Vapiano

I’ve been here a couple of times before and always noticed how cold the staff was. Today, was hands down the worst. I came in for a salad, and sadly and grossly, found a BUG in it. I only took a couple of bites so I went to complain and get it replaced and the lady goes to whisper to her coworker and they roll their eyes. Provide me with ½ the size of my original salad. The guy who made my salad says «you already have dressing» and dropped the plate onto the counter. What??? Is it my fault that you failed to wash your lettuce? I paid for a salad so I would prefer it without bugs. Very unlikely that I’ll be back.

This place is the perfect place for solo diners. I’m traveling and having dinner by myself. The food was delicious (I ordered the shrimp special salad). The atmosphere was fun and there was no awkwardness because the tables are set up in a way that you can sit in a community style or not. Fun concept on ordering and having all your meal tracked on a card that you pay with at the end. I wish I was hungry enough to try the pasta dishes… they looked delicious.

Ordering system is confusing and the food was lackluster.

Good food, and even better wine. Not for them «Royals»… Good place to go with friends.

I would describe Vapiano as a fast, casual Italian place whereby you order at «stations» rather than sit down service. They explained the system as soon as we walked in, which was helpful, but I wish they also would’ve handed us a menu! Items are not listed above each station, so I must’ve hopped lines 2 or 3 times before finally settling on the rucola pizza. They also have salads, homemade pastas, soup, and even beer!
The atmosphere was airy and lively, and service was good too. I came with a group of 7 during the lunch rush, which was a little chaotic, but we ended up finding a table ok. Everyone I was with demolished their food because it was so tasty. And then grabbed a handful of free gummy bears on the way out :)

Strange ordering system, as explained by other reviewers. I’d prefer to order then sit and have food delivered. Still service was friendly overall, food tasted good and service was friendly, especially by a wandering waitress who checked to see if we wanted drinks or deserts. My kids loved not having to sit through a protracted dinner. I liked that they had a full bar and the atmosphere was hip and friendly. Prices were reasonable for Chicago — pasta, salad and martini were ~ $ 25.

This was a great experience and glad we went in. It is a really cool and the ordering process is unlike anything I have experienced before.
If you get the pasta you actually stand and talk with the line cook while they prepare your meal. Jeremy was my cook and it was fun going back and forth for the 5 or so mins it took to cook.
The prices are solid, food really good and atmosphere casual.

The inconsistency drags the rating down to 2 stars. The fresh pasta is a nice touch, but the preparation and quality of each dish varies wildly by the chef. The long wait is an issue too as others have lamented.

This restaurant was conveniently located across the street from my hotel, Palmer House, and was able to accommodate a rather large crowd of us. The ordering system was very disorienting but I had a friend who had been there before and showed me what to do. I ordered a spinach strawberry salad that was AMAZING!
My experience ordering a dessert was much more awkward. We never had any table service, so I set out for the bar area where desserts were in display. I ended up standing there about 10 minutes and talked with three different people, all who said they would check on the Death by Chocolate Cake, but whom all vanished afterward. I assume the Death by Chocolate Cake did them in. Finally, a cake emerged (I suppose it needed the energy of their souls to achieve maximum deliciousness) and I had my slice. I split it with a friend, and wow. That was a seriously yummy cake – rich, fudgy, and the perfect sweetness. Bless you, restaurant servers, for your sacrifice.
So. I would try a Vapiano again because the food was excellent and the concept was intriguing, but the service was seriously lackluster at this particular place.

I have only been here once, but I love love love the concept and this place has a great atmosphere! I was craving Non-​chicago style pizza and Unilocaled a few places by work. This little dandy place popped up and I’m so glad I tried it.
The way you place your order is different and the staff was very friendly explaining the steps. Since I was on my lunch break, I ordered to go. I ordered a simple Margarita pizza which turned out very tasty. I saw them prepare it fresh so it took a little longer, but the wait wasn’t unreasonable.
I am looking forward to returning in hopes of trying out other dishes as well as eating there.

