A NEW American diner is inviting guests to loosen their belts and take on a number of culinary challenges after opening in the North-East.

Huckleberry’s Diner has opened on Parkgate in Darlington and is daring those with a big appetite to get their teeth into the new menu.

The owners of Huckleberry’s, Jon and Sarah Rowlands opened their first restaurant in York in 2012, followed by a second in Leeds last year.

The original Flaxton restaurant is known for being Britain’s first Man v Food diner and its legendary food challenges have attracted the UK’s best challenge eaters and featured on television.

Huckleberry’s in Darlington is offering some of the original challenges plus a few new exclusive challenges specially designed to test the heartiest of North-East appetites.

Challenges not for the faint hearted include: ‘Satan’s Lava Inferno’ a chilli dish straight from the gates of hell with no drinking allowed and a ten-minute afterburn period.

‘No Clucking Chance’ is a mountainous plate of fries, eight sweet waffles and eight chicken breasts served with apple slaw, crispy bacon, corn on the cob, giant onion rings and a 40 minute deadline.

Adam Moran, the UK’s leading UK competitive eater attended the opening and tackled the exclusive ‘No Clucking Chance’ challenge which even he was not able to complete within the allotted timescale.

Huckleberry’s replaces the former Cricketers Arms pub and represents a £150,000 investment, creating 24 new jobs in the town.

Sarah Rowlands, co-founder and co-owner, said: “We’re thrilled to be opening up our third restaurant in four years and hope the people of Darlington and surrounding areas have the appetite to tackle the fantastic menu and authentic American experience we have in store for them.”