Service terrible food tasteless No interaction with service not recommended no go beets were good read more

Vapiano - Beets - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

Mom wasn't feeling so hot so I popped in around 4:30 pm to grab something hot and comforting for her. I picked the carbonara with chicken for takeaway. Great choice. Waiting about 15 minutes, no problem as it was getting busy. Given a bag with everything you need to eat in a hotel. Delivered hot and fresh, plentiful for sure. Also given bread. No complaints great favor, great serving size, priced right. Any combo of pasta you can image - fusilli, penne, zoodles even. You can mix and match your pasta and sauces / extra. Great salad choices and pizzas. AND RISOTTO! About 11 -15 per entrée. I would recommend and definitely come back. This location has modern interior and lends itself to noise.. just FYI. Kids menu, wine and beer read more

Vapiano - Main dining - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

Pasta was terrific and was exactly what we were looking for! We went there twice while we were

Came again for the GAMBERETTI E SPINACI, and it was just as good as the first time I had it! Their food is standardly good and the service is quick! read more

Vapiano - GAMBERETTI E SPINACI - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

It's actually hard for me specify the impact this particular establishment has had on my experience in London, but I'll try: there is no easier nor better place to arrange a large gathering of people, in the heart of downtown, than this place. Without every requiring reservations nor specifying the total table size - this spot provides everything a la carte (and provides you with a card to use for easier check out in the end). E.G. I invited 30+ people to meet me at this location (just a stone throw away from Oxford Circus underground stop) without requiring any RSVPs. It worked out beautifully - people came and left as they pleased, ordering from the bar. Fresh pasta, pizza, salads, desserts and drinks are all offered throughout this location. There's also a delicious appetizer dish (meant for two people) with an array of cheeses, olives, bruschetta and meats that I highly recommend. Guaranteed you'll bring this bad boy to the table and make everyone jealous. Prices are very affordable and you don't have to depend upon waiting staff. Within walking distance of soho and Piccadilly Circus, too. A win all-around.. read more

Vapiano - Appetizer meant for 2 - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

The prices are good and the homemade pasta pushes this place over the top. While it falls short of what you'll find in Naples, this is a fantastic Italian place in London with rich sauces, a friendly staff and a classy atmosphere that is still relaxed. The preferred method of ordering is online, but the place provides free WiFi so international visitors don't need to worry about roaming charges. Good Italian in London? Look no further. read more

This is where young whipper snappers go to find other young snappers to mess around with. Definitely a social club where females bat eyelashes and male flash money in hopes of finding someone to match their energy. I was just hungry and a colleague of mine recommended the places as a good for groups dinner spot. The three stars is literally because the servers will do anything to make sure you're in good hands. Including running to the kitchen to get chilly flakes and seasoning salts. The food is blanD. Or maybe just the pasta. With covid, everything is order online and pay and have the food served to your table. Fine. Except by the time you've finished ordering online, you're pretty much ready to say forget it and leave. It's no ones fault as that's the norm now but still, if you don't know what you want ahead of time, be prepared to look at you're phone for 20 minutes trying to decide what to do. Then an additional 40 minutes for you food to be served. Gaberetti was the biggest miss for me. I didn't ask for any substitutes or alternatives. Ordered exactly how it's suppose to come and it had no seasoning. Not even salt. Luckily our server was nice enough to run back and grab a few things to sorta entertain the idea of eating our meal. Lastly, just bring your own big bottle of volvic water because £2.75 for 100ml of water is pathetic. One and done. I was optimistic considering the long lines put the door for people to get inside but cheap food doesn't mean quality. read more

Vapiano - Shrimp Gamberetti - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

