Sze Ting L.

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!

Erik B.

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..

Layla A.

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.

Ashley D.

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.

Aaron S.

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.

Vika S.

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!

Yee Gan O.

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

Nida K.

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!

Shaun P.

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'...