Italians pick L’Isola, everyone else picks Annie’s

Probably the most contentious award category every year in our Annual Reader Restaurant Awards is Best Italian. Since the inception of our awards, Annie’s has walked off with the top prize every year – that’s seven years in a row for those of you counting at home.

Yet every year it’s inevitable that the first comments we’ll hear about the awards is “Annie’s, best Italian? What a joke! It’s fast-food Italian! It’s not authentic! My Italian friends laugh with derision when they hear Annie’s has been named Best Italian! Your readers have no taste!”

This attitude can perhaps best be summed up by an incident last summer. I ran into an expat coming out of Annie’s Chaoyang Park location with her children, and she felt obligated to apologize as to why she’d stoop so low as to dine at such a lowbrow eatery. (“My kids won’t eat Chinese, we were in a hurry, there wasn’t anything else around …”)

It’s a strange conundrum – Annie’s is successful, regularly packed with expats and locals alike, and have been consistently delivering quality food at reasonable prices for the last decade. Yet it’s polarizing – half the population ranks it as the best, while the other half dismisses it as bland, fast-food crap.

Our estimable competition in Beijing’s English-language media even leave Annie’s off their annual nominee list for Beijing’s Best Italian, as if this ubiquitous Beijing favorite does not even exist or isn’t really Italian food. Nevermind it’s a homegrown Beijing institution.

Some people reason it like this: “I eat at McDonald’s for the convenience, but I’d never call it the best restaurant in Beijing.”

Is Annie’s really the McDonald’s of the Italian category?

All of this piques our curiosity too. So let’s break down the voting and see if any conclusions can be drawn there.

First of all, if anyone knows Italian food, it’s got to be the Italians, right? So how did the Italians vote?

Italians make up a small fraction of our readership, and indeed a very small number of Italians voted in our survey (only 53, to be exact, roughly 1% of the vote). So what did they pick as their best Italian restaurant in Beijing?

Italians’ Choice for Beijing’s Best Italian Restaurant:
Best: L'Isola
Outstanding: Cepe, Sadler

Indeed, though the sample size is small, Italians themselves do not consider Annie’s the best Italian in the city – in fact, not even in the top 3.

However, it is worth pointing out that Italians in the survey did not rank Annie’s last of the 8 nominees on our ballot – in fact, it was middle of the pack, with even some 5-star hotel Italian eateries ranked below it (we’ll spare the names to protect the innocent).

So do Italians detest Annie’s? No, in fact they select Annie’s #1 in the Best Family Friendly restaurant category, and named it as a runner-up in Best Pizza (the Italians liked La Pizza best in that category, btw).

OK, so we know what the Italians think. What if we expand the Best Italian voting to include all their Mediterranean brethren in Beijing, who presumably know a bit about Italian food due to proximity?

Voters from Mediterranean countries:
Best: L’Isola
Outstanding: Annie’s, Assaggi

When taking Mediterranean voters into account, L’Isola remains at the top. However, when adding all Mediterranean countries we see Annie’s climbing to the runner-up category.

How about if we expand the voting to all foreigners, and compare that to Chinese voters? Some theorize that it’s the Chinese vote that sways the balloting towards a chain like Annie’s, perhaps due to relative culinary inexperience (“Chinese people just haven’t tried real Italian food, that’s why they chose Annie’s”). Let’s have a look:

Chinese Voters:
Best: Annie’s
Outstanding: Prego, Cepe

Foreign voters:
Best: Annie's
Outstanding: Assaggi, L'Isola

So both foreigners overall and Chinese chose Annie’s as their favorite. How about age? Perhaps young people with less refined tastes (and presumably less disposable income) may prefer the less-expensive, casual Annie’s over higher-end, higher-priced alternatives? Here’s a generational look at Best Italian:

Twentysomethings:
Best: Annie's
Outstanding: L'Isola, Prego

Thirtysomethings:
Best: Annie's
Outstanding: L'Isola, Sadler

Fortysomethings:
Best: Annie's
Outstanding: Assaggi, L'Isola

Fiftysomethings:
Best: Annie's
Outstanding: Assaggi, Alla Osteria

In short, age has nothing to do with it either – a preference for Annie’s is present in all age ranges. Perhaps male/female?

Male voters:
Best: Annie's
Outstanding: L'Isola, Sadler

Female voters:
Best: Annie’s
Outstanding: L'Isola, Assaggi

Length of time in Beijing? Maybe the longer someone stays in Beijing, the more they explore its offerings and refine their tastes?

Under 1 year
Best: Annie's
Outstanding: Prego, Assaggi

Over 1 year
Best: Annie's
Outstanding: L'Isola, Assaggi

Over 3 years
Best: Annie's
Outstanding: Assaggi, L'Isola

Nope – length of time in Beijing also doesn’t make a difference – newcomers and old-timers all like Annie’s.

All of this statistical babbling demonstrates one thing: While Annie’s may not be considered the best by Italians themselves, there is something special about the place that gives it an almost universal appeal.

What’s your opinion? Review Annie’s or any of Beijing’s other Italian restaurants here.

