Cipriani Downtown

Easy to Dismiss Cipriani as both showy and cliquey, but get used to it and you'll find one of the best tables in town. Great Italian food with attentive, responsive and tactful (discreet) service. more

the best cipriani in town more

The food is amazing, the environment and place are also amazing, but the bald Italian host is the worst that I have ever met in all my life!!! He is disgusting, only care about his currently customer and does not care about the tourist customer. I think he has to take care of his daily clients, but never ever insult the tourist. If you are a tourist, don`t go there...you certainly is going to be mistreated by him: THE BALD ITALIAN HOST! more

The food is amazing, so is the the environment... But the bald, rude Italian host is the worst that I have ever met in all my life!!! He is disgusting, only care about his currently customer and does not care about the tourist customer. I think he has to take care of his daily clients, but never ever insult tourists. If you are a tourist, don`t go there...you are certainly going to be mistreated by him: THE BALD ITALIAN HOST! more

I really thought this place would suck after reading the litany of horrible reviews it has received. But, I must admit, we had a fine, fun meal there. The service was terrific, the food was excellent. I recommend the brociutto and buffalo mozarella appetizer, the penne in the veal reduction, and the chocolate cake for dessert. more

The Cipriani Empire, the restaurant equivalent of the Roman Empire, has made its mark in New York City. With locations in Midtown, Soho and Wall Street, the Cipriani rivals restaurants such as Sant Ambroeus and Casa Lever. Each location (Harry Cipriani, Cipriani Downtown and Cipriani Wall Street) each have something unique to offer. Harry Cipriani is the more formal restaurant. The Cipriani Downtown is more for Manhattan's socialites who blow air kisses and drink Bellinis at 1 o'clock in the afternoon on a Saturday and the Cipriani Wall Street is more for the ""power lunch"" crowd. Being 17 and not an intern on Wall Street I, of course, opted for the chic and oh so fabulous Cipriani Downtown. Going to the Cipriani Downtown is essentially like going to Soho and purchasing a ticket for a two hour trip to Italy. Everything from the elegant tables and chairs to the almost wall length photo collages of photos ranging from Sophia Loren to snap shots of Florence just scream ""Italy"". Of course you can't forget the flamboyant chandelier hanging center stage in the dining room. The space isn't large so reservations can be hard to come by and for lunch the place tends to get packed all at once (usually around 1 o'clock). So I suppose snagging a 12:30 reservation was perfect. The restaurant packs everyone in so tight that you can often, unintentionally, eavesdrop on other's conversations. The crowd ranges from the uber chic Manhattan socialites to touristy families from Europe, and both ends of the spectrum come prepared with their Platinum American Express cards. The waitstaff while courteous and never rude, can have a few slip ups once in a while. But then again with about 15 waiters for such a small place, one can understand why it gets so hectic. Originally I had thought that coming to the Cipriani was solely for the scene, but the food was a surprising part of the trip. The fried calamari was superb and the Prosciutto di Parma tasted as if it was just flown in from Italy. As for the entrees, me and my party ordered the Pappardelle alla Bolognese, Penne with Veal Sauce and the Chicken Spezzatino Alla Pizzaiola. At first glance the portions seem small and feeble, but after a few bites you wonder how you'll finish it all. Certain pasta dishes are made for sharing and others are personal plates. But all tend to be around the same price ($25.95). The Pappardelle was cooked perfectly and the Bolognese sauce was tasty and full of chunks of lamb (which is always a plus). The Penne tasted fantastic as well and was cooked al dente, just to my liking. And of course no Italian meal is complete with out coffee and dessert and the Cipriani Downtown takes care of this with a small plate of cookies for the table, on the house of course. Though the prices may be high, its worth the trip. Some may say the Cipriani Downtown is only good for the scene and ambiance, but I found the food to be pretty good (though I must admit, paying $27.95 for Fried Calamari is a bit absurd. But then again you're at the Cipriani in Soho not Don Peppe's in Ozone Park, Queens). Be sure to visit this upscale, elegant Italian bistro whether it be for lunch or dinner! Check out my blog: bit.ly/7KoJa6 Pros: Food, Decor, Crowd Cons: Service more

