Outlook Business Desk
Indian restaurants in New York City are moving beyond butter chicken. Venues such as Semma, Chatti and Bungalow are winning hearts with bold, regional dishes rooted in their culture and tradition. A new Desi wave is reshaping the city’s fine dining scene.
From spicy, village-style dishes to elegant, club-inspired dining, New York City’s top Indian restaurants are led by fearless chefs serving bold, unapologetic regional flavours proudly rooted in Indian tradition.
Semma, run by chef Vijay Kumar from Tamil Nadu, brings home-style South Indian dishes to New York City. It earned a Michelin star and was featured in The New York Times’ top NYC restaurants list.
Semma earned a Michelin star in 2022 — one of the highest honours in global dining. This rare achievement for an Indian restaurant in the US celebrates its bold, authentic South Indian flavours served without compromise.
Chef Regi Mathew’s Chatti brings the spirit of Kerala’s toddy shops to Midtown Manhattan, serving bold southern spices through a small-plates menu that celebrates rustic, flavourful, street-style South Indian dining.
Bungalow, co-founded by chef Vikas Khanna and Jimmy Rizvi, recreates the charm of old Indian clubs in New York’s East Village. With Punjabi dishes served in elegant, modern style, it has become one of the city’s most sought-after dining spots.
Beyond Bungalow’s club-style charm, another group is reshaping NYC’s Indian food scene — Unapologetic Foods. They run Semma, Dhamaka and Masalawala & Sons, all known for bold, regional flavours without shortcuts or dilution.
Dhamaka serves bold, lesser-known Indian dishes — like goat neck biryani and champaran meat — without compromise. Masalawala & Sons celebrates Bengali heritage with classics from founder Chintan Pandya’s family recipes. These restaurants prove that authentic Indian flavours can thrive at the heart of NYC fine dining.
Food critics are calling this movement a “gourmet glasnost” — a bold new era for Indian food. With fearless flavours and deep cultural roots, these chefs are proving that real, regional Indian cuisine belongs on the world’s top tables. No fusion, no filters — just proudly desi and globally celebrated.