Meet the Nominees: Best New Casual Foreign Dining

With voting for the 2016 Reader Restaurant Awards in full swing, the grilling gauntlet has been thrown down and restaurants and dining personalities now vie for recognition as the best in their respective categories.

As the occasional glutton – I consider myself an authority on the Best Wings category – I'm absolutely giddy about some of the restaurant matchups. Will Element Fresh continue their salad reign of dominance? Will Taco Bar repeat as Best Mexican? What about Best Dessert? The nomination field is stacked with superb restaurants and eateries, many of whom you probably know, and others that you might not have heard of.

Regardless of whether or not you've already voted, I suggest you glance through the full nominees list, and choose to eat your next meal in a restaurant that you have not yet dined in.

A good place to start: the restaurants nominated in our Best New Restaurants categories.

We have three this year, one for New Chinese Restaurants, one for New Upscale Non-Chinese Restaurants, and one for New Casual Non-Chinese Restaurants.

Today, in no particular order, we present to you this year's nominees in the everyday-dining foreign category. Have you tried them all? If not, you've got some eating to do.
 

Fat Boys: The Burger Bar
One of Fat Boys' greatest assets is its vast selection of gourmet burgers – a whopping 15 in all. Many of those options are also intriguingly creative in terms of both grin-inducing names: the Pulp Fiction-inspired Royale with Cheese (RMB 68), featuring bacon, onion marmalade, barbecue sauce and melted cheddar; and unique ingredient combinations: the Mahalo (RMB 78) consisting of a bacon-stuffed pork patty, caramelized onions, grilled pineapple, melted Monterey Jack cheese and mayonnaise; or the Pizza the Hutt, a beef patty topped with tomato, melted Monterey Jack and pepperoni. Read our full review of Fat Boys here.

Pizza View
Pizza View at Parkview Green serves up authentic Italian cuisine and artisanal pizzas. Opened in October of last year, the restaurant space offers a relaxed dining atmosphere, managed by Chef Marino D’Antonio and the team of Opera Bombana, and serves delicious cuisine made with fresh quality ingredients at great prices. The open kitchen at the heart of the dining area showcases the craftsmanship of the pizza-making behind the restaurant. Read our review of Pizza View here.
 

The Meatball Company
If you've yet to go or are new to the city, The Meatball Company is Beijing's one and only meatballeria (definitely a word), providing balls of all varieties that can be eaten on their own or in a sub. The concept even branches into desserts and sides, with sweet chocolate fudge balls and mac and cheese balls drenched in tomato sauce for those who don't mind veering slightly off the beaten track. Did we mention balls? Read our full review here.
 

MINT Vietnamese Pho & Snacks
For those of you who never make it outside of the Fourth Ring, MINT is on the Pinnacle Plaza strip in Shunyi that serves up a range of classic Vietnamese dishes, including their national dish pho, which comes in traditional varieties as well as a delicious seafood pho, cooked in a coconut sauce or tomato bisque (RMB 48-68). The spring rolls (or to be more precise, goi cuon or “summer rolls”) are shrimp or pork layered with coriander, rolled up in rice paper, and served cold with a peanut or fish dipping sauce and worth snacking on.
 

Baker & Spice
First came Shanghai's Wagas, now follows their sister shop Baker & Spice. This bakery and coffee shop supplies breads and cakes to its parent chain, so if you're familiar with Wagas, you'll already have a good sense of what's on offer here. Also of interest, they directly import wines from both the old and new world, offering an interesting selection at some pretty unbeatable prices. 
 

Swiss Taste
Long term Beijinger and Swiss native Peter Troesch is well qualified to introduce his country’s cuisine to the currently lacking Beijing market. His menu focuses on the staples of the small country’s cuisine – cheese fondue (RMB 138/258), raclette (RMB 88), and flammkuchen (RMB 88-258), a type of thin bread pizza topped with sour cream instead of cheese. Elsewhere, a selection of mains feature dishes from Switzerland’s neighboring France, Germany, and Austria (none from Lichtenstein, for now). Wash it all down with a bottle from surely the largest selection of Swiss wines in Beijing.
 

Fiesta Tex-Mex Grill & Bar
Tucked away ever-so-slightly below street level, Fiesta is a faithful interpretation of the kind of family-style Tex-Mex restaurant you find in small-town America. The staff members waiting outside are eager and their menu boasts some mouthwatering options such as a quesadilla with chorizo (RMB 72), fajitas pollo (RMB 86), and guacamole (RMB 45).
 

Kenny's Burgers  
It takes guts to open a burger bar in Beijing, even more so to open one in Nali Patio, right at the heart of Sanlitun alongside some of Beijing’s most popular restaurants. Kenny’s Burgers’ eponymous proprietor Kenny Fu doesn’t need guts because he has the culinary chops to back it up. A classically trained Western chef, he is somewhat of a local celebrity, having done stints in some of Beijing’s best restaurants, including pan-Asian My Humble House, and is a brand ambassador for German cookware company Miele. His reputation clearly precedes him, and he's already established Kenny's as a landmark with their burgers and desserts.

Latina
Satisfy your craving for meat with an assortment of churrasco offerings at new-kid-on-the-Brazilian-block, Latina. The meats – which come in a variety of cuts – are skewered, grilled on an open flame, and then served directly onto your plate. Think about it as the ultimate chaunr experience, mixed with some authentic Brazilian fare and a palpable Samba vibe.

Have you eaten at any of the above restaurants? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. Or better yet, contribute by writing a review of your experience.

Photos courtesy of The Meatball Company, Latina, Kyle Mullin, Margaux Schreurs

The Beijinger 2016 Reader Restaurant Awards is made possible through our strategic partnerships with NUO Hotel Beijing and Anchor (by Fonterra). Raffle prize sponsor Sherpa's. Video sponsor McCain. Food and beverages are courtesy of CHEERS, China Wines & Spirits, Comptoirs de France, Home Plate Bar-B-Que, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Loft Eatalicious, Q Mex, and Vandergeeten.