My friend brought me to Kanyakumari recently to celebrate my birthday and it was an amazing time. Service here was top notch and the space is quite intimate and nicely set for a cozy dining experience. I was excited to experience South Indian food and this restaurant did not fall short. I especially loved the fried chicken, this dish was a textural dream and so crunchy and flavorful!! The beef rib was also absolutely outstanding and fall off the bone. I loved the dry pepper rub on it and the fattiness that the meat was at was perfect. The chicken curry was also very very good but I did not care for the oil drizzle on it. Spicy oil usually makes me sick and that's exactly what did happen after this meal. The curry was delicious though but not as spicy as I was hoping. This paired really well with the lacha paratha and was a well sized serving for two. The biryani left a little to be desired, it tasted more on the pulao side which is to be expected from South Indian biryani but the flavors were a bit muted. I very much prefer the biryani at Semma over this one. We did also order a coconut drink that was strong but something in that drink (possibly fermented coconut) did not suit me too well. Apart from these few things I think this is a wonderful South Indian restaurant with a versatile menu and delicious food options. I will be back to try more stuff of their menu.

SERVICE - located in Flatiron near Union Square - entrance is not pronounced so look for the name of the restaurant on the door - good for small or large groups - interior decoration is nicer but not super formal - very good servers who thoroughly explain the menu and are careful about dietary preferences - food served quickly once ordered - compliementary rasam as a welcome drink MENU - upscale south indian dishes from various regions - vegetarian and limited vegan options - slightly pricey ($26 per entree) FOOD - hopper (9/10): crispy bowl shaped rice and coconut pancake. I ordered this as a side dish for the vegetable stew as it would be a good way to soak up all the coconut gravy. It comes with sides of chili chutney, coconut chutney, and sambar. I liked how the edges were crispy but the center was still soft and spongy. There was not an overpowering coconut taste, making it a good accompaniment to any creamy dish. The only downside was that it started to stick to the plate towards the end. - kochii vegetable stew (10/10): broccoli, carrots, beans, and asparagus simmered in a spicy and rich coconut broth. This was the only vegan main dish on the menu. It comes in a cute clay pot to keep it piping hot. I liked how the vegetables kept their crunch and did not become mushy in the gravy. There was also a good balance of gravy to vegetables. The gravy was thick and filled with warming spices with just a hint of chili. WOULD I GO BACK? Yes! The food was fantastic and the service was really good. I would give it a 5 if they can add more vegan main dish options.

If you love Semma, get ready to love another incredible South Indian restaurant - Kanyakumari. I came here for my sister's birthday as a group of 5 and our server was excellent, recommended the right number of dishes for our size group and everything he recommended was AMAZING. Our favorite cocktail was the Koko. It's mezcal based and it did not have the typical smokiness flavor, it was very subtle which I loved. They brought us complimentary rasam shots to start. They were absolutely incredible and the perfect spice level. To start we got the fried chicken, crab, slow cooked beef, guntur idli and duck. Crab was THE BEST and everything else we devoured so quickly. The sauces and spicing on everything is so satisfying and rich. For mains we got the biryani and the chicken and the pumpkin. I can honestly say I've never craved pumpkin before but WOW THAT PUMPKIN WAS LIT. Incredible sauce I'm obsessed. To finish we had the coconut payasum dessert. Do not skip on that!! They also brought a squad and a sparkler for my sisters birthday!!! AND we got these incredible key lime pie shots as a surprise. We LOVED them.It was so hype so definitely come here for a birthday.

