After just my first step into Vapiano, I knew I was in for a fun and unique dining experience. The hostess immediately handed each guest in my party a Smart Card which we then went on to scan via RFID at the different food and beverage stations. This system followed along perfectly with the efficient engineering that Germans are known for: scan for each item that is ordered, build up a running total, and wait to pay for everything at the very end of the meal. The restaurant was set up with hip, open seating in the center/periphery and the three food stations (pizza, salad, pasta) at the rear. I was craving pizza for some reason so I headed to the left side/strong side and asked the chef for a calzone (sharp pepperoni, Italian ham, fresh mushrooms, tomato sauce, mozzarella). Vapiano prides themself with making the dough in-house daily and that freshness was evident from my first bite on. The portion size was substantial too and I loved the fresh tomato that they plopped on top. While waiting for my buzzer to go off and indicate that my calzone was finished, I used my Smart Card to acquire a German bier. The bartender was kind enough to let me sample the Pils and Weizen. I ultimately went with the Krombacher Weizen and it was the perfect brew to wash down my calzone. This technologically savvy dining establishment is perfect for anybody visiting Karlsruhe! read more

Vapiano - Calzone + Krombacher Weizen + Risotto = Quality - Italian Near Me - Karlsruhe, BW

This was yet another great experience at Vapiano. I can honestly say that my wife and I have not been disappointed yet. We both had Calzones. She had a vegetarian and it was amply stuffed with all kinds of goodies. I had a Hawaiian with xtra meat and pineapples and it was stuffed full. I also had a tall pint of Krombacher which was also good. The gummie bears at the register are a nice icing on top of our great experience cake. read more

Vapiano - Dogs are welcomed - Italian Near Me - Karlsruhe, BW

Vapiano is a franchise company with an interesting concept: all dishes are prepared in an open kitchen behind the counter, so the customer can interact with the cook and request more of this, less of that, yes extra cheese please, and so on. There are separat waiting lines for pizza, salad / antipasti and pasta, so a spontaneous change of mind can cost you quite some time if you stood in line for pasta and then decided for pizza. Don't come during busy hours - you will stand for a good 30 minutes and who wants that with an empty stomach? Once you made it to the counter you order your food and watch the cook prepare it fresh for you, then swipe a card you got at the entrance (where you pay when you leave), and carry your food to your table. Again: don't come during busy hours. Waiting with an empty stomach is awful. Awkwardly staggering around with a tablet looking for a table, with an empty stomach and the delicious food right in front of your nose is worse. The food: Reasonable prices, the pasta portions seem small on the first look but I never left hungry (and sometimes didn't even manage to finish the bowl). The pasta is made in house and is really good, dense, tasty, definitely keeps you full longer. You can choose your shape of pasta when ordering, and they also offer whole wheat / spelt pasta. The sauces are amazing. They always offer interesting specials, keep your eyes peeled for that! The pizza is one of the best I ever had, seriously. Crispy thin dough that has flavor, a delicious sauce and lots of toppings. Way better than what you'd expect from a chain restaurant and better than most "real" Italian restaurants. The salads are just okay, the soups however very tasty. The ambience: very high ceilings give the room an airy feeling. Big chalkboards over the counter show chalk drawings, the tables are decorated with herb pots. The service: you don't have service at your table. The cooks behind the counter are mostly friendly, I never had an unfriendly one, however, it is a hit and miss. I prefer to order my food, say what I would like and would not, get it and go. Some want to chat a bit too much and then don't concentrate on what their doing, what may result in undercooked ingredients (so happened to my friend who got half raw shrimp because the cook was very eager to flirt with her - very awkwardly by the way - but less eager to do what he is paid for). That's the reason why I took off one star - the service / quality is not as consistent as it could be if the cooks would concentrate on cooking instead of trying to make awkward conversation. TL;DR: Great food, good atmosphere, weird cooks ~ can recommend! read more