Vapiano

I came here with a friend who picked this place. I looked up the place before coming, and was afraid that the price would be a little high, judging by the pictures, but it actually wasn’t bad at all!
This is one of those restaurants that you swipe your food card every time you order, and then pay the charges at the end. Also, you just leave your plates after you’re done, which could be a little awkward if you’ve never been to this kind of place. But I really liked the atmosphere and services of the restaurant.
The food was definitely good, and I was very impressed that the chefs made the dishes right in front of your eyes. The dishes tasted very good. I personally felt that the amount was a little too much (you could share two plates with three people?), but that would honestly depend on your own eating capacities haha
I really recommend trying sparkling water if you haven’t! It really complements the italian food that they serve, and will truly complete your experience.
I’m a little taken aback by the bad reviews of this restaurant. I might have been lucky and have had a rare good experience, but I’ll definitely be coming back here again to confirm my first experience.

Used to be a great place to eat until they changed the menu and started cutting corners by «flash cooking» the sauces.
Ask for the old menu and tell them you want the sauce cooked longer so it gets more flavorful.
No more fancy white takeaway containers either. Only cheap styrofoam boxes — enjoy microwaving that.
Ugh. Bring back the classic and original Vapiano!!!

Bad service. I order pasty and paid for extra spinach. The cook forgot to give me spinach. I told him I paid for it and I expect it to be one pasta. The cook look at me and he asked if I still want it. Heck yes, I want it. I already paid for it then he put raw spinach on top of my plate. I told him that it need to be cook then he recook my food. He made a smart comment to me that I should eat it raw because it will give me vitamin A. WTH!
I asked for a manager and it turn out to be that he was one of the cook. I told him what happen and he said my pasta came with raw spinach on top. Ok, if it came with pasta why did they charger extra money and spinach is not one of the ingredients that show on the menu. Btw, they wanted to change me for bread too. No one apologize to me even once. Even the manger. Vapiano need to retrain all the staffs including the Mmg at this location!!!
I will tell everyone I know not to come here!

I’ve been coming to Vapiano since it opened. I’ve tried several items on the menu and enjoyed them all. My go to is pomodoro mozzarella with linguine. I’ve also had the pollo piccante, it’s an Asian inspired pasta dish. This dish is very colorful and has a bit of spice to it. The caprese salad is delicious and fresh. The salad is hug, enough for two people. They give you a whole ball of mozzarella, I always have some left over to take home. The ingredients they use are fresh, the people who work their are always friendly, and they have a bowl of gummy bears for after your meal. I’ve never had a bad experience here and will continue returning.

Never fails! Delicious and fresh! My favorite is the Spinach Scampi! The set up is unique but not hard to understand.

Hit or Miss
The concept is great and the quality of the food is good however the end result all depends on the chef for the line you’re in. We have gone here countless times and it’s either great or not so great. The only measured portions seem to be the pasta, everything else is based on the judgement of the chef.
Pizza is very good
Greek Salad is excellent
Pasta is the «hit or miss»

Wow, a terrible first impression, we won’t be back.
We saw the nice looking place, and had the person out front explain the concept to us. You get a little order card and go up to stations to order. It sounds cool and different. The reality? There’s a reason no one else does it this way.
Your party will get lost at different stations. You’ll try and order a salad and an entrée at two different ones, and not know where to wait. You’ll try and use the stupid card and it won’t work as it’s upside down. It’s just dumb.
But I could get past the weird ordering, if the rest of the experience was great. It’s not. Let’s start with the dirty glasses. After being told they were «scratched» not dirty, we opted for paper cups. I think they are dirty, but if they are that scratched get some new cups. Every other restaurant on the planet can provide me a clean, clear glass cup.
My wife got a special, and realized half way through it that it was missing a key advertised ingredient (capers). Both of our pasts were under cooked. Not al-​dente, but rather al-​crunchy. As we were pondering if we were going to eat any more we noticed others had bread and we did not, so we flagged down a person and asked. Turns out they were supposed to offer it with both entrees, but neither one did. The «caesar» dressing on the salads tasted pretty much like mayonnaise. We both hated our meals.
I almost never review a place after a single visit, or vow never to go back, but our first impression here was so bad I’m doing both.

