The famed Italian restaurant Cipriani opened a new branch in Istanbul’s Levent district in January. Not surprisingly, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding its entry into the Istanbul culinary scene.

Sadly, the experience does not live up to the hype. Money should certainly be no object for those who choose to dine at Cipriani. The prices of the meals are unreasonably high, at around 30-50 TL for starters and around 60-100 TL for mains. Yet even at these prices, what you get is rather unremarkable, lacking in flavor.

The wine list is very over-priced and was not even cooled properly on our visit. Turning to the décor, the feeling of the restaurant was very cramped and the furniture undersized, creating a stuffy atmosphere. The bright note was the service; the waiters were kind and attentive. It seems that Cipriani’s Istanbul branch has a long way to go before it can live up to its celebrated namesake.