I love the Vapiano brand. The restaurants are really great and I love how you line up and order your entrée and they make it right in front of you. The first time I went in Paris, I was in love and have been thinking about it since so when we saw there were some locations in London, we added it to the list. Yes, it's a chain but unlike any chain we have in the US that offers a quality product in a pretty cool atmosphere. This would have been a five star review if we had only come once. On our first stop, we had impeccable service. I ordered the Carbonara with Tagliatelle pasta with Prawns and bread. The cook that took the order was awesome, he asked my preference for chilis, parsley and cheese. The bread was fresh and tasty. We got a bottle of water and had an absolutely wonderful meal. We checked out easily and had a very nice dinner. A couple days later we wanted it again, we got there pretty close to closing time though so we ordered to go. I got the carbonara again but they were out of the long pastas so I got the gemelli. I also didn't get prawns but ordered bread. The cook this time seemed like he was done for the night even though they had a half hour left and still had lines. He wasn't very nice. Threw the pasta together way too quickly where the sauce was very watery and put in no chilis, wouldn't ask us, when we asked about the parsley he said they didn't have any and was just rude, if you don't have the items to make the pasta right, tell the customer, I would have ordered something else. He put a little cheese on top but it was just not good, very bland. Before we left, we tried talking to the manager because we could see it hadn't been made correctly. They just blew us off and asked for the payment. So rude, the service was just terrible. I was very disappointed and because of this experience, I wouldn't return. If it had been another 5 star like the first time, we probably would have been back a couple more times, but they just ruined it and treated us like a bother when they messed up the dish. read more

I'm a huge Vapiano fan. I had my first experience 2 years ago with a location in Paris and I've been dreaming of the Carbonara since then. When I saw there were locations in London I was ecstatic. So on our first night in London we ventured to Vapiano. We arrived around 9pm. It was packed. We got in line to order our food. The wait was no more than 15 minutes. They were limited on the pasta selections since it was late so I opted for the Carbonara with paparedelle, my sister Carboanara with Prawns with tagliatelle. The cook made my pasta perfectly and asked if I wanted garlic and chilis and confirmed the quantity. It was perfect! A few days later we decided to come back for another visit to make sure we got our Vapiano fill before we departed. This time we were there around 10pm. The line wasn't as long but took much longer to get waited on. When I told the cook what we wanted he just asked what kind of pasta, there were only 3 types left so we chose campanelle. We did not get asked about garlic and chili so we asked the cook and he said he'd already put it in. We also asked about the parsley on top and he said they were out. He had cooked it much faster then it's taken previous times. We had ordered it To-Go since it was late. We looked at our food and saw no chilis. We brought this to the manager's attention when we were paying and he just said "Oh" and didn't care, just asked for payment. When we got back to our hotel to eat, the sauce was watery and not flavorful. There was also no garlic taste or chilis. It was very disappointing and ruined the Vapiano experience for me. No such thing as great customer service here. They didn't care that their cook provided awful service and sub-par food. Had it not been for the last trip there this would have definitely been a 4 or 5 star rating. read more

Vapiano - Carbonara is amazing! - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

