By Brady Jonas | March 21, 2025
I don’t know about you, but when I find a celebrity I like, I take their restaurant recommendations personally. So when Jenna Bush Hager—morning show host, former first daughter, and generally charming human—mentions a place, I pay attention. Her picks are scattered across the country, from old-school Texas barbecue joints to the kind of NYC restaurant where the waiter won’t rush you even if they have a James Beard Award in the pocket of their apron. Below are the restaurants that Jenna has visited or shouted out, each one worth a stop—even if you weren’t raised in the White House.
Joann’s Fine Foods, Austin
1224 S Congress Ave | Website | Instagram
South Congress has long been a proving ground for restaurants trying to capture Austin’s cool without seeming like they’re trying too hard. Joann’s, a Tex-Mex-leaning all-day café, manages to pull it off. Jenna visited in October 2024 with Hoda Kotb, and if you’re the type who wants a breakfast taco with a side of retro-tinged nostalgia, this is your spot.
Gramercy Tavern, New York
42 E 20th St | Website | Instagram
One of those restaurants that feels like it’s been around forever because, well, it has. Danny Meyer’s classic NYC spot is where Jenna celebrates Christmas, which means it’s a safe bet for those who like their holiday dinners fancy but not fussy.
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El Arroyo, Austin
1624 W 5th St | Website | Instagram
The restaurant is famous for its marquee signs, which skewer politics, relationships, and the oddities of modern life—think of it as the drunk uncle of Instagram captions. But it’s also a stalwart of Austin’s Tex-Mex scene, the kind of place where you go for queso and end up staying three hours. Jenna and Hoda hit it up in 2024, proving that even a Today Show salary doesn’t make you immune to the siren song of a good margarita.
Taco Cabana, San Antonio
3310 San Pedro Ave | Website | Instagram
Yes, it’s a chain. Yes, it has a drive-thru. And yes, Jenna still swears by its bean and cheese tacos. She even made Hoda try them on air, proving that no matter how far you travel, your hometown fast food is still sacred.
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Jo’s Coffee, Austin
1300 S Congress Ave | Website | Instagram
You might not expect a tourist attraction to come in the form of a coffee shop mural, but that’s exactly what Jo’s Coffee has become. It’s the kind of place where you grab an iced turbo, then pose like everyone else in front of the “love you so much” graffiti, which Jenna and Hoda did during their 2024 trip to Austin. The mural is technically just spray paint on stucco, but somehow—maybe because of the coffee, maybe because you’re on vacation—it works.
The Clam Shack, Kennebunkport
2 Western Ave | Website | Instagram
If you’re in Kennebunkport and don’t stop at The Clam Shack, did you even visit? Jenna seems to think not. She once had dinner from this iconic seafood stand delivered to Walker’s Point, her family’s compound, proving that even former first daughters can’t resist a good lobster roll.
The Jefferson Hotel, D.C.
1200 16th St NW | Website | Instagram
In a city where power is measured by where you lunch, The Jefferson Hotel stands out as a place where you can discuss policy over poached eggs. Jenna and her sister Barbara hosted a book party here for their book, Sisters First: Stories From Our Wild And Wonderful Life—and perhaps the party itself can make it into the second edition?
>>>Related: Washington DC’s Must-Try Restaurants>>>
Donn’s Depot, Austin
1600 W 5th St | Website | Instagram
If you haven’t ended up at Donn’s after a few too many in Austin, you haven’t done Austin right. While not a restaurant, the former train depot-turned-bar-and-music-venue is where Jenna took Hoda for a taste of her hometown, and if the night didn’t end with at least one ill-advised spin on the dance floor, they weren’t doing it right.
Pizzeria Paradiso, D.C.
2003 P St NW | Website | Instagram
Before the days of Today Show segments and book tours, Jenna Bush Hager was a student in D.C., and like any smart young person with good taste and limited funds, she found her way to Pizzeria Paradiso. She and her sister Barbara have mentioned it among their favorite D.C. haunts—a place where you could split a wood-fired pie and still have enough left over for a Georgetown cupcake later. The Dupont Circle location is cozy, lined with beer taps and the smell of bubbling mozzarella, and it still feels like the kind of spot you’d stumble into after a long day of pretending to understand politics.
Bertie's, Waco
701 Washington Ave | Website | Instagram
You might not expect Waco to be the kind of place where a restaurant suddenly fills up with celebrities, but that’s what happened when Jenna and her twin sister Barbara dined at Bertie’s with Chip and Joanna Gaines. The restaurant’s all warm light and wood paneling, the kind of place where you order deviled eggs and a cocktail and briefly consider becoming a person who wears linen suits unironically. Jenna didn’t say what she ate, but the vibe alone—elevated comfort food in a room full of shiplap influencers—is enough to make you believe in Waco’s dining scene.
