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The Box
老夫子
69 Wenhua Xiang, Wenlin Jie, Kunming
昆明文林街文化巷69号
Phone: (0871) 5362137
Website: www.saporeitalia.com.cn
About The Box
Some people come in for a drink or two, others are practically part of the furniture. There's a group of people that show up about once a month to have really loud arguments about books, and there are those who have daily drunken conversations on the meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything.
Ever since we painted the wall red, we've noticed random strangers coming in. Occasionally there is someone chatting someone up in a corner, someone asking the fuwuyuan for the solutions to their Chinese homework, people talking business, or someone plugging in their Ipod to put their new favourite song on.
Whereas some of these people insist on having the same pizza and a Dali every time, others are making their way through the entire selection of paninis and imported beers and above all imported wines. Hungry students barge in for the lunch specials, couples stop-by for a tiramisu, and another one, and one more, some others stop-by for a gelato on-the-go and locals are blown-away when they discover genuine Italian lasagna and red wine.
Whatever you want to eat, eat, whatever you want to drink, drink, whoever you want to meet, meet. Live outside the box @ The Box.
Everything at The Box is self-made: gelato, tiramisu, lasagne and even bread for panini. We only use the best imported ingredients to fill our panini and to top our pizzas. Also wine and beers are self-imported.
LUNCH SETS:
Pizza (Ham, Tuna & Onion or Vegetarian) + French Fries or Vegetable Salad + Soft Drink (Coke, Fanta or Sprite)
38 RMB
Burger (Beef or Chicken) + French Fries or Vegetable Salad
+ Soft Drink (Coke, Fanta or Sprite)
32 RMB
French crêpe (ham & cheese; mushroom & cheese; cheese & grilled vegetables) + French Fries or Vegetable Salad + Soft Drink (Coke, Fanta or Sprite)
RMB 28
AFTERNOON SETS:
Tiramisu
with one cup of tea, coffee or fruit juice – 30RMB
with large coffee or fruit juice pitcher - 55RMB
2 Scoops of Ice Cream
with one cup of tea, coffee or fruit juice - 20 RMB with large coffee or fruit juice pitcher - 38 RMB
Cheesecake
with one cup of tea, coffee or fruit juice - 25 RMB
with large coffee or fruit juice pitcher – 48 RMB
Reviews
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Ocean
May 8, 2012
12 reviews0 stars: 1
2 stars: 1
3 stars: 1
4 stars: 5
5 stars: 1 -
I ate at The Box for the first time today. We did have a problem with the food but, to her credit, the manager heard our complaint, agreed and gave us a full refund. You can't ask for better customer service than that. I'll give the food another try another day.
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Ocean
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dr. chibbles
March 12, 2012
14 reviews1 star: 1
3 stars: 1
4 stars: 6
5 stars: 7 -
I miss the kabobs but the lasagna is still terrific. The staff have been exceptionally helpful the past two times I've eaten there. And the new Mediterranean items on the 'Spring' menu look good as well.
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dr. chibbles
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Merzei
January 16, 2012
3 reviews -
I went to The Box today to try the pizza. I've been several times before for beers and enjoy the ambience. Sitting upstairs I heard the alarm on my scooter outside which wasn't visible through the window and running to the stairs I nailed my head on the low ceiling. This is NOT a condemnation of said ceiling. Rather I was completely humbled by how out of the way the two ladies on duty went to help me. One of them even went to their own home to get me some medicine. I knew about the ceiling (and the name of the bar is a pretty good clue) so I blame no one but myself for smashing my head.
The pizza, incidentally, was fantastic with an authentic base. It was very light on the toppings however
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Merzei
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fastfox
January 16, 2012
1 reviews1 star: 1 -
Chinese friends told me to check out the Box for delicious Western Food...and it's the last time I listen to their advices. Food is dreadful, I had pizza (as I never been to Italy, thought Italians can make it better, aparently no) and rum coke. Pizza was dismal at most and rum&coke 28 rmb! I thought the drink had some superpowers for the cost, but nothing happened, it was just a rip off.
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fastfox
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BillDan
January 3, 2012
5 reviews0 stars: 3
4 stars: 1 -
The kabob guy has left for Lijiang I understand and that was the only good thing this place had going for it.
The pizzas are avenge at best and about the only thing I would get if I ever went back, or a plate of fries. Whoopie!