Vapiano has more branches in London than any other UK city, while their growth might not as big in the UK as the rest of Europe, especially in comparison to the likes of Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. This branch is in the good and central location close to Oxford Street on Great Portland Street. Having been impressed with Vapiano back home in Manchester which is the only other UK branch of Vapiano I have visited - I was greatly surprised to see the contrast between the two branches as they are in the same country and the difference was probably much more common as with what you would find with Vapiano stores in different countries. The service sucks. No staff member offered to hand me a menu or even explain a concept of a store which has a very unique concept where you take a card, go up to the kitchen and order and you pay at the end on your way out. Some staff members even struggled to speak English beyond a basic level which was frustrating, especially when I tried to complain about my food. The queueing system was a mess, they only had one counter when it was pretty busy - it could have been so much simpler if they had spaced out the staff with more of them working as the number of people waiting shouldn't have caused trouble for a restauraunt that size - yet it sadly did. I ordered a mushroom risotto with added chicken and actually had to explain that to the chef, he looked at me like he had never added chicken into a dish before. He seemed perplexed. When I got my food, it tasted really really cheesy as for some reason he had put two giant dollops of cheese inside the risotto, I originally thought when he was placing it in the food he was placing it in another customer's dish (they cook two at the same time), only to find out they actually put cheese INSIDE the risotto when speaking to the manager. Considering no other Vapiano store does this including Manchester and in other countries (Sweden, USA etc), I was really surprised and confused. It made little sense and I presume it is just poor knowledge. I have been offered cheese on top of the risotto before but never mixed in. I sent my first risotto back as the rice was hard and it was far too cheesy, the manager offered to push me straight to the queue for another re-made dish without the cheese. It took a little bit more time after a wait which was already pretty long due to mismanagement of the queuing system but I hoped I would finally get a good and tasty risotto however I was wrong. The second risotto was perhaps equally as bad, the mushrooms had no crispiness to them, they were slimy and unseasoned. The risotto was also pretty dark and tasted like they hadn't added other key ingredients such as white wine. To add to its' woes, the chicken was chewy and a little fatty (it tasted like they'd used thigh pieces and bad cuts too), the rice was probably even harder than the first risotto too. The store layout and feel is again much poorer than other stores, it is pretty bad for disabled access too as the tables are so close to each other you can't move out a stool/chair (most of them are high tables too), so you'd have to sit on the end of the table which is uncomfortable enough without blocking people coming in/out/queuing and the pillar in the way. There was a sign which I found interesting especially based on a recent review which said to watch personal belongings as they wouldn't be held accountable in event of any theft, surely instead of having such sign they should be promoting deterrents such as CCTV which they have in order and can and will use to find and prosecute criminals alongside the local police department. Vapiano on Great Portland Street really was a let-down from start to finish, with the only positive being the price isn't any higher than their other branches in the UK but with poor quality food and long wait time, it was barely worth the price they charged anyway and simply not charging more than other stores (which again is a pretty common curtesy at many food chains across London including Nando's), doesn't warrant an extra star by any means. read more

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We came here a few years ago and loved the vapiano experience of made to order food. We can again today and it was awful. We had little to no interaction with a server. The food came out wrong and not at all. The location was filthy including the bathrooms. So sad to see a great thing gone. read more

Very disappointed. I usually order a pasta dish but decided to try the Lasagna. It was like a soup of sauce, cheese, and meat with very little pasta. The service is great and the ambience satisfactory. read more

very poor food quality Customer service not good Nice place but not food Not recommend place dime read more

I like the concept of Vapiano - a food hall type set up with different stations making made to order pasta, appetizers, pizza, etc. - but the execution is terrible at this location. Vapiano is supposed to be a quick, casual and cheap Italian chain. I typically go for the pesto pasta, it's my favorite one. The pasta served here isn't mind blowing but is tasty and consistent. However, the lines at this location were really long, service was incredibly slow and the kitchens looked dirty. The chefs were also making borderline racist comments to tourists. We waited even longer trying to get some garlic bread at the breads/pizza station because the cooks kept getting orders mixed up (even though they had printed receipts and buzzers to use). I absolutely would not recommend this location for the Vapiano experience. read more

Overpriced for what was given. Chicken felt like dry prawns. The service was good. I didn't like that we had to share a table with other 10 people we didn't know. The decoration is nice and thank god we had a student discount. read more

This place is such a vibe! I came here for a drink with a few friends and we had a great time! My friends ordered pizza and we drank red wine. If you are looking for a quick spot to drink and have a small meal this is the place for you! Great service, even though it was really busy....the atmosphere is full of great vibes. Such a great aesthetic for influencers or any photographers out there! 5 STARS for the wine and vibe! read more

Vapiano - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

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Vapiano turned out to be a bit of a lifesaver My Yelp Elite friend Lorrie M, who was visiting London from San Jose and I had planned dinner at Savoir Faire that evening to encompass the now sadly-banned-in-California foie gras. Sadly, our original plan was rudely disrupted by some pickpockets and following a visit to the police station, we wandered in search of food, a little shell-shocked at the evening's events We were on our way in search of a drink when we happened upon Vapiano and although our appetites weren't at highest levels, we decided that we needed something to eat On entering, the hostess at the door explained the concept to us - we were given cards to charge stuff at all the cooking stations around the restaurant as well as at the bar. The menu is Italian, so there were live pasta cooking chefs, a pizza oven and a section serving starters, salads and small plates Lorrie chose a pizza and I went with the caprese salad which I had spotted on another customer's table. Despite our initial lack of hunger, the food actually filled a needed spot. The pizza base was crispy and generous with toppings. The caprese salad had genrous amounts of lovely creamy mozzarela, tomatoes and fresh basil that you could replenish from a basil plant at the table! A zingy balsamic dressing brought the salad ingredients to life An interesting concept and it did turn out to be just what we needed to sit down and chill out after the earlier events of the evening read more