Kanyakumari is an awesome addition to the Indian food scene in New York. The menu is refreshingly different than your run-of-the-mill Indian restaurant in the US, which makes it all the more exciting to try out. There are much more dishes from South India and Maharashtra that will be fun for people to explore. The amuse-bouche was a small cup of rasam (a light South Indian tamarind-based soup), and it was delightfully spicy, warming, and had just the right amount of kick to it. For my appetizer, I had the mussels Koliwada- delicious! It was one of my favorite new appetizers I've tried in a long time. The mussels were coated with a spicy besan (chickpea flour) batter and fried, and had a crispy, pakoda-esque texture that was so unique. I'd highly recommend it. For my main course, I had the pumpkin curry- it was a creamy, unctuous, flavor-packed curry with nutty, sweet kabocha squash. I cleaned up every last drop of it. It paired so well with the Malabar paratha, which was prepared with the right amount of buttery layering you'd expect to see. For dessert, I had the coconut payasam. I'm a big payasam/kheer fan, and the dish did a great job of being familiar enough to someone who is a fan of the classic preparation, while still offering some unique, tasty twists to keep things interesting (there was some tender coconut, caramelized pineapple, and guava jelly which added some tasty complexity). Overall, I loved it- I would offer just one suggestion, and that is to serve it in a bowl rather than a shallow plate. It was a bit awkward to scrape the payasam from the plate rather than being able to enjoy spoonfuls of it from a bowl. Not sure there needed to be innovation in the dinnerware. I really enjoyed Kanyakumari- the menu offered some new, less-commonly-available items that are often hard to find in the US, and the food was absolutely delicious. I'll definitely be back, and I'd highly recommend anyone who's a fan of Indian cuisine to check it out.

It's a rare find for me to find a place that was not only amazing once but consistently amazing. And that's what I had at Kanyakumari, blown away with the amazing flavors that are rare and hard to find on NYC. A delicious journey from Mumbai to kanyakymari indeed. We went on magical journey of food. Service was incredibly friendly, the bartender provided amazing recs and the ambiance here is truly beautiful! Must haves: dosa, fried chicken and they truly deserve the title of king of vada pav as it was the best I've ever had!

Went to Kanyakumari with my friend and we had a great time. The menu has some really interesting options that you don't see at your typical Indian restaurant here in the city. My friend and I shared a few dishes including the fried chicken, fish curry, slow cooked beef, and goat biryani. Everything was very good, but our favorites were probably the slow cooked beef and goat biryani which were both so flavorful. My friend, who is South Indian, approved of everything and said that the food tasted authentic. The service was friendly and efficient. The restaurant was a bit more casual than I expected but had a great energetic vibe. Please note that the tables are quite close to each other. The food was a bit more expensive than I would have liked, but overall I will definitely be back to try some more of the unique food at this restaurant.

Really yummy food and great atmosphere!! the service was also , the waiters came by several times to make sure everything was good, and the chef even came by our table at the end. 90% of the people inside were Indian, which was probably a good sign! We ordered 5 dishes, all of which were quite good. I am not a fan of coconut dishes, but the chicken coconut curry we got did not have too strong of a coconut flavor. It was a bit spicy, but from what I hear, typical of South Indian dishes. Overall great dinenr, would recommend!

I had high hopes from this place and it did live up to all the hype!! Here is the list of all the items we had- Guruprasad dosa ( did not try but friend said masala wasnt too spicy - looked nice crispy though) Guntur idli ( great- i will go back for this) Vada pao ( did not try but friend from Mumbai loved it) Prawn idli ( seemed sticky from ends) bhisabelle bhaath ( nice light on tummy) goat biryani ( yummm- glad I picked this one for myself) malvani chicken ( yumm- paired will with Malabar parantha) vegetable stew ( did not try but friend liked it) payassam ( not good at all) Definitely a place I would come back again, but I do hope they improve the dessert section.

Oh my this is easily one of my favorite restaurants in New York, and that's saying something. I have high standards for South Indian food, and this place somehow exceeded them. I absolutely loved the creative spin on these dishes I grew up eating. Not one single thing we ate was even a little bit disappointing, really fantastic meal. We all left feeling so content, because it was such a feel good, hearty, SUPER flavorful meal. The baby goat biryani stands out even more because it was ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL. the meat was sooo tender and literally melted in my mouth. The rice was flavored to absolute perfection, I can't even describe it. You just have to come try this biryani - 100/10 recommend. The fried thayir saddam balls were so innovative and SO DELICIOUS. I'd never thought to make curd rice into this, but it worked so well. From the presentation to the garnish, it was so well thought out and so well executed. Honestly, anything on this menu is fantastic. Great vegetarian options as well. I don't just recommend this place, I would urge anyone to come try how good South Indian food can be!! The servers and staff were all so kind and friendly - gave us great recs as well. Super cute vibe and decor too!