Vapiano, Great Portland Street

Oxford Circus is synonymous with two things: shopping and crowds. The latter happens to be the unfortunate yet inevitable by-product of the former. But Vapiano, a new Italian eatery, offers the ideal antidote to the commotion.

Contrary to its busy surroundings, Vapiano sits quietly and unobtrusively on Great Portland Street. With its name drawing inspiration from the Italian proverb: ‘Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano’ (essentially, a healthier and longer life is attributed to a relaxed lifestyle), these qualities are central to Vapiano’s ethos. For instance, on arrival diners are each handed a chip card with which to ‘tap’ – a bit like the Londoner’s beloved Oyster card – on tills at various food stations, reducing the stress of meal-time ordering.

These food stations differentiate Vapiano from its counterparts, creating an innovative payment system with a ‘grown up’s cafeteria’ feel. You queue at your preferred station, depending on whether you want pizza, pasta or antipasti. But don’t be dismayed at the thought of DIY serving. Your food is freshly made – step by step – in front of you and according to your personal tastes. So, if you’d like that extra serving of salami in your pasta, go for it! If this isn’t enough to pique your interest, however, there’s always the experience of watching a range of pasta shapes such as penne, spaghetti and fusilli being made onsite before being sealed in brown paper bags ready for use on the same day. For the slightly more health conscious, two types of spelt pasta are available. Customisation is clearly vital to Vapiano.

Either a bowl of freshly-cooked al-dente pasta with sauce or a plate of pizza start at a reasonably-priced £6.95 and peak just under £10; not bad for a diner mere minutes away from Oxford Circus station. I almost always order the fuss-free yet filling penne pomodoro – thankfully never to be corrected on my poor Italian pronunciation – whilst my other half opts for the calzone, an exotic choice for a chicken wing devotee. The pizzas take around seven minutes to make, a few minutes more than pasta dishes, and you’re given a pager to let you know when it’s ready just in case you’d rather take a seat in the meantime.

Before leaving, you hand your chip card to the hostess to reveal your bill – an efficient process if you’re in a big group and need to leave earlier than everyone else, but also one that avoids the somewhat awkward dilemma of who pays for what or how much. Ultimately, ‘Vaps’ (as it is affectionately called by regular customers) epitomises good food in a great atmosphere at a decent price. And with the recent introduction of the third London site on Soho’s Wardour Street – the two-storey follow up to the Southwark Street branch – I’ll be sure to visit this German-run chain again very soon.

Vapiano
19 Great Portland Street
Fitzrovia
W1W 8QB

Tel: 020 7268 0083