Vapiano

Yesterday I have been to this self-service restaurant for the first time. I am quite like the idea that you can see what a chef cooked and participated directly to you.

Menu is not complicated and has enough to offer. My pasta dish with Crayfish and lobster sauce was very good.

It's a good place to pop in and have a light or heavy meal like pizza and pasta even just drink then carry on your shopping.

Just a concerned about glasses, they are very dirty! If staff can not provide clean glasses, they should offer a straw to customer.

Overall, simply the best concept!
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P W
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, October 13, 2011

Went here 2 weeks ago. The food itself I thought was very tasty, not michellin star tasty but pretty good. Had a delicious prawn pizza, lobster/crab pasta and a meat pasta. Nice Morretti beer.

My MAJOR gripe with this place was that I had to stand in queue for going on 20 minutes for the pasta! Ridiculous, they have a good system for pizza - eg, you order it, take a buzzer, then you collect it when it's ready, but it's no good because while everyone else is eating the pizza you're still stuck in the pasta line waiting to order!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps I had this problem as it was peak time on a saturday night, but even so I didn't think it was acceptable, considering it wasn't canteen prices.

I'll go back when I'm in the area, but never again on a saturday/friday night.
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Ben H
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Saturday, September 03, 2011

Tried Vapiano today on friend's recommendation, 4 of us went to Southwark branch. It was a little complex to understand with the card system first but we got a hang of it once the friend explained. Can make it spicy, creamy, add or remove veg, etc. so the dishes can be tailored to taste. The range is not vast and nothing new. But everybody was happy with their starters and we had a pizza to share. All of us liked our pastas..specifically the spelt ones. Only my partner didn't like his pasta saying he was quite disappointed as the sausage was cheap quality and there was no taste in the dish and though the figs combination was good, it still didn't rescue the dish. Starters and pizza were good but nothing special. Dessert range was small but all of us had Panacotta which was good. Overall, worth trying once and good atmosphere to hangout with friends.
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Roopa
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Went here with a few friends on a Sunday lunchtime, overall it was OK.

The decor and atmosphere is nice and comfortable, and it was pleasantly busy. However although the concept is interesting, in practice it all ends up a bit of a palava! Its sort of like a posh McDonalds. We all went up together to order food (leaving bags on the table, which was not ideal), but as we all ordered different things (pasta, salad etc) we all got back to the table at different times so ended up eating at different times so our food wouldnt go cold. I waited around 20mins at the service point for my pasta, which got very annoying as my friend was at the table ready to eat her salad. Then we had to rush over to the bar area (on the opposite side of the room) to grab a bottle of wine. By the time we were all sat down to eat we were exhausted!!

As for the food, the bruschetta was lovely, very flavoursome, but the salami and ricotta pasta with white wine sauce was very average, nothing special. Portions were generous though.

Prices were reasonable, my pasta was £8.10 and the bruschetta was £2.95 and the cheapest wine was only £11.95 for a bottle.

A good thing was after we had finished eating we stayed there for a few hours over wine and didnt at all feel awkward or rushed. And it was a nice place for a chat and drinks.

I may return but not with a big group, maybe just with one person if we were both getting the same thing for example.
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Martha
8 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, July 18, 2011

I consider Vapiano to be an absolute gem of a restaurant in every way.

Friendly staff greeted customers and you get given a card which you take with you to the various food areas (Pizza, Pasta, Desserts, Bar etc.). Whatever you purchase is added to the card and upon leaving, staff swipe this and you then pay. This is an incredibly simple process and it takes away the need to wait for a bill. Essentially, it is very efficient self-service.

After receiving the card, you decide what you want to eat and then go to the food areas to order. The area was lined with cooks and you can go up to any of them who then take the order and also make the food directly in front of you, so you can see exactly what goes into the dish. This is great as you can see how clean and fresh everything is. There is also a wide selection of pastas available and you can request any extra ingredients.

The cook was friendly and funny, and I was impressed even before I tried the food.

The food itself was exquisite. I have never tasted pasta so delicious. I'd like to point out that the pasta is made freshly and in full view of customers which is another nice touch.

I ordered a Pasta Africa which had figs, berries, red wine, ostrich and a few other bits and bobs. Sounds random, right? Well it was a fantastic combination, topped off with delicious parmesan and fresh basil.

I had little room for dessert but was curious to know whether it would live up to the standard of the pasta. I thought it couldn't possibly get better but I was wrong. I had a cheesecake which comes in a glass cup. It was one of the best cheesecakes I have ever had (and this is coming from a big cheesecake fan who has tried a wide variety throughout the world!).

The actual building is spacious, with nicely lit tables, and the atmosphere was perfect - buzzing but not loud. The background music was also a great touch, and I noticed a sign offering customers more information on the music which can also be purchased.

As for the price - it came out to just under £15 for the pasta dish, a drink and a dessert - fantastic value for what is an absolute quality meal of a 5 star restaurant in my opinion.

In conclusion, this is a fabulous and fun place to eat, and I'm surprised I've only just discovered it. I urge everyone to go visit (and no, I don't work for Vapiano although you might think I do!). Try it for yourself and you'll see what I mean.
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Tanya
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, October 10, 2010

This place is worth a try if you are in the area otherwise it's quite unremarkable.

As some people have noted the ordering of food can be confusing and time consuming. When we went, we had to wait quite a while for the freshly prepared pasta. Some queues can take a while and if you are unlucky (some staff are a lot more experienced then others) you could end up waiting for 30 minutes. The food itself is ok, the pastas are stodgy maybe a bit like German food.

The place is also very noisy, with screaming kids running around - upstairs is a bit better.

When we wanted to pay we ended up waiting in another queue.

Go when it's quieter otherwise prepare for a school dining expeience.
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Dutch_Food - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Sunday, September 13, 2009