They list panani on the menu and my wife got one and it was cold sandwich. while the panani at The French Cafe sucks as well at least it is grilled and hot. When we asked about it the waitress said it was their style.
Another time we ordered a lasagna and waited, and waited and waited, and when we asked about it the girl like with a doofy expression and says she forgot to tell the cook. There was one other person in the place at the time, a young guy, drinking at the bar... talking to her.
I saw they had sandwiches and ordered one. For 28rmb. I ordered a prosiutto sandwich. I am reasonable and do not expect a deli style sub sandwich like back in Seattle. But for 28 rmb I expect more than four slices of prosciutto the thickness of a guitar pick on two pieces of dry bread. Let me be clear: no lettuce, no tomato, no onion, no oil, no mayo, no mustard... four paper thin thing pieces of meat on bread.
We asked the waitress and she looked confused. How could I not be impressed with this "western" cuisine?
I think some of the rave reviews are fro people who spend most of their tie at the bar or from friends of the owners.
Not going back unless the kabob guy comes back.
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BillDan
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Greenstripes
August 31, 2011
2 reviews2 stars: 1
4 stars: 1 -
I really like this place. But, what happend to the kebab!?
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Greenstripes
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barshopper
July 30, 2011
8 reviews1 star: 2
2 stars: 1
3 stars: 1
4 stars: 3
5 stars: 1
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barshopper
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KuBiDe
June 3, 2011
7 reviews2 stars: 1
3 stars: 2
4 stars: 3
5 stars: 2 -
Definitely above average Pizza by Chinese standards but not my favorite. (They serve Italian styled vs. thick doughy sugar crust fruit/other Chinese style Pizza you find in a lot of places in China) Calazone was pretty good. Probably better known as a small (hole in the wall) local spot to grab a reasonably cheap drink and a bite. Drinks were decent at a fair price.
What once was a real dump has been improved a ton with their renovation along with a nice friendly touch of personality added by the owner. Like most places on Wenlin Jie the bathroom leave a little to be desired and the low ceilings can lead to a smoky environment upstairs on busy nights.
No hassle free wireless internet without excuses.
Overall, not great not bad. If you set your expectations at a reasonable level you might just like the place. - I'd call them 3.5 stars. The extra .5 is for the effort by the owner to continually try to improve the place.
Food: ***
Drink: ****
Service: ***
Value: ****
Atmosphere: ****
Bathroom: **
Internet/Accessibility: ****
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KuBiDe
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the truth
June 3, 2011
5 reviews1 star: 2
3 stars: 1
4 stars: 2 -
Very dispointed by the place !
I was only few days in town, and i tried the restaurents or bars that is often talked about on gokunming !
I feel like owners probably write themselves a lot of reviews, or their good friends ! The box, according to severals reviews is the best place in the city. If so, in that case, kunming has no good western food, because i agree with the last post. No kebabs, and i could add narrow, wait too long to get your "average" pizza.
And beers are more expensive than in other bars (i went to the gamecafe where the same beerlao was much cheaper : 200m between these bars).
My general impression was expensive and a place who lives on his reputation. I don't live here, but i wanted to post this comment to advice other tourists to choose maybe another restaurant !!
"toto" - Vive la belgique unie !-
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the truth
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Geezer
June 1, 2011
6 reviews0 stars: 1
2 stars: 1
4 stars: 2
5 stars: 1 -
This is a non review.
Went to The Box for the first time. Hmm kababs all sold out, no ham so no ham dishes. Ok, lets have a pizza. Picked the Super Pizza and agreed it would be sans ham.
Ops! No pizza dough. They offered to let us sit in the warm upstairs for an hours wait. Fearful they would find there was no pizza sauce, we left.
It was last Sunday evening, about 7:30pm. Plenty of other places still had food.
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Geezer
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deppa
May 25, 2011
1 reviews5 stars: 1 -
The Box is an evocative place. Great for get-togethers with friends and eating good Italian food with a reasonable price. They are well equipped with any drink. ( that's laudable). Who is a connoisseur of local, know what I m talking about. Who is spoiled, picky, it's better not enter. This is The Bar of the people. For people who want to enjoy and make new friends with good italian stuff(and original).
E
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deppa
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nicolas
May 4, 2011
3 reviews5 stars: 3 -
Love it!
Never had a reason to complain about food, service, quality or quantity.
The 4-cheese pizza is definitly the best in Kunming, the atmosphere is relaxing and friendly, and staff and owner are not sparing with smiles.
