Kanyakumari NYC

"Kanyakumari — name checking a town at the southern tip of the subcontinent — offers a refreshing take on the regional Indian cuisine. It treats its menu like a seagoing voyage along the coastline, mainly from Kerala to Mumbai, making stops along the way at places like Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, where chef Dipesh Shinde is from, offering Malvani chicken. Every dish here is a geographic adventure." - Robert Sietsema

"No one is excited to be near Union Square every day. So when you need some tellicherry peppercorns before your sense of purpose completely depletes, book a table at Kanyakumari from the folks behind Laut. Date night appropriate and halfway festive—a few chandeliers, some neon, etc.—this coastal South Indian spot goes heavy on spices and fried curry leaves. Order a crispy butterflied branzino over a thick Kerala-inspired curry, or try the sweet and salty stir-fried beef tossed in a chili sauce. You can get out for around $50 per person, although you should really try some cocktails, like the Old Fashioned made with jaggery." - willa moore, bryan kim, matt tervooren

"The Amma fish curry at newcomer Kanyakumari is a lovely flattened fish presented whole in rice water with curls of fresh ginger and curry leaves on top for $42. The flesh is crisp and flaky and tastes like the ocean, and the rice water is red with chiles. On the side is a yogurt-laced beet sauce, making the dish savory and slightly sour." - Eater Staff

"A South Indian restaurant recommended in June, from Salil Mehta." - Melissa McCart

"Kanyakumari focuses on Southern Indian cooking with dishes like curd rice balls, crab sukka with coconut rice, and fish curry with pickled beetroot." - Emma Orlow