Vapiano

GREAT PLACE. Great concept too. real low maintenance. They explain what is it upon walking in and they don’t bother you again. I loved it. Great food also You watch them make it in front of you. Almost like a chipotle.

I seriously love this place in Southbank London.
Fresh pasta dishes prepared in front of you — proper Italian style pizzas.
Some might find the dining style to be odd. You have to carry around these cards where the chefs preparing your food add the totals to your account — and then you close out and pay upon exit. I don’t mind it except your party will need to secure a table or dining area and send party members up to the chef queues to order the food — otherwise your group might be carrying around trays of food with nowhere to sit.
The format and quality of the food for the value tho is outstanding.
I only don’t give 5 stars because the cocktails are lacking. If you want beer or wine fine — but order a cocktail and get ready to drink something a bit below what you would find at a mall restaurant bar.

Vapiano is an open plan restaurant specialising in Italian food.
There are no waiters, instead you get given a card and every time you want something you go to a station and they swipe your card. When you go to leave present your card at the desk.
They make fresh pasta daily and they have a range of interesting specials. I chose the salssica con ficci (£9.95), sausage with fresh figs, as I wanted to see what this combination would be like; it was pleasant but the spiciness from the sausage and sauce did not let the sweet notes of the fig shine through.
They also do a great veggie pizza of spinach and pesto.
Rounded off the meal with a dessert of pannacotta (£4.50) with an eye-​catching red top of coulis. The perfect end to the meal!

Vapiano is a bright and breezy open plan restaurant specialising in Italian food. There are no waiters, instead you get given a card and every time you want something you go to a station and they swipe your card. When you go to leave present your card at the desk. Simples!
We kicked off with a grande plate of antipasti of Proscuitto tipo Parma, salami, pepperoni, roasted vegetables, homemade pesto, Grana Padano D.O.P, buffalo mozzarella, bruschetta (£10.95). Meat and cheese what’s not to love?!
They make their pasta fresh daily and they have a range of interesting specials. I chose the salssica con ficci £9.95, sausage with fresh figs, as it sounded unusual. I thought the pasta had a nice bite to it but unfortunately the delicate sweetness of the fig was overwhelmed by the spicy sausage. It was still tasty though and you do get a giant portion!
More of the spicy sausage showed up on the next course of pizza. I was starting to get very full at this point so just took a tiny nibble. I knew dolci would be coming and I wanted to save space!
I was wise to do so because then ALL the desserts arrived. Before you worry for our arteries we shared these between us. My favourites were the pannacotta £4.50 with a dramatic red top of coulis and the ciccholata foresta nera £4.50, an Italian take on black forest gâteau but made with Nutella, which I am bound to love as it is my favourite spread in the whole wide world (speculous runs it a close second). Be warned most of the desserts feature cream heavily so if you are with a non dairy lover pick carefully. Luckily our resident non dairy fan Alex was adept at tunnelling through the cream to get to the chocolate underneath!

Very delicious pizza, salads, and bread. I tried a friend’s pasta dish and was equally impressed! The service was also über impressive here. Definitely coming back on my next trip across the pond!

Yum food with clean and open eating environment ! They have plants on the table and you can eat those too! Haha dessert is great as well !

My second time visiting Vapianos and I enjoyed the experience very much. I had grilled king prawn pasta and it was absolutely delicious and very filling!
On arrival, you are given a card. The card is used to add your order. It’s pretty much self service where you go to the counter to personalise your meal and it is cooked in front of you.
Easy, efficient and tasty what more could you ask for?

Cooked to the way you like it and fun to figure out. The atmosphere is fun and the food is amazing. I am only bummed that we found this place on our last night.

Quite possibly the worst pizza I’ve ever had. Stewed vegetables on toasted dough, it was how I imagine a microwaved frozen pizza would be. I’ve honestly had better at home, and you would almost certainly do better at any takeaway pizza joint. The card system they have in place to order and pay for it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever; I really don’t understand what they’re trying to achieve here. We eat out a lot, and this is the first review I’ve felt compelled to write. Says it all, right?

I don’t really care for the gimmicky style of ordering here: the diner is given a card and then goes up to one of the food stations to order. This would be less of an issue if the host/​hostess explained the system upon arrival, but communication here is minimal. We were handed a card and basically left to our own devices, all the while wondering who would be taking our order.
Eventually, we flagged down a staff member who explained the system to us, and at long last we were able to order some food. We got a pizza to share, which would have been great if the toppings weren’t all set on one side of the pizza, and if we hadn’t had practically to fight with the cook to get a second dish.
All in all, not a fan of the concept, and it needs much better communication to actually work.

