★ Michelin · Tamil Nadu · West Village
By Monty Khas, Anonymous Critic. Pays every bill.
Semma means "awesome" in Tamil slang, and chef Vijay Kumar has spent years proving the name right. Opened in the West Village in 2021 by the Unapologetic Foods team, Semma serves the cooking of Tamil Nadu and South India the way Kumar grew up eating it: fiery, sour, earthy and proudly specific. New York's critics have been all in. Semma has held a Michelin star since 2022, sits near the top of the New York Times 100 Best list, and Kumar won the James Beard award for Best Chef: New York State in 2025.
The room
The dining room on Greenwich Avenue is dark and moody, with a busy open energy and a bar for those who couldn't land a table. It isn't fancy, but it's a destination: people plan their week around a booking here.
What to eat
Start with the gunpowder dosa. It arrives crisp and golden, rolled and dusted with milagai podi, the coarse, spicy lentil powder South Indians sprinkle on almost everything. It's fun, simple and addictive. Paniyaram, little rice-and-lentil dumplings with a homestyle chutney, are a gentler way in, and the eral thokku brings shrimp in a punchy, tangy masala.
The meat dishes are where Semma flexes. Mattu iraichi sukka is beef short rib cooked down in a dry, deeply spiced coating, and the ghee roast lamb chops are rich, fragrant and seriously good. Seafood fans should look for meen pollichathu, fish wrapped and cooked in a leaf with spices, a classic of Kerala's backwaters.
Biryani fans: the Dindigul biryani is made with goat and short-grain rice in the style of the Tamil town it's named after. It tastes nothing like the North Indian biryanis most New Yorkers know, and that's the point.
For a big night, pre-order the Kanyakumari nandu masala, a whole Dungeness crab in a fiery masala meant for two. It's a showpiece and worth the planning.
Before you go
Reservations open 15 days in advance at 9 a.m. Eastern and disappear quickly. Semma serves dinner Monday through Saturday. If you strike out, try the bar or the summer patio, and be flexible on timing.
Why it matters
For years, South Indian food in New York mostly meant dosas and idli at casual spots. Semma changed the conversation, showing how deep and varied the region's cooking is and earning the city's highest honors along the way. It's still the essential table for anyone who wants to understand what Indian food can be.
The Quick Fix
What to order: Gunpowder dosa; paniyaram; eral thokku (shrimp); mattu iraichi sukka (beef short rib); ghee roast lamb chops; meen pollichathu; Dindigul biryani; Kanyakumari nandu masala (pre-order)
Pricing: Upscale. The crab for two is a special-occasion splurge.
Best for: Food-obsessed dates, special occasions, South Indian food lovers and anyone chasing NYC's toughest Indian reservation
How it compares: NYC's Michelin-starred benchmark for South Indian; more intense than Lungi; harder to book than Dhamaka, its sister restaurant
See where Semma ranks: The Best Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Restaurants in New York City: Our Top 10 for 2026
The food was always this good. We're just paying attention.