West Village Spot Named One Of America's Best New Restaurants

WEST VILLAGE, NY — The accolades keep coming for Semma, a South Indian restaurant on Greenwich Avenue that was named this week as one of America's best new restaurants.

The latest honor came thanks to Bon Appétit, which mentioned Semma as one of 50 standout restaurants across the U.S. in a list published on Thursday.

"Chef-partner Vijay Kumar pulls from the flavors of his childhood, plus his Michelin background, to turn out instant classics such as spicy-sweet Goanese oxtails, Mangalore cauliflower presented in a delicate crescent that belies a major punch of spice, and Keralan banana-leaf-wrapped fish," the magazine raves.

"The West Village dining room is bright and noisy and perfectly matches Kumar’s expert use of heat and fragrant spices."

Semma's owners include Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya, the duo behind the wildly popular Lower East Side restaurant Dhamaka — which was itself named by Esquire last year as the single best new restaurant in the nation.

Since Semma opened last fall, its long list of honors include a mention by Eater as one of the West Village's most impressive restaurants, inclusion in a roundup of the city's best Indian restaurants, and just this week, an addition to the prestigious Michelin guide.

Bon Appétit recommends pairing Semma's food with one of its "killer drinks," including the Whistle Podu, which includes cardamom, ginger liqueur and curry-leaf-infused gym.

"Indian restaurants may be a dime a dozen in New York—and nationwide—but the wide breadth of Southern Indian cuisine hasn’t always received the attention it deserves across the country," the magazine wrote. "Thanks to chef Kumar, that’s changing."

View the full list on Bon Appétit's website.