Ordered two pizzas. A Margherita, and a Hawaiian, which they call Tropicale.
Pizzas were not bad at all. The ham was decent and wasn’t too thin. Same for the pineapple, it was cut just a little thick, which I liked. The tomato sauce is good. It’s not too sweet and tastes of fresh tomatoes. Oddly, only half of our Margherita had slices of mozz on it.
The reason for only 3 stars is because both pizzas were undercooked. The slices were floppy and a little pale on the bottom. I don’t know if they always cook it that lightly, but both pizzas definitely needed to spend more time in the oven.
The pizza here is perfectly decent and worth a trip if you’re in the mall and in the mood for pizza. I’ll probably be back, but next time I’ll ask for the pizza ‘crispy’.

I haven’t made up my mind about this place entirely. I will have to visit a few more times and try out some different dishes.
When I did visit this location for this first time, it was a little crazy. It is a casual dining experience and you have to wait in line in order to place your order. Then you scan this card that tells the cashier what you have to pay when you leave (which you might get stuck in line for again). It’s a bit time consuming but I guess it takes the same time as sitting down and ordering food.
I was stuck in line behind a group of 12 teenagers. Not so great.
They serve fresh made to order pasta, pizza and salad.

The food always turns out well, they’re convenient (near the entrance to the mall and open late), and the atmosphere is nice even though they’re located in the mall. My main criticism is that there is so much stuff on the menu that either has a cream sauce or cheese in the dish and looks like it can’t be made without it, and I can’t eat dairy. I’ve managed to find a few things to eat there anyway that were good, though.

We have been going there since they opened. Food quality is always great. It is easy to see over time that their kitchen staff receives great training. One face stands out … A guy who has been there since the beginning from pot washer to pizza maker to kitchen manager– we even see him fixing problems in the front of the house. Where else do people value their people so well they stay so long and are now running the place? We will keep going back.

Food is great. Not really even more expensive than Olive Garden and tastes fresher. This place is great for groups due to the ordering system.

Really enjoyed my experience here last night, I had a chef who was very friendly and funny! I love watching them cook the pasta up fresh all from scratch. I’ve tried a few dishes, Alfredo, pesto and scampi and they are all amazing! The only thing I don’t like is how small the portions are of the meat they give you. A little pricey but you get what you pay for, I’m looking forward to finally trying their pizza next time!

My friend got mad when I told her I’d never been, and steered me in here after we were done shopping. She tried explaining how the process worked to me but it’s one of those things you have to experience for yourself. I love the way they set it up.
I tried a basic pizza for my first time, just a margherita. I added mushrooms to it upon the chefs insisting to fancy it up a bit… it was absolutely wonderful! It may– MAY have been the best pizza I’ve ever had, but that’s an extremely strong statement coming from a pizza lover. Can’t wait to come back.

Love their pastas and pizzas! It’s always freshly made, you can play with the menu — add and mix ingredients and the chefs are really nice and funny.
And a little secret that I must share: their pastas still taste great after a couple of days in the fridge.
Try the tomato pesto pasta and the fungi pasta.
This specific location has a nice atmosphere so it’s always a relaxing experience.

3 ½ stars.
Vapianos is a chain Italian restaurant, but much nicer than places like Olive Garden. I call it fancy cafeteria dining because that’s essentially what it is. There are different stations: pasta, pizza, salad. You make your choices based on their menu and they have seasonal options as well. Chefs make your order at the stations and then you pick it up and bring it your seat.
We went to Vapianos for lunch. I’m not sure if the prices are different for dinner but they’re average. We both chose the pasta station. Added bonus, they make their pasta in house. I had the oyster and mushroom sauce with tagliatelle pasta. My fiancé also had tagliatelle but had the chicken Alfredo. Our food came out relatively quickly and was delicious. The pasta was well made and our respective sauces were good! Not to heavy on the cream for either of us, which we appreciated. They also provide you with fresh bread to go with your meal. At the tables, they have different olive oils in addition to the standard condiments. Try the spicy olive oil with your bread, it definitely gives it a kick. Another nice touch is that they have fresh herbs which you can add to your meal.
One note– they didn’t have a lot of chefs on staff during lunch, so the line can form quickly. We just missed the line, so I’ll count that as lucky. Overall not a bad alternative for Italian food.

