Cipriani Dolci
“If you have some time to kill before your train, I highly recommend brunch here.”
“The tables are arranged on the west terrace of Grand Central on the upper level providing for excellent people watching and ambiance.”
“I mean I've taken the train there, but never walked through the main area where a lot of movies are filmed.”
Cipriani Dolci
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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I went here for their Summer 2015 Restaurant Week lunch. It's located on the West Balcony of Grand Central with a nice view over the inside, but unfortunately the food doesn't live up to the view. For $25 I had the gazpacho, grilled branzino with salad and a vanilla meringue cake. Overall the food was pretty good, but the portions were small (the branzino especially) and fairly lackluster. Overall I would recommend it for the view, but not the food.
I wouldn't pay these prices (an old boss took me out to lunch) but you're getting a view (ish) and dining in grand central. I got the grilled salmon, medium, and it was perfect. Nothing exciting about it, but no complaints either.
It feels a little crowded since the tables are so close together, but the service was overall attentive. They don't rush you – we were sitting here for 2 hours at peak lunch time so that was nice.
Folks…even the dishes looked like chef boyerdee. I ordered some penne thing I was underwhelmed with and my friend ordered a pasta with olives but both dishes looked like and tasted like a kid made it with pasta and prego.
I do not recommend but I would try the real ciprani in soho as I love Italian and therefore can be very critical
Let me start by saying that the view alone of this place is worthy of a few stars. The location looks over GCT so you can watch tourists getting lost, people breaking the ticket machines, and commuters just trying to get the hell home. It's a fun spot to people watch, as well as to take in the beauty that is Grand Central.
Service here was fast and nice. We were here for restaurant week and the waiter went through every item on the menu so we fully understood what we were ordering. The appetizer I chose was the salad. It was delicious with this perfect dressing. My entree was the chicken in a white wine/lemon sauce with a side of rice pilaf. The chicken was flavorful but looked depressing on a plate…sitting in its own sauce….with the rice off on a separate plate. It looked like just a plain plate of food. The rice was lacking flavor, which was disappointing. For dessert I went with the vanilla meringue layer cake. This was one of the best cakes I have ever tasted. The meringue frosting was perfect and the cake itself was light and fluffy.
So why only 3 stars? Honestly it all goes back to the entree. I understand some places HATE restaurant week but let's be honest…Some people simply cannot afford to indulge and visit Cipriani on just any regular day. The least they could do is put some more effort into the appearance of their dishes.
You may think having lunch inside grand central facing Apple store is a seemingly interesting and cool idea – but no it is not. It is not only a tourist central, noisy place, but also food/service was disappointing. Thankfully we came during restaurant week, so it wasn't a too bad deal. I don't even remember what the food tasted like – it was just plain. On the bright side, if you are going to wait for your train and have some time to kill, getting a drink there isn't a terrible idea…
Not nearly as cool a vibe as the original location, but the drinks are just as well made. And since there's something about the tourist crush in GCT that shuts off the part of my brain telling me not to buy overpriced Old Fashioneds, I'll probably continue to stop in.
We stopped here for a drink while waiting for our tour of grand central to start. Cipriani Dolci is one of the two restaurants that allow you to eat/drink while overlooking the hustle and bustle of Grand Central Station. It's truly a unique experience and something I'd highly recommend doing once. I tried their Bellini which was of course expensive ($16) but by far the most delicious Bellini I have ever had (like really really really good!). Beers were more reasonably priced ($7 or so). The servers were very friendly and there is a large bar selection. We didn't eat this time around but it appeared that prices were understandably high…after all, you're paying for the view! They do have a brunch special that includes a mimosa or Bellini.
My advice would be to grab a drink here (or splurge for a meal if it suits you) and take in everything there is to see (wedding pictures, running train goers, marriage proposals, wide eyed tourists, and more!) in one of the most beautiful stations in the world! I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Very civilized and good for business lunches. Evening time looks not as glamorous. Fabio the maitre d has the best hair and accent. All of the pastas are delicious and so is their swordfish. Scenic spot and romantic. I would be there more often if it wasn't always so crowded and overpriced haha.