THE REPTILE CANTINA; AN OASIS FOR ARTISTIC CULTURE IN DOWNTOWN MORGANTON
The Reptile Cantina is a locally owned restaurant and venue right in the middle of downtown Morganton in the former Wisteria Southern Gastropub building. The gorgeous stone structure sits right across the street from the historic Burke County Courthouse and stands out not only because of the unique design, but also the artistically-saturated vibe on the inside.
Front of the building; Entrance to the upstairs venue.
KNEW I HAD TO BITE YOU, BABY, WHEN I FIRST LAID EYES ON YOU
Reptile Cantina is owned by Cutty Bage; a long-standing tattoo artist and owner of Hellbound Heart Tattoo, and her husband Isaiah Stronach; a musician and dedicated wellspring for the local punk scene. Together, they found the perfect location to put down their roots; not only to grow something of their own, but to cultivate a place where the people around them could grow, too. For Cutty and Isaiah, the space came with personal history already woven into the walls.
Cutty: “We are good friends with the person that used to own Wisteria here, so we were very familiar with the building. Love the building. One of our first dates, his band played a show at Wisteria so we’re very, like, emotionally attached to this building as-is.”
Cutty and Isaiah behind the upstairs bar.
Back of the building; Entrance to the downstairs restaurant.
Partly named after the song “Love Me Like A Reptile” by Motörhead, The Reptile Cantina has been in business now for about two and a half years (as of the writing of this article), serving up a veritable menu of Tex-Mex favorites and creative cocktails. When it first opened, Cutty was running her tattoo studio in the upstairs of this building.
Cutty: “This is our first restaurant. The process of starting a restaurant is…very involved. It was gonna take us quite a while to get this open so, while we were working on all the construction and permits and kitchen equipment and all this stuff, I just kind of moved my shop upstairs to help pay the bills until the building started generating money.”
As of January 2026, she’s moved her studio out and the space has been turned into a small venue. Her studio is now right up the street from the Cantina.
The inside is carefully curated with vintage signs, homemade art, sci-fi and horror memorabilia, and old punk and metal posters with a confident personality of bold colors mixed with natural materials. I asked which of them was the brainchild for the decor.
Isaiah: “It’s definitely a collaboration. It’s a collection that we’ve both kind of pitched in on. Between her artwork and just like…junk that I’ve been dragging around for 20+ years.”
Cutty: “It’s pretty much all the decor from our house, like our house is just white walls now :laughs:. All of our cool stuff is up here.”
ONLY WAY TO FEEL THE NOISE IS WHEN IT’S GOOD AND LOUD
The first show held in the upstairs venue at The Reptile Cantina was in July with The Bleach Boys and Them Teasters (one of Isaiah’s bands). Prior to the indoor venue opening, there were a couple shows they hosted outside the restaurant featuring The Karloffs (Isaiah’s second band, Boone), Busy Weather (Asheville), and Paint Fumes (Charlotte).
Cutty: “Yeah we just put the bands up on the hill [right outside the restaurant entrance] and everybody was just outside.”
Me: “Oh cool, do those have to end at a certain time or anything?
Cutty: “We didn’t ask anyone for permission sooo :laughs: We were just like ‘If they shut us down, they shut us down, what’re you gonna do?”
The upstairs venue is a long, rectangular room with a small stage against one end, framed by a massive window looking right at the courthouse. At the opposite end sits the building’s original bar, giving the space a little extra character and history. Unlike the beverage selection downstairs, the upstairs bar keeps things a bit simpler; a handful of taps, canned beers, and a short list of quick cocktails. It’s a great setup for a rock show, making it easy to grab a drink without missing the set or getting slowed down by a complicated order.
Upstairs at The Reptile Cantina.
Running along one of the room’s longest walls is a gorgeous mural painted by Cutty herself, tying the upstairs space into the restaurant’s bold visual style and giving the room a ton of personality. What really elevates the venue, though, is the sound. A solid array of speakers and sound equipment, along with an experienced sound engineer, gives the room a level of polish that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from an intimate upstairs space. This makes the venue feel less like an add-on and more intentional in it’s function.
BIG LIZARD IN MY BACKYARD
In the midst of a weak economy, Cutty and Isaiah are focused on supporting the community and hope that the community supports them in return. Running a restaurant and a venue in a time where not many people have expendable income to go out to eat or pay covers to see bands can certainly be tough. Fortunately, they’ve created a welcoming space with retro-priced cover fees and excellent local bands. The way it should be.
Cutty: “I think like, being part of the Morganton community, we are trying to give back to Morganton because we live here, like, we want this place to become cooler. I tattoo a lot of people from out of town; almost all of my clients are from out of town and they’re always like ‘I’ve never been to Morganton, this place is so cute!’ So I tell them to come check out our restaurant and they’re like ‘oh this place is sick like why is nobody ever talking about Morganton?’ So were just doing what we can to help create something here.”
We live in a world full of gouged ticket prices, fake art, computer-generated music, and venues where you feel like a breathing wallet instead of a guest. This makes The Reptile Cantina such a long-needed breath of fresh air and a vibrant jewel in downtown Morganton.
Small Doses performing at the Reptile Cantina.
Follow The Reptile Cantina on Instagram: @reptilecantina
View their menu and upcoming events on their website here: https://thereptilecantina.com