Always a pleasure to spend lunch or dinner there!
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nicolas
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Wisedragon
April 8, 2011
5 reviews4 stars: 1 -
How can it be a pizza with no cheese? Don't the Italians have a Trade Descriptions Act?.
" Good morning, I'd like a Cornish pasty please without any potatoes. And a cream donut with no cream for dessert. And for the giant white rabbit....
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Wisedragon
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os.elocin
March 26, 2011
2 reviews1 star: 1
5 stars: 1 -
I order pizza from here to be home delivered.
I ordered the vegetarian pizza without cheese. I repeated without cheese 3 times.
When I received the pizza, it had cheese on it.
I called Lazy Bones, who received my order and after a bit of negotiation got a refund.
However, even if the pizza didn't have cheese on it, I would've sent it back. There were only 4 types of ingredients and each ingredient only had about 4 pieces on the whole pizza and they charged 36yuan for it. The dough was also undercooked.
Produce is CHEAP is China! I buy enough vegetables to make 3 dishes to feed 4 people for less than 30yuan. So, I know you need to make a profit but seriously, for a place that's suppose to specialise in Italian food -- this was appalling.
Totally not worth your money. Absolutely disappointing.
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os.elocin
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blobbles
February 20, 2011
9 reviews3 stars: 1
4 stars: 4
5 stars: 4 -
Great kebabs!
Went there today and had 2 they were so good. 20 kuai not too bad for one, 2 is a little too much. I have also got the kebab plate (32) which I thought was pretty good value and very filling with yummy fries.
The pizza looks pretty good too, haven't tried yet. The staff are very friendly and helpful too plus they have a big menu of alcoholic drinks. The place is also well presented with a good bar and nice atmosphere... even a guitar and monopoly upstairs!
Only bad thing was my 15 kuai hot chocolate... in a small cup and 2/3 full! I actually get better value than that in my country, where for about 20 kuai you could get a full hot chocolate in a big cup. Hmmm... me thinks they are making money on their drinks...
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blobbles
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tigertiger
February 10, 2011
6 reviews1 star: 1
3 stars: 2
5 stars: 1 -
Nice atmosphere
Donna kebab good, but pitta was not pitta.
Some specials not available, maybe too soon after holiday.
Coffee good, and wine by the glass is not local plonk.
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tigertiger
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DragonCat
February 5, 2011
4 reviews2 stars: 2
3 stars: 1
5 stars: 1 -
Slow bar tender service, food was not rocking at all, the salad had a lack of taste but by complaining so I got a better tasting dressing on top of the remains of my bowl. While paying I had to make sure that I pay the happy hour drinks and not the price from the menu, kind of strange.
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DragonCat
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tiger1986
January 24, 2011
2 reviews1 star: 1
5 stars: 1 -
I dont go their anymore for 3 main reasons :
- Poor quality of service although high prices
- Cheap quality of food or small portions for a very long time to get served (minimum 20 minutes whatever is the dish you order)
- Very tiny space and uncomfortable seats on 2nd floor.Morality : if you want to enjoy Italian food in a good looking environment, better go to Teresa on 文林街 or Rocco's on 正义路。
The star stands as this is the only place where you can find Kebab in Kunming (although the sauce is very far from standard Kebab taste)
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tiger1986
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jonny9
January 6, 2011
4 reviews0 stars: 1
1 star: 1
2 stars: 1
3 stars: 1 -
I had the pesto lasagna and a calzone.
The calzone was mediocre and the lasagna was sour and bit disgusting. I was surprised that there were no soups or pasta dishes. The service was terrible, which is respectable-I mean who likes being a waiter -right? And they certainly weren't mean. They were friendly.But that doesn't make me want to spend my money there, I mean they just totally forgot my order. The music was loud and noisy which would be OK if it was just down in the bar area-or if it had some kind of theme, rather than a random mix. I have a feeling the pizza is OK, and I didn't try the salad. And probably the non-Italian food is good. I ate much better Italian food in damp, dirty squats in Milano.
The food I ate wouldn't survive in NYC.
