Food challenges should be a staple of any student’s bucket list of things to do while at uni. There’s no better time your body can handle a load of carbs or sugar being forced down in order to win a prize – even if it’s just respect from your peers.
And for students in London, there are lots of food challenges in the city to choose from. While we haven’t personally gone round trying them all ourselves (although there are definitely people doing that), we’ve read the reviews and looked at the prizes to find the ten best food challenges in London. Are you up to the challenge?
London’s the perfect place to try out some of the most difficult and unique food experiences. Whether it’s giant ribs or bizarre combos, check out all of these impossible food challenges in London and see if you’d be up to the mark.
Why attempt one of the eating challenges?
Attempting an eating challenge isn’t just about stuffing your face (although that is a major part of it), but it’s also about the challenge, discipline and bragging rights. And don’t forget the prize!
It’s not for the faint-hearted—this is where the true competitors shine. The adrenaline rush, inevitable sweats and the sense of victory you get from conquering such a daunting feat is unparalleled. Plus, it’s a blast! Whether you’re in it for the laughs, the bragging rights, or just to say you did it, food challenges bring people together in the most outrageous way possible.
Let’s check out the top ten slightly scary, yet fun food challenges London has to offer.
The 9 best food challenges in London
Are you ready to give your stomach a serious challenge? Then head to one of these London restaurants with food challenges inviting you to take your belly to the limits!
1. Camden BBQ’s Man versus Ribs
Is 2,000 calories a day not enough for you? You’re in luck, because this food challenge requires you to eat 5,000 calories worth of food! Man versus Ribs at Camden BBQ challenges you to eat two racks of ribs and fries topped with pulled pork, mac and cheese, cheese sauce, Sriracha, barbecue sauce, jalapenos and yet more cheese. Definitely not the challenge for lactose intolerant people.
If you can eat the whole thing in less than thirty minutes, the meal’s free. Also, did I mention the Sidemen themselves have taken this one on?
Address: 18A Chalk Farm Rd, Camden Town, London, England, UK NW18AG
Price to enter: £25
2. Bengal Village’s curry and poppadom challenges
Think you love spice? Bengal Village’s curry challenge might make you think again! Located in Brick Lane, one of London’s most famous streets, this Indian restaurant claims to have London’s hottest curry – so much so that their menu has a disclaimer stating that they have no responsibility for any after effects of eating the curry!
The restaurant also has a poppadom challenge, where you can receive your entire table’s meal for free if you can eat three poppadoms in 60 seconds. Personally, I kind of fancy my chances at this one.
Address: 75 Bricklane, Spitalfields, London E1 6QL
Price: £21.95 (curry challenge) or £4.00 (poppadoms challenge)
3. Fat Boy Cafe’s Blowout Breakfast Challenge
If you love a full English, this aptly named Breakfast Blowout Challenge might be the one for you if you’re ever in Croydon! This challenge consists of what’s claimed to be London’s biggest breakfast – two eggs, six rashers of bacon, two sausages, toast, mushrooms, beans or tomatoes, and over a kilo of chips.
You have one hour to eat the entire thing – but at least the mushrooms and tomatoes can help you pretend there’s something healthy in there. If you win, you receive bragging rights and get the meal for free – and since it costs just £19.99, that’s not a bad deal regardless.
Address: 306 Thorton Rd, Croydon, England, CR0 3EU
Price: £19.99
4. Jack and Beyond’s Bottomless Cake
If you’ve got more of a sweet tooth, don’t worry – there’s still a food challenge out there for you! At Jack and Beyond, a bakery in Battersea, you can attend a bottomless cake event. For £25.00 per person, you have an hour and a half to eat as much cake as you can stomach. It’s no plain old vanilla cake either – the menu offers everything from red velvet cake to a baked lemon and blueberry cheesecake.
Everyone attending one of these events receives a 20% discount on all products from the bakery, redeemable on the day of your visit – if you can handle any more cake, that is!
The current record is 27 slices. Think you can beat it?
