Inside Donald Trump's Favorite Restaurants (Beyond Ones That Serve Big Macs)
By Brady Jonas | May 10, 2025
AUTHOR BIO: Brady Jonas has covered celebrities and their culinary adventures since 2011. He’s currently obsessed with, well, actually, there are a lot of celebrities he’s obsessed with at the moment. Find many of his celebrity fascinations here.
Let’s get this out of the way: This is not a story about politics. It’s also not about the Filet-O-Fish. Yes, Donald Trump has a well-documented love affair with fast food—Big Macs served on silver platters, a button on his desk that summoned Diet Coke—but the man has also spent a shocking amount of time in real restaurants. Some of them good. Some of them baffling. All of them, at one point or another, part of his orbit.
I spent more hours than I care to admit digging through campaign stops, dinner logs, photo ops, and deep-cut interviews to figure out where Trump has actually eaten—and I’m not talking about the drive-thru. Below, you’ll find 20 real-deal restaurants he’s visited, praised, or treated like his personal booth. There’s steak, there’s shrimp cocktail, there’s even imperial Vietnamese cuisine. Somehow, this is all true.
Here then are the favorite restaurants of Donald Trump.
21 Club, New York City
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Back when power lunches were a blood sport, Trump held court at 21 Club—a place where the ceilings sagged under toy jockeys and the deals were even heavier. He was a regular in the 1980s and '90s, long before it became a nostalgia piece for the finance crowd. According to former staffers, he favored the burger, well done of course, and wasn't shy about sending things back. When the place shuttered in 2020 after nearly a century, it marked the end of a certain kind of New York—the one where being loud, rich, and bullish on Manhattan real estate could still get you the best table.
BLT Prime, Washington D.C.
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As president the first time around, Trump didn’t just dine at BLT Prime—he practically lived there. Tucked inside the Trump International Hotel in D.C., the restaurant doubled as his unofficial clubhouse, a place where cabinet members, lobbyists, and hangers-on gathered under high ceilings and chandeliers to curry favor over three-figure steaks. He liked the shrimp cocktail and wedge salad, predictable as ever, and reportedly had his Diet Coke delivered by pressing a button. The whole setup felt like a loyalty test disguised as a dinner reservation. When the hotel sold in 2022, the party moved elsewhere—but for a time, this was MAGA mecca with dry-aged beef.
Bukhara, New Delhi
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During his 2020 state visit to India, Donald Trump and First Lady Melania dined at Bukhara, the iconic tandoori restaurant inside New Delhi’s ITC Maurya Hotel. Known for its rustic charm and clay oven cooking, Bukhara has long been a favorite of visiting dignitaries. For Trump, the chefs prepared a special “Trump Platter,” following the tradition of custom meals like the “Clinton Platter” and “Obama Platter” before it. The Trumps reportedly enjoyed the restaurant’s signature naan and Sikandari Raan—a slow-roasted leg of lamb marinated in Indian spices. As a parting gift, they received aprons featuring a horse motif painted by M.F. Husain, a nod to the artist’s fondness for the restaurant.
Downtown House of Pizza, Fort Myers, FL
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A true man of the people (at least if you’re in Lee County), Donald Trump swung by Downtown House of Pizza in April 2023, unannounced and unbothered by the line. He walked straight in, grabbed a slice, and proceeded to personally hand out pizza to supporters like a benevolent carb czar. The crowd cheered, phones went up, and somewhere in the chaos, actual orders may or may not have been fulfilled. The pizza? Classic New York style, thin crust, hot cheese, big fold. It’s open until 3 a.m. on weekends, presumably in case the former president ever feels the urge to campaign via marinara again.
Famiglia Pizzeria, Times Square
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Trump once dragged Sarah Palin to this Midtown pizza chain in what remains one of the more surreal campaign-adjacent meals in recent memory. It was 2011, they were between rallies, and instead of a proper New York slice joint, they landed at Famous Famiglia—a spot known more for its Times Square foot traffic than for, say, flavor. They ordered pepperoni and cheese, ate with forks, and turned a tourist-grade lunch into a photo op so awkward it got dissected in Vanity Fair. One of Trump’s aides allegedly called it “one step above McDonald’s,” which somehow feels both accurate and generous.
Jackson Hole Burgers, New York
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Trump’s go-to burger joint in Manhattan isn’t some gilded steakhouse—it’s Jackson Hole, a no-frills spot slinging half-pound burgers that would barely fit through the door of Air Force One. The original location opened in 1972, and Trump has been a fan for decades. The place is pure Americana: red vinyl booths, chrome accents, and a menu that hasn’t changed much since the Nixon era. It’s the kind of spot where you can imagine him ordering the "East Side" burger, well-done, with a side of fries and a Diet Coke. No photo ops, no fanfare—just a man and his burger.