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Whoa, this place is kind of amazing. Taking gourmet Italian and turning it into a quick cafeteria type of place is quite impressive. Thankfully I came with someone who has been here before or else I would've been one lost puppy. When you first walk in they give you a card. Then you walk up to one of the stations and order. The chefs make it right in front of you and they scan your card that you were just given. You order, eat, enjoy, and pay when you leave. Very cool, indeed. I ordered the Shrimp Scampi with Spinach pasta and it was fantastic. It was so good, I ate the whole thing! And it is an extremely generous portion for under 10 pounds. Can't wait to go back and try more things! read more

Vapiano - Scampi E Spinaci - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

Loving this restaurant with a difference and can easily see the appeal for the customer. The ambiance of the place is fresh, clean and vibrant. I was eating on my own so wasn't overalled at having to seat myself after collecting my first course! Not a good call for the solo diner! This cruise ship style dining is perfect for those wanting a little more free reign almost, and seeing it cooked or prepared in front of you. You get given a credit style card upon entry and swipe your card at each order point to rack up your tab. I ordered bruschetta and whilst it was being prepared I placed an order for a calzone pizza and was given a pager for when that would be ready. I also took a drink from the antipasti station where they promptly swiped my card! After I had eaten the starter my pager went off and off I popped (leaving my jacket on my stool with a group of 4 girls on my same bench table). I returned to find my jacket still there and my messy side of the table untouched too! My calzone was not the best ever choice, as I felt it had not been in the oven long enough and the cheese was barely melted and the pizza base only lightly cooked. (On reflection I should have complained). Desert time quickly arrived and I choose the small tiramisu and blueberry cheesecake. (£2.50 each) Both tasted as though they had been prepared fresh but much earlier in the day. Although quality ingredients they both lacked that 'Mmmmmm' taste factor, quite bland in fact to which I was NOT expecting considering their initial appeal to me! I will return but next time ignore the pasta waiting lines and just join up and will come with friends not on my 'Billy'... read more

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Serve yourself pizzeria just off Oxford Circus... Not as hellish as it sounds! The pizza isn't memorable, though it is fresh and prepared in front of you. I don't have a problem with DIY service, and Vapiano certainly fills a hole for decent reasonably priced Italian in this area, but it's not going to blow your mind... read more

Vapiano - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

Really really really good restaurant! Tasty pizza with a sauce I never tried before, and it tastes great! Although there was a few problems when paying the bill, it doesn't matter. I will come to this restaurant next time I visit London, and recommend it to all of my friends. read more

Fast, tasty, big portions, and cooked to order! If it is your first time, you have to grab a card then go to one of the counters and place your order. The cook will then swipe your card and when you leave the cashier will swipe your card to take payment. I'm not positive but it looked like the pasta is timed and will automatically pop from the boiling water once ready. Ambiance is casual and good for a quick lunch. Both of the pastas we ordered were good and we will be back for more. read more

More style than substance; I have found Vapiano to be igniting people's interest via the novelty of picking your food and watching it being cooked before your very eyes, but in reality it is rather frustrating as you are left hungry and watching the food of all the people queuing in front of you being served. Testament to this was the fact that I saw people who were originally queuing up for pasta then decide it was taking too long and go to the pizza counter instead. Then guess what? They had their pizza cooked and served way before I even reached the beginning of the queue for pasta. I am left famished and disgruntled wondering whether this tactic of not being able to order whilst seated is actually a sinister ploy to save on employment costs as waiters were no longer needed. The bowls they serve the pasta in are somewhat heavy and awkward to manoeuvre, the trays provided do not have much grip or border making them also awkward to carry, meanwhile the cutlery and napkins are self-service by the cooking counter but even some of these supplies had run out when I was there. Anyhow, ridiculous setup aside, the pasta is admittedly of a good quality; noticeably fresh and satisfying to taste. The portion of pasta may initially look quite small but upon eating you soon realise that the density of the pasta makes it sufficiently filling. Unfortunately, nice as the food was, I wouldn't say that 'the end' justifies 'the means'; there just comes a point when you think to yourself this isn't worth the hassle. Self-service only works when it speeds up proceedings and gives you a sense of control but at Vapiano you relinquish this control and find yourself hungry, forced to stand in line, then needing to carry your food (and drink) with somewhat difficulty to seating that is actually not that comfortable before you can stop your stomach from grumbling, but your mind will continue to grumble afterwards about the torture you have just been through. read more

