Where to Eat the World’s Biggest Food

At the world’s most awarded restaurants, chefs insist on cooking up flavorful dishes that should probably come with a magnifying glass. But is smaller actually better?

Sure, it’s impressive how much flavor can be packed into a thimble-sized gelatinous mound with a teaspoon of puree and a sliver of deep-fried parsnip. But when you have to consume several of these just to feel vaguely satiated, does that really count as eating?

What ever happened to the days of dish-sized burgers that came with awards upon completion, milkshakes that required two hands to lift, and hot dogs measuring two feet?

Well, good news: Big food is still out there, and it’s daring you to eat it. Behold, our picks for the best giant grub around the world.

Black Burgers, Epsom, United Kingdom

The “Big Daddy Challenge” is not for the faint of heart. Blacks Burgers / Facebook

If you’re looking to cram an entire week’s worth of calories into a single sitting, head to the English town of Epsom. There, you’ll find Black Burgers, which recently made international headlines with its monstrous 15 pound burger packing nearly 18,000 calories.

Considered the biggest burger in Britain, it’s likely to be a match for even the most accomplished eater. The dish consists of seven pounds of minced beef, nine slices of cheese, nine rashers of bacon, an entire head of lettuce and three tomatoes, all packed between a twelve-inch bun. And because that’s surely not quite enough, it’s also accompanied by a mere one pound of fries. The pretty much impossible burger is available to order at the also not-so-little price of around $50 USD.

Also on the menu here: the aptly named “Big Daddy Challenge,” which dares diners to finish five stacked burger patties, coleslaw, chips, onion rings and a milkshake in 20 minutes.

Round Rock Donuts, Texas, United States

This Texas establishment applies the “bigger is better” ethos to its mega-donut, here shown dwarfing a normal-sized donut. Round Rock Donuts / Facebook

If eating 12 donuts, one at a time, sounds like too much of a chore, then why not eat the equivalent of 12 donuts in a single serving? That’s what you can do at Texas’s Round Rock Donuts, which somehow — or should that be for some reason — makes 14-inch-long donuts that you can buy and attempt to consume.

You’ll likely need some help picking this guy up, too — because that much donut tends to sag, and at two whole pounds, it’s not particularly light either. Each mega-donut comes glazed and frosted, and requires an advanced eating strategy.

If all that sounds a bit too much for your liking, Round Rock also serves a selection of regular-sized donuts. But really, where’s the fun in that?

O’Tacos, Lille, France

No other taco on the planet is quite like this. O’Tacos / Facebook

If you like to do things a little differently, and the snails and frog legs of fine French cuisine simply don’t cut it, then do away with the traditions and head for the Belgian border on a Thursday evening.

There, in the industrial city of Lille, you’ll find O’Tacos serving up a taco loaded with meat — including ground beef, chicken, sausage and even chicken nuggets — wrapped up in no fewer than six tortillas. Most brave eaters attempt to consume the dish within a two-hour time limit.

Should you be successful, you’ll earn a permanent spot on a wall…and likely leave with a better story to tell than all those friends who’ve droned on about their traditional French culinary experiences.

LAVO, Nevada, United States

There’s nothing short about this strawberry shortcake. LAVO / Facebook

There are worse sins in Las Vegas than finishing off the massive Skyscraper Strawberry Shortcake at LAVO — unless you’re sensitive to copious amounts of sugar.

This aptly named dish comes complete with massive slices of shortbread, ample whipped cream and pounds — yes, pounds — of strawberries. This is more than just a massive post-meal feast; it’s a veritable icon of sugary architecture, found right in the heart of The Strip.

Yasmine’s Steakhouse & Butcher Shop, Shanghai, China

Pounds of steak never tasted so good… Food Challenges

If you’re looking to truly outdo yourself while in China, head to Yasmine’s Steakhouse and Butcher Shop. There you’ll find an impossibly large 4.4-pound Porterhouse Steak. Nicknamed the “Devil’s Steak,” it’s served juicy, and comes accompanied with mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, a side salad and bread.

At approximately $145 USD, it’s hardly the budget option on the menu, but as an added bonus it does come with free soft drinks to help you wash it all down.

Claw BBQ, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The burger called The Beast is, well, beastly. What’s On

Ordering an item called The Beast in a city as familiar with excess as Dubai probably doesn’t need to come with a disclaimer. And unsurprisingly, this $80 USD behemoth of a burger is something to behold.

A sizable 5.2 pounds, it comes with lettuce, tomato, fried onions and pickles. If that all sounds like an appetizer to you, fear not: It arrives on a dish surrounded by a sea of chili cheese fries.

If immortal burger-eating fame is what you’re after, you’ll get your name slapped up on the wall of the establishment.

