Le Colonial

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20 Cosmo Place
San Francisco, CA 94109

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1 (415) 931-3600
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Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Le Colonial - San Francisco, CA
Reviews
( 23 )
( 16 )
( 5 )
( 7 )
( 9 )

Best

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

Worst

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 ho...

Terrible service 10/4/2006

Neat place, very interesting menu - but beware of BIG service / management issues. more
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Too much hype, service was lousy 9/27/2006

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 more
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Horrible bartender 9/14/2006

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. more
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Excellent Restaurant 4/13/2006

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. more
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Nice setting but poor food and service 4/2/2006

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 more
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good for groups but not special occasion dining 3/28/2006

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 more
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No Service? No More Business 3/21/2006

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 more
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martini brothers and great bar food 2/10/2006

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 more
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Poor Customer service 1/31/2006

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 more
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TASTY food, waiter rude 1/29/2006

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 more
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Fall from Grace 1/16/2006

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 more
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Very Nice Dining 1/7/2006

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 more
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gone downhill 12/23/2005

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 more
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User review by justhefacts 9/7/2005

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 more
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Great food, service & atmosphere, but pricey! 6/18/2005

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 more
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Delicious! 5/29/2005

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 more
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not worth it for bar scene 3/14/2005

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 more
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Stylish 3/12/2005

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 more
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Hidden but worth finding 8/13/2004

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 more
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Haute Viet Vittles... 8/7/2003

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 more
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Menu for Le Colonial


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Owner Message

  • Enter San Francisco's most enchanting restaurant, where garden-like charm awaits you. Evocative of 1920's French Vietnam, Le Colonial is the hidden gem of Union Square. With paper lanterns delicately strung from the skylights, we boast an impressive venue for hosting special events or upscale corporate lunches. Our diverse menu is complemented by an award-winning wine and cordial list that's as mesmerizing as the atmosphere itself. Delight in the mellow ambiance of our casual dining room, or carouse in the 721 Lounge with live music. Whether you've come to eat, drink, or entertain, we're delighted to transport you to a place of colorful elegance. We are offering full dining service on our patio. Takeout and delivery are available.

Editorial

  • In Short
    An immense dining room with natural wood paneling and slow ceiling fans evokes 1920s French-Colonial Vietnam. The large menu is an imaginative mix of traditional Vietnamese...

  • 12/8/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: wednesday: 05:30PM-09:30PM, thursday: 05:30PM-09:30PM, friday: 05:30PM-09:30PM, saturday: 05:30PM-09:30PM, sunday: 10:00AM-02:00PM
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