About Semma

Tucked away at 60 Greenwich Avenue in the West Village, Semma has rapidly become one of the most celebrated restaurants in New York City, redefining what Indian food can be on the global stage . The name, a Tamil slang term meaning "fantastic" or "awesome," is the brainchild of Madurai-born chef Vijay Kumar, who opened the restaurant in October 2021 in partnership with the acclaimed Unapologetic Foods group, helmed by Roni Mazumdar and chef Chintan Pandya . Kumar's mission from day one was clear and uncompromising: to cook the food he grew up eating on his family's rice farm near Natham, without any adjustments to suit Western palates . What has emerged is a menu that reads like a love letter to the rural kitchens of Tamil Nadu, featuring dishes rarely seen outside of home kitchens, let alone fine-dining establishments. Signature offerings include nathai pirattal (snails stir-fried with tomatoes and onions, once considered a "farmer's food" in India but presented here as a delicacy), eral thokku (spicy, peppery prawns), Chettinadu-style venison braised with black stone flower, and a gunpowder dosa served with a complex, 50-ingredient sambar . Kumar often serves these dishes in clay pots and on banana leaves, rejecting "fancy" additions like caviar or truffles in favor of authentic ingredients like kalpaasi (black stone flower) and seeraga samba rice . The response has been nothing short of historic. In 2022, just one year after opening, Semma became the only Indian restaurant in New York City to hold a coveted Michelin star—an honor it has now maintained for three consecutive years . In 2025, the restaurant reached a new pinnacle when The New York Times ranked it No. 1 on its annual list of the city's 100 best restaurants, beating out iconic establishments like Atomix and Le Bernardin . Weeks later, chef Kumar won the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York State, often called the "Oscars of the food world," accepting the honor in a traditional veshti and delivering a moving speech about belonging and the power of authentic food . The intimate, warm space—designed by Wid Chapman Architects—features basket lamps floating above a white marble counter, evoking the rice barges of Kerala, while wood ceilings recall iconic Keralan houseboats . The vibe is welcoming and unpretentious, encouraging diners to eat with their hands and connect deeply with each dish. With a price range of approximately $50 to $100 per person, Semma is notoriously difficult to book—it has been full virtually every night since opening, with a waitlist that only grew longer after its recent accolades . For chef Vijay Kumar, the success is deeply personal. "There's no such thing as poor people's food or rich people's food," he said in his Beard acceptance speech. "If it's true, it's powerful. The real luxury is to be able to connect with each other around a table" .