Vapiano

Not certain I’m a fan of the ‘going up and ordering your own food and waiting whilst they cook it or sitting down and having to keep an eye on whether it’s ready or not’ thing to be honest. The pasta I ordered was nice, but I don’t personally see the benefit of being able to order your food at the counter unless you can completely customise it as opposed to just make a few changes. It’s an interesting concept and will almost certainly do well in the chain-​heavy, predominantly-​catering-​for-​the-​shopping-​market Corn Exchange but for myself, especially when dining with friends, I’d prefer to have a waiter come and take my order so that I minimise the time standing up by the counter away from my fellow diners. It’s sort of like a buffet, only with less choice. Good food, unusual idea, not sure it’s for me.

It was my second time going to one of their restaurant, I had tried before one in London. I went there with some friends who had no idea how it works, so the receptionist explained the two important points about the restaurant: 1– the dishes are literally cooked in front of the customer 2– you are given a card where they add all your orders.
In my case, I ordered a salame pizza, although watching the process of making a pizza may be interesting, I preferred to go back to my friends in the meantime, so I was given a device that would let me know when it was ready. Good use of technology!
The waiting time was no more than cooking the other pasta dishes.
I enjoyed eating that pizza, as in previous time I had tried the pasta, also very tasty and filling at the same time.
In conclusion, I recommend it for a good Italian dinner evening.

Vapiano in the beautiful new version of Manchester’s Corn Exchange is the first of the Vapiano Italian restaurants outside of London here in the UK, and I’d heard interesting concepts about it, such as each restaurant having 40 chefs, and all dishes being prepared freshly every day, so I was looking forward to giving it a try.
I’d liken the system used at Vapiano used on cruise ships where your passcard is your perpetual «tab» on board. The same happens at Vapiano. Each guest is given a card, meaning all of their food and drinks choices are added onto the card when they order, so there’s no messing around splitting bills, and you can simply pay your bill on your card as you leave. The lovely element about this is that you can wander around the areas of the restaurant for as little or as long as you wish, not feeling pinned down to any one spot, as you simply take your card with you.
As we’re taken into the main dining area upstairs, its pleasant to see that it’s very open and bright, with light wooden furniture, and lamps on each table with fresh herbs and condiments. We’re told to sit whenever we’d enjoy, there being lower tables, higher tables, and lounge areas.
We chose a lower bench table with a view over the Corn Exchange, and ordered drinks. We were given a wine list, but we don’t drink, and usually this means that as a non-​drinker, your options are usually Coke, Fanta, or Lemonade. Maybe orange juice. It gets dull quite quickly and happens at a majority of places. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find a good of variety of non-​alcoholic drinks! I chose the Vapiano iced black tea with peach vanilla, which was delicious.
A simple thing I liked about the tables was that there are little hooks underneath the tables, allowing you somewhere to hang your coat or handbag. It’s little details like this which always impress me.
As you can imagine, the menu has a wide variety of pasta and pizza, as well as salads and desserts. Each section has a corresponding chef station in the restaurant where you go and place your order. At first I thought this might feel a bit odd, but the chefs and staff are all very professional and friendly, offering you various choices and options as you order so that your meal is uniquely to your preference, and offering you something to drink to go with your meal.
An interesting angle is that they have a huge amount of pastas, which are all displayed like a fantastic pasta pick-​n-​mix behind the pasta and antipasti stations, as well as tasters of their dressings, including some beautiful balsamic, and even a raspberry and maple syrup dressing which has to be tasted to be believed! As well as the fresh herbs on the tables, they were also literally all over the restaurant, along with big boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables.
I tentatively approached the antipasti station, where a friendly chef welcomed me and took our order of both bruschetta and tomato soup, asking whether we’d like some grana padano cheese on top too. At that point it was then actually interesting and enjoyable to watch the food being created, rather than it being awkward as I might’ve imagined. This was the same at the other stations, where we were also asked how spicy we’d like the pasta dish, if we’d like any cheese, if we’d like extra sauce with the pizza etc. I liked this. It was nice to have it just how you want it, and freshly prepared enthusiastically rather than begrudgingly.
After ordering, you’re simply asked to place your smart-​card on a black panel on the counter, which records what you’ve ordered and the price, then showing you the total. Brilliant! Dishes that would take a little longer, such as pizza, didn’t require you to wait around, as you are given an alert machine, which buzzes and flashes when your dish is ready, allowing you to relax back at your table.
For our starter we ordered the bruschetta and the tomato soup. They were absolutely perfect. I’ve never had a refreshing tomato soup before! We were both very much impressed, and ended up sharing each other’s!
For our main course, we opted for the ravioli con carne, and the barbecue chicken pizza. Phil R was continually smiling as he ate his pasta, and when I asked why, he simply said «it’s so good! It’s really really nice!». Likewise, my pizza was delicious and fresh! Really tasty!
For dessert we ordered an Italian style chocolate cake called «death by chocolate» which had an intense taste of dark chocolate, and the wonderful thickness you’d associate with a chocolate cake, but with none of the «claggy» taste after a few minutes, as it was surprisingly light, melting away in the mouth. I ordered «Cioccolata Bianca», which was a biscuit base topped with a blend of white chocolate and cream, and then topped with salted caramel and honeycomb in a kilner jar. It was truly as delicious as it sounds!
We really enjoyed it here, and we’ll definitely be back sometime for a special occasion! :)
Even the toilets were beautiful! lol

As for pasta, this place is my all time favourite for consistency and quality whether that be in Manchester, London, Milan, Berlin or even Miami.
The new venue in the former triangle is amazing. Go upstairs for great seats and choose your location, don’t be shy as you may even have to join a table in exceptionally busy periods.
Upon entry you are given a credit type card, which you simply show at each station as you get your food, drink, desert, starter, more food etc… And your bill slowly tots up on the card.
You can view the amazing menu on line which is well worth a look if you have not been before.

