The Unassuming NYC Restaurant That Catered Zohran Mamdani's Inauguration

Zohran Mamdani's inauguration as the new mayor of New York City was remarkable for a variety of reasons, but we here at The Takeout take special interest in the politician's choice of food for the event more than anything. As someone who has lived the majority of his life in Queens, New York (Andrew Zimmern's pick for the best food city in the U.S.), it's little surprise that Mamdani ordered catering from a classic Jackson Heights eatery. Kabab King, one of Mamdani's favorite restaurants, provided all the food for Mamdani's first meal following his historic inauguration on January 1.

Known for being open 24/7 for night owls and morning birds alike, Kabab King has been an institution of Jackson Heights' food scene for decades now, and its reputation has only grown in recent months due to Mamdani's frequent praise of the restaurant's Indian and Pakistani cuisine. On New Year's Day, Mamdani's team got to enjoy the mayor's long-time favorite spot. Classic Indian restaurant dishes like samosas and biryani — the latter of which is Mamdani's go-to order from the restaurant – were offered to those who joined the mayor at New York City Hall to celebrate his first day in office.

While mounting evidence proves that Kabab King — a restaurant that Zohran Mamdani has been visiting since he was a teenager — is at the top of the new mayor's list of favorite eateries, it's far from the only restaurant Mamdani holds in high regard. In fact, the restaurant has plenty of competition when it comes to being the Uganda-born mayor's favorite spots across New York City. Mamdani famously spent a lot of his campaign doing interviews over meals at some of his favorite restaurants, eventually citing three establishments in Queens — Pye Boat Noodle, Zyara Restaurant, and Kabab King — as his favorites, in October 2025. Even in his inaugural address, Mamdani took the time to shoutout Koronet Pizza, a Morningside Heights pizzeria that he says has the greatest slice in the city with the best pizza in the world.

Plus, while Kabab King was the star of the show at Mamdani's inauguration party, it wasn't actually the only provider of the day. The 34-year-old mayor also catered coffee and tea from Qahwah House, a Michigan-based chain that produces Yemeni coffee, which has taken America by storm in recent years, and is a longtime favorite of Mamdani's.