RESOBOX
“The cafe was closed but the event was held in the same room as the World Amigurumi Exhibition.”
“We also ordered the Matcha Latte with Azuki and Azuki Latte from the drink menu, which were yummy and not too sweet – just right.”
“The miso ramen is delicious and not salty at all.”
RESOBOX
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Resobox is cozy and offers a lot of in terms of Japanese culture. It's not hard to get here by train and there's street parking.
I came here for a sake tasting, where 4 sakes were given to try and 4 foods were provided to pair with the sakes. It was fun to guess which was a better match with the sake. During the sake tasting, there was also a presentation to inform you of toshimaya sake which was founded in 1596! That's a very long time ago.
Rin, who is the great great (many times)… grandson of the owner of Toshimaya did the presentation and was very informative. He made sure that the whole group was involved. As a result, the one hour sake tasting flew by really quickly.
The food that was provided was duck, bamboo, tuna, and scallops. Everything tasted pretty good, especially the scallop, which was very fresh.
I come here for lunch about once a month. Their ramen is pretty standard, and while I wouldn't come here to satisfy a ramen craving for dinner, for lunch, it's totally workable. I've had their hitsumabushi as well, but it seems to be packaged more like unagi-don, because there's no broth to pour into it. It's way less satisfying than most hitsumabushi I've had, and more expensive than many unagi-don I've tried. The best thing I've had so far has been the kitsune udon, and that's what I'd recommend if you're coming here for the first time.
Service can be a little pokey, but the people who work there are very nice. They also have some tasty desserts, which I don't take advantage of enough!
As a gallery, I personally find the art hit or miss. I love the amigurumi exhibit they've got right now, but the previous one was a little strange for me. I recognize that art is pretty subjective, though. That doesn't take away from this clearly being a community gathering place, and a nice place to sit and catch up with friends over lunch.
I really like the off the beaten path location of this Japanese cafe, which is a part of the cultural center. The service was very accommodating and friendly.
My lady and I ordered: Azuki float, Salmon Donburi, and a Miso Ramen.
The float definitely had that azuki taste but we probably would not order it again, guess it didn't float our boats. My lady had the Salmon Donburi (marinated salmon over rice), she felt it was too simple, and we both agreed such a small serving of salmon, like an 80-20 ratio of rice to fish. Hmm
Now for my Miso Ramen, which I subbed out chicken for Pork (thanks for doing that guys). I found it tasty and would order it again based on flavor, but the price would keep me from doing so. My ramen measuring stick is Naruto Ramen (Upper east side) I like it simple (not like Nissin ramen) and relatively inexpensive. $7-11. The Ramen I ordered was $13 – chotto takai!
Overall this cafe seems like it is a part of something larger but on it's own the food does not stand up to the prices for the value offered.
I am tempted to return to check out the desserts and the cultural center.
This review is for the Ikebana (flower arrangements) class on 7/16/16. I came here with a group of girlfriends because we thought a 1.5 hour class for $20 + $8 materials fee was a deal. Hmmmm…. Questionable.
The instructor seemed knowledgeable, but couldn't speak English AT ALL. She couldn't answer any of our questions. We were basically stuck with a diagram with Japanese words spelled out in English. Well, good luck doing flower arrangements! That was the entire class.
The instructor walked around trying to help people but to be honest I really didn't understand what we were doing. We simply cut the flowers and branches and did our best to follow the diagram.
Thankfully my friends and I made the most out of it and took tons of selfies but we walked out of the class not learning anything new. We got to keep the flowers at least.
Overall, it was a fun way to spend a morning, but I'm not sure that I would recommend the class to anyone. If you're in the area and want to check it out, go right ahead but please don't go out of your way for the class.
I had been here before at an event, but I admit it's been awhile. Since it had taken this long, it was only fair that I'd drop in while unbeknownst to me, the World Amigurumi Exhibition was there. Literally hundreds lined the walls, windows, ceilings (available for purchase). A cute cafe/art center in LIC makes for a compelling argument to visit any time of year 4.5/5.0
Strolled in one evening after a burger dinner at nearby Baroness. I was looking for a caffeinated pick-me-up. I always knew Resobox was here and made the mad dash over in the windy cold winter night for some matcha. The menu now includes food, which is a departure from the earlier days when all that was available were drinks and art. Good to know!
Upon browsing the menu, it was clear we were going to have a matcha good time. Lattes all around! Although it may have taken a while, it was worth it. We spent a bulk of that time looking at all the cute pieces adorning the walls. My matcha latte was perfect, rivaling many of the cafes (that shall remain nameless) in the city. Resobox warrants further exploration of the menu as I plan to return to LIC/Astoria more often.
I was able to attend an intimate Sake tasting hosted by Resobox and Tokyo's Toshimaya sake brewery on the evening of 3/16. (Thanks Christina P and Yelp for getting me in!)
