Bun bo Hue, one of Vietnam’s great noodle soups, is spicy by design. This satiating soup is dotted with hot chile oil anywhere in town, but the version here has a well-earned reputation for an extra dose of heat. Even the meaty-yet-refreshing goat salad packs a piquant punch.

Spice levels run high at this Northern-Thai-Laotian market with a comfortable dining area. Even the pad kee mao may hurt a little, but to really feel the fire, order the gaeng om. The dill-flecked mushroom stew is replete with chiles that belie its bright, herbaceous first impression.

Korean fried chicken doesn’t have to be spicy. It’s just best when it is. The hottest we’ve found is at this Spring Branch outlet, where there are both fried and oven-baked wings. The Shocking Hot option is the way to go for a sizzling sensation. Luckily, there’s bubble tea and a full range of bingsu (Korean shaved ice) to transition back to the world of the living.

South Indian fare is a leaner, meaner cousin to the creamy North Indian dishes more common in the United States. That’s evidenced across the menu at Gayatri Bhavan, bolstered by spicy sambars and chutneys. For an unmitigated slap of heat, order the mirchi bhaji, green chiles fried in chickpea batter.

“Light” and “fresh” are the words most often associated with the chopped fish bowls served here, but those who order their poke with K-Sauce are in for a wallop of heat. The thick red sauce is spicy and sweet with gochujang. The rice at the bottom of the bowl is necessary to keep the pain at bay.

Dining at this expansive restaurant is like a mini trip to Thailand, complete with souvenir shopping. Part of the friendly atmosphere is the server’s warning not to request more than medium heat. Even the typically sweet pad thai is likely to cause a runny nose here. A Thai custard will provide sweet relief to those who make it through the flames.

The starches, including jollof rice, yam porridge and attiéké—fermented and grated cassava that’s similar to couscous—get star billing at this pan-African restaurant. Perhaps that’s because they’re necessary to mitigate the fire of the pepper sauce-topped proteins that accompany them. Even safe-sounding grilled chicken leaves tasters in for a world of hurt.

Sichuan food is incendiary by default, but for those looking for more than the Chengdu-style fish dishes that both burn and numb the tongue, there is the “Tame the Tiger” challenge at this Rice Village restaurant. Even the most experienced stunt eaters have been felled by this chile-packed noodle soup.