I was really excited about trying Vapiano as I had heard so many good things about it but I’m afraid it fell a bit short of the mark for me. I really liked the concept of having your food cooked in front of you but the execution in the end wasn’t great. The vegetables in the dish I chose were only cooked for a minute or two meaning they were too crunchy and the pasta wasn’t cooked well either. I was also a bit confused as it said all pasta was homemade but it was displayed in packets behind the counter. I also wasn’t that keen on the garlic bread which was far too garlicky for me. Anyway at least Count Dracula won’t come anywhere near you after you have eaten a Vapiano garlic bread. However the card system works well. You are given a card on arrival and rather than paying each counter when you order you have the price put on your card and then pay the total bill when you leave making it much easier. Vapiano is okay if you want a quick and freshly prepared meal but don’t go if you’re planning a special night out.

At last Vapiano’s comes to Manchester! I’ve always enjoyed visiting their London restaurants and have eagerly awaited the opening of their first Manchester restaurant.
On arrival you are presented with a card with which to charge all your food to. Each food station, or bar, or drinks server scans your card which you present at the till on your exit to receive an itemised bill. The concept works exceptionally well, especially when a group of friends dine together, there’s no awkward splitting of the bill at the end.
Great choice of pizza and pasta dishes, all of which are cooked fresh in front of you. Whilst waiting for a pizza they give you a vibrating pager that goes off when your food is ready. Only downside is the draught beer is a little pricey. All prices seem to be the same as in London. The upside of that being that the pizza and pasta dishes are exceptional value.
Can’t wait for my next visit, I’m sure to become a regular here.

Vapiano Manchester City centre is located in the Corn Exchange. There are two entrances to this restaurant; one on the main street or, if you decide to go into the corn exchange, there is one in there as well. As you enter, you are given a plastic card and the staff will explain how to use it. There is some sitting downstairs but upstairs there is lots of seating. The food stations are located upstairs. Some of the tables overlook the Corn Exchange. After looking at the menu and deciding what you would like to eat, you then you go up to the main stations and order your dishes there. There is one station for pizzas and garlic bread, one station that does starters, and there are a few stations where you can order your pasta dishes. Someone will come to your table and take your drinks order. Everything is put onto the card that you was given as you entered the restaurant. If you do not want to have a drink with your meal you can have tap water which is complimentary

Since hearing about this place, I was excited to hear Gino D’Acampo would be extending his Vapiano franchise into Manchester, which has a large amount of stores throughout Europe, and this is his 4^th in The United Kingdom, to go alongside 3 branches already in London.
For a growing brand, I expected good things for gluten free food, especially with Gino D’Acampo putting his name to it, but it failed to live up to my expectations.
Unlike rival Italian restaurants such as Bella Italia, Pizza Express, Croma, Zizzi and Carluccio’s, who all have branches in Manchester (and London — if you exclude Croma), they didn’t have a gluten free menu and the server wasn’t aware of any gluten free offerings of either pasta or pizza.
He even had to check with the chef about gluten free options, which didn’t fill me with confidence as if they was a gluten free pizza /​pasta aware, or at least on the menu, he should be aware of it, he took a few minutes to check, but still give me a poor response of «No» but «If you come in your server can try and do it for you»
He didn’t list any possibilities for gluten free and basically it seemed he didn’t take it as a big deal, and just wanted to get out of it himself.
I left really disappointing that Gino D’Acampo would not try and cater for coeliacs, or even compete with other restaurants for the matter, the server who was at the door, didn’t fill me with any confidence whatsoever as he seemed inexperienced and speechless, with nothing to say about gluten free.
I had to do my own research online to look at the allergy guides, which I shouldn’t have to do, and it still seems the range here for gluten-​free food is very poor, with many options containing dairy and eggs too, meaning despite Gino’s reputation as a celebrity chef, it sadly isn’t the place to go if you have an allergy.
UPDATE: This review isn’t actually owned by Gino, it seems I went in the wrong spot. Still, my point about Vapiano still stands though, and for a chain with stores around the world, gluten free options and the knowledge of the staff on that matter should be better!

Perfect! I’ve been looking forward to the arrival of Vapiano in Manchester for a very long time. Fantastic concept. Receive a charge card when you arrive, find a table, then decided whether you want a pasta dish, pizza, or salad, the go to the appropriate counter. On my first visit, I had the Pizza Carne, and it tasted amazing! One of the great things about Vapiano, is that the food is produced in front of your eyes, so you can have a say what additional herbs and spices you may want. You can also add that stuff afterwards, as I did to my pizza, I added spicy Chili flakes sauce. Delicious!
I will most certainly be a regular here.