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Brunch, dinner, snacks and cocktails at this charming second-floor cafe on Yongfu Lu. LaBella is a venue for all occasions. Weekly events include live music, open micChill Out Sessions Thursday, Jazz Funk Friday Night, Open Mic Night Saturday. Try their super strong, very authentic Sangria.
It doesn't really work for me... Functionality wise, the seats and benches are too uncomfortable for lounging, and not suited for dining or eating either. It inserts a bar space, but then you are sitting in the waiter-traffic lane. The music is always too loud, intruding on your conversations. Food is so-so. It is not bad, but for the price they charge it would be expected to have a more memorable experience. Sure, the space is great and the staff is super-nice (go pinoy!). We gave this place three tries, but felt it was more like strike-3-you're out.
It doesn't work when you try to be everything at once - cuz you end up being nothing at all. The mix of coffee corner slash restaurant slash bar slash club slash what-not is just not convincing.
Although this place looks great, the food and service is highly disappointing! A grilled piece of chicken on a bed of salad was more than 60 kuai? Considering how cheap chicken is in the stores this just feels overwhelming! But the overpriced food is not the worse: the wait is! Everytime I am there I have to wait for at least 50 minutes for my food! Basically I have now stopped going because my lunch is 1 hour and everytime I went I got back late. The wait staff are great, big smiles and nice, but I really wonder what's going on in that kitchen of theirs? I waited for 50 minutes for a pasta, and we all know that most pasta boils in 10 minutes... Fair enough if the food was something special but it really isn't and during lunch time they should try and speed up!
La Bella's best feature is its space. Airy, bright and welcoming. Food & drink is a little overpriced IMHO. Definitely a good place to while away an hour or so on their WiFi, meeting with friends for breakfast or lunch.
crikey
I finally found a place I like to hang out in. Free Wifi, chill environment with lots of space to stretch out, good place to meet up with friends. They have the basics which is enough for me. It sort of feels like an escape from craziness of the city hidden on the second floor of a quiet street. I'm very comfortable there. My only complaint is that they close too early in the evening, but I heard from the waitress that they are about to extend their hours.
I have to disagree, I found the food to be rather bland and the cappuccino tasted as if it came out of a sachet. As the reviewer mentioned the atmosphere is not quite comfy and not quite chic. Still, the service was fantastic and it is nice to have a neighborhood coffee shop worth going to. Hopefully the quality will improve over time!
What a great little place. An eclectic crowd, tasteful decorating, great location, and entertaining management add up to a delightful new cafe and bar and make LaBella a fun place to spend an evening--or a morning. The drink selection is excellent and the food is even better; features include daily fresh-baked German bread, great coffee, and a traditional English breakfast offered for brunch on the weekends that is just what the doctor ordered for the morning after. Visitors to China will find English speakers on staff and a wide selection of languages to choose from among the customers. Not too expensive, not too loud, not too quiet, not too big, not too small, LaBella is just right and a great hangout spot for frequent visitors (the regulars are a particularly interesting crowd). Strongly recommended to locals and visitors alike!
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