The Cipriani Empire, the restaurant equivalent of the Roman Empire, has made its mark in New York City. With locations in Midtown, Soho and Wall Street, the Cipriani rivals restaurants such as Sant Ambroeus and Casa Lever. Each location (Harry Cipriani, Cipriani Downtown and Cipriani Wall Street) each have something unique to offer. Harry Cipriani is the more formal restaurant. The Cipriani Downtown is more for Manhattan's socialites who blow air kisses and drink Bellinis at 1 o'clock in the afternoon on a Saturday and the Cipriani Wall Street is more for the "power lunch" crowd. Being 17 and not an intern on Wall Street I, of course, opted for the chic and oh so fabulous Cipriani Downtown. Going to the Cipriani Downtown is essentially like going to Soho and purchasing a ticket for a two hour trip to Italy. Everything from the elegant tables and chairs to the almost wall length photo collages of photos ranging from Sophia Loren to snap shots of Florence just scream "Italy". Of course you can't forget the flamboyant chandelier hanging center stage in the dining room. The space isn't large so reservations can be hard to come by and for lunch the place tends to get packed all at once (usually around 1 o'clock). So I suppose snagging a 12:30 reservation was perfect. The restaurant packs everyone in so tight that you can often, unintentionally, eavesdrop on other's conversations. The crowd ranges from the uber chic Manhattan socialites to touristy families from Europe, and both ends of the spectrum come prepared with their Platinum American Express cards. The waitstaff while courteous and never rude, can have a few slip ups once in a while. But then again with about 15 waiters for such a small place, one can understand why it gets so hectic. Originally I had thought that coming to the Cipriani was solely for the scene, but the food was a surprising part of the trip. The fried calamari was superb and the Prosciutto di Parma tasted as if it was just flown in from Italy. As for the entrees, me and my party ordered the Pappardelle alla Bolognese, Penne with Veal Sauce and the Chicken Spezzatino Alla Pizzaiola. At first glance the portions seem small and feeble, but after a few bites you wonder how you'll finish it all. Certain pasta dishes are made for sharing and others are personal plates. But all tend to be around the same price ($25.95). The Pappardelle was cooked perfectly and the Bolognese sauce was tasty and full of chunks of lamb (which is always a plus). The Penne tasted fantastic as well and was cooked al dente, just to my liking. And of course no Italian meal is complete with out coffee and dessert and the Cipriani Downtown takes care of this with a small plate of cookies for the table, on the house of course. Though the prices may be high, its worth the trip. Some may say the Cipriani Downtown is only good for the scene and ambiance, but I found the food to be pretty good (though I must admit, paying $27.95 for Fried Calamari is a bit absurd. But then again you're at the Cipriani in Soho not Don Peppe's in Ozone Park, Queens). Be sure to visit this upscale, elegant Italian bistro whether it be for lunch or dinner! Check out my blog: bit.ly/7KoJa6 Pros: Food, Decor, Crowd Cons: Service more

my husband and i found our waiter to be friendly, the food fresh, tasty, and very simply presented. We stumbled across the restaurant not knowing the history . it was raining and we were very casually dressed and walked in soaked to the bone and the waiter made a couple selections for us. we had a cucumber tomato salad and veal ravioli and wow best i had ever had, perfectly prepared. we had dessert and they even brought a complimentary piece of pecan pie. wow packed with lovely giant pecans! the cheese cake (not philly cream cheese, was delicious also. I'm picky about food and i thought it was one of the best meals had in a long time. of course i didn't walk in thinking it was ""hot spot"" place to be seen. Pros: not stuffy -some pasta made fresh- personable staff Cons: expensive without the luxury more

my husband and i found our waiter to be friendly, the food fresh, tasty, and very simply presented. We stumbled across the restaurant not knowing the history . it was raining and we were very casually dressed and walked in soaked to the bone and the waiter made a couple selections for us. we had a cucumber tomato salad and veal ravioli and wow best i had ever had, perfectly prepared. we had dessert and they even brought a complimentary piece of pecan pie. wow packed with lovely giant pecans! the cheese cake (not philly cream cheese, was delicious also. I'm picky about food and i thought it was one of the best meals had in a long time. of course i didn't walk in thinking it was "hot spot" place to be seen. Pros: not stuffy -some pasta made fresh- personable staff Cons: expensive without the luxury more

