The NYC Thai Restaurant Where Zohran Mamdani Grabs Takeout

When Zohran Mamdani launched his campaign to become mayor of New York City, he was an obscure state assemblyman; when he finished it, he was mayor-elect, having defeated former New York governor Andrew Cuomo twice along the way. What powered his meteoric rise? There are plenty of factors, but one unsung reason is his constant repping of the city's food as a way to connect with the people. Far beyond the usual political photo ops, he has made shouting out New York City's cuisine, from halal carts to restaurants, key to his political identity. One such restaurant? Pye Boat Noodle, one of his preferred places for Thai food.

Now mayor, Mamdani has mentioned Pye Boat Noodle, an eatery in his home base of Astoria, Queens, several times in interviews. Based on the name, you might expect his go-to order to involve the restaurant's hawker-style noodles (that is, in the style of Asian street food markets). But Mamdani's favorite dish is something of a deep cut: he likes koi nur, a sort of spicy beef tartare that's not even officially on the menu. For its part, Pye Boat Noodle seems to enjoy its connection with the popular (for now) mayor, reposting Mamdani's interview with The New Yorker onto its Instagram page.

Pye Boat Noodle got its name from a practice for serving noodles. In central Thailand, vendors row through the canals of "floating markets" to sell their wares, including vegetables, fish, and noodles. In Thai, "pye" means "paddle" — and while there aren't any canals in Astoria, the name carried over. The restaurant reflects Thailand's past, modeling itself after decor popular in the country back in the 1960s and 1970s. It's a perfect environment in which to enjoy mouth-watering Thai dishes, including pad thai.

However, Pye Boat Noodle is just one of many restaurants Mamdani has shouted out during his time in the public eye. His love of Kabab King, a halal joint in Astoria, is well-known; not only did he have the restaurant cater his inauguration, he filmed a music video there during his pre-politics stint as a rapper who went by the name "Mr. Cardamom." (We swear we're not making that up.) He's also shouted out Bahari Estiatorio, a Greek restaurant that specializes in seafood, as well as the Little Flower Cafe, an Afghan restaurant that offers a hearty halal brunch. And if you're a vegan and you'd like to follow in Mamdani's footsteps, there's Urban Vegan Roots, where he would apparently eat while planning his affordability-focused, food-delivery-app-challenging campaign.