Hell Pizza, Burger Fuel putting new lamb items up against each other in 'Eat Fighter' battle

New Zealand food chains Hell Pizza and Burger Fuel are putting their respective new Oamaru lamb menu items in a head-to-head battle to see which becomes Aotearoa's favourite.

The two brands have been engaging in a friendly war of words on social media, complete with elaborate acts of faux-vandalism.

Burger Fuel spray-painted graffiti onto Hell's 1968 Cadillac Hearse, before the pizza outlet responded by completely covering the storefront of Wellington's Cuba St Burger Fuel in Hell posters.

"How to eat Hell Pizza: open trash can, place it inside, close trash can," Burger Fuel's official Facebook account commented on one of the posts.

"Take out of trash can and still taste better than your Thunderbird," replied Hell Pizza.

The Burger Fuel account also accused Hell of "false advertising", asking them to post "pics of your actual pizzas on the menu, so we can see what we're really in for".

The battle of the lamb items is being billed as 'Eat Fighter' in a joint promotion by the two brands, stylised similarly to classic arcade game Street Fighter.

Kiwis are being asked to decide their favourite out of:

  • Hell's Silencer (of the Lambs): Slow-cooked Oamaru lamb on a kawakawa harissa base with spinach, red onion, tomatoes and feta, finished with mint and horopito aioli  
  • Burger Fuel's Roundhouse Ram: Braised Oamaru lamb shoulder with sweet mint sauce, smashed crumbed pea bites, sautéed onions, fresh sliced tomato, batch-brewed tomato relish and free-range aioli, in an artisan wholemeal bun. 

The two items are available from Tuesday through to the end of October.