Had a great experience and dinner at Kanyakumari! All our dishes were delicious and the ambiance was great. We started with the guntur idli which ended up being one of my favorite dishes of the night. For mains we got the mangalore prawn curry, kozhikode fish curry, guruprasad dosa, and Malabar paratha. The fish curry was my favorite main dish we ordered. The fish tasted so fresh and I loved the curry itself as well. No dishes automatically come with rice, but we ordered a Malabar paratha which helped us finish off the curries. Overall it was a delicious dinner and I'd love to come back and try more dishes soon!

Decent food Many of the dishes are a touch too spicy Vada pav was solid - be aware it has onions in it even though it's not listed on the menu Standout dish is the guava lassi - exceptional and refreshing especially against the spicy food. Fried chicken app is a touch too spicy but surprisingly meatier than it looks. Service left something to be desired - our table was ten min late and then we were rushed hard for our orders and courses. Maybe because we were seated late in the first place? Also constantly found myself looking around to get my water refill

Coming in with a Pakistani and South Indian background, we had high expectations. We like spice. We like flavor. Kanyakumari delivered both. Ambiance--initially they seem like they'll rush you. The hostess sits you down and immediately tells you how much time you'll have the table. I didn't think it was necessary but I am sure there's a reason behind the warning. The restaurant is a decent size for NYC. It's decorated beautifully. Def a great place for a fancy dinner. Service--our server was very knowledgeable about the menu. He gave amazing recommendations and there was a perfect amount for two of us to feel full but not die lol Food-- We had: - from Andhra Pradesh--very creative and super tasty. It had a kick to it but nothing we couldn't handle (our spice tolerance is "brown people spice" aka it's higher than most). - from Kanyakumari-- fried chicken reminded me of chicken pakoras. Batter was so tasty and crisp to perfection. - from khozikode-- so delicious. Crisp fresh with a curry and they give extra curry on side to slather on top (per preference). It went really well with the parotha (which is a must). We also ordered yogurt on the side (to balance the flavors and tang but also calm our stomachs down from all the spice LOL). I definitely recommend this place. They had complimentary rasam but we wish they also gave paysam along with it. This meal surpassed our high expectations and we can't wait to come back!!

Finally now when I hear the name Kanyakumari, instead of thinking about that horrible song from Chennai Express, I'll reminisce upon the stupendous meal I had at this broadly South Indian-focused restaurant, named after the southernmost tip of the subcontinent's mainland. The best bites were actually the classics and "ghar ka khana" - a perfectly executed bisibelebath for a rainy night, and one of the best masala dosas in the city. While I think including vada pav on a South Indian menu is a stretch, it was perfectly crispy and paired well with a bite of green chili. The masala idli was many of our group's favorite. I would probably skip some of the veg stews on a next visit, as they left less of an impression. I was also expecting something a bit more ambitious along the lines of futi kadhi or sol kadhi from the kokum refresher, but it was instead a rather sanitized beverage.

Absolutely fantastic spot! Fair warning, the food was little spicy but it was fine for me. Service was quick and the place is extremely busy even with a reservation. Rassam- They start every person off with rassam in an espresso shot and it's extremely flavored and stewed Pav bhaji - crunchy, crispy, buttery, perfection Cocktail idli - perfectly crispy and seasoned. I thought the banana chips on top was random but no complaints. Paratha - super flaky and buttery, you get 2 pieces Veggie Coconut curry - so good and very unique flavors. I've very heavy though because the coconut cream so I'd suggest sharing Plain dosa - soft and easy to eat with curry

Highly recommend! Ambiance: I love the vibe of the restaurant. It's fun and they play great music but it's not too loud. They also have done a great set up with the way the restaurant is situated. The bar area is also nice and would be a nice place to hangout. Price: the food is on the pricey side. This is a place where the more people you go with the better so you can try many different things and split the cost. Drinks: A lot of the drinks on the menu look really good. We tried a few of them and most of them were delicious and didn't disappoint. The only one we didn't enjoy was the mango drink - the combination of flavors just didn't seem to mix well. The wine list was fairly extensive and they had a nice mix of types and styles. Food: They started us off with complimentary rasam. It was such a great start to the meal. I loved the way it was served in a little tea cup. The rasam was really well seasoned and had the right amount of spices in it. We ordered all three vegetarian appetizers. My favorite was the Andra Pradesh appetizer. It was fried idli cooked in this delicious sauce. I really loved the flavor mix. The vada pav dish was good. It wasn't super spicy. The vada was well seasoned and the right amount of crispy. The last appetizer we got was from Tamil Nadu. It was good but felt like an okay dish. The flavors also felt a little plain. We got the pappadum platter - I loved all the different chutneys that it came with. They also had 2 different types of papads. My friends got non-veg entrees. I was so full off the appetizers that I got the Guruprasad dosa. The dosa was really big - a great portion size. It came with sambhar and 2 chutnies. The dosa was perfectly crispy and thin. It came with a nice potato filling and had a nice seasoning on it. The sambhar was on the sweet side and thicker than I am used to. The chutnies felt under seasoned. Service: Service was fast. Our server was really helpful when it came to selecting drinks and food. He always came and checked in and water was refilled quickly. The food came out at the right pace so we didn't feel rushed but also weren't sitting around waiting.

It's very cool to see South Indian food presented like this in an upscale way. We tried the bondas, dosa, and pumpkin curry. All of the dishes were presented beautifully. The bondas were probably my favorite dish - the yogurt rice on the inside was creamy and tangy, with a perfectly crispy exterior. The dosa was just ok, a bit too dry and crispy for my taste. The pumpkin curry was also very tasty, with a flavorful base. It paired well with the parotta. The meal worked out to about $45 per person, which is pretty reasonable. I'll have to come back to try some of the other vegetarian dishes.

NYC has a lot of great Indian options and South Indian food in particular is having a moment (see Semma). In the midst of all this intense competition, Kanyakumari tends to fly under the radar and people miss out but they really shouldn't be sleeping on this. Their South Indian fare is top notch. The dosa was perfection as was the seafood curry that we dipped into with our appam. The shrimp idli served in a seashell was really cool and went together really well (I've never thought of combining the humble idli with seafood before! Very innovative). Can't wait to be back to try more!

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.