Cafe La Fortuna: the last restaurant John Lennon ever ate in
Famous musicians get hoisted to such stratospheric, god-like levels that their traditional accounts often miss the humanity that always connected them to the rest of the world. Although he was undoubtedly a more complicated and jarring character than every other artist of his time, the late Beatles leader John Lennon is somewhat one-dimensionally canonised worldwide as the patron saint of popular music and the man who made rock music explode.
While Lennon achieved the sonic equivalent of turning water into wine during the 1960s and became a symbol of peace with exploits and legendary dedication that transcended music, the man himself is often overshadowed by the bright lights of his success. Yet, like everyone else, he cherished his creature comforts. Yes, this included infamous drink and drug binges, as evidenced by his 18-month escapade in Los Angeles, famously dubbed ‘The Lost Weekend’. However, Lennon also found joy in simpler, less mind-altering pastimes.
One such pleasure was savouring the offerings of hospitality establishments worldwide—often more quietly and humanely than his headline-making antics might suggest. Lennon enjoyed a wide range of venues, from sipping solo pints in reflective solitude at The Philharmonic Dining Rooms in his native Liverpool to indulging in hearty burgers paired with cold beers at Smith’s Bar on Eighth Avenue in New York City, his adopted home in later years.
There was another place that Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, frequented in the late 1970s. This was an environment that brought out a less fraught, more humble side in him, as he liked to wind down there as a family man. It was also the final place he ate in before the psychotic Mark David Chapman murdered him on the night of December 8th, 1980. They had breakfast at Cafe La Fortuna that morning.
The café opened on New York’s Upper West Side in 1976 with a rocky start, selling just a single espresso for 85 cents on its first day. Despite the slow beginning, owners Alice and Vincent Urwand persevered, and word of mouth began to spread. Before long, customers started to trickle in, among them the neighbourhood’s most iconic pair: John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Residing just a block away in the luxurious Dakota, their presence highlighted the contrast between their opulent home and the warm, bustling charm of this humble local spot beloved by the area’s ordinary residents.
Cafe La Fortuna was famed for its sandwiches and Italian desserts, and it became John and Yoko’s favourite haunt. “They used to come in a few times a week, him more than her,” Richard Urwand, son of the café’s late owners, told Grub Street. “He would sit at the same table in the back garden, write, and draw on napkins. Sometimes he’d order a sfogliatella or cannoli.”
Lennon loved the place so much that the cover of ‘Nobody Told Me’, the posthumous 1984 single, features a photo of him and Yoko at Cafe La Fortuna. Both are smoking cigarettes and sitting at a table with food.
It wasn’t just the food and drink that the pair loved at Cafe La Fortuna, though. There, they could escape the absurd nature of A-list fame and enjoy a break as normal human beings. The patrons and staff wouldn’t bother them, and they could continue as they pleased, enjoying a much-needed respite from their world. This didn’t mean they were aloof, though: “I remember one time John said he was thinking about going to Florida, but he didn’t like it down there because of the mosquitoes. Another time, he and Yoko brought Sean, who was only a couple years old. They had to run out to do something quick, so they put Sean in my lap and said, ‘Hang on to him for a bit. We’ll be right back.’”
John and Yoko became friends with Alice and Vincent, which Richard thinks is ironic given his father was a big opera fan, and he thought The Beatles were “the devil’s music” when they broke out. Unfortunately, Cafe La Fortuna closed in 2008 after a new landlord raised the rent. That year, Alice passed away, and so did Vincent in 2014. The locals still remember it, though. I’m sure Yoko and Sean do too.
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