If You Were to Look up Trendiest Restaurants in DC on Google, Vapiano would be up there.

Okay, so I did look up trendiest restaurants in DC on Google and Vapiano DIDN'T show up. But it should be up there! Vapiano is an Italian restaurant that completely exceeded my low expectations. First of all, it's an Italian restaurant in Chinatown. Don't get me wrong, I love Chinese food. I took a Chinese Culinary Course last semester and loved every second of it. But an Italian Restaurant in the middle of Chinatown? I didn't really trust it. In addition to the location, the outside of the restaurant wasn't the most appealing. I know, I know. Never judge a book by it's cover, right? I guess I'm a shallow eater. I do like going to places that grab my attention, whether it's via a cool looking logo (I saw one that changed colors!) or a funny/catchy/witty name. So, initially, Vapiano didn't really catch my eye. It was decent, but not eye-catching. I'm lucky the group I was with picked this place to eat at, because I ended up adoring the restaurant. Reasons to like this place:

1) Comfy seats. I like to eat in comfort. Food tastes 100x better when you're sitting in a comfy chair. Vapiano certainly fulfilled that requirement. First thing you see when you walk in are different kinds of couches everywhere.

2) Great food. The pizza was delicious. Not only is it good, but there are really different toppings. There is the Caprese, which has Mozzarella Cheese, Tomatoes, and Basil. Or the Toscana pizza with Spicy Sliced Sicilian Pepperoni, Fresh Tomatoes, Basil Pesto, and Black Olives.I had the Americana aka 'Meat Lovers' Pizza, which had pepperoni and sausage.

The blend was a good one. I've been trying to critique pizzas in categories, ever since my roommate had to write an article about the best pizza place in our area and used me as the pizza taster. Cheese and toppings were great, along with the bread, which was somewhat crunchy, but not in a way where it's too much. Sauce was decent, but it was more overshadowed by the toppings and cheese, which I think tends to happen with meats on pizzas, especially pepperoni, which has a lot of flavor. So, overall, the pizza was great. It was also good cold the next day (couldn't finish it, shockingly!), which is always a good thing.

And after dinner, comes desert, during which my appetite returned to me. That's probably due to how good all the deserts looked.

There were a lot of choices, but I went with "Death By Chocolate" cake. 

Doesn't it look sooo good? That's not even my cake. I ate half of mine, before realizing I forgot to take a picture. Thankfully, my buddy didn't eat hers! The cake is perfect for those who love chocolate. If I were to die any way, this would be it; eating a cake that reeks of delicious chocolate.

3) The place just looks cool. In addition to the comfy couches, the decorations were just really entertaining and things I haven't seen at other restaurants.

Come on, how can you NOT like a restaurant with something like this? Oh, and there's more. 

Lot's more. 

Okay, I couldn't get a picture of the entire blackboard, but it was all just adorable. I loved reading the messages, as I was ordering food. 

Then there's this. I have no clue what it is, but I like it!

Indoor Tree? I don't think I've ever seen this! 

And you can't go wrong with pretty art and an indoor fireplace! 

Vapiano was a delightful surprise with its trendy setting and entertaining decorations along with the good food. The ordering method is a little different then what I'm used to. It reminded me of the Olive Garden, where you have to wait until you're seated and the hostess hands you this big black circle, which buzzes when they're ready. You go, you sit, you eat, and then you leave. Vapiano essentially does the same thing, but the buzzing happens when your food is ready. A little strange, but it beats standing around for 15 minutes, waiting for your food, so I didn't have too much of a problem with it. 

I've spent most of this blog praising Vapiano. But, there is one criticism. They forgot an order. Thankfully not mine. But my friend had to wait for about 40 minutes for her pizza to be ready. It turned out to be a good pizza and she got it for free, but I would like to hope this isn't a common theme with Vapiano. 

Overall, don't let Vapiano's location or outside appearance fool you! It really shows you that you don't judge a book by it's cover!

For information/other locations, here's a link to the restaurant's website: 

http://www.vapianointernational.com/vapiano/cms/

That's all for now! I'll be back with more updates of DC restaurants, but with less pictures, unfortunately. 

Stay hungry!