5 Musician-Owned Restaurants You Must Dine In

Updated:

October 21, 2023 10:11 am

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Lady Gaga and Eminem offer up family-style comfort food. Jon Bon Jovi creates community by feeding those in need. Bad Bunny gives fans a taste of the VIP high life. And the late Jimmy Buffett wanted people to feel like they were always on vacation.

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The five artists below joined the food game, and their restaurants are actually worth checking out. Each place reveals a lot about who these musicians are and where they come from.

1. Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville

Nashville, Tennessee

Jimmy Buffett took tropical rock around the world. He invited fans to escape to the island even when there wasn’t an island in sight. His restaurant chain continues the theme and provides a space for Parrotheads in beach shorts to dine under a thatch roof.

For the late Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville was as much a state of mind as it was a destination. It’s a place that feels like the ocean breeze. Regardless of location, Buffett’s restaurant is island tropical with tequila, salt, and lime. With locations across the U.S., a passport isn’t required to experience Buffett’s forever vacation. The Nashville location is perfect, though, for its proximity to honky-tonk bars, Music Row, museums, and everything else Music City has to offer.

2. Bad Bunny’s Gekkō

Miami, Florida

The King of Latin Trap has brought Spanish-language music to the mainstream while reigning as Spotify’s most-streamed artist for several years running. With Gekkō, Bad Bunny offers great food and entertainment, with style.

The Puerto Rican superstar chose Southern Florida as the location for Gekkō because “Miami feels like home.” Gekkō is a Japanese-inspired steakhouse and lounge. Bad Bunny worked with Groot Hospitality’s David Grutman to create an electric atmosphere for Gekkō in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood. The lounge is open late and features the world’s top DJs along with VIP exclusivity and bottle service.

3. Lady Gaga’s Joanne Trattoria

]New York City, New York

Lady Gaga just wants to entertain. Using reinvention as her primary tool, she is one of the best-selling artists in the world. Joanne Trattoria takes the opposite path from reinvention. This is Lady Gaga going home with her father Joseph Germanotta.

A cozy Italian restaurant for fans of pasta, pizza, Lady Gaga, and close proximity to Central Park, Gaga co-owns Joanne Trattoria with her parents. The wine list includes “The Gaga Collection,” and the live entertainment offers intimate acoustic acts and DJ sets. Gaga warns anyone dining at the restaurant that the food is delicious and you might gain some weight.

4. Eminem’s Mom’s Spaghetti

Detroit, Michigan

Eminem is the first hip-hop artist to win an Academy Award. In the 2000s, he was the best-selling artist in the U.S., and Billboard named him Artist of the Decade. Mom’s Spaghetti began as a pop-up restaurant in Em’s hometown of Detroit. A permanent location was opened in 2021.

Slim Shady has shocked customers on occasion by showing up to serve at Mom’s Spaghetti. The Italian restaurant is named after a line in “Lose Yourself.” A menu of spaghetti and meatballs can be picked up from the walk-up window, and don’t overlook the S’ghetti Sandwich.

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti

5. Jon Bon Jovi’s JBJ Soul Kitchen

Red Bank, New Jersey

Jon Bon Jovi, like Bruce Springsteen before him, seemed destined for the arena. Maybe there’s something in New Jersey’s water. Bon Jovi formed his legendary rock band in 1983. His restaurant, Soul Kitchen, is a journey back to his humble roots. He’s known for “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and with JBJ Soul Kitchen, he’s answering the prayers of hungry neighbors and fans in the Garden State.

Jon Bon Jovi’s wife Dorothea came up with the idea for the volunteer-run JBJ Soul Kitchen. Diners from all socioeconomic backgrounds eat together and pay if they can. The menu provides comfort food for those who can pay as well as those in need. Order Soul-Seasoned Meat Loaf or Vegetarian Bean Chili, Chicken Marsala or Shrimp Stir Fry. The menu is simple, fresh, and family-oriented. The farm-to-table meals are served in a warm setting where community is the priority. Donations are welcome, and as of this writing Bon Jovi had served more than 173,000 meals.

Photo by John W. Ferguson/Getty Images