Recently visited with three guest. Service was excellent. However they asked us to move after 90 min which is fine. The food is overrated. GUNPOWDER DOSA Was best. The Dungeness Crab was average. It was full of onions half cooked spicy mix. The eggplant was good. The DINDIGUL BIRYANI was over cooked rice. Although meat was tender. Drinks and desserts were good. Tip was already added for a group or three. Very expensive for the quality of food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
RJ A
Reservations required. Michelin star rated, high expectations. Did not disappoint, attentive wait staff, we tried quite a few dishes. Favorites were the dosa and the lamb chops. They were amazing. Presentation of food was delicious. Lamb was so tender and flavorful. We did pre order the crab, it get a little messy, but was delicious. Spice level was on the lower end for Indian food in my opinion, but was still delicious. From the appetizers to the desserts, recommend all of it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gianna Nebbia
Absolutely phenomenal from start to finish. Some highlights included the dosa, beef short ribs, lamb chops, and lobster tail, but everything was spectacular.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Piya P.
If it were possible to give more stars I would. I don’t know if I was being cynical, but I found it difficult to imagine this place would live up to the hype. But it absolutely did. The food was flawless, of course. It was incredible even if you’re familiar with South Indian flavors like I am, but the experience was so warm and special. One of the best meals I’ve had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Renata L
As a white woman I LOVED this place. Went there to celebrate my in-laws anniversary and my father-in-law’s birthday. 4 people in the group were directly from Kerala. 2 from the states. The taste was perfect and amazing, staff were wonderful! Beef was perfect and the lamb too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Venkatesh A
but was it SEMMA?
The gunpowder dosa was one of the better dosas I’ve had and the sambar was great, but the ceiling is not high. Lobster was amazing, lamb chops were ok, and fish was great except I got all the bones. The passion fruit dessert was tiny, tasty, but overrated I fear.
For NYCs only Indian Michelin it was below my very high expectations but still excellent, even as someone who has been eating South Indian food my whole life.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Kris Tan
Amazing service and food. Enjoyed the service right from the door to the to-go parcel delivered. Waitress was very knowledgeable, kind and accommodating to our preferences. Felt very inclusive (a rarity in NYC). Gunpowder dosa was amazing with the sambar. Sambar took me to childhood Indian wedding season memories. Enjoyed the cocktails, crab masal (pre-ordered) and ellani payasam. The finishing touch and high note was the beautiful card and dessert for our anniversary celebration. The personal attention of a casual conversation mention did it for us. Semma was a delight and decadent, a treasured memory to take home. P.s. Staff were very attentive to every small detail. A glass going half-empty was quickly refilled, a spoon dropped to the floor in between meals was quickly swipped, tables were cleaned and wiped before dessert, patrons were not rushed out but tables were restated within seconds of departure to welcome the next party.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anushka Mankunath
Honestly so amazed and impressed with our meal here. Everything we ordered was delicious and so well made! We were greeted immediately when we arrived and taken to our seats. We started with the tiger prawn which were two huge prawns. Delicious and super flavorful. Next we had the lamb chops, dosa and lobster. The lobster was definitely the highlight of the meal it was amazing. We keep thinking about it even weeks after coming here. We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
S P
Had dinner last night at Semma for the first time with my cousins and it was great! We had a party of 10 and their staff was helpful and kind with our booking and changes. The restaurant is very nice inside and the music is at a perfect volume so your table can hear each others conversation. The cocktails were deliscious and perfectly made and presented as well as all the dishes we ordered. Our main waiter Shashi was magnificent and provided excellent service the whole night. We also got to meet the head chef and he was very nice to come and talk to us. I totally recommend this restaurant and it’s worth the $ Keep up the great service and food Semma!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Muhammad Tariq
OVERrated. NOT Worth the hype. Charged multiple times the reservation hold. Food was overly spiced without flavor. Tiger prawn was NOT CLEANED and still had the intestine/vein; lost my appetite pulling that out mid bite. Diarrhea the day after. Need a visit from health inspector. Much better restaurants elsewhere; don’t waste your time or money.
Semma is an upscale Indian restaurant with an adventurous menu, but the overall experience was a bit underwhelming. We ordered a variety of dishes: Tiger Prawns, Gunpowder Dosa, Snail, Oxtail, Rabbit, Sea Bass, and Payassum.
The standout dish for me was the Gunpowder Dosa, which had a great balance of spice and crispness.
The Oxtail was also a highlight—rich and flavorful with a slow-cooked tenderness that was deeply satisfying. And, while I enjoyed the Sea Bass flavors, the abundance of small bones detracted from the dish.
Unfortunately, many of the other dishes didn’t hit home for me. They were overly saucy, which masked the core ingredients instead of elevating them, and there was a noticeable lack of texture that left the meal feeling somewhat sloppy.
There are some bright spots but overall, it felt like a mixed bag
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ramachandran G
- Overpriced - Less Quantity - Average taste
Gets bragging rights of eating at a Michelin star restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jensen
Fortunate to be able to dine at the bar as the restaurant was fully booked during a break in NYC. I ordered the starter Paniyaram, mains Kozhi Allepay (Poussin) with coconut rice and dessert Shahi Tukda. I’ve sampled allot of Indian food and this felt like a new experience. I really enjoyed it and felt it was a very refined set of dishes. Thanks to the accommodating staff service was excellent.
Mayank Singal
Came on time, and had to wait more than 15 minutes till they could find a table.
