Great Southern Box Company — Restaurant in Orlando

Overpriced and Disappointing Experience at The Great Southern Box Company

Review:

I recently visited The Great Southern Box Company in Orlando with my wife, eager to explore this new addition to the food market after seeing some enticing posts on Instagram. While the venue itself is structurally impressive and has a vibrant atmosphere, our dining experience was unfortunately a major letdown, mainly due to the inflated prices and a billing issue.

Disappointing Food Experience: We decided to try Kayos Jamaican Grill. I ordered the curried goat with white rice, sweet plantains, coleslaw, and mac & cheese, which cost $21.00. My wife ordered the oxtails with white rice, sweet plantains, spring salad, and steamed cabbage for $25.00. Sadly, both meals were overpriced for the quality and portion size. The curried goat was bland and lacked the robust flavor I expected, and I couldn’t finish it. My wife felt similarly about her oxtails, and much of our meals ended up in the trash.

Overcharged and Confusing Fees: In addition to the disappointing food, we encountered issues with our bill. We were charged for two extra drinks we didn’t order, adding $5.25 to our total. Here’s a breakdown of the costs:

• 2 Diet Pepsi: $6.00 • 1 Bottle of Aquafina Water: $2.25 • 1 Beef Patty: $4.50 • Dessert at Kabab 2 Go (Kunefe): $10.29

Beyond these charges, we also encountered unexpected fees, including a “common fee,” which seemed to be for the upkeep and maintenance of the facility—a surprising and unwelcome addition to our bill.

Final Cost: The total for our meal came to $88.14, which included the following additional charges:

• FL State Tax: $3.53 • FL County Tax: $0.29 • Tip at Kayos Jamaican Grill: $10.78

This was significantly more than we anticipated spending for a casual dining experience, especially considering the quality of the food.

Conclusion: While The Great Southern Box Company might have a promising atmosphere and a variety of food options, our experience was marred by overpriced dishes and unexpected charges. I would advise potential visitors to be cautious of the costs and to double-check their bills before leaving. Unfortunately, this was not the enjoyable experience we were hoping for, and we left feeling disappointed and...

My family and I love to try new food and beverage places. We have our “ go-to’s” but always like to see what else is out there and if we like them, try to recreate the menu and drink items at home and then share with friends at home and also show them our new found locations to hit… The location is in an up and coming area. Lots of young adults but also mixed in with families. We even had the Grinch show up to (funny) startle/ scare the crap out of one of my family members with his bicycle horn - squeezed it behind her😊… he also was very gentle and sweet with the little ones… it was an event called Grinchmas in July… The place is an enlarged food court with a bar in the middle. It has a big outdoor area with tables, awnings, games, etc- looks to be beautiful on nice weather days and evenings… Lots of parking along street and in large ramp…huge apartment buildings in construction phase (hopefully retail on bottom) just across the street…. We tried Fui Yo Mexicana to grab a bite and ordered their birria tacos (2 beef, 1 chicken)- GREAT BIRRIA TACOS! and the sauce to dip them in… this owner/operator was walking around the bar area to check on patrons and we told him that we loved his food… I ordered a few drinks at the bar. Ordered an old fashioned, and my wife ordered a Sauvignon Blanc, daughter water. Wine was a decent pour, the old fashioned was just poured- not created.. the bar was average busy, not crazy and they had 3 bartenders - maybe need a 4th or 3 seasoned hospitality bartenders. I had to ask for a garnish. With the right bartenders that could really make a difference as well as maybe 1 or 2 servers walking around picking up some drink order overflow. There was a nice staff member walking around picking up empties and clearing off tables to keep it looking clean.. I wish the place were a little wider so it didn’t feel so much like a food court and more like a food hall… There are many different foods there to try. We enjoyed the place and will return with friends. I’d recommend giving it a try - have a small bite at 2 or 3 different places, enjoy friends and a few cocktails… check out what events they have - it looks like it will grow into a very popular neighborhood “Go-To” 4.5...

Great Southern Box Company is by far one of the best food halls in Central Florida - we first went on their opening day and have gone back many times since. Such an extensive list of world cuisines, and REALLY GOOD examples of these types of cuisines! If you’re wanting a place where you can try Jamaican, Nepali, Lebanese, sushi, Mexican, Italian, and many other food all at the same time, you need to check this place out. It’s pretty expensive, but you get what you pay for…it’s a very upscale place and I think the price can be justified in most scenarios. What I think a lot of people do at these places is order way more than they should - if you take it easy and order from one place at a time, you’ll find you can have a very nice meal at a good price. Plus, you don’t have to tip anything because there is a service fee included already.

Our favorites here (that we’ve tried so far) are the Jamaican place, Cuban place, Stack’d Brownies, Nepali place, and Mexican/taco spot. We haven’t tried everything yet so it’s possible some might be even better. The oxtail at the Jamaican place - Kayos - is AMAZING (definitely order this), pretty much anything at A Lo Cubano (especially their sweet plantains) is really good, birria at Fui Yo Mexicana is quite good (not the very best in Orlando, but better than most), and Stack’d Brownies is INCREDIBLE…probably the best spot here. Absolutely save room for some of their brownies because they will change your life!!

The only place we really don’t recommend is Rajdhani Express - there are a lot of other better Indian restaurants in Orlando (specifically on South OBT if you want to look there) so just don’t come specifically for Indian. Nepali, sure, but not Indian. However, we only got food from there once so it could’ve been an off day. Still, I would absolutely recommend coming to this food hall because there really is nothing like it in Orlando! Can’t wait...