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Vapiano

3.7 (110 reviews)
ModerateItalian, Cafeteria
Open 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Vapiano Photos

VAPIANO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Loud
Good for groups
Good for kids

Recommended Reviews - Vapiano

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Reviews With Photos

Aaron S.

I like this Vapiano location, it is located on Southwark Street, in the Bankside area of London, it is a short walk away from both Southwark and London Bridge Stations. I came here to grab some lunch before checking in to my hotel, I was pleased that I did. The concept has changed due to COVID-19, rather than getting a mini Oyster card and ordering with the chefs, you now order via a QR code, the open kitchen is still there and you are able to use notes to customise your dishes (how spicy you want it if you want garlic etc), so they have made a pretty COVID-safe way of keeping the restaurant going. The staff here seemed super friendly and happy to help however I needed, the overall restaurant had nice vibes to it, it felt modern and a pretty cool place to be, it is by far my favourite Vapiano location in London. I did find the food to be slightly expensive, especially considering they charge a service fee for using the online system, this was only around £0.25 but just felt strange. My risotto was good, everything was cooked well, there was slightly too much cheese on top, but this didn't ruin the dish, it was one of my favourite meals I had during my August 2021 trip to London. It was seasoned well, with a slight spice, with the meat (chicken) and vegetables (mushroom) all cooked well. I loved the ice tea to go with it, again I did find the drink to be a little expensive for a bottled ice tea, but the reusable glass bottle made it feel like a premium product. 4* - A great place for lunch in the city, with good service and good food. I just wish they had more gluten-free options to compete with Vapiano's overseas stores such as in Germany and the Netherlands.

Salame e ricotta con rucola
Carrie U.

Overrated concept restaurant. You go around station to station collecting dishes and racking up a tab on a tap card that you settle later. Woe to you if you are hungry and need a meal quickly, it isn't happening here. Strike one: ordered a caesar salad and was told to come back in 5 minutes when the station was empty and deviod of pending orders Strike two: took forever to order at the pasta station. Disorganized customers and employees. They were out of my first and second choices Strike three: mediocre bordering completely awful takes. Soggy and oily tasteless pasta, soggy thin pizza. How can someone ruin pizza? Make the crust so thin it easily falls apart. Final blow: about a £30 tab Bonus: nice takeaway container and nice staff

Dessert!
Virginia R.

Lovely place, online menu only but VERY difficult site to navigate and spotty internet does not help. We had Pasta, pizza, garlic bread, and dessert. Everything tasted great and I love that they set the expectation on how food will be delivered.

Montage of images from Vapiano Bankside
Ed U.

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: http://bit.ly/1jPnYbJ). 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: http://bit.ly/RzCdGY). 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: http://bit.ly/1iE3eir). 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: http://bit.ly/1l7XM95). 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

Pomodoro- chili, oil, tomato sauce, garlic, onions. With spelt spaghetti and tomato. This was heaven.
Amanda M.

Fun story guys. I had been craving spaghetti bolognese (hold the meat... so I guess just spaghetti with tomato sauce) for about a month. Sounds strange that I didn't just eat some stupid spaghetti, but whatever. On my lunch break I ran over to Vapiano and ordered their spelt spaghetti (they have multiple options of pasta, points!!!) with pomodoro sauce (hold the cheese, trying to be vegan)... and, it was probably the most delicious lunch I had eaten in months. Anyway, Vapiano is excellent. They make the food right in front of you, which is pretty badass, and they have a ton of options and will cater to your needs (no meat or cheese, no problemo!) There's plenty of seating at this location or you can take it to-go, like I did. Their bruschetta is also FANTASTIC! Be careful though, I'd never come at lunch time (12-2) because it's probs way too busy.

Pizza
Karishma P.

