By building much of his campaign on food and championing "hidden gems" in lesser-known parts of the city, NYC's new mayor is changing how New Yorkers and travellers eat.

Zohran Mamdani's historic win in New York City's mayoral election is likely to transform the US's largest and most-visited city in many ways. But even before taking office, his unprecedented rise is already changing the city's food scene, and if his campaign is any indication, the next four years may encourage travellers and residents alike to visit new neighbourhoods and become more adventurous eaters.

Mamdani has long leaned into his love of food to speak to New Yorkers. Before entering politics, he was a rapper who went by the name Mr Cardamom and filmed a music video with Indian culinary legend Madhur Jaffrey in a kebab house in Queens. In 2020, he ran for the New York State Assembly under the slogan "Roti and Roses". Since announcing his mayoral candidacy one year ago, he's campaigned at bodegas in the Bronx, taken politicians to an Afghan eatery in Astoria, organised a city-wide scavenger hunt that concluded at his favourite Middle Eastern cafe and consistently championed family-run "hidden gems" in the city's outer boroughs where many tourists typically don't travel.

In doing so, Mamdani is putting under-the-radar eateries on the map that are miles away (literally and figuratively) from some of the city's trendiest dining destinations. He's also drawing a stark contrast between himself and his predecessor Eric Adams, who frequented flashy club-style restaurants like Midtown's Osteria La Baia or Casa Cipriani in The Battery.

"[Mamdani] is the underdog who's come out of nowhere and become unstoppable, shining a light on the underdog restaurants that don't have deep pockets and are surviving when it's harder than ever to do business in New York," says Melissa McCart, editor of Eater NY. "[He's] going to the outer boroughs while Adams is at [private membership club] Zero Bond. He is a runaway success, and his restaurant endorsements have become outsized."

Just a few months ago, Mamdani was a relatively unknown figure, and critics – including Adams, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and most recently President Trump – have framed the 34-year-old democratic socialist as untested and too radical to lead the US's biggest city, a job that comes with a $116bn (£88bn) budget and global scrutiny.

Still, much of Mamdani's appeal is that he presents himself as a candidate of the people – and that extends to most of his culinary choices. Instead of being photographed at New York's "must-dine" hotspots like The Eighty........

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