This is the coolest place ever! FANTASTIC food, amazing atmosphere… enjoyed every bite! The manager, Luis Fuentes, treated us like VIP’s…I’m SO excited to learn that there is a location in Miami where I live; will definitely bring friends there!

I love eating here!!! This restaurant is one of the best of Chicago! The service, food, environment, everything is amazing!!! You should try it!!!
I ordered a soup and noodles! It was sooooo delicious!!! Definitely worth spend your money here!!!

Great place to grab lunch. The pasta dish I got was perfectly cooked and flavorful. I had the pesto rosso which was super tasty. It did take a bit of time, and the seating was sort of limited, but the food was more than worth it. The portion sizes were quite decent, and the dish was very affordable. My friend really liked her dish as well.

$ 13 for a cup of arugula… yeah no.
I went in blind and left with disappointment. I knew things were taking a turn for the worst when the girl behind the counter acted like the salad I wanted was not on the menu. She had to scrutinize the handheld menu which listed all of like 5 salads.
She seemed very confused about the salad still and as I asked for it to go, I knew I would have to repeat myself to be safe. And what a good assumption on my part, because she hadn’t heard and said she would have it made to go.
Now my gut kept telling me that something still was going to go wrong… oh, gut you were so right because after waiting 10 minutes, out comes my salad in a dish. Hi, I will ask for a 3^rd time to have this to go.
After the long wait and all the incompetence I end up with an entrée salad that is more of a side side side salad, and will surely be hungry again come 3pm.
Well now I know why it comes with bread.

I went here on ³⁄₂₇ with my 2 children and my mother. This was our first time here and we had actually never heard of this place. We were walking around trying find something different to eat than what we would normally settle for. We saw this place just as we were ready to settle on corner bakery.
When we first walked in the hostess said «hi welcome to Vapianos, have you been here before?» And handed us 2 plastic cards. We said no (its very loud in there) and obviously she didn’t hear us because she turned around to have a conversation with a gentleman who also worked there. After about a minute or two I said «Excuse me. We’ve never been here can you tell us how this works?» Which she apologized and explained to us how it works and suggested that we find seating before we order. So we did.
Towards the back of the restaurant there are lower stools to sit on at shorter tables (we had a 4yr old and a 9yr old with us so the lower the better). They do have a «waitress» come to your table so you can order your drinks but thats about it. You get a glass for the self serve coca cola machine or you can order something else they will bring to you.
The food ordering part isn’t complicated if you know how to read. It becomes obvious that there are seperate lines depending on what you are ordering. There were 3 different types of lines. One for pasta/​risotto, another for salad/​antipasta and one for pizza.
I did find the card confusing. The first cook I ordered from was patient with me when she had to ask me to put the card on the glass on the counter where it shows your order. Again, very loud in there so it was hard to hear what she was asking me to do and I did not know thats how they put the balance on the card. You do this at every line you order from. I’m not sure if there are instructions on the back of the card they give you but I think that would be a smart thing to do.
The food was pretty good. My mother ordered the scampi e spinaci (pasta)…it was delicious! I regretted my order after tasting her food. Both of my kids had pizza. One pepperoni and one cheese pizza. Since it was easter they created bunny shaped pizzas for kids which was pretty cute and the kids enjoyed it. I ordered the pesto con spinaci pizza. I wanted to love it but I didn’t :/​. The center of the pizza was a little soggy and salty. Not sure if it was the cheese or the pesto sauce. I would have loved the spinach heated for maybe at least a minute but it is put on after the pizza is done cooking and they put so much that it looks like a salad on top of a cheese pizza. I had to eat my pizza with a fork so I could eat all the ingredients together.
We got there at about 2:30pm and it wasn’t crowded. At about 3 they became very crowded. The area we were seated in was so hard to walk around. It was quite cramped when people tried to get to the only bathroom on the first floor. There are more bathrooms on the second floor but you need to walk through the cramped back area to get to the stairs.
As for your bill, you give the cashier (greeter/​hostess) your plastic card and they pull up all the orders and give you a total. I think it would be helpful to have signs or some type of information about how all of this works for new customers to make things go a little smoother instead of a quick verbal how to. Maybe there were… but I didn’t see any. Some people may not understand it so easily and need step by step instructions.
It was an experience for sure but not anything I need to do again in the near future.

