John Lennon's Last Meal Was This Iconic Sandwich In NYC

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Though John Lennon was at times a vegetarian and heavily invested in macrobiotic foods, his dietary habits changed in his later years. In James L. Dickerson's book, "The Last Suppers," the author says Lennon's last recorded meal before his death on December 8, 1980, was a corned beef sandwich and hot tea from New York's Stage Deli.

In much the same way the Beatles started in England before becoming an American cultural juggernaut, corned beef was popular in England before becoming a staple of every good New York deli. The Stage Deli, in particular, was famous for serving oversized sandwiches — big enough that you may not have needed to indulge in an à la carte order of fries. The restaurant also had a habit of naming various menu items after its star-studded clientele. While you could order its corned beef plain, the ingredient was featured in many of its triple-decker sandwiches, like the Larry Davidson with turkey, Swiss cheese, and both corned beef and pastrami, and the Clint Eastwood with corned beef, tongue, and turkey.

Though the Stage Deli is no longer in business, it was a culinary icon for New York and even a frequent location in the 2017 period comedy "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." From a New York immigration success story to heated delicatessen rivalries, its story was as crucial to New York's identity as its customers.

New York was once home to dozens of famous delicatessens, though few ever grew to quite the level of fame that the Stage Deli did. While old-school delis aren't what they used to be, the restaurant's 75-year run encompassed the great food, casual atmosphere, and passionate clientele that made this food scene so great.

In 1937, Russian immigrant Max Asnas opened the Stage Deli's doors, naming it for the nearby Broadway play venue. Interestingly, this was the same year that Carnegie Deli started up, and the two businesses would trade barbs over food quality for years, specifically about New York pastrami. One of the Stage Deli's later owners, Louis Auerbach, accused Carnegie of using New Jersey water to brine its pastrami, while Carnegie owner Milton Parker said that the Stage Deli bought theirs off a vendor rather than made it in-house.

Despite the rivalry, the Stage Deli rarely lacked business and regularly had lines out the door of its 135-person establishment. This remained the case for years until the 2010s, when business began to slow. Combined with rising rent prices and the loss of a year's revenue from local construction, its owners chose to shut down the restaurant in 2012.