Jordan's king stops at Richardson restaurant after World Cup loss
King Abdullah II ate at Richardson’s Khashoka after Jordan’s World Cup exit, spotlighting a restaurant that imports more than 90% of its ingredients from Jordan.
King Abdullah II stopped at Khashoka Middle Eastern Cuisine in Richardson on Sunday after Jordan’s 3-1 loss to Argentina at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, turning the country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup run into a North Texas restaurant stop with unusual local reach. The visit landed in Collin County just as Jordan’s tournament debut had already pulled Arlington, Richardson and fan communities across the region into the same story.
Khashoka opened its first U.S. location in Richardson in 2025, and owner Muhammad Albakri has positioned it as a direct link to Jordan rather than a generic Middle Eastern dining room. He said more than 90% of the ingredients come from Jordan, along with the restaurant’s decor and furniture, a setup meant to make the Richardson location feel rooted in Amman. Albakri has said the goal is to represent Jordan authentically in the United States.
The king did not arrive alone. He dined with members of his family, staff and security personnel, and sat alongside local customers while eating galayet bandora, a traditional Jordanian tomato stew. Albakri described him as “gracious, humble, supportive and proud,” and said he insisted other guests continue to be served normally while he was there.
The stop followed a visible North Texas sweep around Jordan’s World Cup appearance. Before the match against Argentina, King Abdullah II met with Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, and Arlington joined with the Jordan Tourism Board to open a free three-day Visit Jordan Experience festival at Levitt Pavilion. Those events gave Jordan supporters and North Texas residents a shared set of places to gather, from the stadium in Arlington to a Jordanian restaurant in Richardson.
Jordan’s loss ended a landmark tournament run, but it also pushed the team deeper into the local spotlight. After the final match, the Jordanian national soccer team also visited Khashoka, reinforcing the restaurant’s role as a meeting point for fans, families and curious diners drawn to the country’s first World Cup run.
For Richardson, the king’s meal was more than a ceremonial dinner. It put a Collin County restaurant at the center of a rare international moment, with Jordan’s World Cup story stretching from Dallas Stadium to Levitt Pavilion and then to a dining room built around Jordanian food, imports and identity.
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