As a general rule, I try to avoid Italian restaurants. There’s nothing new there, it’s difficult for a restaurant to do anything which is memorable and most of them are chain pizza or pasta venues. So when I was taken to Vapiano, I was very much skeptical that it would be any good.
But my was I mistaken — on entering, the first thing I noticed were the indoor plants, high ceilings with lots of natural light coming in and large tables spaced generously apart. You’re given a card onto which you charge all the food and drink you buy, which makes this place perfect for groups. And then there are all the chefs at each station, making the dishes right in front of you, with skill and ease.
And the best bit — it tastes pretty great. I was hypnotised watching fresh pasta being made in a huge pasta-​making machine, and then being stacked on a shelf ready to be cooked up. I opted for a spinach and scallops with tagliatelle, which was cooked and seasoned beautifully. Though the menu lacks imagination, what they do do, they seem to do well.
The staff were all very friendly and helpful, and although they didn’t serve Fanta, I thoroughly enjoyed the food and the experience, and for a chain restaurant, this was a good place to go out to. Also, jelly bears on your way out — oh yes.

If you are looking for a good Italian restaurant for lunch or dinner make sure you check this one out. From their home made pasta they cook right in front of you to your exact specifications (fans of customisation will love this) to their delicious pizzas, this is definitely the place to visit. I definitely recommend the salami and ricotta pasta as well as the classic carbonara (which tastes like no other!).

This is a fairly good place, with regards to food. Great, open space and the whole ordering process is quite interesting.
I’d also say it’s quite expensive, just like everything else in London, for the services it provides.
We ordered the pizza with the fig and it was marvelous, cooked to perfection.
My penne with tomato and mozzarella just weren’t up to par– a bit tasteless.
The ambiance did help though:)
Will keep in mind when wanting a quick dinner nearby.

Vapiano is a sort of twist on the Mongolian Barbecue concept with set choices. When you arrive you are given contactless cards on which you accrue what you’ve spent as you go to various stations to order pizza, pasta, salad and drinks.
You choose where you sit and we had to hunt around for a couple of places being it was a Saturday night.
We came for pizzas and chose of the menu.
Ordering which was quick and simple and you’re given a pager which goes off when your order is ready. Salad had to be ordered from another station which was mixed and dressed fresh in front of you while you wait.
Sitting down allowed my partner to go get some drinks.
The Pizzas were above good and the salad was plentiful.
The Pasta dishes seems to be the favourite amongst the many who were there with a range of fresh pasta’s to chose from and sauces. The portions looks plentiful.
If you simply want to eat out and chill in good company this possibly isn’t the place for you but some of you will love the interactive concept and watching your dishes being made fresh in front of you albeit you standing around.

This is one of our pay day lunch eateries. If you’re after good, fresh, tasty pasta this is the place for you!
It’s a little confusing the first time you visit as they give you a credit size card to load what you ordered onto which you then pay off at the end, there are lots of stations you queue at for pizza or pasta and then you choose the type of pasta you want, what flavours you want and then if you want chilli and garlic added, cheese on top and free slices of ciabatta. Once you’ve been once it’s really simple!
They cook the pasta in front of you whilst you wait. It’s pretty quick once you get to the front of the queue but means it’s really fresh.
Today I went for the campanelli pasta (why have penne or fusilli you often have at home when there’s other shapes?!) with bolognese, extra garlic and chilli, cheese on top and bread on the side. My colleague went for the scampi e spinachi with fusilli pasta… which she always goes for as it’s apparently very good!
I’ve never had pizza here so not sure what it’s like but I definitely recommend the pasta. It’s very busy at lunch time and it’s not ‘fast food’ but it’s tasty, large portions and reasonable value for money. They also do take away and the boxes the pasta comes in to take out is brilliant for re-​using (it’s large and very sturdy to keep washing and re-​using!).
Do pay a visit if you’re hungry and passing a Vapiano.

Les meilleures pastas!
Le service est de qualité, les prix sont raisonnables…
Enjoy!

There are two type of people in the world: those who cant’t extrapolate…
Anyway, last night, I was almost passing out from hunger after a particularly hardcore running session in the gym followed by a trip to my estate agent (more on that, later), when I somehow stumbled across Vapiano on Southark Street.
The venue looks quite nice, loads of rustic wood and, actually my favourite thing about it, little plants on each of the tables — rather pleasant.
My idea of having a salad went out the window when I saw the pizzas and decided, well my stomach decided, that I had to have one.
Vapiano is a ‘fast-​food’ restaurant where you go to each the various pasta/​pizza/​antipasti counters and order, take the red vibrating thingy (wey-​hey!!) and then patienty (!) wait for it to start vibrating.
I didnt really like this method of service because, it kinda reminded me of being at the school/​work canteen and also a bit like a cruise ship — basically, anything canteen-​y.
When my pizza arrived, it was however, tasty though a little subdued on the toppings’ flavours, though I did like the sauce and the fact that my slices didnt fall apart when I picked them (none of the cutlery stuff for an animal like me).
They have a bar waaaay round the corner which has some good beers (hmmm…beer), and I would say the whole place is reasonably priced.
So why only three stars? I dont know, just seems right to me, I mean, it’s ‘A-​ok’.

