"Consistently one of New York City's hardest reservations to get since it opened in 2021, Semma has become a bit of a West Village legend. Operated by Unapologetic Foods, the team also behind such hits as Dhamaka on the Lower East Side and Park Slope's Masalawa & Sons, Semma is a warm and playful space serving up warm and playful South Indian cuisine that runs the gamut from the standard dosa (billed the “gunpowder dosa,” it is not to be missed for its crispy potato-stuffed crepe) to the Kanyakumari Nandu Masala with Dungeness crab. This latter number serves two for $160 and the restaurant asks those with reservations to preorder it at least 24 hours in advance. Walk-ins are possible here, with the 12 full-service bar seats reserved expressly for this purpose, so it's worth a shot to poke your head in around five in the evening when they open. —Charlie Hobbs, associate editor"
