Vapiano

The girl at the register had a little attitude at first when she had to explain how the place works. Décor is awesome. You can sit anywhere and they have large enough tables you may have multiple parties at the same table, cafeteria style. Well prepared and quality delicious food but prices are so reasonable. Nothing more than $ 12. Good variety of Italian dishes. I had strawberry spinach salad with chicken. It was great plus we got warm fresh bread. Paying is easy because you charge your own card at each food station then eat and pay at the end by front register before you leave the restaurant. I’m devastated they closed.

Look’s like they abandoned this location with no notice to the neighborhood and very little notice to their employees. The reason is «corporate direction to be located in only high-​traffic areas.» Bad way to conduct your business, Vapiano’s. Shame on you.

Vapiano is CLOSED permanently at this location as of July 13, 2014.

Not the best Vapiano location, but not the worst.
You have to be very specific when ordering to-​go food. I have had 9 out of 10 orders either messed up or not yet prepared because the skinny polish chick working the front counter is 99% air and 1% head. She’s an airhead. She really does not understand the concept of calling ahead.
Anyways. I love the food here it is creative, fresh, and a great concept for large parties. I have been to many Vapiano locations in Europe and am excited to see one here in Lincoln Park!

Food is good and priced fair! Atmosphere is very cool and makes you feel like you are on vacation! Pasta taste fresh and the sauces are very good.

I really want to like this place.
–no waitstaff to bother you constantly (I hate small talk)
–nice seating arrangements
–good menu options
But bad food along with bad management made this place impossible to like.

Overall: The atmosphere, service, and subpar food all bring this place down. There are much better options in the area for a good meal.
The good: The prices aren’t bad, and there a good amount of options.
The bad: First off, the food is very meh. The pasta wasn’t bad, but the pizza is definitely worth skipping. Very subpar for Chicago standards. The salad and bruschetta weren’t too bad. The service is awful. We were presented cards and had no idea what to do when we first got there. The setup is awkward, order your food, go sit down, hope you hear your order, go get it, etc. Shouldn’t have even tipped them.
Atmosphere: ⁴⁄₁₀
Service: ²⁄₁₀
Food: ⁶⁄₁₀

One star for their beautiful space and for the great company I was with. One star for their cheap prices. That’s about it. Pizza was packed with zero flavor. Bruschetta was weak. Wont be back.

I came here for my birthday back in September with some friends. It was pretty cool. I love the concept. You have a card that keeps track of the items you order and when you’re ready to leave, you just hand the card to the cashier to pay. Pretty relaxed environment.
Only thing I remember not liking is that I didn’t want my pasta too spicy and once I really got into it, I got smacked in the face with spice. It was tolerable, just not want I wanted that night.
Also, the people next to us left right when we got there and we sat next to their dirty dishes for quite some time. I remember eating and still seeing the leftovers of people who left, I don’t know, maybe 45 mins prior? *sigh* I do want to go back and try more.
Since this first experience wasn’t HORRIBLE, I’ll give them another shot sooner or later. I’ll update my review then… dun dun dunnnnn

Overall 4 out of 5 is a good way to describe this place. I like both their pasta and their pizza quite a bit but it’s not my favorite place for either. I think it’s good food for the price, and it has something for everyone. However I don’t know if it’ll knock your socks off.
Bottom line FAR superior to places like Olive Garden and way more reasonably priced.

I was surprised that I enjoyed my experience at this Vapiano’s. I’ve been to their restaurant in Arlington, VA more times than I care for, and it was always just alright. Maybe it’s because I made a point of staying away from this place for so long, but I like this place again! We ordered the caprese salad and the shrimp scampi pasta for dinner. The caprese was just delicious… fresh, juicy cherry tomatoes (good tomatoes are hard to find!) with fresh mozzarella and basil and just the right amount of olive oil and seasoning… it was light and flavorful, and paired well with an italian white wine that I can’t spell or pronounce (oops!). The shrimp scampi was alright… needed more spice for my taste but still enjoyed it. I have to say… this place had better pasta than the newly opened Chicago Eataly, which I recently tried. Oh well.
Great place to go if you’re meeting a group of friends… everyone gets an individual Vapiano «credit card» which can be used to order and pay for your meal. Saves the hassle of splitting checks!

Hunger pains attacked after work and my mind was scrambling for options to quiet the rumbling of my belly. I wanted something that I had not tried yet, something that I could feature on my food blog. After a brief moment of pondering, I had received a text message from a friend who had mentioned going to Vapiano and loved it. Well, I had my destination.
Ginger ale. Penne arrabbiata. Strawberry and spinach salad. Cappuccino. Panna cota.
You can’t have penne arrabbiata unless you get it very angry. I got it «angry» spicy to the point where I could get the sensation of heat rising from my scalp. LOVE. The strawberry and spinach salad topped with pine nuts and goat cheese was outstanding as a side salad. It was way larger than I had expected, but I had an appetite. I dealt a serious blow to that salad. BLISS. I drank the cappuccino without any sugar. That’s the mark of a good bean or a cappuccino machine that’s not in a bad way. Actually, it was Illy. Those who have gone to Intelligentia know about Illy. HAPPINESS. And the panna cota with strawberry sauce? SATISFYING.
For those of you who have gone to Food Life in Water Tower, you will be familiar with the method of ordering. You receive a card and you «register» your order at each station, be it pasta, salad, at the bar, or for desserts. There is no server who comes to your table, takes your order, and brings your food. At the end of your meal, you pay what has been tallied up on your card. The concept works for me. My satisfied appetite can attest to that.

