Vapiano Flinders Lane — Restaurant in Melbourne

Good food for a reasonable price; tasteful Italian dishes, but nothing extraordinary. I’ve come here twice in one day, first I only had a drink during main dinner time; I came back later to have dinner myself. During dinner time (6-8pm) the place is really busy, if one was in a larger group, booking might be advisable; later on (around 9pm), it was very quiet. They offer pasta, pizza and risotto dishes that are typical for the Italian cuisine, including vegetarian, meat and seafood options. At an additional cost one can have gluten free pasta or pizza as well; note, that there is no dedicated gf kitchen space (as is declared on the menu as well); especially not at the pizza station. For pasta, the zoodles are prepared in the pan only and before cooking the gf pasta, the water will be drained and refilled, however, someone with severe gluten intolerance might not be able to eat here due to cross-contamination. I had a gluten free Hemp Fettuccini Ratatouille and it was flavoursome and satisfying. It doesn’t look like it at first, but portion sizes are very filling; I ordered my dish with chilies to be medium-hot and the chef absolutely hit the mark. The pasta was cooked through (typically gluten free pasta is not prepared “al dente”) and does not have a strong additional flavour, so they might work with any sauce or topping. The ratatouille had a well-balanced yet not too intense flavour, mainly from the veggies. To my taste, it could’ve had a bit more tomato-sauce and Italian herbs to it, as gluten free pasta tends to soak up liquids stronger than regular pasta and is very plain in taste, after some time texture was quite thick and dull. When I first ordered my dish, I informed the waitress about my food allergies, and she seemed to have been a bit overwhelmed by it. She double checked with one of kitchen staff if the dish I was about to order suits my dietary requirements. I appreciate her effort for double checking with kitchen staff, however, I think service staff at the counter should know about ingredients & allergens, as during busy times it might not be possible to go and check everything with kitchen staff; it would unnecessarily take up time. All in all, VaPiano is a good place to go to if one wanted Italian food that is fresh & quickly done...

My family choose this Italian restaurant for a Saturday night dinner out ,we booked for 6.00 o’clock as we are Italians we like to try different Italian restaurant to see the different between them .This was a big mistake, the food on the web page looked amazing and the serving looked plentiful, but this was not the case .The food was over price for the serving you received they did not resemble the sizes on their webpage . We first decided to have some starters, so we decided to have some meatball but not to be as we were told that they had no meat for the meat. We finally ordered 2 pizzas and 2 antipastos The pizzas taste nice but had hardly any topping on them, the antipastos were well over price for the serving you received

I choose tender beef cheeks with spaghetti for my main .this was the worst spaghetti I have ever had. It looked like the spaghetti was pre-cooked and heated in a microwave as it came in a mass with hardly no sauce poured on top .when you put the fork in the spaghetti it came up in a mass all stuck together like it was glued together and some also was also dry and hard around the edge of the spaghetti due to the microwave , and there was only two small pieces of beef cheeks the size of a small finger nail and the sauce was watery and not enough for the amount of spaghetti on the plate . I took the plate to counter where the food is prepared and informed them that I’m a 71-year-old Italian and I have a good understanding on Italian food I told them that is the worst spaghetti I have ever had, and I believe that the food had been precooked and heated in a microwave . they did not disagree with me, and they said that they will make another one for me . On receiving my next plate of so-called tender beef cheeks nothing much had changed , the only thing different was they might have cooked the spaghetti or just warmed them up in boiling water the rest was all the same . I got my two sons to try it for there opinion and they both agreed that tis was not wright . I left most of the spaghetti in the plate . They did offer me a free drink to make up for the food, but I declined the offer . This was my experience I hope that the other Vapiano restaurant do not have...

A Disappointing Birthday Dinner Experience

I am writing this review to express my deep disappointment with the dining experience I had at this restaurant yesterday evening, on the occasion of my girlfriend's birthday dinner. I had high hopes for a memorable evening, but unfortunately, the restaurant failed to deliver in crucial aspects.

To begin with, the service we received was subpar and far from satisfactory. The staff seemed inattentive and disinterested throughout the evening. We had 18 guests with us, in spite of booking such big table in advance, we were given two separate tables where all the guests had to divide and sit. We had to repeatedly call for the attention of the servers, who appeared overwhelmed and neglectful of our needs.

Moreover, the quality of the food was a major letdown. While we had heard positive things about the restaurant's cuisine, the dishes we received were underwhelming.The portion sizes were okay but was served almost cold leaving us unsatisfied and craving more. It was a stark contrast to what we were expecting for a special occasion like a birthday celebration.

To make matters worse, despite knowing, the restaurant failed to acknowledge my girlfriend's birthday in any way. It is disheartening to see an establishment overlook such an important detail, especially when many other restaurants go out of their way to make their guests feel valued and appreciated on their special day.

Given the considerable amount of money we spent on this dining experience, we expected nothing short of excellence. Regrettably, the restaurant fell short in every aspect, leaving us deeply unsatisfied and disappointed. We had hoped for a memorable birthday dinner, but instead, we were left with a lackluster experience that we would not recommend to anyone seeking a special occasion celebration.

It is our sincere hope that the restaurant management takes this feedback seriously and makes the necessary improvements to provide better service, food quality, and overall customer experience. Until then, I cannot endorse Vapiano as a worthwhile dining...