08/29/09

POOR TASTE

by Dace

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!

07/21/09

It is awesome

by Crowstudio007

cool place

• Pros: good
• Cons: bad

12/01/08

Excellent Dining Experience

by gourmetbooge

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.

10/05/08

Diamond in the rough

by JonathanThomas

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!

08/22/08

TO DIE FOR MELT IN YOUR MOUTH YUMMY!

by mcrocket

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

07/23/08

Unbelievable food, impeccible service.

by ReneeDorsey

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.

05/09/08

Good Food, Very Bad Service

by SFmtgPlanner

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

03/11/08

Expected surprise!

by BPmmx

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

12/02/07

Definate recommendation

by dirtbagmusic

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

11/29/07

Horrible service, rude servers, horrible manager, below average food

by newlink

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