I’ve eaten in Vapiano a few times over the past year or two. Mainly as its round the corner from the london office and folk seem to like it.
I actually remembered to take pictures this time and get around to reviewing it.
This place is slightly confusing on entering. You get a credit card thrusted at you on entrance. Then you find multiple sections on pizza or pasta. Depending on what you want to order. You then aimlessly join one of the queues with the least folk in it, just to realise that’s the slowest one!
Pick your order, what pasta you want and any extras. Then it’s freshly cooked for you. Simples as that!
I went for a tomato pesto with pine nuts and chicken over linguine pasta. You get ciabatta bread thrown in for good measure.
I had to wait around ten minutes, so this ain’t no fly in and out lunch places. It is delicious though… But I always regret carbing it up like this at a lunchtime. I need an afternoon nap!
What does niggle me and why I won’t give it five stars,. it’s disorganised chaos at lunchtime. They really need to figure out a better method and implement it. That’s why I don’t make this my first choice for lunch. I simply don’t have an hour to kill!
Other times of day are okay and you really do need to try a pizza here. So light and crispy. Really darn tasty!
So all in all, waiting a while is its achilles heel, but if you have the time you won’t regret it.
You Gotta Eat Here — For Sure! :-D

Oh, it’s a chain. I didn’t come all the way to London to eat in a chain, did I? Yes, yes I did. but not by intention. Jamie W. and I passed by this contemporary-​looking place which seemed to me like an appropriate dining option close to the Tate Modern (photo:
). It’s right across the street from the citizenM Bankside where we were staying. And yes, that’s part of a chain, too. So I was willing to overlook the commercial aspect of the venture and let ourselves be served. But wait, we need a «chip» card to order? Is this an ATM now? Is this the return of the Horn & Hardart Automat? No, we’re told to go to the various food stations to order our food thus cutting out the need for a waitstaff (photo:
). Really? But she worked hard for the money, so hard for it, honey.
So it’s sort of like a cafeteria but fancier. Why am I not surprised this is a concept based in Germany? No personal warmth, just efficiency, Mein Herr. Jamie and I both went to the pasta station since we weren’t quite in the mood for pizza. You get your choice of noodle, so he went for his perennial choice, Pappardelle with Bolognese Sauce for £ 7.95 (photo:
). I went for Pappardelle too but with Salsiccia con Ficci (Italian sausage with figs) for £ 9.95. Both were hearty portions and surprisingly tasty given the production-​line approach taken here. We also split a £ 6.50 Insalata Cesare (Caesar salad to all you non-​cosmopolitan types who love their chains). It was fine, fairly generic but fresh (photo:
). Locals appear to like it, so why should this curmudgeonly tourist spoil their fun?
FOOD — 3 stars… pretty good considering how the assembly line doesn’t give much room for culinary flair
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… spacious communal tables and an upscale modern veneer
SERVICE — 3 stars… a bit on automatic pilot since they expect you to know the routine
TOTAL — 3 stars… I’m just a link in a chain but I still had a solid, rib-​sticking pasta meal

For 10 quid, a steal. Popular with college students on a budget according to brother.
I’m not a pasta fan, and find them generally uninspiring. However the pasta here was good enough and I might order it again.
Pizza was excellent, thin crispy crust, extremely fresh ingredients. I liked the seafood and white shrimp pizza; well balanced, no one ingredient dominated.
Try it!

Yeahiiiiiiiii! Vapiano gefunden.
Wenn man plötzlich einen unglaublichen Heißhunger auf einen Shrimp Salad bekommt, die Sonne schon längst schlafen gegangen ist und man sich auch noch in London befindet, dann gibt es fast nur noch eine Rettung: DAS VAPIANO!
So wurde ich des Glückes Freundin, als ich spät am Abend ein Vapiano in der Nähe meines Hotels entdeckte und meinem Magen eine abendliche Shrimp-​Salat-​Befriedigung erlaubte. Wie immer war das Personal ziemlich locker, freundlich und fit und so machte ich es mir mit meinem Salat und einem Weinchen gemütlich und dankte Serendipity für den schönen Ausklang eines sehr anstrengenden Tages.

Vapiano. The Italian run by Germans should be a tagline. Delicious Italian food with Germany engineered experience and efficiency.
Upon entering you’re given a card then you head to the counter you’d like to purchase from. These are split by food type, Pizza, Pasta and… I forget… ANYWAY…You choose what you want then your card is scanned and you’re given a buzzer that will tell you when your food is ready. You choose a seat and bam, wait for your food to be cooked.
I must admit I’ve only had the pizza here, but literally everything looks good. The pizzas have a nice thin crust with light toppings. You won’t feel heavy or greasy after leaving. A nice touch is that there are fresh basil plants all over the place ready to pick and put on your food. Water is free from jugs at the drinks counter (but again you need to get it yourself, as there is no service here, however nor is there a service charge… great right?)
Anyways, remember that card they scanned? Well that has a record of what you ate, and you pay with this at the till on leaving. Note the delicious german gummi sweets on leaving and take as many as possible without receiving a raised eyebrow :)
A fantastic experience.