Big Mama’s and Papa’s, California, United States

You won’t find a larger deliverable pizza than this. Big Mama’s and Papa’s Pizza

Living up to its name, Big Mama’s and Papa’s serves what is reportedly the world’s largest deliverable pizza, measuring an astonishing 4.5 by 4.5 feet. The massive pie is cut up into 200 slices, and costs a cool $250. Probably impossible to eat on your own, it’s designed to feed up to 70 people.

The massive pizza can be ordered from one of 19 locations in the L.A. area.

Blondies Kitchen, London, United Kingdom

Why eat a cookie when you can eat a cookie pizza? Blondies Kitchen / Facebook

If you’re of the belief that you can never have too many cookies, or that at the very least they should come the size of a pizza, then next time you’re in the British capital you should skip all the obvious attractions and head straight to Blondies Kitchen.

Alongside a boring selection of acceptably sized cookies and ice cream, the restaurant serves the Cookie Pizza — a sweet indulgence consisting of a vanilla dough base 12 inches in diameter, cut up into eight slices. Each piece has alternate Nutella and peanut butter toppings, though you can request just a single flavor.

If all that’s not totally unique enough for you, or you wish to give this as a gift to your sweet-toothed friend, then you can also customize the creation with your own message. Given the amount of sugar in these babies, maybe skip the niceties on your custom cookie and include a health disclaimer instead.

Bard’s Burgers & Chili, Kentucky, United States

Can you guess how many burger patties are in this behemoth? Food Challenges

Carnivores in Kentucky have for a while now salivated over the vast meat options available at Bard’s Burgers & Chili. As the name suggests, the popular establishment makes both burgers and chili, along with other local delicacies that might tempt you to stray from the real purpose of your visit — something considerably larger, which happens to combine both burgers and chili. It’s called the Cincinnasty, and when it arrives you’ll wonder what you were thinking when ordering this towering feast.

The Cincinnasty includes six beef patties smothered in cheese, bacon, a Cincinnati breakfast meat called goetta, onion rings and signature chili. There’s simply no way you’re getting your jaw around this five-pound monster burger, so once you’ve marveled at the skewered stack before you, you’ll likely have to break it down and eat it somewhat civilly.

Alternatively, go for the Bardzilla Challenge, featuring 11 one-third patties smothered with cheese, lettuce and pickles, and served with one pound of homemade fries and a 16 oz. milkshake.

Hahndorf Inn, Australia

Surprisingly, one of the biggest German hot dogs around can be found at an Australian restaurant. Hahndorf Inn

It might seem strange to travel all the way to Australia to eat one of the world’s largest German hot dogs, but if that’s what you’re into, then schedule a visit to the Hahndorf Inn. There you’ll find Australia’s largest dog, consisting of a yard-long bratwurst sausage topped with sauerkraut, served in a crusty baguette and paired with a plate of fries.

True competitive eaters should wash the snack down with a one-liter stein of German beer; for your trouble, the restaurant will award you with a shirt that attests to your remarkable eating and drinking prowess.

The hot dog costs a mere $30 USD and the beer $11. And if you want to take the whole thing somewhat seriously, forget about taking your time — the current record is a staggering 11 minutes 55 seconds, set by James “Jim Bob” Rose.

El Palacio, Arizona, United States

If five pounds of burrito isn’t enough for you, we really don’t know what to say. TripAdvisor

In need of a burrito to last you an entire week’s worth of trekking through the Sonoran Desert? Then make a quick stop at El Palacio, where you can pick up a sizable burrito that would quite easily feed a family…or two. The 28-inch El Bandito Burrito weighs in at five pounds, and comes served in a dish almost the length of the table.

Although in hindsight it might not be the best meal to order as a takeout, it’s still worth seeking out if you’re up for a real Mexican challenge. The El Bandito Burrito is not for the faint of heart, though. The giant dish comes packed full of chicken, pork, steak, vegetables, rice, beans and enchilada sauce, topped with cheese. And, of course, it’s accompanied by a healthy helping of guacamole.

The Mecklenburg Gardens, Ohio, United States

Will the Terminator Challenge have you saying “I’ll be back”? There’s only one way to find out. Facebook

If there were a beer hall in Ohio that didn’t need to rely on giant-food gimmicks to get crowds through its doors, it would be Mecklenburg Gardens. It’s been in business for more than 150 years and has picked up a slew of accolades in the process.

But in spite of this, the German beer hall decided it, too, would enter the large-hot-dog stakes with the introduction of the Uber Terminator Challenge…so named because it might just kill you. The challenge requires that you eat a two-pound, 30-inch mettwurst, half a pound of sauerkraut, a mound of green peppers and onions, and a respectable one pound bun.

If you’re competitive, you have an hour to consume the $50 USD meal, which will earn you a t-shirt, a spot on the wall of fame, and, for some bizarre reason, a free meal — presumably to be claimed at another time.