Address: 146 Battersea High Street, London, SW11 3JR
Price: £25.00
5. Caffe Isabella’s 10/10 Challenge
Do you love a classic, comforting pie and mash? If so, this challenge might be the one for you. Caffe Isabella challenges you to gobble 10 pies and 10 servings of mash – with your choice of gravy, naturally – in thirty minutes. The challenge costs £25, but if you win you get your money back, plus £10 extra and a free t-shirt! This cafe is in Biggin Hill, meaning it’s a bit of a trek if you live in central London, but £25 for that much food is a bargain even if the challenge defeats you!
Address: 171 Main Road, Biggin Hill, Westerham TN16 3DS
Price: £25.00
6. Passyunk Avenue’s Wing Roulette
Can you handle spice? The best way to find out is by trying Passyunk Avenue’s Wing Roulette challenge. In this challenge, one extra spicy wing – called their INSANITY flavour – is hidden inside an order of regular buffalo wings. This one is best played with a friend to up the suspense.
The prize? Getting to laugh at whoever was unlucky enough to be hit with an extra spicy wing! With restaurants open all across London, from Fitzrovia to Battersea, this one’s perfect for anyone in London who wants the ultimate test of their spice tolerance.
Address: multiple locations
Price: an extra £2.50 on top of any order of wings
7. Polo Bar’s Pancake Tower Challenge
If you’re a breakfast fiend, take on the Pancake Challenge over at Polo Bar. This challenges you to eat a stack of twelve super fluffy pancakes topped with berries, cookies and cream and your choice of banoffee or biscoff. While it costs £40, if you finish the mammoth stack in fifteen minutes or less, the meal’s free and you get a bottle of Prosecco thrown in too.
The restaurant also has a couple of other food challenges, such as their Burger Stack challenge which requires you to munch five steak burgers. They also offer 24 hour bottomless brunches – just in case the Pancake Challenge doesn’t satisfy your breakfast cravings!
Address: 176 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4NQ
Price: £40
8. Man versus Food
If you’re brave enough to take on multiple challenges, Man versus Food in Isleworth is the place for you! They’ve got seven food challenges here, such as the Fire in the Hole and Blanco Diablo challenges, where you are tasked with eating food so spicy you have to sign a waiver beforehand and nobody under eighteen can compete!
You could also try their Belly Buster Challenge, which requires you to eat a 3.5 kilo beef or chicken burger complete with salad, cheese and mayonnaise. This one’s so big the restaurant warns it can take up to an hour to prepare. Or if you fancy something sweet, you can give their Banana Split Belly Splitter a go, which requires you to eat three pounds of vanilla ice cream, two bananas, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, nuts, sprinkles and cherries in 30 minutes – using just a teaspoon!
If you complete any challenge, you get a Man versus Food t-shirt and your picture on their wall of fame. Many challenges also have a cash prize – up to £350 if you can complete the Belly Buster!
Address: 42 Syon Lane, Isleworth, TW7 5NQ
Price: £80 (Belly Buster Challenge)
9. Red Dog Saloon’s Burger Eating Contest
Did you ever think you could get money for eating burgers? At the Red Dog Saloon, you’re certainly in with a chance! You’ve got ten minutes to eat as many burgers as you possibly can. The challenge costs £50 and you start off with three burgers and a Red Dog baseball cap. If you can eat five burgers, you get 20% off at the restaurant for life. If you can eat ten burgers, you win £1,000! Finally, if you can beat the current record of twelve burgers (as of June 2025), you win £5,000 cash. Think you can do it? Red Dog has restaurants all over London and in other parts of the UK if you’re willing to take it on!
Address: multiple locations
Price: £50
So that’s our roundup of the best food challenges in London. They should come with a warning. You may have a belly screaming for lots of delicious grub – but these are often more than one can handle! If you do manage, we salute you! Wholeheartedly and wholebellyedly!
If this list of London-based food challenges doesn’t satisfy you, check out our list for food challenges across the UK.
Alternatively, why not try a normal-sized dinner at one of London’s best restaurants offering student discounts.
Last Updated on July 11, 2025
Published on March 4, 2023
