Le Colonial NYC: French-Vietnamese dining on 57th Street, then and now

Picture a weeknight on East 57th Street. You push open a door between Lexington and Third Avenues and the city simply falls away: ceiling fans turn slowly over rattan chairs and potted palms, sepia photographs of old Saigon line the walls, and the air carries lemongrass, lime and the crackle of something golden coming out of the wok. That was Le Colonial NYC, the French-Vietnamese restaurant that filled a two-story townhouse at 149 East 57th Street from 1993, and this is its story, its menus and its memories, gathered in one place.

The story of Le Colonial on East 57th Street

When Le Colonial opened in 1993 it was one of the first upscale French-Vietnamese restaurants in New York, and it arrived with a little theater. The idea was to step off a busy Midtown East sidewalk and into the colonial Saigon of the 1920s and 1930s: a villa-like dining room downstairs, a lounge upstairs that felt like a private club, and a menu that blended Vietnamese home cooking with French technique. New Yorkers took to it quickly, and for more than a quarter of a century it was where they came for business lunches, first dates, birthdays and long evenings over cocktails.

The restaurant grew with the city. Executive chef Hoc Van Tran, from Can Tho in Vietnam, joined Le Colonial in 1996 and built a menu around fresh seafood, meats, vegetables and fragrant herbs. For its 20th anniversary in 2013 the townhouse was renovated and chef Ron Wing Wee Hsu, an eight-year veteran of Le Bernardin, introduced a “Then and Now” tasting menu that set the dishes regulars had loved since the 1990s beside his own ideas, including a much-talked-about pho crowned with seared foie gras. Read more in the history of Le Colonial and in the restaurant’s press coverage.

What people came to eat

Most meals began the same delicious way: a plate of cha gio, crisp rolls of pork, shrimp and crab, wrapped at the table in cool lettuce and mint and dipped in nuôc cham, or goi cuon, soft rice-paper rolls of poached prawns and vermicelli. A steaming bowl of classic pho, its oxtail broth fragrant with star anise, was always on the menu. Then came the dishes people booked for: ca chien Saigon, a whole red snapper fried until shatteringly crisp and finished with chili garlic sauce; banana-leaf steamed Chilean sea bass; five-spice roasted duck with tamarind ginger sauce; and bo luc lac, seared filet mignon over peppery watercress.

The kitchen also ran set lunch and dinner prix fixe menus, a Sunday brunch, holiday menus and a bar menu for the lounge. Browse them all on the Le Colonial menus page, or go straight to the dinner menu, the lunch menu or the cocktail and wine list.

A townhouse designed to feel like old Saigon

Designer Greg Jordan created the room. Downstairs, ecru walls were lined with louvered shutters, the floor was laid with tiles in a quiet Asian pattern, and fans turned beneath 12½-foot ceilings among palms and banana trees, with seating for as many as 95 guests. Period photographs of 1920s Saigon led up the stairs to the second-floor lounge, all mahogany bar, deep sofas, oriental rugs and low tables. Critics often called it a stage set, and that was the point: the room was as much a part of the evening as the food.

Private parties and events

That upstairs lounge, plus a semi-private room, made Le Colonial a favorite for business dinners, birthdays and cocktail receptions. According to the restaurant’s banquet guide, the lounge could seat up to 60 guests or welcome about 100 for cocktails, and the semi-private room held around 20 at the table. Menus ran from passed canapés to family-style feasts. The full details, and what the new 57th Street restaurant is planning, are on the Le Colonial private events page.

The next chapter: 50 West 57th Street

Le Colonial is coming home to 57th Street. In March 2026, Vornado Realty Trust and LeFrak announced a 15-year lease for about 9,600 square feet at the base of 50 West 57th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, with an opening expected in summer 2027. Plans call for roughly 215 seats indoors and outdoors, a full bar and lounge, and private dining rooms. The brand, founded in 1993 by restaurateur Rick Wahlstedt and partners including Joe King, now operates in cities including Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Lake Forest, Delray Beach and Naples. In New York it is partnering with longtime restaurateur Frederick Lesort, and the culinary team named in the announcement includes chef Nicole Routhier and culinary director Hassan Obaye. For the latest, see the Le Colonial location and hours guide.

Frequently asked questions

Where was Le Colonial in New York?

The original restaurant was at 149 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022, between Lexington and Third Avenues in Midtown East.

When did Le Colonial NYC close?

The 149 East 57th Street restaurant closed in 2019, according to Commercial Observer’s coverage of the brand’s return.

When will the new Le Colonial open?

The new restaurant at 50 West 57th Street is expected to open in summer 2027. Opening dates can move, so check official announcements before planning a visit.

What kind of food does Le Colonial serve?

French-Vietnamese cuisine inspired by 1920s Saigon: spring rolls, pho, salads with fresh herbs, seafood, duck and beef dishes, plus a cocktail program built on Asian flavors such as lychee, lemongrass and ginger.

The original Le Colonial at 149 East 57th Street closed in 2019; Le Colonial plans to reopen in New York at 50 West 57th Street in summer 2027.