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jonny9
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peacelover
January 4, 2011
2 reviews5 stars: 1 -
my first meal in kunming was in the box , it was a warm place with friendly athmosphere , i love the food there , and what makes me go there is the kabab , but the quality of meat was not ok at all , since i used to own a restaurant and i know what is kabab , i,ll try to talk with Francesca about this matter and i,ll buy the real meat of making kabab just to show her the difference ... may god bless the box
tommy peace lover
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peacelover
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william15
December 21, 2010
7 reviews1 star: 1
3 stars: 2
4 stars: 1
5 stars: 3 -
Sorry about that but i wont go there anymore.. :(
This year 2010, i tried several times, and always disapointed..
- The food is not as stunning as people say.
- Prices are too expensive in my opinion
- Definitly not the friendliest bar in kunming....Kebabs are ok...
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william15
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Master Shake
November 23, 2010
3 reviews0 stars: 1
4 stars: 2
5 stars: 1 -
I like one of the new kebabs washed down with a Budvar beer.
The pizza is still holding its own against comers like As You Like. The Box's crust isn't as tasty, in my opinion, but it gains back ground with excellent sauce, cheese and toppings.
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Master Shake
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birdabroad
October 13, 2010
6 reviews3 stars: 2
4 stars: 1 -
I am sitting in the box right now. I have made my love for this place publicly known- but DAMN the service in this joint is slow. 40 minutes and we're still waiting for food?! 15 minutes for the wrong drink?! Get it together guys. My love is not unconditional.
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birdabroad
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Bernie
July 30, 2010
21 reviews1 star: 5
2 stars: 4
3 stars: 10
4 stars: 5 -
... antipasto ....
;-(
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Bernie
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m18371
July 4, 2010
24 reviews0 stars: 1
1 star: 1
2 stars: 4
3 stars: 12
4 stars: 10 -
The lasagna is okay and quite tasty but the table is much too low and I have to bend my body to eat it.... It's a good for a bar but no good for a restaurant....
And they have no fapiao....
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m18371
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Ian_Kunming
March 18, 2010
6 reviews4 stars: 1
5 stars: 4
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Ian_Kunming
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ohlson
November 8, 2009
10 reviews1 star: 1
2 stars: 4
3 stars: 5
5 stars: 1
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ohlson
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funkyreggae
October 22, 2009
9 reviews3 stars: 1
4 stars: 4
5 stars: 4 -
Great pizza. Great people. Great place to spend a laze afternoon. If only the consistency for pizza timing could go up, I'd happily give 5 stars.
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funkyreggae
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Andorra
October 8, 2009
17 reviews0 stars: 1
1 star: 1
2 stars: 7
3 stars: 6
4 stars: 2
5 stars: 1
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Andorra
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texinchina
August 10, 2009
1 reviews4 stars: 1 -
Quite a friendly staff, quite a nice place for chat, and yummy gelato...I'm well on my way to a freebie!
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texinchina
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invisible
July 7, 2009
27 reviews0 stars: 2
1 star: 8
2 stars: 2
3 stars: 3
4 stars: 6
5 stars: 3 -
Not a big place, but they managed to transform the lack of space into a comfy coziness. Music is ok, as is the drink menu, and the staff. One of the few places to use the internet for free for those you don't walk around and sleep with their laptop.
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invisible
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magentalisted
July 7, 2009
13 reviews1 star: 3
2 stars: 3
3 stars: 3
4 stars: 3 -
Just had a ginger tea here, which was nice and strong, although would have been even better with some tea leaves in addition to the ginger. Menu looked tempting, but alas, eating there wasn't meant to be this time. The visit would have been a lot more pleasant without the large, loud man sitting downstairs relaying his whole life story (in that slow, simplified English Hemingway once described) to what sounded like an unwitting victim next to him.
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magentalisted
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WeiXue
June 25, 2009
12 reviews3 stars: 4
4 stars: 8
5 stars: 1 -
Good for hanging out, drinking, and snacking. Thin crust pizza and sangria. Sounds like a fun night to me! :)
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WeiXue
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wo jiao dong dong
April 10, 2009
2 reviews5 stars: 2 -
wei wei wei, WAA.
wo jiao dong dong.
props to the box's latest resurrection, it has once again returned to its rightful status as a pillar of kunming's social, dining, and libation community--may it always thrive and prosper!
whehh. gei wo yi kuai qian. wo yao ke lao fu zay.
WAA.
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wo jiao dong dong
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hedgepig
April 9, 2009
10 reviews0 stars: 1
2 stars: 2
3 stars: 1
4 stars: 5 -
this place goes from strength to strength. new menu items, new renovation, reasonably priced drinks.
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hedgepig
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