I will be honest, when I saw the red carpet and ropes of Vapiano when it first opened in Fall 2010, I had no interest going. Vapiano is a chain in several cities all over the U.S. and I recently ate there and was pleasantly surprised.

For a quick Italian cafeteria bite, it serves it purpose. Located in the Theater District, Vapiano is the equivalent of Bon Marche. Grab a tray, go to the stations and pick up soup, salad, pasta, pizza or bar order.

Olive tree in the center of the restaurant

Trays and soup salad station

Insalate Mista- Cherry tomatoes, carrots, radishes, mushrooms, onion, cucumbers, mozzarella and parmesean

The goat cheese pizza with fresh tomatoes was tasty. It was new on the menu and approximately $10.00. The pizza took 15 minutes to wait for and the station gave a buzz card to indicate when the pizza was ready.

The folks working at the stations load the card with the value of the item you pick up and customers pay at the end at the cashier.