Leeds is full of Man vs. Food challenges, from the tough to the terrifying. Which one will you try first?
There’s a generous plate of food and then there’s… this. Wear your loosest clothes, leave your belt at home and arrive hungry, because the best eating challenges in Leeds take no prisoners. Of course, it’s all totally worth it – how else are you going to work out which of your mates has the appetite of a mouse, and who is a true greedy guts? Time to tuck in…
The Greasy Pig’s Paralyser Full English
What better time to take on one of the most daunting food challenges in Leeds than at breakfast? The whole menu at this Hyde Park cafe is tempting and generous, but the Paralyser is something else entirely.
On the kind of oversized plate you’d only find on the BFG’s dinner table, you’ll discover that good things come in fours. That’s four sausages, four eggs, four bacon rashers, four hash browns and you guessed it – four slices of toast. If that sounds like a breeze, you haven’t taken into account the mushrooms, black pudding, beans and tomatoes. See this off in less than 13 minutes and it’s on the house.
Greasy Pig, 74 Victoria Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 1DL.
Hot Ones Wing Challenge
The Chilli Shop is the home of all things spicy in Leeds and they take their love of heat to venues across Leeds for the Hot Ones Wing Challenge. In the past, it’s been held at Mojo, The Brotherhood of Pursuits & Pastimes, and Rebound Social.
Wherever it takes place, you’re in for a hell of a wing-based feast. For £30, you’ll get either chicken or vegan wings doused in 10 different hot sauces that get progressively hotter. To make it worse, you’ll get interviewed between each one, if your mouth will let you! This is a tough one, but conquer it and you’ll be a legend among your friends.
The Chilli Shop, 70 Merrion Street, Merrion Centre, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 8LW
Akbar’s Chefs Challenges
This is not a curry in a hurry. There are two food tasks to take on at Akbar’s, with one being achievable, the other hellish. The ‘Big Un’ isn’t too tough – you’ll get a large meat feast balti, pilau rice and one of their trademark gigantic naan breads. Scoff it and you’ll get a dessert that you probably don’t have room for, and a certificate of achievement.
The second challenge is a doozy. ‘For the Brave – Phall’ is fiery, fearsome food that’s not for the faint-hearted. This is the hottest dish to come out of their kitchen, so bring along that one mate who reckons they can handle the hot stuff and put them to the test.
Akbar’s, 15 Eastgate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 7LY.
Popina’s Mega Monster Breakfast
If you’re nursing a hangover or just need the perfect start to a day, Popina’s is the place to go. It’s a student staple in Hyde Park, but it’s also worth a pilgrimage for yet another feisty Leeds food challenge.
If the large, extra large and mega breakfasts aren’t enough for your appetite, go up against the Mega Monster Breakfast. Croissant-munchers beware – this is a slab of multiple eggs, bacon, sausages, black pudding, beans, tomatoes, fried bread, hash browns and mushrooms. Eat it, and you get it for free, as well as seeing your name on the champions wall.
Popina’s, 31 Brudenell Road, Hyde Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 1HA.
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