Resobox is a small venue right off the Queensboro Plaza subway station (literally half a block). The cafe was closed but the event was held in the same room as the World Amigurumi Exhibition. Imagine sipping sake and mingling under strings of cute crochet toys from all around the world! They're for sale with the larger than life size bubble tea ($90) and Apple Watch ($45). I like how they indicate on the price tags whether or not the toy is baby safe. Resobox is also a cultural center and they regularly host cooking classes and special events.
Their 3/16 event kicked off with Kikizake, a fun blind tasting game. We sampled 4 different sakes, labeled A B C and D and tried to match them to their description and ideal food partner. They all had a light and pleasant aroma but with unique tastes. Then Rin from Toshimaya presented the sake to us one by one and with Chef Kita, we drank more sake and paired each one up with food (scallop, duck breast, tuna, and bamboo shoots)! I love how they paired a sweet and light sake with the scallop carpaccio. The sake and braised duck breast pairing enhanced the duck flavor. The pairing with the bamboo shoots and seaweed gave it a very nice umami and miso-soup flavor. The tuna was flavorful but a little too spicy for me.
Rin also gave us a brief history of Toshimaya, introduced us to their baby dragon mascot: Rita-chan, who is featured on every RITA bottle, and hosted a trivia game. Brian, a fellow yelper, won the most points from the Kikizake and trivia games (woooot congrats!) and is now 1 of the 2 proud owners in the USA with a Toshimaya apron! We additionally received a sake shot glass for uploading a photo on Instagram. There was plenty of sake to go around and end the night. Everyone from Toshimaya and Resobox was very sweet and hospitable. I felt like I was back in Japan! :')
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The four sake from the event:
— Junmai Shu "RITA" Pure Green — paired with any type of food, usually side dishes
— Junmai Dai Ginjyou "RITA" — my favorite (sweet and light, apple flavor), paired with fish
— Junmai Dai Ginjyou "DAI-RITA" — highest grade of sake (dry aftertaste)
— Okunokami — recommended as an aperetif to be drank before or after a meal
Amigurumi, you irresistible creatures that I hate to crochet but love to admire, why do you have such powerful magic? When I am around you, I feel the unmistakable swish of my banknotes leaving my wallet quickly, or the phish of my credit card! If Rich W. weren't a friend of mind, I might think his tip on the World Amigurumi Exhibition was a ploy to test my resolve.
Resobox is a gallery that showcases Japanese art, and amigurumi started with the Japanese who have become the masters of crochet. It's not possible to describe how cute many of these little critters are. And as a knitter and crocheter, I can appreciate how complicated some of the designs shown actually are to make. This was a five star exhibit with countless critters that I didn't even have the time to pore over. The amigurumi hanging from the walls and ceiling are all for sale, ranging from inexpensive to steep, based on the work involved. You would be surprised at how some of the smaller ones are pricier than the larger models. Some are recognizable creatures, like bees and even a minataur. If you've ever worked with steel hooks and fine thread, you would understand why. As if these creatures weren't enticing enough for my wallet, the staff here are so nice you want to buy something. And it's not difficult to, even if you don't want amigurumi. Resobox has food, from a really good miso soup to sushi to noodles. The place is clean and small enough to give it a homey feel. There are tables to eat your food if you are inclined to stay. Resobox also has classes in Japanese crafts, including the amigurumi if you are inclined to try it out yourself.
A nice spot to look at some niche crafts and get a bite also.
Interior: lovely, artsy, simple, spacious
Service: very good!
FOOD:
_ AZUKI BEAN FLOAT ($4.50)
Blended azuki beans, ice cubes, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Not much flavor or sweetness. Doesn't need to be sweeter buy would prefer ice cubes blended instead of being cubed.
_ MATCHA GREEN TEA SMOOTHIE ($4?)
Friend's smoothie was very banana-y. There was no mention of banana so it would be bad if someone who is allergic to it ordered it. Was more of a banana flavor than matcha which would be fine with me but not what my friend wanted. Perhaps giving the option to use almond or soy milk would be better? There is a separate Matcha Banana smoothie… Not sure if that was given instead? Friends switched for the Matcha Latte which she liked better.
_ SALMON RICE BOWL w/miso soup ($10.50)
Not much flavor at all, very simple. Would be better if salmon were marinated, and if the dish were served with ginger and wasabi which you can ask for. Lots of rice, 2:1 rice to fish ratio so maybe the rice lovers would like that?
_ MISO RAMEN ($13)
Thick noodles were tasty. Bamboo shoots tasted funny (we know what it should taste like but sometimes they taste funky). Like that there's butter in it. Date said it "was fine, nothing spectacular."
Planning to return to try their knitting/crocheting classes. For food it's a maybe. Again, service was gr8.