The 2,850-Calorie Burger You Once Could Get At UNO Pizzeria

UNO Pizzeria & Grill in Chicago is best known for its deep-dish pizza. The UNO website attributes part of the pizza's success to its "out-of-this-world" crust and says it benefited greatly from a delicious recipe that had signature Italian spices, juicy tomatoes, and plenty of cheese. The restaurant claims that its fans were drawn to it and simply couldn't have enough of the pizza. It remains popular to this day.

However, UNO Pizzeria & Grill is a truly versatile eatery that offers several options for those who want to explore something beyond pizza. Some of the choices include pasta, burgers, sandwiches, steak, seafood, soup, salad, and more. If you're looking to eat healthy at the restaurant, Spoon University recommends opting for a dish like Chicago Thin Crust pizza, the Chicken Pesto sandwich, and the Blueberry, Goat Cheese and Glazed Walnut salad.

If you're wondering about some of the most extreme items on the menu, you'd probably be intrigued to learn that the brand once had a burger with a whopping 2,850 calories (seriously). Here is the lowdown on this high-calorie offering.

UNO Pizzeria & Grill once served something called the Whole Hog Burger that was as bad for you as it sounds. It was introduced to the public in 2016 and had a mishmash of meat, such as bacon, pepperoni, sausage, and prosciutto. The meat alone weighed over a pound. There was also cheese, onion rings, garlic mayonnaise, and a bunch of other ingredients that basically made the burger pretty unhealthy. Eat This, Not That! described the Whole Hog Burger as "toxic."

It was even listed in an "Xtreme Eating 2016" list by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) which said in a statement, "You might as well eat four McDonald's Quarter Pounders with Cheese and two medium fries doused with 18 packets of salt" (via Food & Wine). UNO's previous Chief Marketing Officer Skip Weldon quickly rose to the brand's defense when the burger started getting a lot of attention. "We created the Whole Hog Burger to be an over-the-top eating experience that would capture the attention of our customers, taste great and be a fun challenge to conquer," Weldon stated (via PMQ). 

Thankfully, it was removed from the menu. It's really for the best. You don't need to feast on a dish that contains more calories than you're supposed to eat in a day, right?