A spotlight from West Village · Manhattan
Semma
Vijay Kumar's rural Tamil Nadu — snails, dosa, Chettinad venison — in a West Village storefront
Cooking is therapy for me. I am happiest whilst cooking, and when I get to share food and the stories about food with people.
— Vijay Kumar, Executive Chef & Chef-Partner
From a farming village in Tamil Nadu
Vijay Kumar grew up in Arasampatti, a farming village in rural Tamil Nadu, cooking beside his mother and grandmother. His path to New York went the long way — through Rasa in San Francisco, then into Roni Mazumdar and Chintan Pandya's Unapologetic Foods group, and finally to a small West Village storefront in 2021.
Semma was built specifically around the food Vijay grew up on — the food Americans don't associate with Indian menus in this country.
An unapologetic argument
Semma serves the regional South Indian cooking that has historically been softened for American diners. Chettinad — that fiery black-pepper style of coastal Tamil Nadu. Foraged-style snails cooked with tamarind and ginger. Goat brain. Kumar's mother mails him spice blends from India.
A Michelin star followed. In 2025, Kumar took home the James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York State.
Kumar's mother mails him spice blends from India.
What "neighborhood Indian" can mean
60 Greenwich Avenue is a tiny sliver on a West Village street dominated by old-guard wine bars and Italian bistros. Semma's presence has quietly rewritten what "neighborhood Indian restaurant" can mean in what is probably the most storied restaurant neighborhood in Manhattan.
It routinely appears at the top of the New York Times' 100 Best Restaurants list.
Order this
The dishes that made Semma
Gunpowder dosa
Crisp-topped, soft-bottomed dosa filled with masala potato — the most photographed dish on Semma's menu.
Nathai Pirattal
Snails simmered with ginger and tamarind, meant to be spooned onto flaky parotta.
Chettinad Maan
Venison braised in the fiery, black-pepper-heavy Chettinad style of Tamil Nadu.
Good to know
Semma, answered
How do you book Semma?
Reservations open on Resy monthly and vanish in minutes — set a calendar reminder. If you strike out, Resy notify (their waitlist) works if you have flexibility on time.
Is Semma spicy?
Yes — genuinely spicy in the South Indian sense, not softened for American palates. Ask staff to guide the heat rather than dialing every dish down; the kitchen will meet you where you are.
How should a first-timer order?
Communally. This is a dosa-and-share menu, not a plate-per-person menu. Get the gunpowder dosa, at least one Chettinad dish, and something with parotta to sop it all up.