Service: 3
David Goyer
Outstanding in every way, the care and attention to the food and environment was incredible.
Recently visited with three guest.
Service was excellent. However they asked us to move after 90 min which is fine. The food is overrated. GUNPOWDER DOSA Was best.
The Dungeness Crab was average. It was full of onions half cooked spicy mix. The eggplant was good. The DINDIGUL BIRYANI was over cooked rice. Although meat was tender. Drinks and desserts were good. Tip was already added for a group or three. Very expensive for the quality of food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Reservations required. Michelin star rated, high expectations. Did not disappoint, attentive wait staff, we tried quite a few dishes. Favorites were the dosa and the lamb chops. They were amazing. Presentation of food was delicious. Lamb was so tender and flavorful. We did pre order the crab, it get a little messy, but was delicious. Spice level was on the lower end for Indian food in my opinion, but was still delicious. From the appetizers to the desserts, recommend all of it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely phenomenal from start to finish. Some highlights included the dosa, beef short ribs, lamb chops, and lobster tail, but everything was spectacular.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If it were possible to give more stars I would. I don’t know if I was being cynical, but I found it difficult to imagine this place would live up to the hype. But it absolutely did. The food was flawless, of course. It was incredible even if you’re familiar with South Indian flavors like I am, but the experience was so warm and special. One of the best meals I’ve had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
As a white woman I LOVED this place. Went there to celebrate my in-laws anniversary and my father-in-law’s birthday. 4 people in the group were directly from Kerala. 2 from the states. The taste was perfect and amazing, staff were wonderful! Beef was perfect and the lamb too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
but was it SEMMA?
The gunpowder dosa was one of the better dosas I’ve had and the sambar was great, but the ceiling is not high. Lobster was amazing, lamb chops were ok, and fish was great except I got all the bones. The passion fruit dessert was tiny, tasty, but overrated I fear.
For NYCs only Indian Michelin it was below my very high expectations but still excellent, even as someone who has been eating South Indian food my whole life.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Amazing service and food. Enjoyed the service right from the door to the to-go parcel delivered. Waitress was very knowledgeable, kind and accommodating to our preferences. Felt very inclusive (a rarity in NYC). Gunpowder dosa was amazing with the sambar. Sambar took me to childhood Indian wedding season memories. Enjoyed the cocktails, crab masal (pre-ordered) and ellani payasam. The finishing touch and high note was the beautiful card and dessert for our anniversary celebration. The personal attention of a casual conversation mention did it for us. Semma was a delight and decadent, a treasured memory to take home.
P.s. Staff were very attentive to every small detail. A glass going half-empty was quickly refilled, a spoon dropped to the floor in between meals was quickly swipped, tables were cleaned and wiped before dessert, patrons were not rushed out but tables were restated within seconds of departure to welcome the next party.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Honestly so amazed and impressed with our meal here. Everything we ordered was delicious and so well made! We were greeted immediately when we arrived and taken to our seats. We started with the tiger prawn which were two huge prawns. Delicious and super flavorful. Next we had the lamb chops, dosa and lobster. The lobster was definitely the highlight of the meal it was amazing. We keep thinking about it even weeks after coming here. We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had dinner last night at Semma for the first time with my cousins and it was great! We had a party of 10 and their staff was helpful and kind with our booking and changes. The restaurant is very nice inside and the music is at a perfect volume so your table can hear each others conversation. The cocktails were deliscious and perfectly made and presented as well as all the dishes we ordered. Our main waiter Shashi was magnificent and provided excellent service the whole night. We also got to meet the head chef and he was very nice to come and talk to us. I totally recommend this restaurant and it’s worth the $
Keep up the great service and food Semma!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
OVERrated. NOT Worth the hype. Charged multiple times the reservation hold. Food was overly spiced without flavor. Tiger prawn was NOT CLEANED and still had the intestine/vein; lost my appetite pulling that out mid bite. Diarrhea the day after. Need a visit from health inspector. Much better restaurants elsewhere; don’t waste your time or money.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Semma is an upscale Indian restaurant with an adventurous menu, but the overall experience was a bit underwhelming. We ordered a variety of dishes: Tiger Prawns, Gunpowder Dosa, Snail, Oxtail, Rabbit, Sea Bass, and Payassum.
The standout dish for me was the Gunpowder Dosa, which had a great balance of spice and crispness.
The Oxtail was also a highlight—rich and flavorful with a slow-cooked tenderness that was deeply satisfying. And, while I enjoyed the Sea Bass flavors, the abundance of small bones detracted from the dish.
Unfortunately, many of the other dishes didn’t hit home for me. They were overly saucy, which masked the core ingredients instead of elevating them, and there was a noticeable lack of texture that left the meal feeling somewhat sloppy.
There are some bright spots but overall, it felt like a mixed bag
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
- Overpriced
- Less Quantity
- Average taste
Gets bragging rights of eating at a Michelin star restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Fortunate to be able to dine at the bar as the restaurant was fully booked during a break in NYC. I ordered the starter Paniyaram, mains Kozhi Allepay (Poussin) with coconut rice and dessert Shahi Tukda. I’ve sampled allot of Indian food and this felt like a new experience. I really enjoyed it and felt it was a very refined set of dishes. Thanks to the accommodating staff service was excellent.
Came on time, and had to wait more than 15 minutes till they could find a table.
Service: 3
Outstanding in every way, the care and attention to the food and environment was incredible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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