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Chintan Pandya, Roni Mazumdar and Vijay Kumar Aren’t Apologizing for Indian Food

The team behind Unapologetic Foods discuss Semma’s success, expanding beyond Indian cuisine and why they won’t tone down the food.

Unapologetic Foods built its business around a simple premise: Indian food doesn’t need to be toned down to find an audience. The group’s co-founders, Roni Mazumdar and executive chef Chintan Pandya, opened Adda in Long Island City in 2018. The name Unapologetic Foods came a few months later, after a guest told Pandya he owed her an apology because the food was too spicy. He disagreed.

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Since then, the group has grown to nine concepts, including Dhamaka, Rowdy Rooster and Masalawala & Sons, averaging 5,000 covers per week across its restaurants. Semma, the West Village restaurant led by chef Vijay Kumar and the group’s hottest table, holds a Michelin star and was ranked No. 9 on The New York Times’ 100 Best Restaurants in New York City for 2026, following a No. 1 finish the year before. It also ranked No. 41 on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants while Dhamaka placed No. 66 on the Times list.

Today, the group’s ambitions are reaching beyond Indian cuisine. With Filipino chef-partner and former chef de cuisine at Dhamaka Eric Valdez, Mazumdar and Pandya opened Naks, their first restaurant outside Indian cuisine, and later launched Sanwits, a 10-seat Filipino sandwich shop. They are also preparing to bring Adda to Philadelphia this winter, expanding Unapologetic Foods beyond the five boroughs while keeping the group’s hands-on approach to........

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