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Decent portions but usually a wait for food. Great taste yet a bit oily/greasy pasta. read more

First restaurant I've visited since visiting old London Town & I was not disappointed! I came here to meet a friend for lunch & enjoyed every part of my meal. I am unsure what my dish was called (because my friend chose it for me) but it was a nice pasta dish with peppers, basil, prawns with a yummy creamy sauce! The layout, decor & seating are very nice & each compliment each other. This place is extremely busy at lunch time (12.30 PM onwards)...so avoid if you can! read more

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Having missed out on the trend of self-service Italian restaurants so far, I experienced two in as many days. Following a relaxed late-night drink at Princi last night, I had a frustrating lunch at Vapiano today. The concept seems like a good idea at first sight, but it all fails during lunchtime rush hours. The waiting time for our food was ridiculous, and I feel £10 for a dish of pasta and a small water are a bit much - especially if you have to do most of the work yourself. OK, they cook the stuff, but that's about it. It feels like a canteen in a big German company, with the touch-in and touch-out Oyster style cards, just a lot less efficient. Not impressed. read more

Very pleasant concept, it's good, fast and cheap. You can have a pizza, pasta or a salad in a very good atmosphere for less than 10 pounds !!!! I highly recomend it . read more

Vapiano - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

This restaurant is a self service where you order the food at different counters and they cook is fresh in front of you, this place can be quick once you get served otherwise it's just the queuing that takes the time. The actual serving of the food is quick.. You order the base of a dish and then can choose your choice of pasta ..For seating is fight for the first place haha it's ok in the quiet times but avoid during rush peak times.. The atmosphere is very loud though so not great for a first date..again this is when it is busy the rest of the times it can be quiet.. They don't rush you out of the place which is a bonus once you find your perch.. Food is flavoursome and portions are filling I usually order the Chilli Chicken with my choice of pasta, it's not too spicy and I usually have to add extra chilli oil from the table.. The portion is filling.. They also have a self serving salad bar and pizza selection. The drinks options are sodas behind the food counters but they have a full bar selection at a different counter.. Average price of pasta dish £6-11 Depends on your budget but you'll find a meal ;) read more

Vapiano - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

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I'm not sure why this place doesn't have more stars? The pasta is great, actually one of the best pastas I've had. The cook who made our order was accommodating. I got the bolognese spaghetti with extra garlic. I don't usually order spaghetti but I was recommended to get it so I did, and it was surprisingly great! The texture is different than other spaghettis I've had--it's thinner and had the perfect amount of moisture in it. Not too dry and not too soggy (most of the time, the spaghetti I order is either too soggy or too dry). Also, the extra garlic went a long way and did WONDERS for the taste of the spaghetti. Overall, really great food, really good location and really nice ambiance. I took off a star for the long queue, but I guess that's not the restaurant's fault? read more

