CHICAGO: King Abdullah will no doubt have been disappointed by the outcome of the Jordanian national team’s game against Argentina at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on June 27, in which a 3-1 defeat marked the end of his nation’s World Cup 2026 adventure.
But his mood was lifted the following day when he dined at Khashoka Middle East Cuisine, a Jordanian restaurant in nearby Richardson, with members of his family, staff and guards.
Owner Mohammed Albakri, who opened the chain’s first US location last November, told Arab News that the king was “gracious, humble, supportive and proud” during his visit, as he greeted staff and ate a “traditional Jordanian breakfast” alongside regular customers.
“It was very exciting to have King Abdullah II visit our restaurant and enjoy a meal with us,” said the 25-year-old, whose family is from Amman. “We have a mission and we have a vision, which is to spread the authentic Jordanian flavors into the United States — and to the whole world, eventually.
“The king very much enjoyed the meal. It was a privilege to have served him. It shows what we stand for.
“The king is the most humble individual I have ever seen in my entire life. He insisted on us serving all the other guests who were in the restaurant while he was there. The same plate of food from the menu that the king enjoyed is the same plate and recipe that we served to every single customer.”
The restaurant was “a natural” choice for the royal visit after the World Cup match, Albakri added, because it strives to be “the most authentic” in its representation of Jordan and its people.
“Khashoka is actually a franchise from Jordan,” he explained. “We currently have 12 locations worldwide, specifically in the Middle East, and this is the first US location. We’re the first Jordanian restaurant that represents Jordan in the whole United States the way it should be represented.
“Everything we have, including 90 percent of all our food ingredients, comes from Jordan. We import all of our olive oil, our makdous, labneh; almost everything except, of course, the produce and the meat, which is raised locally and always fresh.
“Everything in the restaurant, from the decorations on the walls to the dining-room tables, chairs and furniture, is imported directly from Jordan. Our head chef is also from Jordan. We are the only authentic Jordanian restaurant in America. The king also noted the authenticity of what we offer on our menu.”
King Abdullah ordered a Levantine-Jordanian meal of galayet bandora, a pan-fried vegetarian tomato stew, Albakri said, which is a typical example of the dishes the restaurant offers.
“What we’re trying to do is spread the authentic Middle Eastern food properly and not just do a replica of what’s existing in the market,” he explained, adding that his goal was to make the king “feel at home.”
He added: “He greeted our employees, said hello to a lot of our customers. They were all thrilled and he took a lot of pictures with different people. He enjoyed the food. He was happy. He was having conversations in the restaurant. We wanted the king to feel at home. We believe we did that. It was an absolute honor to have him with us and to serve him our authentic foods.”
Jordan has made a strong positive impression on Texans, Albakri said, thanks to the visit by the king and also through the work of the country’s ambassador to the US, Dina Kawar, who visited Khashoka for a meal a few months ago while she was meeting local officials in Dallas to promote business relations between Texas and Jordan, and her country’s commitment to the protection of Christians.
In a message posted on social media platform X, Kawar spoke about her visit to the First Baptist Church of Arlington, where she helped showcase “Jordan as an integral part of the Holy Land and home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities.”
She was accompanied on her visit by the minister of tourism and antiquities, Imad Hijazin, who emphasized Jordan’s commitment “to values of interfaith coexistence, reinforcing its status as a global destination for pilgrimage, peace and dialogue,” and to the preservation of the country’s many sacred sites, particularly that of the baptism of Jesus.