We were headed for a play at "The Bunker" nearby & the place we wanted to eat at did not take bookings and had a 45 min - 1hr waiting line outside, which was how we ended up at vapiano. I'd heard about vapiano, but I'd never visited before because their menu is very carb heavy and not something I would choose on purpose. As soon as you enter vapiano, you are given a card for each member in your group. There are then separate counters for salads, pizzas, pasta / risotto, dessert & appetisers. You stand in line for each of your orders. Pasta & risotto is made as you wait, the salad counter asks you to come back in awhile & the pizza guys give you a buzzer for when your pizza is ready. You swipe your card at each counter that you order at & then submit your card on exit where they total your bill for paying. It's cafeteria style, yet not really cafeteria style. The system works when you are alone & only want to pick up from one counter. You pick up your order before you settle down, but if you want things from multiple counters - a salad + a pizza it's a bit of a bother. The salads were good. We had a spinach + strawberry salad that was interesting & a carpaccio where I was surprised to see thinly sliced raw mushrooms on it. I was initially sceptical, but it did work. My husband was very happy with his seafood risotto. They had the rice precooked and toss it with whatever accompaniments & sauces you order, so it didn't take too long once ordered. The pizza wasn't bad, but not worth it for someone on a minimal carb diet. The dessert had Nutella & chocolate & vanilla cream, so it was obviously very good - with ingredients like that, you can't go wrong. I wouldn't enter vapiano on purpose since I try to keep white flour to a minimum & the only option left is the salads (which are cold) There's no hot meal option other than pasta or pizza. But if you like pasta, then this is a good place to go.

Pizza Special Aubegine, truffle shavings
Jing Shyang Y.

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.

White shrimp or seafood pizza
Ian L.

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!

Chuckle with tomato pesto in pine nuts. Amazing!!!

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3 years ago

the food was good and the service was good. the ambiance is the best thing there. i would definitely recommend.

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3 years ago

Restaurant was closed and it seems won't reopen. Very disappointed when we got there, especially since I was beyond starving!

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12 years ago

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4 years ago

Fast and fresh foods. Pasta is cooked to perfection. Very tasty. Kids pizza is cute with the bunny ears.

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Vapiano Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Vapiano

I've also heard great things about the gamberetti which is pasta with king prawns and tomato sauce.

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Paesan

Paesan

4.1(25 reviews)
1.5 miClerkenwell
££

Paesan translated is a friendly greeting for your friend, buddy, homeboy…read more Keeping that traditon, Paesan near to Exmouth Market, is a fun, easy pasta spot with exposed brick and filamented lightbulbs, run by a friendly crew of Italians who will make you feel right at home. The upstairs is a corner view onto a street with dark woods and leather booths, while inside an open kitchen and a low-key young crew is putting out some simple, tasty food. Mostly appetizers, pastas and some pesce and carne dishes. Not a destination, but a good spot and one of the few restaurants on the street open on a Sunday. The downstairs basement hosts a cocktail bar that was closed on the Sunday we visited. We enjoyed the feel of the place, along with a bit of montepulciano d'abruzzo, some olives, a green salad, pork belly and a toothsome risotto with zucchini and prawns. Not a bad meal, priced pretty well, and a nice setting with friendly staff. We had such a good time that we failed to notice the police inspectress inside talking to the Paesan crew. The white and red police tape line both inside and outside the restaurant were in our peripheral view the whole dinner, but once outside, we noticed that a gigantic police triangle of tape took up the entire street corner, a female inspector was stationed there, and that down on the cobblestone sidewalk, a streetful of dessicated lemon and lime wedges lay from the night before, leading us to ponder, what exactly had happened here?

This is my new favourite restaurant!…read more The restaurant used to be the Dollar burger restaurant, and has been revamped as an Italian artisan place with free bread and olive oil, big bottle of tap water and Arcoroc glasses for everything. The specials all sounded fantastic but I plumped for dandelion salad and the pumpkin and goats cheese pizza. Utterly yummy! Not excessive portions just packed with flavour. The waitress was helpful and calm and the red wine warm and fruity. I'll come again for definites. There is a cocktail bar in the basement and a choice of some interesting sharing options on the main menu for groups. Prices are very reasonable and if my meal was anything to go by, the rest will be as good. I am well impressed.

