Vapiano — Restaurant in Miami

Brickell Bites & Vapiano Delights: A Night Made by Manuel.

I rarely make the trek from Fort Lauderdale to Miami for fun—anyone living in South Florida knows it feels like crossing into a whole different state! But let’s be real, Miami has some incredible restaurants, so every now and then, we make the trip.

This time, my boyfriend had a work thing in Miami, and I had just flown in after a work trip, so we decided to stay the night in Brickell. Just two blocks from our hotel was Vapiano, and we couldn’t resist—memories of our early dating days in NYC flooded back, so we had to give it a try.

The restaurant was super cute and stylish—very Miami vibes. The staff was not only friendly but also HOT, again, very Miami! 😄 But unlike the Vapiano we remembered from NYC or London, this location is a sit-down restaurant with servers. I kind of missed the old-school counter style where you chat with the cooks while they prepare your meal. Still, this wasn’t a dealbreaker, and the NYC location closed during COVID, so we adapted.

Our server, Manuel, was an absolute gem. Kind, friendly, and surprisingly not your typical “Miami” attitude. He welcomed us warmly, sat us down, and even gave a few great recommendations.

We started with the Bruschetta Mozzarella, and it was so good! The cheese was perfect, and the bread wasn’t too hard (which I appreciated because I’m not a fan of rock-hard bread). The tomatoes could’ve had a bit more flavor, but overall, it was delicious—almost ordered a second round, but too many carbs, haha!

Next up was the Caesar Salad. I wasn’t a fan, but my boyfriend loved it. He cleared the plate, so clearly, it was a win for him.

I originally went for the Chicken Alfredo, but unfortunately, the mushrooms overpowered the dish, and I couldn’t really taste the Alfredo sauce. Meanwhile, my boyfriend had the Carbonara with Shrimp, which was incredible. Manuel, being the sweetheart he is, noticed I wasn’t loving my dish and kindly offered to switch it. I told him I was happy to pay for the Alfredo since it was just my preference, but he spoke with his manager, and they swapped it out for me at no extra cost (except the small difference for switching to the Carbonara). That’s above and beyond service!

The Carbonara with chicken that I ended up with? Delicious! Manuel definitely made the whole experience even better.

Overall, we had a fantastic time, but I have to say—while the food was good, it was Manuel who truly elevated our experience. If you’re ever in the mood for Vapiano or want to give it a try, make sure to ask for him! And for my ladies and fellow gays, just a little bonus: Manuel is a super sexy Argentinian with tattoos and an accent. 😍 But don’t worry, he’s also...

Awful experience, food and prices! This is not a real Vapiano location and does not work as all Vapianos in the world work or how in fact this one used to work. The typical let me increase prices, but drop quality to gain more profit. They closed once for years and I don't doubt this will happen again.

The amazing self guided concept is no longer here and you must now order from a waiter like a regular restaurant. After doing this change you'd think service would be good, but it wasn't. I'm talking late bread to the table, cold food I had to return and ask for a new one, a spicy pasta that wasn't spicy, and the absolute worst that can happen to anyone, overcooked pasta. Let's not forget to mention there were only 3 tables seated when we were there and all these servers and staff just couldn't handle it.

The carpaccio was served with warm meat (should be almost freezing cold), with no flavor, no salt, and had to ask for bread on the side. No parmesano cheese on the table or even offered (they just added to my pasta without even asking me if I wanted it). What used to be $14 pastas like every vapiano are now $22 and just simply not good. I have to say my favorite was unfortunately pieces of bread with balsamic vinegar that was on the table. My friend even threw up just a bit later that day. 🤢

The place has dead energy and the guys have towers of chairs and tables in the patio which make the place seem not ready for public, yet they charge you extra as if the place was upgraded.

An absolute disaster and as an Italian and real Vapiano fan that has been to multiple locations around the world, I strongly recommend you stay away and go elsewhere! I'll be emailing Vapiano headquarters about this as it just...

My wife and I frequented Vapiano’s while we lived in Europe. Absolutely wonderful food and wine every time I’ve been to a Vapiano’s. Recently, I had a work trip to Miami and had time to check it out. Outside of the changes made during the plandemic, (ordering process) I was very happy that it was exactly like it was overseas (much better wine at the European locations). I told my wife and we were looking forward to my next trip to Miami so we could have dinner together there. That day came and my wife flew down JUST TO HAVE DINNER WITH ME THERE. Everything was great until our waiter was coming off shift and said goodbye. We were just about done with dinner but were planning on having tiramisu and some more wine. Some other waiter showed up at the table with the cc machine. I joked and asked him if we had to leave and that we weren’t done yet. When I turned to my wife to ask what else she wanted to have, the dude walked off and didn’t return. I ended up having to find a manager just so I could pay the existing bill. If the guy would have just asked to close out the old bill and open another under his name, I would have complied. Instead, the dude acted like a giant baby and disappeared. This place WAS arguably my favorite restaurant chain around, and one of the only ones left in the franchise. The only reason there are 2 stars for service is because the original waiter was awesome. Polite, attentive, and provided excellent customer service. I don’t think this location will last too much longer because neither time has had more than 3-4 parties eating while I was there. I genuinely don’t understand what is going on with restaurants these days. It’s very...