New York’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, celebrated his historic win with an Indian lunch alongside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The 34-year-old politician, known for his love of diverse cuisines, enjoyed momos and paneer tikka at Laliguras Bistro. His culinary preferences also include biryani from Kabab King and lamb adana laffa from Zyara. Zohran Kwame Mamdani, New York’s 34-year-old mayor-elect is a true foodie. The Indian-origin politician shared a glimpse of his “busy first day” as the mayor-elect, which he said was packed with interviews and meetings.”A busy first day as your Mayor-elect: early morning interviews, transition announcements and meetings. More to say on all of it tomorrow. But a highlight was lunch with my Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at Laliguras Bistro in Jackson Heights,” he wrote in a post on X, sharing pictures of his lunch meeting.
‘Terrify A Despot’: Mamdani’s First Message To New Yorkers Shakes White House | ‘Trump Betrayed…’
In the picture, Ocasio-Cortez can be seen enjoying tea with momos, aloo-dam and what appears to be paneer tikka with bao — an ode to his South Asian heritage.For the unversed, Laliguras Bistro is an Indian and Nepalese eatery in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.
And as per a BBC report, he is a biryani fan too and loves the biryani from Kabab King. He is also reported to be a fan of food from Sami’s Kabab House and Little Flower Cafe in Astoria. He is also a fan of paan, the BBC report states. He loves the lamb adana laffa (hand-minced grilled lamb with spices atop flatbread), a glass of lemonade and a side of hummus and pita at Zyara in Astoria, where he lives with his wife. And he loves the koi nur (spicy raw meat) from Pye Boat Noodle in Astoria, the report states.The BBC report also states that as a food lover, who also cares for street food vendors, Mamdani has raised concerns over one of the issues in his campaigns. It is reported that he brought down “Halalflation”, a term he coined in a January 2025 video in which he shared the plight of street vendors who have had to raise their prices to keep up with black market permit fees. Rather than pay a few hundred dollars to the city for a permit, the caps have created a black market in which vendors are forced to shell out upwards of $20,000 (£15,225) a year for the right to sell simple dishes.