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Paesan
Paesan
Paesan

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Santore - Lasagna and a Diet Coke.  Yum

Santore

4.3(71 reviews)
1.5 miClerkenwell
££

Oh my gosh -- this was genuinely the worst restaurant experience I've ever had in the UK…read more We politely mentioned that we didn't enjoy one of the pasta dishes and simply requested a small modification. Instead of trying to resolve the issue professionally, the owner became extremely rude and dismissive. Shockingly, he brought us the bill immediately, refused to serve the rest of the items we had already ordered (including the tiramisu), and directly asked us to leave the restaurant. We were calm and respectful throughout the interaction, but he refused to even listen to our side before abruptly ending the conversation with, "I'll get your bill," and telling us to leave. I honestly don't know whether he was irritated because we had an infant with us or because we requested a modification, but the behaviour was completely unacceptable and deeply disappointing. I still can't believe a restaurant in London could treat customers this way. Truly unbelievable service and an experience I would never want anyone else to go through. We initially ordered 3 items. The pizza was absolutely fine, so we never raised any concern about it. However, the pasta simply didn't suit our taste buds, so we politely requested a few alterations. Instead of handling it professionally, you refused to serve the tiramisu as well -- assuming we'd dislike that too and ask for modifications? Honestly, I wish I had taken a picture of the pasta to show how it looked. As a restaurant owner, you should understand that every customer has different taste preferences. And just for clarification -- we never asked for the pasta to be cancelled. In fact, we were even willing to pack it and take it home after paying for it, despite not liking the taste. You were the one who offered to cancel the remaining order, and we simply agreed. I would humbly request whoever is in charge to please check the CCTV footage and see whether we were ever rude while requesting alterations. Throughout the interaction, you only kept speaking from your side and didn't even give my wife a chance to explain. Is that really what good customer service looks like?

I like this place. It keeps things real. There's no pretension. The staff are lovely. The food…read moreis fresh and tasty. I ordered a lasagna and it was just what you want a lasagna to be. Cheesy and rich and flavorful and authentic. The prices are reasonable. The clientele are cool and laid back. Yeah this place deserves 5 stars. In a world full of phonies this place is refreshing. And the pizzas that went by my table looked and smelled so so good. I must return. I think this place is a winner !!! Congrats to the people who run it and the chef and kitchen staff.

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Santore
Santore
Santore

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L'Antipasto City - Garlic bread with tomato sauce

L'Antipasto City

4.9(9 reviews)
0.6 miBlackfriars, Holborn

This is a little, quant restaurant located in an alley, a few steps from Eastcheap Street, where…read moreEastcheap Records is located.We were able to sit outside because it was lovely this day. The service was great, our server was very kind and patient to explain everything to us. We even were able to change my friend's order after ordering because I walked inside to look at the specials menu, so we changed her order to Lobster Ravioli (not pictured here). The garlic bread came fast and had the appearance of a personal pizza. It is EXTREMELY fresh garlic forward, like it is going to sit with you for hours, the server will absolutely warn you about this but it is damn good. Our food came after we completed our bread and was very good. The Veal Milanese was tender and crunchy. The penne noodles with marinara sauce was a great side to this dish. Not pictured because it was too good, the lobster ravioli looked creamy and decadent. If you want to know how good, my fried ordered two servings. Overall this was a fabulous meal, this was some of the best Italian food I've had in my life. I will absolutely seek them out on my next trip to London so here's to hoping they are open for many, many years to come!

This hidden gem had the most luscious fresh pasta and sauce. I had the aubergine ravioli with…read moretomato sauce and savored every bite. The bruschetta was light and flavorful. The chocolate brownie with coconut gelato was the perfect ending. We appreciated the friendly, gracious service and the casual atmosphere of dining outside in the quiet narrow street. Highly recommend.

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L'Antipasto City - 03July2025 Menu

03July2025 Menu

L'Antipasto City - Veal Milanese

Veal Milanese

L'Antipasto City - 03July2025 Wine Menu

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03July2025 Wine Menu

Vapiano - italian - Updated July 2026

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