These 9 Restaurants Pay Rent To Donald Trump

Donald Trump is one of the most divisive figures in American politics right now. But amid all the talk of building walls and rounding up immigrants (and boycotting Oreos), it's easy to forget that the billionaire Republican frontrunner is first and foremost a landlord. And it may surprise you to learn which well-known restaurants are in buildings that he owns. 

Located inside the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto, America Restaurant is a 110-seat "fine-dining milieu" that offers items like a $27 foie gras flapjack, $48 Sichuan pepper roasted duck breast, and $65 Washington state lamb chops and shoulder. 

Trump bought Miami's legendary Doral Golf Resort & Spa for $150 million in 2011, spent more than $250 million on renovations, and rechristened it the Trump National Doral Miami. There are three restaurants at the resort: the poolside Palm Grill, the clubby Champions Bar & Grill, and the second location of popular New York steakhouse BLT Prime. 

DJT is the signature restaurant at the 24-carat-gold-gilded Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. Named for Trump's initials, the restaurant boasts "glowing marbleized columns," a "gilded, royal velvety walled private dining room for up to 10 people," and "luxurious plush booths behind privacy curtains with personal lighting controls." Low-key all the way, in other words.

The three-Michelin-Starred Jean-Georges, the flagship restaurant of renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, is located inside the 52-story Trump International Hotel & Tower on Columbus Circle. The building was converted in the 1990s by architect Philip Johnson from the unattractive 1969 Gulf & Western headquarters into one boasting Trump's typical gold and black color scheme, and the restaurant opened upon its completion in 1997. The stunning and opulent restaurant offers a $218 seven-course tasting menu. 

The super modern luxury apartment and hotel Trump Soho's flagship restaurant is the high-end Japanese spot Koi, which offers "an innovative take on the art of food in a luxurious and sensual dining oasis." The restaurant has other locations in Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood, by New York's Bryant Park, and in West Hollywood, Bangkok, and Abu Dhabi. Menu items include salmon carpaccio with black truffles and citrus, lobster tacos with mango salsa and yuzu guacamole, miso bronzed black cod with Okinawa potato purée, and a wide variety of sushi.

The most exclusive property in Trump's portfolio, the Mar-a-Lago club is a U.S. National Historic Landmark built in 1927 as the Marjorie Merriweather Post mansion and purchased by Trump in 1985 for $10 million. Today, it's a 126-room private club and spa, and also serves as Trump's second home (his other is in New York's Trump Tower). The lavish and opulent restaurant inside the club also has a "teahouse" and an alfresco patio, and offers monthly themed dinners ("A blend of regional cuisine, live entertainment, and coordinating décor"), fashion show luncheons ("A Champagne reception followed by a luncheon and an informal fashion show produced by famous Worth Avenue designers"), and a "Six Star Seafood Night" on the patio every Wednesday. At Mar-a-Lago, the Gilded Age is apparently still going strong. 

Sixteen, located on the 16th floor of the Trump International Hotel Chicago, has two Michelin stars and is Forbes Five Star- and AAA Five Diamond-rated. The stunning restaurant boasts 30-foot floor-to-ceiling windows as well as a $190 prix-fixe-only dinner menu. Summer 2015 menu's theme is "Food in Progress: Assessing an American Food Revolution."

Located in the corner of the atrium inside Trump's flagship  Trump Tower is Trump Grill, and Trump himself can even occasionally be seen dining there — he lives and works in the building. It's only open daily until 5 p.m., and offers a $23 or $45 prix-fixe lunch menu as well as an opulent Sunday brunch. 

Trump International Hotel and Golf Links, formerly known as The Lodge at Doonberg, is located on the Emerald Isle's western shore in Country Clare. The 18-hole golf course there was designed by Greg Norman, and the hotel has 218 suites. The hotel's main fine-dining restaurant, Trump's, resembles an old Irish pub, and combines an "atmospheric mixture of warm Irish ambience and New England panache." Menu items include fish and chips, braised West Clare lamb shank, and Irish rib eye or sirloin.