Zombie spider restaurant brings east London bug scene back to life

A new bug-themed restaurant called Aranea is to launch in Dalston today.

The east London eatery will serve an eight-course tasting menu with a hero dish featuring ‘zombie spiders’ – spiders marinaded in their own entomopathogenic fungi, garnished with black truffle.

Aranea’s menu, the brainchild of entrepreneur Cordy Zseps, will showcase other bugs such as protein-rich crickets, ants and worms, paired with locally-sourced plants and fungi.

Aranea will have a monochromatic interior design, created by ItsyBitsy Interiors, teamed with silk touches including napkins and tablecloths.

Diners in the eight-seat restaurant will sit on wispy spider’s leg stools set around an orb web-designed counter.  Drinks served alongside the eight-course menu will include Black Widow and Spider-Man cocktails.

Zseps was inspired to open the restaurant after hearing of a fungus that turns its host into zombies in east London. The fungus typically takes over spiders, changing their behaviour to promote the dispersal of spores over their own existence.

The phenomenon was the inspiration for hit TV show The Last of Us, where humans are turned into zombies by a fungus.

Once the fungus-infected spider had been carefully prepared using a method Zseps has mastered, she said it was safe for human consumption.

Zseps added: “When I found out that these ‘zombie spiders’ had moved into east London, I knew we had to launch straightaway so we can make the most of our local food sources. What people don’t realise is that the fungi enriches the spiders with a deep umami flavour that is almost irresistible.”

She believes Aranea’s concept points the way for future foods too, and added: “The way we eat now is not sustainable, so we will all have to move to more of an insect and fungi-based diet.

“We are the first to come fourth with such a revolutionary idea and I am confident that once people try these dishes, their enjoyment will be infectious.”

Should Aranea prove a success, Zseps hopes to open another site around this time next year.