Where else can you listen to live violin music, watch football and get a decent glass of wine for $ 4.75, I don’t know.
Coolest cafeteria in town, a hip interesting atmosphere with great tasting but inexpensively priced food. It’s all self service style place where everyone gets a credit card and you scan at the station for what you want they make everything fresh then buzz you on a beeper when it is done. The bar also self serve and has everything any bar would its nice but a little troubling how fast you can get a drink. The water is also self serve they have it in a big glass cooler only complaint no ice and slow pour on the water.
We had the mixed antipasti not bad but not great but a nice starter to share. we then split the pesto chicken pizza, carbonara pasta and the ravioli con carne. All three where excellent and good size servings and made fresh right in front of you. Vapiano’s is a cool concept they make work well. And seriously you can hang out have a glass of wine watch some football all while listening to live violin music. We will be back!

They say the best things in life are free. The bargain hunter in me did a mental happy dance, b/​c you get a free appetizer by checking in on your Unilocal app! The vegetarian mixed antipasti gave my palate a full sensory experience – there were sour (artichokes hearts), salty (olives), leafy (greens), flaky (cheese), soft (mozzarella), and crunchy (bruschetta) all in one plate! Surprisingly, the appetizer was very filling. If you want a free sampling of food from Vapiano, definitely show your check-​in offer at the check out station! You have nothing to lose.

It’s already been said in a couple of reviews but I just have to say it again. Bland. The food has zero taste. Went to dinner with some friends and the place was practically empty. As I walked to the restaurant I noticed all the other surrounding restaurants were half the size and PACKED. that should’ve been a warning. Considering the place was practically deserted you’d think the service would be fast. Nope. It took 30 min, yes 30 minutes to make my ham and mushroom pizza. There were 15 people in my party and they all ordered food after I did, yet I was the last person to be served. A friend had been there before and he knew how bland the pizza would be and he added oregano and Parmesan which help me choke the pizza down (hey, I was starving and it card board pizza was the only thing available…)
Last, but not least, fruit flies! Everywhere! Nasty!

Vapiano… your location and your style make me smile… but then the reality sets in.
I’ve been to this Vapiano 3 – 4 times now since they opened two years ago. The concept, the style and the atmosphere are a win. The problem is — the food is just bland, and unimpressive. The people working the counter don’t seem very motivated to let the customer know how the restaurant works… so for those of you who haven’t been here yet, this is how it works:
1. Upon entering the front door, the host gives you a card. Think of Food Life at Water Tower Mall.
2. You tap your card at different stations to purchase what you want: Salad, Pasta, Pizza, Soup… you get the hint.
3. You go and sit, and eat… and someone comes and takes your dirty dishes
4. You pay your bill off what has been charged on the card
If Vapiano had good food, then it’d be a different experience… I’m surprised that they’re still in business. If you want good Italian… then go somewhere else.
btw… I’ve heard that their restaurants in Germany, where they are based are posh and the food is a lot better.

It is a great place to go for a semi-​sit down meal. My fiancé and I go when we don’t feel like cooking. The arrangement may be weird with the cards and ordering but it works after you go enough.
The food is good. We like the salads and pasta. However, be prepared they are slow if there are lines and people don’t know what they want.
Not bad

The worst Vapiano I have been to. Not sure if it’s because i’s an older store. But the cooks were pretty unresponsive, front desk checkout person was mehhh
We ordered the ginger red pepper soup, it looked like tomato bisque. The taste was OK, not bad but not out of the world. The bowl the soup came in was more appealing than the soup, the bowl had a spoon holder in it, see the picture I uploaded. I was so excited to show my BF the Vapiano concept but sigh this location kinda killed that excitement and did not live up to expectation. There are a lot of great restaurants in Lincoln Park, so I probably would pick something more appealing. This is sad because I would usually go the extra mile for Vapiano and would easily pick Vapiano over other restaurants in town. Also, this Vapiano is more expensive than the other ones I have been to. I have been to both Vapianos in DC, the one in Charlotte and the one in NYC.

I first had Vapiano in Dubai. Ever since, the first thing I do when traveling to a new city — I check if Vapiano will be in the location I’m heading to! Chicago’s Vapiano is one of my all-​time favorites because I love the area it resides…
Speedy process, friendly cashiers, an array of fresh ingredients (and lots to choose from), fun line cooks, and a crisp atmosphere that forces you to enjoy the food more!
My favorite aspect to Vapiano eateries — the GUMMYBEARS! and fresh basil on the table! Kudos on the business plan!

Vapiano puts a new twist on italian. It is served cafeteria-​style, but the chefs cook the pasta in front of you, and the atmosphere is far from a cafeteria. You get to choose everything from the pasta noodle to the level of heat. The restaurant has a hip, chic vibe, right down to the fresh herb plants sitting at every table.
The pasta with spinach and pesto is the best thing I’ve gotten. The menu is a little too basic for me, which is why I gave it four stars instead of five. Another perk, their house wine is only $ 4, and is pretty decent.
Also, When you check out, help yourself to some gummy bears!