Vapiano - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

I went there with friends after a very exhausting 10K run to re-carb. The place runs in a unique way. Think about it as dine in but being on a street food market. Basically, you are given a card that will be charged with anything you order (you pay at the exit to the cashier). You try to find a table, then you wander around and pick what you want. The really great thing is you can see your food being prepared. I am a real sucker for this so I was in heaven. The cook is talking to you asking if you want specific spices in like garlic chillies and how much you want. That was excellent. Feel like on street market. Eat like in a good restaurant. Fantastic! Right, there are two main sections: pastas and pizzas. There are multiple parallel queues for those and having good strategy means saving possibly half an hour of your time. Pizzas take longer to make so order them first. You will get a buzzer to pick them up when they are ready. In the meantime head over to pasta section and get them to your table. As you may already noticed the service is nonexistent, you have to do everything yourself. There are people picking up the empty plates for you. But you don't pay service charge or tip. The food quality is ok. I wouldn't say it's the best that I've eaten but the portions are really satisfying. In particular, pasta was prepared very very quickly. The cook was preparing it in some kind of a wok mixing and stirring ingredients vigorously. It was Italian stir fry essentially. One of my friends loved it. I had a bit of reservations to this food preparation technique. We had pizza calzone as well. The dough was quite nice. The spicy sausages were also stellar. Overall pretty good spot! I definitely recommend it to runners! read more

Vapiano - This is the masterpiece of pasta artery. Nothing else to explain!!!! - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

Great for a group, choose your food downstairs (from an Italian menu);... and then everyone pays on their own tab (given as you walk in the door). Stops all those arguments about who had what when it comes time to pay the bill (hate that bit of a group dinner) Affordable and fun, what's not to love :-) read more

Vapiano - Downstairs is always packed, but you can usually find space upstairs. Pick your fav herbs directly from the plants. - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

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4 of us had pasta dishes and 3 dishes were gloopy. horrible. refunded after admitting they couldnt get it right. employee was italian and looked very embarrassed. why oh why do we have to order via an app when we are sitting in the restaurant? less staff needed maybe? but then why ask for a tip? Poor experience. read more

I am currently sitting at the vapianos restaurant on a wednesday night after a long hard days work, I have a hungry belly. We ordered an hour ago and everyone on my table has received there food, my friends didn't even wait for me. on top of that, that bitch Sharmillla keeps taunting me with her own food. I honestly feel like the restaurant has forgotten about me just like my ex. what a Wednesday night, am I right. read more

My younger sister took me to vapiano, and judging from the packed restaurant I knew I was in for a treat. All their pastas are made within the restaurant which is passed to the chef and your meal cooked right before your very own eyes. The food is fresh and tasty and the restaurant itself is buzzing with a good vibe . It's not pricey and the portion size is amazing....can't wait to go back there !!! read more

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The food here is sooooo fresh, so yeah they're busy during peak hours but totally worth the wait. They cook all the food in front of you (which you can customize) and it's a pretty cool system of charging you on individual cards. Love it here! read more

Vapiano - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

I always come here for a quick bite with my husband and kids , it's always busy pizza is great and the pasta is also very tasty . read more

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I've recently been introduced to Vapiano's by a good friend, and I can't believe I didn't know this little Italian gem was hidden round the corner from Oxford Circus tube. Walk through the doors to be greeted by friendly staff who hand you something like a food credit card which you use for payment later and go through to find yourself a nice spot either in the lounge area or on the bench style tables. The concept is DIY so don't expect any service after this initial greeting, I think this is why we all like it so much, it's less formal and you are left to your own devices. Each different food station serves different food, so one for pasta, one for pizza, one for salad, and one for wine (that also serves as the dessert point). You queue at each and watch your meal being prepared in front of you. At this point everyone seems to split up and go on their meal mission, but then we all meet back at base when we've collected. The chefs are super nice and strangers often start chatting whilst they wait for their food, which is a novel thing here in London! Then when your food is ready, pop your card on the electronic reader and the cost has been added. Simple. I can't recommend the crayfish and lobster sauce and the beef tenderloin and mushroom pasta enough. They cook the pasta to perfection and everything is super fresh. One note though; the salad doesn't really seem worth the money, unless you get the 'Insalata Mista' which seems to have a bit of everything thrown in. You may be full by this point, but have a break before squeezing in a gorgeous panna cotta. I think they're the best I've had in London and at £3.75 you can't say no. I love the vibrant atmosphere here and it's always the first place the girls decide to meet for our weekly round up. The fact that you all have your own food cash card means that there's no tallying up bills at the end (or even waiting for one) so you just settle up on the way out. Oh and the award for most basil plants in one restaurant must go to Vapiano's too! read more

