You have to spend money to make it. Any New Yorker knows this bit of wisdom, especially the cuff linked and besuited financial set who use Cipriani Wall Street as a sort of pre- and postwork golf course to see and be seen, strike deals over breakfast and Bellinis (a refreshing peachy concoction invented in 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani himself), and update and upgrade their status by arguing over who gets to pick up the next round. Recession on Wall Street? Not here. Cipriani is a reminder of Wall Street’s power, and watching it tableside is every bit as interesting as a Broadway show. And maybe as dramatic, in a setting with gilded ceilings, a Wedgwood dome and Corinthian columns. But the food becomes the ultimate scene-stealer—a 20-dollar salty prosciutto and syrupy honeydew appetizer; a perfectly seared $39 T-bone steak. Prices are high, but think of this investment as a kind of membership fee that gets you the best quality food, perfectly executed, in a palatial setting with an unrivaled cast of characters. Note, too, that the roast chicken alla ca’ d’oro (with saltimbocca and marsala sauce) and tagliardi (extra-thin egg pasta) veal ragù, two of many entrées under $25, are just as delicious and come at a price entry-level associates can afford.

Prosciutto and honeydew melon
Sirloin burger with fries
Chicken club sandwich
Roast chicken alla ca’ d’oro
T-Bone steak
*menu changes frequently view full menu here

At 7 PM, a table on the balcony above Wall Street is prime real estate, the equivalent of an apartment facing Gramercy Park. Inside seating can be bit cramped, in the Cipriani style, but maybe that will allow you to overhear someone working on the next big IPO.

Cipriani Wall Street took over from a long line of distinguished tenants at 55 Wall Street: the U.S. Customs House, the National City Bank (forebear of Citibank, which survived its own generation’s crash), and, from 1998 to 2004, the Regent Wall Street Hotel.

Mon.–Fri. 6:30 AM–10:30 PM

$22.95 (pasta and risotto) to $39.95 (lamb chops)