River Oaks District Restaurant Favorite Celebrates 10 Years, Defying the Odds — In a World Of Rotating Hotspots, Le Colonial Shows Staying Power

Still a See and Be Seen Spot In Houston

By Laurann Claridge // Sep 23, 2026

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Bò Xào Satế, a beef in a spicy saté sauce, is one of the Le Colonial original dishes that is back on the restaurant's anniversary celebration menu. (Photo by Duc Hoang)

This week, that chic boite, Le Colonial, is celebrating its tenth anniversary in Houston’s tony River Oaks District. It was back in the fall of 2016 restauranteurs Rick Wahlstedt and Joe King brought their stylish recreation of 1920’s dining in French colonial Southeast Asia here, following much acclaim for their original New York City post. Photo Courtesy of Le Colonial.

Ten years ago, I wrote in PaperCity’s glossy pages, after my first of many visits to Le Colonial, that “the two-story space crackles with excitement as heads swivel and necks crane to see who’s coming and going, drinking and dining” and a decade later it still stands among the chicest places in town to see and be seen, too. Photo courtesy of Le Colonial.

Reserve a table and enjoy a limited-time menu celebrating the signature dishes and flavors such as Chạo Tôm, grilled shrimp on sugar cane, shown. Photo by Duc Hoang.

Many years ago, when the very first Le Colonial premiered in Manhattan, the acclaimed cookbook author, Nicole Routhier, who at the time was just a young up-and-coming chef, the daughter of a Vietnamese mum and French papa, was hired to create the upscale upstart’s first Vietnamese menu. Today, the Houston-based author continues to work as an ambassador for the brand. Photo by Duc Hoang.

The chic boite Le Colonial is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Houston’s tony River Oaks District. It was back in the fall of 2016 when restauranteurs Rick Wahlstedt and Joe King brought their stylish recreation of 1920s dining in French colonial Southeast Asia to Houston.

That followed much acclaim for the duo’s original New York City Le Colonial restaurant (which is poised to return next year in a new location after a 10-year absence), followed by an array of satellite restaurants from Chicago to Scottsdale and Atlanta to Delray Beach.

All those many years ago, when the very first Le Colonial restaurant opened in Manhattan, the acclaimed cookbook author Nicole Routhier — who at the time was just a young up-and-coming chef, the daughter of a Vietnamese mum and French papa — was making a bold name for herself in the New York City. Wahlstedt and Routhier’s paths crossed, and she was hired to create the upscale upstart’s first Vietnamese menu.

Fast forward 33 years and Routhier — by now a longtime Houston resident — works as an ambassador for the brand while talented executive chef Fredy Cutz mans the range.

Many years ago, when the very first Le Colonial opened in Manhattan, the acclaimed cookbook author Nicole Routhier, designed the menu. (Photo by Duc Hoang)

Routhier’s groundbreaking 1989 cookbook, The Foods of Vietnam, was among the first to introduce Vietnamese cuisine and its regional traditions to a genral American audience, earning Cookbook of the Year honors from both the James Beard Awards and the IACP in 1990.

“When The Foods of Vietnam was published, very few Americans were familiar with the depth and diversity of Vietnamese cooking,” Routhier says. “Le Colonial gave me another opportunity to share that cuisine through a refined dining experience, first in New York and later here in my hometown of Houston.

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“To see the restaurant celebrating 10 years in this city is both incredibly meaningful and deeply personal.”

Ten years ago, I wrote in PaperCity’s glossy print magazine pages, after my first of many visits to Le Colonial, that “the two-story space crackles with excitement as heads swivel and necks crane to see who’s coming and going, drinking and dining.” A decade later, Le Colonial still stands among the chicest places in Houston to see and be seen too.

Le Colonial Main Dining Room (Courtesy Le Colonial) — Le Colonial is still a Houston hotspot 10 years later.

Celebrations of Le Colonial’s anniversary started this week. A limited-time menu celebrates the restaurant’s signature dishes and flavors such as Chạo Tôm, grilled shrimp on sugar cane; Nộm Đồ Biển, shrimp and mango ceviche; Bò Xào Satế, beef in a spicy saté sauce; Gà Nướng Xả, roasted lemongrass chicken; and a mango sticky rice sundae.

Upstairs, this Thursday, September 24 through Saturday, September 26, evening bring DJs spinning tunes in the restaurant’s sultry lounge. Two beloved cocktails from years past — the Red Lotus and LC Gin & Tonic — also return for a celebratory encore. Finally on Saturday, September 26, at 5:30 pm, a traditional lion and dragon dance will wind its way through the restaurant, with the goal of ushering in good fortune and prosperity for the next 10 years and beyond.

Le Colonial is located in River Oaks District at 4444 Westheimer Road. It is open 11:30 am t0 10 pm Sundays through Wednesdays, and 11:30 am to 11 pm Thursdays through Saturdays.