Try the pesto basilico with pappardelle it’s very good. The fungi de crema was not very good, extremely watery. And ask for bread if they don’t offer it to you.

First time here, pasta is really good! Love it !!!
The place is very clean and nice, same price but much better than Chipotle. Going to come back and try new things :)

Vapiano is wonderful! I’ve been here twice and been thoroughly dazzled both times. Today, I introduced it to my mom and brother, and they also loved it. Between the three of us, we had some pretty basic (but nonetheless delicious) dishes: the Caprese Salad, Margherita Pizza, and two orders of the Pomodoro with Spaghetti. Their cappuccino was also excellent!
The ambiance is bright and fun, the service is kind, and the prices are fair, especially considering that we each had leftovers. Their ordering system is a bit confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s nice to be able to visit the different stands without having to worry about paying separately at each one. (You are handed a card upon walking in, and when you order different items, the cashier scans your card. You then pay right before walking out). Definitely check this place out!

We took short walk for a quick evening meal, as we were working late. This inexpensive Italian eatery seemed like a good choice. We entered the building, picked up our cards (all orders are stored on the card) from the receptionist/​cashier and proceeded to the pasta area where we placed our orders… easy enough. I ordered something simple, (Chicken Alfredo) as we were pressed for time. The chef began stirring, mixing, and adding ingredients. I could see steam rising from the many dishes he was preparing. Oh, and the aroma, the aroma smelled so good!
I was asked to step aside, so the chef could begin preparing food for several others who had formed a line behind me. I noticed my partner had received their food, found a table and began to eat, next, I saw several people after me receive their meals. After a short while, the chef then asked me if I wanted Parmesan cheese with my dish. I’m not a trained chef, but I have never had Chicken Alfredo without Parmesan cheese! He presented me with a dish that was covered in a Bolognese sauce… looked good, but not what I ordered. A gentleman had been standing in line with a dish of Chicken Parmesan, which the chef presented to him ten minutes ago, and said, Oh this must be yours! I smiled and politely refused.
I walked away, seated myself next to my partner and waited for them to finish. The manager approached us and tried to make things right, I appreciate that, but our brief window of time was gone. We had to leave, get back to work, and finish our evening project. The manager did comp the meal. This is why am offering the two stars. It wasn’t a busy night, the dish was not difficult, it was just a mistake. I walked away hungry and disappointed.
There are over a thousand eateries in the city, most work hard to earn our patronage. I certainly appreciate when those who have chosen this competitive profession get it right. Today, it was far from that. I don’t know if I will give Vapiono another try. There are plenty of places to dine in the Loop. On this night, they dropped the meatball… Quel ch’è fatto, è fatto!

O que mais gostei foi a aparência do local, um charme ! Porém a massa, eu esperava mais, pedi um carbonara, acho que ele seria perfeito se não fosse a falta do ovo em sua composição, não senti nada dele.
A coca cola é das garrafas pequena, retrô, eu adoro !
To querendo ir novamente provar outra massa para saber se mudo de opinião.
Valor, entre 10 a 14 dólares um prato de massa, há locais mais baratos.

I specially enjoyed the food ordering concept where every person gets their own meal card that gets charged for individual items (food or beverage). This is ideal when you are in large groups and splitting checks poses a challenge.
Vapiano’s is neither the family owned Italian restaurant kind nor the Olive Garden chain variety. I say that since the food is prepared fresh right in front of you with what appear to be fresh ingredients. You even get to chose your pasta and perfect portion size packets are emptied and boiled within a couple of minutes before being tossed in sauces and other ingredients.
We got a BBQ chicken pizza and Fugulii (sp?) in a tomato sauce with roasted red peppers. We were charged a little extra to add marinara sauce since it wasn’t part of the dish.
A few other things to remember — they have beer, wine and a full bar with ample open seating. There is no table service and they have gummy bears, rather than mint at checkout.