Vapiano Paddington — Restaurant in London

My travels recently brought me to England—a place historically referred to as "merry old England." Yet, one could sense a quiet tension in the air, as locals, each entangled in their personal narratives, moved purposefully through their day, simply aiming to reach its end without incident.

After a reflective walk through Hyde Park, it became clear that a coffee and something sweet were required to sustain both body and spirit. I made my way to Vapiano, an inviting establishment where modern elegance meets relaxed, casual comfort. A playful statue of animals engaging in a game of cards out the window sets the tone—artistic, whimsical, yet sophisticated.

Upon entering, we were immediately greeted by a well-presented gentleman who, with effortless professionalism, guided us to our table. We mentioned we were only after coffee and dessert, to which he responded warmly, assuring us he would promptly bring a menu.

Now, I must confess: coffee is the singular thing that keeps my frame upright and my mind sharp. Scanning the offerings, the Tiramisu Coffee caught my eye—something new, something adventurous. We ordered: two Tiramisu Coffees (one with alcohol for myself), one Latte for the wife , and the boy only wanted water (Im not judging.), a Cheesecake, and a Tiramisu Cake.

The alcoholic Tiramisu Coffee, while enjoyable, leaned heavily into the world of a dessert rather than the robust, bitter foundation coffee enthusiasts seek. It was rich, indulgent, and pleasant—but did not deliver the grounding experience that a true cup of coffee promises. Then there is the  non-alcoholic version, in its purity, was more balanced and, dare I say, preferable.

Now, to the Cheesecake: an absolute triumph. Velvety, luscious, and flawlessly constructed, it alone justified the visit. Paired with the latte—an exceptional brew characterized by its smooth body and deep, resonant notes—the experience was elevated into the realm of i will be ok and societywill ne safe.

Although the Tiramisu Coffee was not for me, the quality of the other items and the overall ambiance left a significant impression. I would undoubtedly return for a classic Latte and perhaps something more substantial.

A final note: the neighboring table was enjoying pasta dishes so aromatic and tantalizing, i felt a little creepy constantly looking at them eating it . It was as though the Italian gods themselves had blessed the kitchen that day. It is now firmly on my agenda to return, surrender to the expertise of the staff, and allow them to select a dish for me—thus immersing myself fully in what I can only describe as pasta wizardry.

In conclusion, Vapiano is a beautifully curated space where hospitality, atmosphere, and culinary craft meet. Even if the tiramisu coffee didn’t quite meet my lofty expectations, the overall experience was memorable and highly recommendable. If you find yourself wandering the streets near those animals playing cards near the piccadilly train station ,  it probably has some artsy name .  Seeking refuge from the chaos of the day, step...

Firstly I’ll start by saying that the MANAGER ALI is very unprofessional and uneducated within his role and a disappointment for the face of the restaurant!

We arrived it was very quite hardly anyone was there and had waited minimum 15-20mins while it took 3 members of staff to move 2 other tables around which wasn’t occupied before anyone attended to our table after which we had to gesture them over. We wasn’t informed beforehand how the ordering process worked and was then informed it was to be done via the app or via the waiter. At this point the circus began and the starters arrived beetroot bruschetta ( which was like a slices of toast) which i automatically could see was burnt top and bottom, the bruschetta itself was dry no dressing and quite slap dash & presented on a dirty plate . I informed the waiter (unknown he was the manager at this point and the first person we spoke to from the start) that I didn’t wish to keep the dish and told him my concerns at which his reply was hostile and rude informing me that he couldn’t do a refund which wasn’t asked from me but to change my dish he removed the plate and we proceeded with waiting for the main dish. I sat and waited around 15mins while the table received their food and also has issues with theirs, a new waiter returned with a new plated starter which wasn’t burnt however the plate was dirty and I returned it( pic below) I was very disappointed and frustrated at this point as everyone had issues with their mains I asked for the manager. Another gentleman was walking around towards us and I asked if he was the manager at which he said no it later turned out after asking another waiter that he was in-fact the manager and had been reported the day before regarding bad reviews made against him( know wonder why)

After 15mins I asked again for the manager and the very nice Aqib informed me that he would be with us once he was finished on the phone. I asked if he could in fact assist as we had been waiting along time at which he very professionally aided me with a replacement option for the starter he apologised for the issues we all had and helped each of us with the issues we had, I can not praise his customer service skills enough he is a great credit to the restaurant! He listened, was polite and found a resolution!!

The manager ended up attending our table after we had taken pictures and he assumed it was of him and stormed over to the table, he rudely addressed the table demanding to see their phone & wanted to argue with us instead of focusing on the concerns we had with all of our food. This was the very last straw for us all and shortly left. This was the worst experience I have every had within a restaurant and I dine from 5* to local establishments and the unprofessionalism and argumentative manor Ali portrayed would make the reviews of this restaurant go down hill as well as people dinning in this location.

I would like his management to reach out this experience not only ruined my daughter’s birthday meal but was unprofessional...

READ THIS BEFORE YOU EAT: Summary - TERRIBLE food.

I should have read the other bad reviews first before entering. They are spot on with their comments. Go to Bizarro Italian restaurant instead which is like 2 blocks down the road. I am very rarely picky with my food, and I almost never complain in restaurants. This was too bad to not complain.

We ordered: Chicken Skewers Olives Carbonara Tagliatelle Carbonara Spaghetti Gamberetti a Spinaci Chicken Alfredo (~£80 total including drinks)

Pros: Good olives Waiters/waitresses did what they could That's it.

Cons: ALL the pastas were completely sticky, hard and soggy. They were very hard to chew, and would not even fall off the fork. It was like eating slime. The waitress said this is normal for the types of pasta we ordered?? But I have NEVER ever had pasta as bad as this, in any Italian restaurant, even in Italy. Chicken skewers had an unusual taste. Was not a fan of it. Chicken was also quite hard. The worst part of the chicken: There was a SHARP WOODEN STICK the size of a NEEDLE left in the chicken - This is DANGEROUS and DEADLY. Prawns in the Gamberetti were still slightly raw. They needed to be remade for it to be cooked. The cutlery all had some sort of orange/bronze powder on them, no matter how much we asked for them to be cleaned. Problem with their dishwasher or polishing machine? The carbonaras had a very unusual taste. I never thought I would have carbonara tasting like this. They really should work on timing their food delivery better. One main dish came out around 10 minutes before the rest. Were we expected to wait for one dish to become cold, or for one person to finish their dish before the others?

Change your chefs or...