New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday broke his silence over a Brooklyn coffee shop’s social media post declaring that it would no longer serve a Jewish congressman because of his views on Israel.
The Department of Justice is investigating the coffee chain that claims to promote “radical hospitality.” Poetica Coffee, which operates seven locations across the Big Apple, mocked Rep. Dan Goldman in a Facebook post over the weekend, declaring that it does not serve “genocide enablers.”
“Hey, Congressman Dan Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?” the coffee shop said, posting a picture of Goldman at a Brooklyn location.
“See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between.”
Mamdani initially declined to comment but was later pressed by a reporter, who asked the Democratic Socialist whether the coffee shop’s response had crossed a line.
“I have many political disagreements with Congressman Goldman when it comes to his votes and his views on Israel,” Mamdani said. “I think what we saw online goes beyond that.”
Mayor Mamdani addresses Dan Goldman cafe incident while backing DSA-linked candidates pic.twitter.com/Ym0FOWIhtM
— New York Post (@nypost) June 23, 2026
On the company’s website, Poetica says the chain is “rooted in the Uzbek tradition where the guest is sacred, the books are unbanned, and the door is open to everyone.”
But the company took a decidedly different tone with Goldman.
“Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away. We issued you a refund — we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways). Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don’t ever come to Poetica,” Poetica said on social media.
The leftist owner of the Brooklyn coffee shop, Parviz Mukhamadkulov, on Monday defended his company’s decision to target the pro-Israel Democrat.
“Pretty simple process, if you support genocide, we reserve the right to not serve you,” Mukhamadkulov replied to a LinkedIn post praising his establishment.
In other comments and posts, he has accused Israel of committing genocide, compared the Jewish state to Nazi Germany, and defended the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack that killed and abducted civilians.
“Israel is the Nazi Germany of current time,” he wrote in response to a video posted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“Explain to me why Israel is killing babies?” Mukhamadkulov replied in another post, The Daily Wire previously reported. “After October 7th, the Palestinian state will extend from the river to the sea.”
Mukhamadkulov also minimized the account of a Holocaust victim killed at the Auschwitz extermination camp, saying, “This is a horrible story. That is why it’s important we talk against the genocide Israel is committing against Palestinians.”
Goldman — who prediction markets say is likely to lose his seat in Congress — responded to the coffee shop’s social media post.
“It’s a reflection, I think, of a sad state of affairs that, without knowing me, we could have had such a nice interaction,” Goldman said. “Two people, obviously from different backgrounds, different faiths, but that’s what America is, and that’s what New York City is, that is what I believe in.”