For the next few weeks, the world’s best athletes will gather in Paris to show off their prowess in their respective sports. While Simone Biles is wowing in her floor routine and Sha’Carri Richardson is blazing around the track, you could be forging your own path to glory.
We’ve compiled some of the most Olympic-worthy food challenges regularly offered by eateries around metro Atlanta, where only the strongest will reign. So put on your favorite pair of pants with an elastic waist and see if you have the mettle to earn a (proverbial) medal. And make sure to give restaurants at least 24 hours notice so they can prepare for your challenge.
Credit: Courtesy of Chuy's
Credit: Courtesy of Chuy's
Chuy’s Big As Yo Face Burrito Challenge. Chuy’s Tex-Mex burritos are the star of this food challenge, which asks competitors to finish two giant burritos filled with rice, cheese and a choice of meat and toppings in one sitting. Finish both, and you’ll receive a card for a free entree for a future visit, or, if you’re feeling spicy, eat your third burrito right then and there. If you win, toast yourself with one of Chuy’s’ signature margaritas.
118 Perimeter Center West, Atlanta, 770-351-7777 and 585 Barrett Parkway, Kennesaw, 770-792-1345. chuys.com
Credit: Big Pie in the Sky Pizzeria's Facebook page
Credit: Big Pie in the Sky Pizzeria's Facebook page
Carnivore Challenge at Big Pie in the Sky. For more than a 15 years, customers have tried to achieve greatness with Big Pie in the Sky’s Carnivore Challenge. Think you’re up for it? Call ahead to schedule you and a friend to try an 11-pound version of the pizzeria’s 30-inch Carnivore pizza piled high with pepperoni, ground beef, Italian sausage, ham and bacon. To win, the competing pair must finish the pizza in under one hour without leaving the table or throwing up (any offenders must clean up their own mess). The challenge is $60 to try, and winners receive $120 in cash and the chance to be immortalized on the restaurant’s website. For those who want to train before tackling the challenge, Big Pie in the Sky offers a 30-inch version of the Carnivore ― without all the extra meat — on its regular menu.
2090 Baker Road, Kennesaw. 770-420-8883, bigpieinthesky.com/carnivore-challenge.
Credit: Courtesy of Hajime
Credit: Courtesy of Hajime
Spicy Ramen Challenge at Hajime and Umaido. Those strong of taste bud would be wise to head to Hajime or its sister restaurant, Umaido, where the Spicy Ramen Challenge awaits. The culinary test features an amped-up version of the restaurant’s tonkotsu ramen. The dish, which customers can normally order with a spice level ranging from 1-5, is prepared at a 100 level with a blend of 10 spices, according to general manager Elias Collado. Challenge participants, who are required to sign a waiver before throwing down the gauntlet, have seven minutes to finish the ramen without drinking water or tapping in a buddy to shoulder the burden.
2345 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta. 470-428-2388, hajime.us. 2790 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, Suwanee. 678-318-8568, umaido.net.
Credit: Courtesy of Local 7
Credit: Courtesy of Local 7
John Henry Challenge at Local 7. A customer order for the $50 John Henry burger is a cause for celebration at Local 7 in Tucker. A server announces the arrival of the burger as it makes its way out of the kitchen, and it’s paraded around the dining room. This over-the-top number includes seven burger patties, seven slices of cheese and seven pieces of bacon topped with a fried egg and served with a pound of fries or tater tots. Competitors have an hour to complete the challenge, and winners get the burger for free. Co-owner Luis Finley said the challenge — named as a nod to the folk hero and the restaurant’s proximity to train tracks — has about a 40% success rate since being introduced in 2011.
2316 Main St., Tucker. 770-674-1782, thelocal7.com
Pho King Challenge at So Ba Vietnamese Restaurant. Head to East Atlanta to see if you’re worthy of the Pho King (or Queen) crown. For $35 (or free for those who successfully complete the challenge), competitors will be served the equivalent of three large bowls of pho, totaling 96 ounces and 20 ounces of meat. Those who finish everything in one hour without getting up will get a gift card and a “I’m a Pho King Champion” shirt. But those who don’t rise to the occasion will receive (aside from the stinging taste of defeat), a T-shirt emblazoned with “I’m a Pho King Failure” across the front. If you don’t reach the proverbial finish line, don’t feel too bad — only one person has won the challenge over the years and he was a professional competitive food eater.
560 Gresham Ave. SE, Atlanta. 404-627-9911, soba-eav.com
Credit: Lucky's Burger & Brew Facebook page
Credit: Lucky's Burger & Brew Facebook page
Grim Reaper Burger Challenge at Lucky’s Burger & Brew. The cheekily named Grim Reaper Challenge at Lucky’s Roswell location might just be the death of you. The challenge features everything included on the restaurant’s Undertaker burger but is eight times the size: 4 pounds of meat, mayo, applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, several fried eggs and onion straws on a 1-pound bun custom baked by locally owned Engelman’s Bakery. Competitors who can eat the $60 burger in an hour will receive a $250 gift card, but owner Tom Lescher said that even those who come up short “still have leftovers for dinner for the rest of the week.” The fastest recorded successful eating time was logged by a professional competitive eater, who finished the Grim Reaper in — burp — 8 minutes and 47 seconds.
144 Alpharetta St., Roswell. 770-518-5695, luckysburgerandbrew.com