Jean-Georges, New York City
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Trump doesn’t need to go far for fine dining, just downstairs to his lobby. In November 2016, he hosted Mitt Romney and Reince Priebus at Jean-Georges, the two-Michelin-starred restaurant inside the Trump International Hotel at Columbus Circle. The dinner—part job interview, part public spectacle—included garlic soup with frogs’ legs, diver scallops, beef for Trump and Priebus, lamb for Romney, and chocolate cake all around. Romney looked like he’d rather be anywhere else, but Trump was beaming. The restaurant, helmed by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, is known for its French-Asian fusion and sweeping Central Park views, but on that night, the real show was Romney’s hounddog smirk.
Le Jules Verne, Eiffel Tower, Paris
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Trump doesn’t exactly scream Eiffel Tower tasting menu, but in 2018, he dined at Le Jules Verne, the Michelin-starred restaurant perched halfway up the tower, because that’s where French presidents take American ones when the cameras are rolling. He and Melania joined the Macrons for dinner with a view, ordering what was likely the least fussy option on a menu that included caviar, pigeon, and poached lobster. Trump reportedly praised the setting—“beautiful, tremendous”—but the foie gras probably didn’t make it into his regular rotation.
Nino’s, New York City
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For years, Trump treated Nino’s on the Upper East Side like his personal canteen. He’d roll in with Melania, sometimes with the kids, and always sit at the same table—No. 11, against the wall, where he could survey the room like a don. The menu leaned old-school Italian-American: veal parm, spaghetti bolognese, nothing that would scare a Queens-born billionaire. Trump liked it enough to plug the place on Larry King Live, which, for a while, made it a magnet for tourists and the vaguely powerful.
Ralph Lauren Polo Bar, New York
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If Trump could design a restaurant from scratch, it might look a lot like the Polo Bar: dark wood, green leather, horse paintings, and a clientele that smells like generational wealth and aftershave. He’s been spotted here more than once, sometimes with Melania, sometimes flanked by donors or media pals, always seated at a booth that quietly announces he didn’t have to wait. The burger’s solid, the steak’s better, and the vibe is pure 5th Avenue cosplay of old-money Americana. It’s the kind of place where Trump fits in just enough to pretend he was born there.
Red Arrow Diner, Manchester, NH
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No presidential hopeful makes it through New Hampshire without kissing a baby, shaking a hand, and sipping diner coffee at Red Arrow. Trump showed up here during the 2016 campaign and again in 2024, turning the tiny, chrome-plated space into a press scrum with side orders of bacon. He signed a few hats, waved a forkful of eggs, and called the food “terrific,” though it’s unclear how much he actually ate. The place leans more Norman Rockwell than Mar-a-Lago, but that’s the point—it’s a photo op wrapped in hash browns.
Ta-Boo, Palm Beach
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For decades, Ta-boo was where Palm Beach did its quiet scheming over crab cakes and martinis. Trump was a regular long before he turned Mar-a-Lago into his permanent clubhouse—dropping in for lunch on Worth Avenue, holding court from a corner banquette like a man auditioning for a Gatsby reboot. The menu was old-school and proudly so, with shrimp cocktail, steak, and the kind of iceberg wedge that doesn’t apologize for itself. It all came to an end in 2023, when Ta-boo closed after 83 years. For Trump, it was one fewer room in Palm Beach where he didn’t have to introduce himself.
Truong Tien, Falls Church, VA
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In August 2024, Trump popped into Truong Tien, a Vietnamese spot inside Eden Center known for Hue-style dishes like banh khoai and bun thit nuong—neither of which sound like something he’s eaten twice. He didn’t stay, but picked up a to-go order and left a fat tip, turning a quiet strip-mall restaurant into a brief campaign pit stop and unlikely viral moment.
Versailles Restaurant, Miami
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When Trump walked into Versailles in Little Havana after his 2023 arraignment, it was less a lunch stop and more a victory lap. He posed for photos, soaked up chants of “¡Te queremos!” During his visit, Trump promised “food for everyone” but later took criticism from the media for leaving without buying anything. Versailles has long been Miami’s political photo booth, where candidates chase Cuban votes over cafecito and croquetas. Trump didn’t touch a pastelito, but he didn’t need to. The point wasn’t the food. It was the crowd, the cameras, and the sense that even under indictment, he could still play to the room.
Waverly Inn, Greenwich Village
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This historic tavern, with its dim lighting and intimate booths, has seen its share of celebrities, including Trump. Known for its American comfort food and exclusive vibe, the Waverly Inn offers a discreet dining experience away from the city's hustle and bustle. You won’t find Trump here these days, though. After a falling-out, Trump declared it on social media as serving “the worst food in city.” The Waverly now uses that non-endorsement as a point of pride.
Donald Trump’s New York
A Gilded Itinerary Through Donald Trump’s Favorite New York City Places
This is a tour for the curious: the gawkers, the irony chasers, the dinner-party historians. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to stand inside the marble-and-mirrors mausoleum that is Trump Tower, or sip a $45 cocktail named after the 45th president while contemplating your life choices—this one’s for you.
