Where the Locals Eat Rating
Best Vietnamese
Top 100 Restaurant, Chicago
"Le Colonial is Chicago's noted upscale French-Vietnamese restaurant, which vividly recaptures the beauty, romance and spirit of French colonial Southeast Asia from the 1920s. Developed by successful restaurateurs Rick Wahlstedt and Jean Goutal (of New York's original Le Colonial), Le Colonial is situated in the heart of Chicago's esteemed Gold Coast in a charming, two-story vintage rowhouse ... featuring a main floor dining room, seasonal cafe on the first floor, and a bar, lounge and all-season terrace overlooking Rush Street on the second floor, all featuring savory athentic Vietnamese cuisine."
– Le Colonial website
"The atmosphere here will make you feel like one of the characters in The Quiet American, Graham Greene's novel of Vietnam. Upstairs in the bar, ceiling fans churn the air, and the room is furnished with wicker chairs and potted ferns. Unlike the Vietnamese restaurants on Argyle Street, which are run by the generation that survived the Vietnam War and often have American-influenced menus, Le Colonial suggests the period of French colonialism that lasted until 1954."
– Chicago Tribune
"On a street where steak is king, and the street scene plays out every night like a streaming video of all that is va-vavoom, amid all of this Rush Street madness, Le Colonial is a an oasis of pleasant dining and quiet dignity"
– Pat Bruno, Chicago Sun-Times
"For newcomers to Vietnamese cuisine this is a good place to experiment, as the menu is approachable and in English."
– Chicago Reader
Full bar. Serving lunch and dinner daily, until late night Fri–Sat.
How Others Rate Le Colonial
Zagat 2009
23 Food Rating (Very Good to Excellent)
Chicago Tribune
** (Very Good)