The Best Food Challenges in London

Meat Liquor, the gloriously sloppy burger restaurant, is as famous for its queues as it is for its food. But not everyone going through the door is seeking a classic burger and fries combo. The restaurant’s Triple Chilli Challenge is one of the most popular food challenges in London. The Man vs Food rules:

The Meal: A chilli burger, a chilli dog, and chilli fries.

The Rules: Finish the entire meal in under 10 minutes.

The Prize: Earn your meal for free and bragging rights by finishing within the time limit.

Habiba’s Smokehouse Burger Challenge is a towering burger eating challenge with a reputation for stopping even the most confident contenders in their tracks. You’ll have 60 minutes to finish the lot, which sounds generous until the bun arrives.

This is one of London’s tougher food challenges, built for big appetites. The Man vs. Food rules:

The Meal: An enormous 1.5 kg beef patty, 300g pastrami, 120g lamb rashers, eggs, cheese, and chips inside a custom-baked bun.

The Rules: Finish everything in under 60 minutes.

The Prize: If you succeed, the meal is free and your photo goes on the Wall of Fame. Fail, and it costs £75.

Red Dog Saloon’s Ghost Wings Challenge is all about heat, not volume. Six wings, ten minutes, no drinks, and a ghost pepper sauce that does not believe in mercy.

The real test comes after the last wing. Once you’ve finished, you’ll need to sit through five minutes of burn time without reaching for relief. A small mountain of food this is not. A small personal crisis in sauce form? Quite possibly. The Man vs Food rules:

The Meal: Six chicken wings coated in a scorching ghost pepper sauce.

The Rules: Eat all six wings within ten minutes, with no drinks allowed, then endure a further 5-minute 'burn time' without relief. 

The Prize: Winners earn a Silver Coin, a Polaroid photo on the Wall of Fame, and a spot on the leaderboard. Top times can unlock a Gold Coin or even the ultra-rare Black Card.

Not every food challenge in London comes stacked with burgers, wings, and all-American bravado. At Flo’s Pie and Mash, the challenge takes a more traditional turn: five pies, mash, and liquor sauce, served with a very British lack of nonsense. The challenge is always on at Flo’s, and can be taken on at any time when visiting. The Man vs Food rules:

The Meal: five traditional pies with mashed potatoes and liquor sauce.

The Rules: Finish the whole meal in under 20 minutes.

The Prize: Winners earn an exclusive Flo’s t-shirt, and lifetime bragging rights.

Thought vindaloo was hot? You’ll be entering a new world of pain if you embark on Bengal Village’s London’s hottest curry challenge. Traditionally made from several different chillies, their hottest curry feels like consuming pure fire – Bengal Village touts it as “the hottest curry in the world,” and makes theirs with the notorious ghost chilli, plus over 70 different chillis from around the world. The dish has notoriously only been completed by one man, so beware, this isn’t for the faint-hearted. The Man vs Food rules:

The Meal: Known as London's hottest curry, the curry consists of 72 varieties of chilli from around the world. 

The Rules: Finish the meal in 15 minutes.

The Prize: Finish the meal in time, and you'll get your table's meal free of charge.

Polo Bar’s pancake challenge is a sweet one, but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of syrupy security. You’ll have 15 minutes to finish 12 fluffy pancakes, with your choice of seasonal berries, cookies and cream, or banoffee and Biscoff.

Beat the clock and the meal is free, with a bottle of prosecco to celebrate and a chance to land your name in the Hall of Fame. A gentle brunch, this is not. The Man vs Food rules:

The Meal: 12 Fluffy pancakes with your choice of topping.

The Rules: Finish the 12 pancakes in under 15 minutes. 

The Prize: Winners can have their meal for free once the challenge has been beaten. Plus you'll get a bottle of their prosecco to wash it down, and a chance of making it into the hall of fame.

Got a sweet tooth with something to prove? Jack and Beyond’s bottomless cake challenge in Battersea gives you 90 minutes to work your way through as many slices as you can manage.

You’ll choose from seven cake flavours on the menu, with the chance to taste before you commit. Then it’s over to you: one slice at a time, or a full sharing plate if you’re feeling bold. Beat the current record of 27 slices and you’ll earn your place on the Wall of Cake Fame. The Man vs Food rules:

The Meal: Unlimited cake slices from a choice of seven flavours.

The Rules: Eat as many slices as you can within 90 minutes.

The Prize: Beat the current record of 27 slices to win 20% off shop purchases, plus your name on the Wall of Cake Fame and a mention on social media.

Polo Bar’s burger steak stack challenge is a proper fork-down, sleeves-up situation. Five burger patties made from 100% British Red Tractor steak, stacked with caramelised red onions, cheese, and BBQ mayo, then packed between fresh sesame brioche buns. 

Then come the chips and onion rings. Naturally. Finish the lot to complete the challenge. The Man vs Food rules:

The Meal: 5 homemade steak burgers stacks, served with a bed of chips and onion rings for good measure.

The Rules: Complete your meal in under 15 minutes to win the prize. 

The Prize: Winners get their meal for free once the challenge has been beaten. They’ll even give you a bottle of their finest prosecco to wash it down, and a chance of making it onto their hall of fame.

For a food challenge built for proper pizza devotee, head to Dough Daddy in Streatham Hill, South London. Their 24-inch pizza challenge is a serious slice of theatre, with one enormous pizza customised with your choice of toppings.

You can keep it classic with one topping, or go half and half if your appetite is impressive but your decision-making is not. Finish the whole thing within 30 minutes and you’ll get the pizza for free, plus a photo on the Hall of Fame. The Man vs. Food rules:

The meal: Five homemade steak burgers with cheese, BBQ mayo, and homemade caramelised onions, sandwiched between fresh sesame brioche buns. Served with chips and onion rings.

The rules: Finish everything in under 15 minutes.

The prize: Finish the challenge and the meal is free. Winners also receive a bottle of prosecco and a chance to make it onto the Hall of Fame.