The Meat James Brown Loved To Eat Wherever He Went

To the world, James Brown was the Godfather of Soul and a foundational figure in the history of popular music and culture . But to his inner circle, he was a big foodie with a penchant for steaks. Reverend Al Sharpton, who regarded Brown as a father figure, attested to this when asked about the meals they shared whenever they had the chance to meet. "James Brown was a steak man. Loved steaks," Sharpton told GQ.

The minister, activist, and radio and television host also disclosed that whenever he was in New York City, Brown's favorite spot to get his steak fix on was the Stage Delicatessen at 834 Seventh Avenue. He said that whenever Brown was in town, they would grab dinner at the restaurant, which closed its doors in 2012 after 75 years in business. Sharpton didn't name what the go-to steak order was for the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, but judging by a leaked image of the restaurant's menu, there was no shortage of options. Stage Deli served several different sirloin steak entrees, with the most expensive being the "stage" shell steak. 

A sirloin steak may seem like an odd choice to order at a delicatessen — it's notably absent on our list of things that always taste better at the deli — but it's also one of the most undeniably popular cuts of meat wherever steaks are sold. And no less of a culinary touchstone than Anthony Bourdain counted sirloin among his favorite steak cuts. If James Brown did indeed chose sirloin as his regular order at The Stage Delicatessen and elsewhere, he was in good company.

Everyone knows that steaks from restaurants taste so much better than ones made at home. This could explain why James Brown made sure he wasn't the only one enjoying a steak during visits to restaurants. Whenever he was dining out with friends like Reverend Al Sharpton, he made sure he would order steak for everyone. "Autocratic, I would say," Sharpton said via GQ before clarifying: "When I say he's autocratic, I mean he would order, and we all had to eat what he ate. ... If he ordered that, nobody else asked you, 'What are you having?' I went all over the world with him — steak, steak, steak."

Brown's daughter, Deanna Brown Thomas, confirmed this after attending the premiere of a documentary about the late music titan, titled "James Brown: Say It Loud," in February 2024. "If he was still here after the premiere, we would have had a private dinner and talk about 'Daddy' all night ... after he orders everybody's food. You eat what he eat [sic]," Thomas wrote on Instagram alongside a snap of her with her family on the red carpet at the premiere.

While some may view this practice as restrictive, Brown's family and friends didn't seem to mind it. And as Sharpton admitted to The Root, Brown also ordered other dishes aside from steak. "He loved Hungarian goulash in the Stage Deli, he liked hot dogs, and he loved the steaks," Sharpton quipped.