Judgment looms and only you can have the final say in which two burger joints will go head to head in this year's Championship Round of the 2019 Beijing Burger Cup. The poll officially closes at midday on Friday, Jul 12, and will be followed by one last furious weekend of voting.

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through to the Championship Round
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Let's get you to up to speed with this year's Final Four, one of whom will be crowned 2019 Beijing Burger Champion...

Q Mex (last year's #4)

vs.

Slow Boat Brewery (last year's #1)

Our first duke-out is between two big names in the Beijing burger scene: three-time winners and reigning champions Slow Boat Brewery and 2017's champion Q Mex. Slow Boat, for one, set a new precedent for what burgers in Beijing could be with the opening of their Dongsi taproom in 2011 and in doing so fed an army of Chinese customers what was likely their first ever burger. Eight years on and they now have a massive Sanlitun venue that is bustling every night with fans of their burgers and beer as well as a new taproom picking up steam in Dengshikou.

On the other hand, Q Mex have amassed a huge following over the years thanks to their willingness to experiment and perfect their menu, where beloved Tex-Mex favorites sit side-by-side with American dishes with a Mexican spin à la the chorizo burger. Now three venues deep (with a fourth due to open in The Place imminently), Q Mex is in it to win it, and this pair are formidable and worthy competitors in this year's Final Four.

Crafters Brewing Co. (no seed)

vs.

Side Street (last year's #3)

The dark horse in this year's competition has undoubtedly been Crafters Brewing Co. After doing the rounds in Beijing with their small-run craft brewed ciders and beers, Crafters didn't even have a permanent home until very recently. Hell, it wasn't until they opened their Communication University-adjacent venue a few months back that they were even cooking up burgers. However, for such newbies, they've made an unprecedentedly strong showing in this year's Burger Festival, scoring fans with every bite and exceeding all expectations with their rocket to the top.

It won't be an easy fight though as they now face a fellow venue that has garnered legions of steadfast fans: last year's #3 seed Side Street. Starting out in 2018 in the shadow of its venue's predecessor, Ron Mexico, before a complete overhaul, Side Street was able to keep the old devotees while winning a whole new crowd thanks to its superior range of food and drink. Among its biggest feats has been to craft a menu that caters to both meat eaters and vegetarians alike even with regards to their sizeable range of burgers, which are so abundant that if you went every day of the week you still wouldn't have tried them all. Just like Slow Boat and Q Mex above, this fight is just too close to call.

So, what are you waiting for, burger fiends? Get out there and show your allegiance!

A refresher on previous Burger Cup winners:

2011: Blue Frog
2012: Home Plate BBQ
2013: Home Plate BBQ
2014: Home Plate BBQ
2015: Slow Boat Brewery
2016: Slow Boat Brewery
2017: Q Mex
2018: Slow Boat Brewery

Need some context? Take a look at where each of this year's hopefuls placed last year.

Images: the Beijinger, courtesy of the venues