Rip off. Plus I’m stuck in a twilight zone. My first time here. Walked in for lunch. Looked like a buffet style set up so naturally I went straight to the food area. Realized quickly the model that they make the food in front of you. Problem: no menu. Staring at a guy and a wok. Nice wok. What’s next? Pick a meat he says. Chicken I say. He dumps a packet with five half inch cubes of chicken into the wok. Each cube about the size of dice. That’s it I ask? You want another meat he says? How about shrimp I say? He proceeds to dump another packet this time with four smallish shrimp and stars stirring. I stare. He points to the guy to his left and gives him the wok.
The wok has been transferred. I get yelled at, tell him what else you want. I move to my left (his right). I ask the next guy if i can have a salad? He says yes. He then transfers the wok back to the first guy. I slide over following the wok. First guy tells at me again to stay with the second guy. Super confused.
Eventually the salad is worked out. I asked for oil and vinegar. The man starts to ladle some grey thickened concoction. I ask what’s this? He says vinaigrette. I say I would prefer vinegar. He says that’s what I said, vinegar. I say no, you said vinaigrette and while I’m sure there’s vinegar in that grey ooze, I just want oil and vinegar — any vinegar will do. He gets a manager. The manager says we won’t have vinegar. I ask how that’s possible an Italian restaurant with a salad station doesn’t have oil or vinegar? A bus boy walks up, steps behind the counter and pulls out two glass flasks one with balsamic vinegar and the other what looks like olive oil. Perfect. Why isn’t he running the place?
Next I’m told to hold my card up to the reader. I take out my credit card and after a few more seconds strangely trying to figure out this card reader, the salad guy asks if I had a Vapiano card? No I said. I walk to the front and inquire about this card. You didn’t get a card I’m asked? No I say. I’m pointed back to the food counter and told they’ll use their card. Ok. I walk back. Nothing accomplished.
I get my salad with a couple of chicken dice cubes (and four cooked down shrimp) and decide this is all too weird. I head to the bathroom to rewind. I lean over the sink and a blast of poison smelling air freshener is pumped into my eyeball. It’s one of those automatic machines that sends a blast of air spray at some regular frequency. Apparently someone on the shorter side must have mounted it because it’s camouflaged on the wall aiming directly into my right eye.
Feeling blinded to go with confused I stumble out of the bathroom and firmly ask for a manager. I quickly show him the situation in the bathroom and my eye. He pulls out a used bottle of eye drops offering me a squirt. Thoughtful. Disgusting, but thoughtful. I wonder if this happens often which would explain the presence of the eye drops in the first place?
No matter. I just want a glass of water and I’ll dab my eye. I find the biggest glass I can, about the size of a shot glass. It’s the biggest they have. Not surprised. Mini meat portions pair better with mini water and soda portions too I guess.
Bottom line, I would never go back to this place. It’s booby-​trapped and the meat portions are insanely small for what you pay. Cheese is flavorless and no one who works here seems to know what’s going on either. As I’m writing this another manager looking person walks up to me and asks how it’s going. I say not well. I tell him I was injured in the bathroom and the food is small and flavorless. He genuinely tells me he’s sorry. Then he tells me sometimes this stuff happens, again tells me empathetically that he’s sorry and walks away. Bye? Thanks for for visiting I guess?
For what it’s worth, it’s very clean here. So they’ve got that going for them at least. Super weird. Major rip off. Boobytrapped. Stay away.

