Overview

• Semma moved up from seventh place in 2024 to claim the No. 1 position in the Times’ revamped 2025 rankings, which ordered only the top 10 spots.
• Chef Vijay Kumar’s menu features ingredients like coconut, curry leaves and dry red chillies, with a signature dosa fermented to perfection and finished with ghee.
• The restaurant has held a Michelin star for three consecutive years and remains the only Indian establishment in New York City with that distinction.
• This year’s list was curated by interim critics Priya Krishna and Melissa Clark alongside editor Brian Gallagher, who sifted through over 20,000 restaurants.
• Semma is part of the Unapologetic Foods group, which also includes Dhamaka, another celebrated Indian restaurant in New York.