On Cipriani I am only going to say one thing : A real piece of Italy people save some money and go eat there because Real Italian style doesn't get any better then this more

CIPRIANI more

CIPRIANI 55 WALL STREET, MANHATTAN 10005 Violation points: 26 Inspection Date: 12/19/2007 Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed. Sanitary Violations 1.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained. 2.) Accurate thermometer not provided in refrigerated or hot holding equipment. 3.) Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored. 4.) Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility's food and/or non-food areas. Previous Inspection Results more

Have eaten there three times because customers wanted to go. All three times food was borderline unedible. The people who go here to be seen, do not have a clue of what good food is. With the great restaurants and chefs that exist in this city, the fact that this restaurant stays open shows that P.T. Barnum was right, there is a s*cker born every minute! more

Have eaten there three times because customers wanted to go. All three times food was borderline unedible. The people who go here to be seen, do not have a clue of what good food is. With the great restaurants and chefs that exist in this city, the fact that this restaurant stays open shows that P.T. Barnum was right, there is a s*cker born every minute! more

I went to Cipriani with my wife. We should've walked away once we were handed the menu, which doesn't have anything below $25.95, except maybe starters for about $20. Anything with any type of meat is closer to $40. The prices there our way out of proportion. If you are wiling to pay those prices, you could have dinner at one of Mario Batali's restaurants, at the Blue Hill, Asia de Cuba, or other places where the food is truly excellent. Cipriani downtown is just a fancy cafeteria for people that want to show off. The wine I had was $9.95, and came in a cheap, tiny glass; and the wine was mediocre at best. The waiter asked if we wanted flat or sparkling water. I told him ""tap water is fine"". Then he brought a bottle of flat, bottled water. I didn't say anything because the bottle was open, so I though it was just tap water in a recycled bottle (which I seen done at other places). When the check came, we had been charged, I think $12 for the water. I think that if they don't serve tap water, the waiter should say so and not force people to take the bottled water. Also, they charged me more for my plate than what I believe the menu said. I didn?t even say anything because I was so upset that I didn't had it in me to start an argument for $10-$20. Anyhow, I left only about 10% tip, although 0% crossed my mind, and we spend over $120 on two ok plates and two tiny drinks. I work near the Cipriani at 42nd street and get takeout there at lest once every couple of weeks. I love the food at the 42nd location and I can get takeout for about $13, and is usually better than what I could get a Cipriani Downtown for $40+. Pros: Hard to think of any Cons: Way overpriced, innacurate prices and charges on check, mediocre food, tiny cheap wine glasses more

I went to Cipriani with my wife. We should've walked away once we were handed the menu, which doesn't have anything below $25.95, except maybe starters for about $20. Anything with any type of meat is closer to $40. The prices there our way out of proportion. If you are wiling to pay those prices, you could have dinner at one of Mario Batali's restaurants, at the Blue Hill, Asia de Cuba, or other places where the food is truly excellent. Cipriani downtown is just a fancy cafeteria for people that want to show off. The wine I had was $9.95, and came in a cheap, tiny glass; and the wine was mediocre at best. The waiter asked if we wanted flat or sparkling water. I told him "tap water is fine". Then he brought a bottle of flat, bottled water. I didn't say anything because the bottle was open, so I though it was just tap water in a recycled bottle (which I seen done at other places). When the check came, we had been charged, I think $12 for the water. I think that if they don't serve tap water, the waiter should say so and not force people to take the bottled water. Also, they charged me more for my plate than what I believe the menu said. I didn?t even say anything because I was so upset that I didn't had it in me to start an argument for $10-$20. Anyhow, I left only about 10% tip, although 0% crossed my mind, and we spend over $120 on two ok plates and two tiny drinks. I work near the Cipriani at 42nd street and get takeout there at lest once every couple of weeks. I love the food at the 42nd location and I can get takeout for about $13, and is usually better than what I could get a Cipriani Downtown for $40+. Pros: Hard to think of any Cons: Way overpriced, innacurate prices and charges on check, mediocre food, tiny cheap wine glasses more