The food for the price is well worth it. Whenever I’m at Dulles Town Center I prefer to grab food here then at the food court upstairs.
Sorry food court, Vapiano’s food and ambiance are a lot nicer then the chaos of the food court.
Insalata caprese is my favorite. Try the pastas and pizzas too. Everything is great.

So the set-​up here can be a little confusing, so here’s the cheat sheet to Vapiano:
— Walk in and get a card from the greeter. This card is similar to a credit card, you’re going to charge your orders onto this card.
— Walk around to the various stations and place your order (pasta station, salad and appetizer station, and pizza station). You’ll swipe after placing each order.
— You’ll pick up your finished order when it’s ready. The pizza station will give you a buzzer, but the other ones will kinda expect you to wait there for it.
— Seat yourself and pick up your own utensils. Also, get your own drinks too.
— Eat
— To pay, give your card to the greeter. That person will check you out and you can pay off your card.
The self-​serve system is probably the hardest thing to figure out about this place. The food here isn’t too bad and is presented in a upscale casual way.
I tried the monthly special pasta which was good in flavor, though the fresh pasta clumped up pretty quickly in a bad way. It also comes with bread as well. The pizza was thin crusted and crisp. SX enjoyed the flavor and the texture of the pizza. The salad we tried was the monthly special of tomatoes and was alright. It’s not something we would probably try again, as it was relatively flavorless. Also, it would have been nicer to have more basil leaves or something to pick up the flavor component. Overall, it’s probably a place we would come back again for a casual dinner.

We hadn’t been to Vapiano in years because first impressions can be lasting ones. What put us off was the whole ordering process. Ordering a meal should be a simple process and I felt that Vapiano unnecessarily complicates things.
Well…today we were going to the mall to do some errands. Before going, we were talking about where we could get a vegan meal. I offhandedly said to my husband, «Well…there’s Vapiano» and he said, «Lets go there». Even after I reminded him of the whole ordering system, he still wanted to go. We agreed to go for an early dinner to beat the crowds.
So…we got there a little before 5 p.m. on a Sunday. Already several tables were occupied but only a couple of people were in line ordering their food. When the hostess gave us our cards, I asked her to refresh our memories as to the ordering system, which she did. Then we headed over to the pasta station.
One impressive thing about Vapiano — there are 7 different possibilities for a vegan pasta meal. We each chose to get spaghetti with pomodoro sauce. The nice young woman at the pasta station patiently answered all our questions. It was interesting to see her put together the sauce. First, she put in some olive oil in 2 pans, then she asked if we wanted some garlic and onion. I chose just garlic while my husband chose both. She also added a few cherry tomato halves and basil leaves, and asked if we wanted salt and pepper. We said «yes». The pepper was freshly ground into the sauce.
While she was cooking the food, we told her that we each wanted a garden side salad. She told us our dressing choices and yelled down to the guy at the salad station to make 2 garden side salads with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
We also got our soft drinks at the pasta station, with both of us choosing Pellegrino orange soda. My husband actually thought to pick up our silverware and napkins while we were waiting.
When the pasta was done, we had to have her show us how to scan the card that records our order. Then we found a place to sit and I went to the salad station to pick up our salads.
The tables and the stools aren’t very comfortable. I’m sure that’s by design to prevent people from lingering too long. The salad was decent with a good variety of ingredients in it — lettuce, shredded carrots, cherry tomato halves and raddichio. However, the plate it was on was too small for the amount of food. That made it difficult to eat without spilling some on the table.
The pasta came out okay. Some of my spaghetti was clumped together but surprisingly the clumped up pieces somehow managed to be properly cooked. The pomodoro sauce was okay, if a bit on the bitter side — Not bad but not the best I’ve had either. We both found the portion size to be good — just enough to feel full but not stuffed.
For the 2 of us, dinner cost $ 25 + change.
We would consider eating here again but will make it a point to come for an early dinner. From reading some of the other reviews, it seems that during busy times it can get chaotic and orders sometimes get forgotten and therefore not filled.