUM Cons: IT HAD TO END! more

POOR TASTE! We ate at Le Colonial tonight and while the food was stellar, I was very put off to see an 18% gratuity added to liquor I ordered separately. Yes, in addition to two bottles of wine, I order a $185 bottle of champagne and 2 - $150 bottles of desert wine for the table and when the bill came they had added the 18% to my $450 bill in addition to adding it to the $700 food bill - POOR TASTE! To top it off the valet charged $14!!! Pros: Great food Cons: 18% On Liquor & $14 Valet! more

cool place Pros: good Cons: bad more

"Food was very mediocre here but the service,and atmopshere are great. If you are not a true vietnamese... more

\r 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. more

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! more

City Searchers! Pros: everything Cons: nothing more

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. more

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. Pros: Food Cons: Service more

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 more

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 more

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 more

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.\r Overall, we could have done better. Pros: It is clean Cons: Food, service, atmosphere and price more

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 more

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 more

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.\r 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 more

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. Pros: fantastic food and atmosphere Cons: Pretty busy more