Who better to talk about what makes Annie’s tops but those people who chose it as Beijing’s best in this year’s survey? A cursory glance at the comments shows that consistency, great service and reasonable prices all seem to factor heavily in voters’ selection. Here’s a few of the comments:

“Simplicity -- good quality for very reasonable prices. They have the traditional Italian dishes that you can find in any other place for less money and delivered to your home when you don't feel like going out. I would recommend their risottos and the Spaghetti Carbonara.”

“I've been visiting them about once to twice a week since October of 2008. I remember my initial reaction to their interior design, ‘Oh no, another chain Italian restaurant.’ But now it feels comfortable and inviting to me. Probable because I know how great the food and service will be. The service is unbelievable for not only China but in America. I've visited many Italian chains in the US and even with a waitress working for tips, the service usually falls below average. Not Annie's. I can never remember the manager’s Chinese name but his English is great. He always there to welcome us with a warm smile and a hello. He remembers information from the last time we met and follows up the meal with questions on how was the food. The rest of the staff is very attentive. Not much time goes by before an emptied glass of water if filled. My girlfriend and I have tried most everything on the menu. We've never been let down, seriously. The thought of their homemade pesto is making me drool as I type this. And the kicker, the prices are very reasonable.”

“I find Annie's a friendly restaurant with excellent service - both home delivery and eat in. They have many options for vegetarians and their prices are reasonable. I like their variety of salads and my favorite dish is the Spinach Ravioli. Most of their dishes have a true Italian flavor and have not been customized to suit local tastes.”

“We’ve been living in Beijing for 11 years and have been going to Annie’s for nearly 5 years. Since we have known Annie's, the quality has NEVER changed – that’s what we like most. he price is quite good too. Their pizzas are great, their salads too. Penne Carbonara and Spaghetti Bolognese are my children’s favorite dishes. Their staff is adorable. Always. They do everything they can to satisfy their customer.”

“Annie's has been my favorite Italian restaurant here in Beijing for over a year now. Several years ago, I traveled to Italy and had the best Spaghetti Carbonara of my life. I spent years trying to find a similar dish in America, but everything tasted horribly fake. Then, I came to Beijing and my now husband brought me to Annie's. Simply bliss. The food made me feel like I was back on the streets of Milan. The complimentary bread with olive oil/vinegar is icing on the cake. We recommend Annie's to everyone we know. The Margarita pizza and spaghetti Carbonara are our favorites. Also, as an added bonus, we always find that the staff in incredibly pleasant and attentive to our needs.”

“Annie's pizza is quite delicious. I love the quiet, cozy and simple decors there. I would also recommend the lasagna. Annie's pizza is quite Italian and really good taste.”

“I went to the Lido location and was first and foremost impressed with the professionalism of the wait staff. The waitresses were polite, attentive, and well trained. I didn't order a beverage and the waitress brought me a glass of cold water that I didn't even ask for - little touches like that. I ordered a green salad and Fruitti de Mare. Food was fresh, served promptly, tasted pretty good, and at a quite reasonable price. The bread and garlic butter was a nice side as well. The restaurant was cozy and made you feel very comfortable.”

“I have been in Beijing for the last 10 months, and I go to Annie's as often as I can, because my kids love the environment and they enjoy making their own pizza. The food my family loves the best from Annie is mainly the pizzas, but we also like the Salmone Affumicato, lasagne with seafood and Pasta with seafood and tomato sauce.”

“I've had better Italian food in Beijing, but it's usually too pricey and the portions are too little. Coming from NY, I like Italian food on-the-go, and Annie's has a superb delivery service.”

“I like their very friendly service, both at the restaurant and on the phone and especially while delivering. I'm happy that their prices are affordable and the food is quite tasty. I particularly enjoy their chicken tortellini (I MUST have it every time I go there or order), and I would recommend to my friends if they are looking for a nice homely affordable experience in Beijing.”

“The food is delicious. I particularly recommend the Spinach and Cheese ravioli, and the pumpkin soup is the best I've ever had. The service is also quite good, compared with the countless mistakes at many other nice restaurants. and the server's English level is high.”

“It’s the Italian pizza place that best reminds me of good pizza from home, and take out is a godsend.”

“I like the fresh ingredients. They have exceptional pasta and lets not forget about the sauces. I would recommend the lasagna.”

“Annie's has great service, which to me is almost more important than the food there. The staff was very friendly. I liked their Alfredo. I have been to only a few other Italians but Annie’s had outstanding service.”

“I like Annie's because it has a very nice atmosphere and is very family friendly. The prices are affordable and the service is great. I find the staff to always be friendly. The locations are also convenient for me.”

“The service is also good because I have always been served hot food in a timely manner. The dish I like most is the lasagna. At Annie's the food is always served piping hot. They also give you delicious breadsticks and bread to eat while you are waiting for your meal.”

“My wife and I go there semi-often, and our favorite dish there is their Carbonara. The pizza is good, but we both prefer their pastas. The service is attentive and good, bringing one back as much free water and bread as you ask for.”

“I selected Annie's mainly because of the exceptional pizzas they bake. Also because of the speedy delivery service.”