With the Final Four Closing Nov 2, a Closer Look at Those Vying for the 2018 Pizza Cup Crown

The Final Four in the 2018 Pizza Cup closes Friday at noon, and at 3pm we'll announce which of these mighty contenders will square off for the crown.

Scan the QR code below with WeChat to vote the best pizza through to this year's Championship Round!

Will it be our only two-time champ Gung Ho? 2017's top pie Bottega? Always the bridesmaid, never the bride La Pizza? Or our last remaining underdog, The Local? Only you can decide with your vote... but in the meantime, let's take a closer look at each of our four remaining contestants, excerpted from our 2017 Pizza Cup wrap-up:

The Local

The Local is not just a popular American pub with a casual atmosphere in the heart of Sanlitun, but also one of our favorite spots to grab after-work beers and cocktails. The pizzas here (and much of their other food) are perfect to share with a bunch of friends. They also pride themselves on bringing a taste of home to Beijing's expat customers and sharing favorite Western comfort foods with local Chinese – all of whom they are very humble in their appreciation of, a factor they credit to why people turned out to vote at each leg of the competition. They also harbor a lot of love for their team, who owner Kenn Bermel succinctly describes as "talented folks who turn out the great food."

Looking for a great pizza at The Local? Then grab a Buffalo chicken and blue cheese pizza. Bermel states, "This one is full of intense flavor – I’d caution anyone who hasn’t ever had authentic Buffalo chicken or doesn’t like the idea of chunks of Danish blue cheese. For the less adventurous I’d suggest the Margherita." A word to the wise; it’s best to try The Local pizzas on Monday night, as 12-inch pizzas are half-price.

La Pizza

Now nine years old, La Pizza has maintained a strong and steady fanbase through use of imported ingredients, wood-fired pizzas, and authentic Italian toppings, some of which have been tailored towards a clientele that does not hark from the home of pizza. Even so, everything at La Pizza comes from Napoli in Italy: the owner, the oven, the chef, and the ingredients, including the flour, the peeled tomatoes, the mozzarella, and even the salt. This is process is expedited by the fact that they have their own supply network through their own trading company Mielefood Import & Export Ltd, the "only way to guarantee 100 percent of our ingredients are strictly monitored," says its proprietor.

For starters, try their baci pizza, which means "kiss" in Italian, and comes in six variations, including meat, such as bacon, as well as veggie. The brand's signature pizza, the Pizza Pulcinella, is likely to be your best bet for your first La Pizza experience, and the easiest way to taste the authentic flavors of Napoli. Pair it with a Beer Ceres, a particular fruit-flavored Danish beer that is only stocked in Beijing via La Pizza.

Gung Ho! Pizza

Opened by the Kiwi brains behind Wudaokou stalwarts Lush and Pyro, Gung Ho! Pizza started delivering pies with their eye-catching pink flags around Beijing in 2010. After five years of hard work, they went on to become our only two-time winner of our annual survey of the best 'za in Beijing. Their beloved pies include a great balance between traditional pizza and those with more modern twists.

Their pizzas are notable for having hand-rolled wholewheat crusts, imported mozzarella from Anchor, and grass-fed free-range imported lamb from Silver Fern Farms. The Gung Ho! team also pride themselves on having big ideas and paying particular attention to detail, with an emphasis on always evolving. Taste it with their New Zealand lamb pizza (RMB 99), which features imported NZ lamb, fresh crunchy rocket salad, and handmade tzatziki sauce. For drinks, try a Moa original lager; not quite as hoppy as a craft IPA but more robust than a commercial lager. If it's not the food or drinks that keep you around, you'll stay for the warm atmosphere and events, which include a strong happy hour and even KTV nights.

Bottega

2016 Pizza Cup champions Bottega opened in 2014, and the Fratelli brothers' Neapolitan-style pizzas quickly accrued a loyal fanbase thanks to a refined mix of family-tested favorites and a wood-fired pizza base that is nothing short of addictive. Bottega's original venue, tucked away in a dusty corner of Sanlitun, was demolished but that did not slow them down – in fact, their two new locations – one in Nali Patio and the other in Xinyuanli – have allowed for exponentially more room for fans of friendly service and modern, upbeat Italian dining.

When we asked the brothers, what they thought makes their pizza special, they had this to say:

1. The style: We make Neapolitan pizzas, the oldest form of pizza making in the world
2. The ingredients: We use 100 percent imported Italian ingredients, including Stagioni Type 00 flour, considered the gold standard of Neapolitan pizza ingredients, as well as San Marzano tomatoes, grown in volcanic soil close to the base of Mount Vesuvio
3. The oven: Our oven 3.3-tonne custom-built ovens are made from volcanic rock and can cook a pizza in just under 80 seconds, which gives the crust an extra smoky wood flavor
4. The fermentation process: Our dough undergoes a three-stage, 18-hour fermentation process and uses barely any yeast, making it light, airy, and chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside; and finally,
5. The chef: Our pizzaiolo is a third-generation pizza master and has been making pizza since the age of eight."

Now that you've had a little taste of what each of this year's Final Four contenders has to offer, get to voting your favorite through by scanning the QR code above before midday on Nov 2! May the best pizza win.

Read all the action as it unfurled by checking our dedicated 2018 Beijing Pizza Cup page here.

Photos: Unsplash, courtesy of the vendors