At Staten Island’s Gringo’s Tacos restaurant, diners can take part in the Reaper Taco Challenge.
The tacos are made with Carolina Reaper powder—which is the hottest pepper in the world—and is hot enough that the restaurant makes you sign a waiver before beginning the challenge. On average, the Carolina Reaper has a Scoville heat of 1,569,300…jalapeños are only about 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Unit (SHU).
According to their instagram, the Reaper Tacos are made with: “Reaper pepper dusted tortilla, 6 spicy pepper jelly, super hot fried chicken, ghost pepper hot sauce, Gringos X-Rated hot sauce, 357 Magnum hot sauce, diced habanero, diced jalapeño & flaming hot Cheetos dust.”
Gringo Taco’s reaper challenge comes with two tacos served in a coffin, and must be completed within 5 minutes. That may seem like a short amount of time, but as someone who’s tasted the Carolina Reaper, you want to finish it as fast as possible because once that heat kicks in you’re done. Once the tacos are finished you can wash down the heat wit a large glass of horchata.
They’re not the first restaurant in NYC to require diners to sign a waiver before eating. Brick Lane Curry House has their own spicy dish challenge (which also incorporates Carolina Reapers into their sauce) and requires their chef to wear a gas mask while cooking it!
Place: Gringo’s Tacos
Where: 8 Navy Pier Ct (Staten Island); 12 Coles Street (Jersey City)
Operating Hours: Staten Island location- closed on Monday, Tuesday-Thursday 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.;
Jersey City location – Monday, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m. – 12 a.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.