South Indian Restaurant ‘Semma’ Tops NYT’s Top Ten List

Photo: Instagram

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY – In a landmark moment for Indian cuisine, The New York Times has named Semma, the South Indian restaurant nestled in Greenwich Village, as the No. 1 restaurant in New York City for 2025. NYC as the world knows, is a discerning and global leader in food and dining.

The Michelin-starred eatery, helmed by Tamil Nadu–born Chef Vijay Kumar, has not only redefined South Indian cooking for the city — it’s rewritten the rules of what fine dining can look, sound, and taste like.

While other Indian American eateries often hog the media spotlight with the community with starry affairs or political hob nobbing, Semma has been quite and a huge hit with its authenticity.

“This is unprecedented in so many ways,” the restaurant wrote in a statement posted after the announcement. “Semma isn’t just about Indian food — it’s about what happens when a cuisine speaks in its own voice, untranslated and unafraid.”

The Times’ 2025 list comes with a newly sharpened format: instead of ranking all 100 selections, it highlights just 10 top restaurants, with the rest listed alphabetically. Semma, which placed seventh last year, is at the top — outranking such titans as Atomix, Le Bernardin, and Sushi Sho.

What sets Semma apart isn’t just its bold spicing or regional specificity — it’s that it refuses to dilute its story for a Western palate. Dishes like nathai pirattal (snails in black pepper masala) or venn pongal (creamy rice and lentils tempered with cumin and ghee) are served unapologetically, celebrating home-cooked traditions from Tamil Nadu and surrounding states that are rarely seen in U.S. fine dining.

Chef Vijay Kumar has made it his mission to let these flavors — inherited, lived, and fiercely local — lead the experience. Under his stewardship, Semma has maintained its Michelin star for three consecutive years, currently the only Indian restaurant in NYC to do so.

In a city with more than 20,000 restaurants, landing the top spot is no small feat — especially for a cuisine long relegated to takeout containers and buffet tables in the American imagination.

“This win isn’t just ours,” Semma’s team added in their post. “It’s for every cuisine that’s been sidelined… and every diner who’s shown up with an open mind.”