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When Le Colonial first opened, it was ahead of the curve. He also said at the time of the move that the East Oak Street location “presents a good opportunity to refresh both the decor and the food.” Why did they move in the first place? Co-owner of Le Colonial, Joe King explains that it essentially came down to financial considerations because the Rush Street location “was simply becoming too expensive to sustain.” He adds, “Staying would have meant paying triple the restaurant’s former rent.” So to be able to relocate within a stone’s throw of where everyone remembers Le Colonial being, King pulled off his own impossible mission. But you will see a floor that features decorative tiles created by the very same artisans who put their touches all over the decor of Le Colonial’s first Chicago home. Well, the East Oak Street location has many of the elements you will recall from Rush Street, minus the cozy second floor. If you were fortunate enough to have visited Le Colonial at least once in their home of over 22 years on Rush Street, you probably remember the cozy seating found on the second floor. We will explore why the business moved from one longtime location to another one nearby as well as take a closer look at the menu to determine why this has become such a favorite spot for Vietnamese food in Chicago’s frantic food services industry that keeps changing and growing. Instead, Le Colonial shuffled over to a location just a few steps away on East Oak Street. But this was not a move across town or into a completely different city. In early 2019, the well-known dining spot was relocated. At the time, the restaurant occupied a two-story vintage rowhouse. Established in 1996, this elegant French-Vietnamese venue was a fixture for over twenty years in the center of Chicago’s famed Gold Coast neighborhood on Rush Street. Le Colonial Restaurant is a Chicago icon.