Just when you thought Fifth Avenue South couldn’t get any better, along comes a new addition to our family of ever-growing divine and diverse restaurants.

At the close of 2023, Le Colonial opened its doors on 457 Fifth Avenue South to welcome Neapolitans and worldwide visitors to a dining experience previously unavailable, but longingly sought by many, in our beloved city. Acclaimed for its timeless French-Vietnamese cuisine and dazzling interiors, Le Colonial’s new Fifth Avenue South location meets the same high standards of splendid fare and sophisticated atmosphere for which its sister restaurants in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Delray Beach, and Lake Forest, IL are known.

For the past 30 years, owners and restaurateurs Rick Wahlstedt and Joe King, have been magically transporting Le Colonial guests to the Saigon of the 1920s, celebrating the city’s seductive spirit and vivid flavors of that time. Expect the same magic on Fifth Avenue South, where the ambience is a feast for the eyes and the fare is the healthiest and freshest of locally sourced vegetables and premium seafood and meats the Florida Gulf Coast has to offer, all prepared with perfection and fragrant herbs and spices.

"We are delighted to be opening on one of the most beautiful streets in Florida and believe Le Colonial will be an exciting addition to the dining scene," says Wahlstedt. "We look forward to meeting everyone in Naples and having them experience the romantic interiors and Vietnamese cuisine."

The restaurant menu is a creation of acclaimed Vietnamese chef and cookbook author Nicole Routhier, National Culinary Director Hassan Obaye, and Chef Moosah Reaume, Le Colonial Executive Chef for Naples. Dishes like Banh Cuon chicken and mushroom ravioli, Ca Song, a spicy yellowfin tuna tartare, Ca Chim, halibut with wok tossed fennel and lemongrass, and Bo Luc Lac or shaking beef, a Le Colonial specialty since 1993 made with caramelized heritage Angus beef, are just a few of the exciting menu choices.

Prior to joining Le Colonial, Reaume was Director of Food and Beverage at the Mandarin Oriental Boca Raton, Executive Chef at Public Chicago Hotel and Pump Room Restaurant by Jean Georges Vongerichten, with whom Reaume worked previously at The Mark in New York City.

The 6,500 square foot restaurant is a collaboration among renowned architectural and design firm Knauer Inc. of Chicago, artist and painter Jonas Wickman of Stockholm, Sweden, and DF Creative Designs of Connecticut. The dining room seats 74 guests and features period artwork, slow-moving fans, and Parisian light fixtures, among other special touches reminiscent of a by-gone Saigon. There is also alfresco patio dining available for more than 60 guests and an intimate cocktail lounge, with mahogany wall paneling, herring bone wood flooring, and plush seating for 40 on sofas and fauteuil chairs. In the lounge, guests can enjoy an array of hand-crafted cocktails from Le Colonial’s newest offerings, curated in collaboration with preeminent mixologist Danilo Bozovic of Employees Only, and author of Barkeep: The Art of Mixology, Bar and Cocktails, Best Cocktail Book 2022.

Reviews for Le Colonial are already outstanding with Benjamin of Naples, a French-American who loves Vietnamese food, writing, "The restaurant ambience, design and interior look amazing…On the culinary side, the papaya salad and the pork rolls were traditionally hand-made and tasty. The grilled red snapper was just amazing, and I will come back 100 times just for it..."

Wahlstedt made waves in 1993 when he opened the first Le Colonial in Manhattan. That restaurant’s success eventually led to a partnership with Joe King and the two of them opening Le Colonial in Chicago’s Gold Coast in 1996. The rest is history with four cities after that and now Naples, which is part of an exciting five-location expansion for the dynamic duo.

"Considering that Le Colonial has been in Chicago for 25 years and Naples has a large number of second-home residents from Chicago and the Midwest in general, it's a natural for Le Colonial," said Joe King. "We've long been fans of the area and have been waiting patiently to line up the perfect spot to share our renowned style of elevated Vietnamese cuisine, paired with unparalleled service and ambience. We feel the bustling and beautiful community in Naples is ideally suited to appreciate the unique vibe and vibrant tastes of Le Colonial."

Well, we feel the same way and are so pleased to have Le Colonial here and part of our impressive family of 220 businesses that continues to grow. French-Vietnamese on Fifth Avenue South... romantic, reminiscent of a bygone era with a resplendent menu…you can’t ask for more!!

Best wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year!!