This South Indian Restaurant Has Been Ranked No. 1 In New York For 2025

An Indian restaurant in New York has just been named the best in the city for 2025. This is a historic achievement by Semma, a Michelin-starred establishment that serves diverse South Indian delicacies. Semma topped the prestigious annual list of 100 best restaurants by The New York Times. This year, only the top 10 restaurants in the city have been ranked. The remaining 90 have been named but do not have a specific ranking, unlike previous years. Following Semma on the 2025 list are Atomix, Le Bernardin, Kabaw, Ha's Snack Bar, King, Penny, Sushi Sho, Szechuan Mountain House and Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi. In 2024, Semma occupied the 7th position. It was one of four Indian restaurants that made it to the list of 100 best.

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This year's list was curated by the New York Times' interim restaurant critics, Priya Krishna and Melissa Clark, along with editor Brian Gallagher. The trio revealed that they picked the final 100 from a total of more than 20,000 restaurants in the city. They noted, "Of course, there are more than 100 amazing restaurants in New York. But these best answered the questions: Where would we send our friends? Which places are worth a splurge? Worth an hour-long subway ride?"

About Semma New York

Semma in Greenwich Village is helmed by Chef Vijay Kumar, who hails from Tamil Nadu. The restaurant spotlights lesser-known dishes from different parts of South India in order to celebrate its rich culinary heritage. While describing Semma, The New York Times' food critic Priya Krishna states, "New York is teeming with Indian restaurants. Yet before Semma, a deeply personal tribute to the chef Vijay Kumar's upbringing in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the city's diners had never seen Indian food like this. Punctuated with chiles, coconut and earthy curry leaves, Semma's flavours are lingering and loud, yet restrained. Its dosa is the best in the city: a crisp specimen that's heady with fermentation and slicked with ghee and fiery gunpowder spice. Semma altered the course of Indian dining here, and four years on, Mr. Kumar's food continues to feel fresh."

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Semma has won several other accolades in the past. It currently holds its Michelin star for the third consecutive year. While there are several acclaimed Indian restaurants in New York, Semma is the only one in the city with a Michelin star at present. Semma is part of the Unapologetic Foods restaurant group, which also includes Dhamaka (another popular Indian restaurant in New York).