Vapiano
“How can you run out of the only vegan option?”
Vapiano is a chain restaurant with a euro-chic esthetic and Italian food. It’s basically like a fast-food chain that has a nice decor and easy way of ordering. The concept has shifted somewhat in the past years and the chain has been criticised in many ways. But let’s look at the food, shall we?
Now, Vapiano is no new place for me. Even in my non-vegan days I have visited it often and always connected it to comfort food pasta. The Pizza I would avoid though. But when it comes to the pasta, they offer a variety of types and sauces. Recently, they also launched a dedicated vegan pasta, the pasta vegana.
While technically there are two vegan options on the menu, the al arrabbiata if one takes away the cheese, and the pasta vegana, it still feels a bit on the afterthought side. The pasta vegana is a cream sauce with vegan filets (the ones you can get from Quorn in the supermarket freezer), sundried tomatoes and herbs. A good combination all in all.
However, I have had the situation more often than it should have happened that they ran out of vegan filets and couldn’t offer any pasta vegana. There is no substitute, and one will have to settle for al arrabbiata. Which is a good fit, as angry (arrabbiata) is the feeling one will have.
In any case, should the pasta vegana be available, it’s quite a nice composition. I like to add some rucola on top and some chili oil from the table and immediately you will feel comfortable. It’s fairly competently executed and arrives fast, should the system to order not fail.
Depending on the day, they can be a bit lazy in the kitchen and forget to cut the sundried tomatoes into smaller pieces. So, sometimes you might chew on a massive sundried tomato. I don’t judge, but to me, that’s a bit too much.
All in all, you go to Vapiano for a simple meal. Order with your phone, hope the system doesn’t collapse or they ran out of vegan filet pieces, and then you wait until your order arrives. Very unpersonal, but the place still makes you feel welcome enough. It’s a good choice to bring your Mom for a quick lunch without having to go to Max and deal with the shameful looks you might receive.
Price:
Pasta: 119 SEK
Soft-Drink: 32 SEK
The Verdict
Vapiano is a fair place for a decent quality pasta to a good price. While you won’t see this as the best restaurant to ever visit, especially having the more fast-food atmosphere in mind, it’s a safe place to come back to for decent pasta without having to deal with picky Italians not accepting your food preferences. See it as comfort food with an Italian touch.
4/5 Leaves
Pro
Usually space available
Nice atmosphere
Fair prices
Con
Can get crowded and very noisy
More often than they should they run out of vegan pasta
More like fast-food
Location
Östra Hamngatan 35
Opening Hours
Su-Th: 11:00 - 22:00
Fr-Sa: 11:00 - 23:00