RFID used at a restaurant. This blew my silicon valley heart away and then it all felt a little like love. I was visiting some coworkers on Regent Street when they suggested going here. Normally the lunches we bring them to in the US consist of Chipotles, the work caffe, and In N Out. So when they suggested Chinese, German Italian food or some other cuisine, I definitely thought ok. It's been two weeks since I had pizza I will give that a whirl. We get there and at the front desk you need to pick up an RFID card. What? OMG RFID! Then they have various stands where you can get pasta made right for you, pizza, antipasti and calzones all at lunch time costs, as well as beer and other assorted drinks. Once you order you slide your RFID card up to the reader and they program in what you ordered. If you ordered a pizza you get a buzzer for when it's ready and if you ordered pasta they make it there for you on the spot. Ingredients are fresh, so fresh in fact that they have a mini greenhouse area filled with potted basil. Once you get your food you grab a pot and put it in the center of the table in the area designated for the pots. Can we say well thought out? The decorum is clean and bright upstairs and more medium mood lighting downstairs. Almost everyone in our group got the pizza and it was relatively inexpensive. I ordered the crudo pizza which was a tomato based item with mozzarella, prosciutto, and parmesan. It was a large portion and delicious. My travel companion ordered pomodoro fresco e basilico with whole wheat pasta. It was delicious as well. Russell S. ordered a calzone which came out looking delicious. Did I mention they had RFID cards to take your order and pay by? Awesome. By the end you just hand the cashier your card on the way out and you're done. read more

Well what can I say about Vapiano? I've only been here once so far on a Friday night with friends. The place is massive inside and it was packed, as is expected on a Friday night a few minutes walk from Oxford Circus. The décor is modern minimalistic but tasteful and would remind most people of the cafeterias in universities, but better food! As you walk in through the main door you have to go through these enormous red velvet curtains blocking the entrance and are given a pay card to place your order. Big mama gave me my card and I was to encounter her many times that evening. I was very hungry so ordered a barbecue chicken pizza and a carbonara. The restaurant is self service and you add your orders to your pay card and pay when you leave; an idea I think is very clever as it works like an Oyster Card. Everything is very quick to collect apart from the pizza's which you are given a flashing buzzer to let you know when to return to collect it. My food was great. I loved the carbonara, my cheesecake for desert and the many bottles of wine. I was however, very disappointed with the pizza. If I order a barbecue chicken pizza then that's what I expect, not a medium pizza with 2 little strips of chicken across the entire pizza. If that's what I wanted then I could have gone for a boring margarita. They wouldn't give me more so a barbecue pizza is what I got in the end. Now I do love the idea of the place, it's a great concept. But there were a few problems with the place, which is why I had to knock a star off the rating I was going to give it. I did feel a lot more like I was back at uni in the cafeteria rather than in a nice restaurant. It's pretty loud and the tables are all packed closely together so it's hard to have a conversation as the conversations of people sitting next to you get merged into yours. Some of my friends were late and it was noisy inside I had to keep going outside to call them. Now I know a lot of people must try and sneak out without their pay card but I gave one of the cashiers my card and my ID to prove I was coming back in after making a few quick phone calls and every time I did this, Big mama insisted on patting me down like a TSA agent. I don't know if this was necessary or if she was doing it for thrills, but by the time I left I was glad she didn't get the rubber gloves out and take me into a dark room! I'll admit, I was a bit scared.... OK so overall, great quality Italian food with a quick and efficient service. If Big mama is not on the door again then I will gladly try this place again, but I won't be ordering a chickenless chicken pizza again that's for sure! read more

Nice quality Italian restaurant, as long as you are careful asking for them to put pepper to your taste. They tend to put too much if you mention nothing. Youth hotspot where you have to wait at the queue in different queues like for pizza and pasta, for instance, in order to get your food, only when it is ready. The good side of it is that you actually see your food being prepared, which can be really interesting. I do not love canteen style dining, but the atmosphere of this restaurant makes it up for it. This venue can get quiet packed though in busy times, so I suggest looking for different ones to avoid stress. Unless, obviously p, if you alphabet other intentions like flirting with people sitting around you. :) read more