Whenever my mum is in town we have to eat gluten free due to her celiac disease and given that Berlin is usually so accommodating towards all kinds of dietary restriction and choices, it’s surprisingly hard to get food that is truly gluten free (i.e. no cross contamination). One of the few restaurants that we can go to is the German restaurant chain “Vapiano” which is somewhat similar to the British “Pizza Express” in that it is ubiquitous (seriously they’re everywhere in Berlin), offers Italian food in a casual setting, and has gluten free menus and are certified by various celiac’s associations.
I love Pizza Express and its concept, but Vapiano for me belongs in its own circle of hell. This is all because of their god-awful concept. The idea is to not just serve Italian food in a casual setting, but to make the setting so casual that it’s a canteen-style Restaurant. The way that it works is that there’s several stations (e.g. Pasta, Salad, Risotto, Pizza etc.) with a chef behind them, you go up to a station and order something that the chef will then cook right in front of your eyes and charge to a card (which you’re given when you enter), then you move onto the next station and get your next part of your meal which is also charged to your card, rinse and repeat. When you leave you give the person at the till your card and pay the amount that’s on it.
In theory this is a great concept, you get food that’s freshly made in front of your eyes and you’re free to choose what order you want your food in. However, IT JUST DOESN’T WORK! Even with three people in the queue ahead of you waiting can take up to half an hour, as the chef has to prepare each dish and clean his appliances in between customers, and who wants to wait in such a slow line when they’re hungry? No one! Also it’s a nightmare to coordinate if you’re going with friends and family and one of you wants risotto and the other pasta – good luck finding each other and eating together with all those separate queues taking different times. And don’t get me started on finding seats.
Anyway, enough ranting. The reason I’m still giving this hellsite of a restaurant an above-average rating, is that the food is actually quite good. It’s pretty average Italian fare, but everything is cooked well, it’s reasonably priced (you can easily eat for under €10) and portion sizes are generous. It’s especially great if you’re eating gluten free, the gluten-free pizza was one of the best I’d ever had, and due to the fact that everything is cooked in front of your eyes, you can really ensure all the necessary precautions are taken in the preparation of your food. Go if it’s an off-peak time and you have to eat gluten free, otherwise just do yourself a favour and go to one of the myriad of other Italian restaurants scattered all around Berlin that actually have table service!
Personal recommendation: Take it or leave it!
Food (and history) in Berlin 