So I went to Cipriani's downtown with a friend last night. We were both excited to try this trendy, popular SOHO spot. Walked in & were seated immediately at a small table next near the bar. Little did we know that the service would be that bad! I'm not really a wine snob but more of a wine glass snob...we had our multipuciano in these tiny little glasses that looked like they cost $5.00. Come on Cipriani's! Now being a former waitress, I realize how important it is to act towards your customers. Our waiter needed some pointers...in fact, the entire staff did. The manager grazed the dining floor but never once made his way to our table to ask how we were doing. Guess our Gucci and Marc Jacobs bags didn't cut it. Our food arrived & it was just OK...definitely not worth the $41 my lamb chops were priced at. After I had finished 2 of the 4 lamb chops, they had THEN asked if I wanted the mint jelly that should have accompanied the plate upon its arrival to our table. Finished our entrees & we were approched by a different waiter to take our dessert and coffee order. I ordered green tea and my friend ordered a decaf coffee. Mind you, we are two people. When our tea and coffee arrived, the waiter had to ask who ordered what...are you serious? To top it off, we had ordered the apple pie with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. When the ice cream came out, the waiter realized the apple pie hadnt arrived yet so took the ice cream back to what should have been the freezer. Approximately 4 minutes later when the apple pie arrived, the ice cream made its way back to our table, but this time, one of the scoops had completely melted and was pure ice cream soup. Now, I love ice cream soup but not at Cipriani's. So we ask for the bill & our waiter nods, finishes his conversation with his fellow waiter and THEN brings the bill. Not worth it at all and we hope the 10% tip we left got our message across. The restaurant clearly needs to step it up several notches! more

So I went to Cipriani's downtown with a friend last night. We were both excited to try this trendy, popular SOHO spot. Walked in & were seated immediately at a small table next near the bar. Little did we know that the service would be that bad! I'm not really a wine snob but more of a wine glass snob...we had our multipuciano in these tiny little glasses that looked like they cost $5.00. Come on Cipriani's! Now being a former waitress, I realize how important it is to act towards your customers. Our waiter needed some pointers...in fact, the entire staff did. The manager grazed the dining floor but never once made his way to our table to ask how we were doing. Guess our Gucci and Marc Jacobs bags didn't cut it. Our food arrived & it was just OK...definitely not worth the $41 my lamb chops were priced at. After I had finished 2 of the 4 lamb chops, they had THEN asked if I wanted the mint jelly that should have accompanied the plate upon its arrival to our table. Finished our entrees & we were approched by a different waiter to take our dessert and coffee order. I ordered green tea and my friend ordered a decaf coffee. Mind you, we are two people. When our tea and coffee arrived, the waiter had to ask who ordered what...are you serious? To top it off, we had ordered the apple pie with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. When the ice cream came out, the waiter realized the apple pie hadnt arrived yet so took the ice cream back to what should have been the freezer. Approximately 4 minutes later when the apple pie arrived, the ice cream made its way back to our table, but this time, one of the scoops had completely melted and was pure ice cream soup. Now, I love ice cream soup but not at Cipriani's. So we ask for the bill & our waiter nods, finishes his conversation with his fellow waiter and THEN brings the bill. Not worth it at all and we hope the 10% tip we left got our message across. The restaurant clearly needs to step it up several notches! more

The downtown location is nice in the summer after a day of shopping, but it is more chaotic than uptown ever was. Here is ok if you are willing to raise your voice to talk with your friends as it's rather loud. Still the same great quality of food. more

i have to say the service was great in this restaurant and my boyfriend and i were treated very well considering the fact that i showed up in jeans and ugg boots and he was wearing his jeans and sneakers as well!! we did get tons of stares from the overly glam patrons that seem to think the ticket to getting in to this place is getting past the velvet rope. still, my boyfriend and i are not ones to care about what other people think. we were seated within 5 minutes of our arrival and the waiters took care of us immediately without rushing us through our meal. the food was not the best i've ever had but it was obviously freshly cooked and piping hot! still, this place is not for food lovers but more for people watching. if you prefer to dine at a place for the food then go somewhere else. but if you prefer to be at a place just because it's the IT place to be in regardless of the quality of food, then this is the place for you. don't forget to wear your best outfit and get dolled up so you can blend in with the rest of the crowd. Pros: great service Cons: more of a club scene than restaurant more