Are you scared of spiders? Perhaps you’ll fare better with scorpions. The staff at the recently opened Lupe Taqueria in Atlanta is more than willing to help you find out. Lupe’s center attraction is the Scorpion Table, a 14-seat behemoth with great views of the bar, kitchen and dining room.
Photo Credit: Alex Martinez
“Lupe is a late-night spot that attracts large groups, open until 1 or 2 a.m. almost every night of the week,” says chef and owner Riccardo Ullio.
Among the bar’s 50 brands of tequilas and mezcals, Ullio stocks Scorpion Mezcal, and any group that reserves the Scorpion table is invited to take a special challenge: a bottle of Scorpion Mezcal is on the house, provided one guest eats the scorpion resting at the bottom of the bottle.
“Ultimately, it’s about bragging rights for the adventurous guest who consumes the scorpion,” Ullio explains. “You get the whole restaurant clapping and cheering you on — and you are entitled to brag about it for a while. I think it has the right level of excitement — people want to talk about it and take pictures — giving us valuable word-of-mouth marketing. I believe that everyone’s looking for an adventure that’s wallet-friendly these days, so we show people a good time and see them returning to Lupe.”