Six Great Restaurants That Got Snubbed in the '16 Reader Restaurant Awards Nominations

In this cruel world, many deserving people and places don’t get the proper recognition they deserve.

When we announced the list of nominees for this year’s awards, no doubt many great restaurants and eateries didn’t make it onto the shortlist.

With so much culinary competition, you can understand the difficulty our nomination panel faced when having to come up with the list they did.

RELATED: Mosto, TRB, and Element Fresh Top List of Nominations in 2016 Restaurant Awards

By the way, our ever-evolving nomination panel currently comprises 200 Beijing foodies from all walks of life. Half are selected by our staff for their knowledge of the scene, and half are invited to take part via a random draw from the pool of last year's voters. The only rule is that nominators must not have a vested interest in any operating Beijing F&B venue.

But after all the ballots were cast, a lot of worthy spots failed to get a single nod.

Sometimes it was because there was too much competition in that particular category; other times it was simply because the restaurant was too new or too far off the beaten path. Others just fail to fit into neatly defined categories.

Below, in no particular order, are some of our favorites that failed to get a nomination, but yet are well worthy of a visit.

The Restaurant: Yummy Box
What it Should Have Been Nominated For: Best Wings
Yummy Box – not to be confused with Yuppie Yummie, whose wings did get nominated – is one of my favorite pizza joints, but it's their wings that help them justify their namesake. Yummy Box proudly boosts a variety of chicken wings ranging from regular barbecue wings to Sichuan-pepper wings; their buffalo wings, however, takes the yumminess factor – for lack of a better phrase – to another level.
Address: AF105 Qilinshe Xintiandi, 11 Wangjing Fuan West Road (close to Wangjing SOHO); (5738 9034)

The Restaurant: La Fu 辣府
What it Should Have Been Nominated For: Best Hot Pot
With a central location in Sanlitun's 3.3, a stylish interior and superior service, La Fu is as good as Haidilao but feels more special because there are only two locations (instead of Haidilao's 27,000). The condiment bar is varied and bountiful and their spicy peanuts put Huang Fei Hong to shame.
Address: Sanlitun 3-3, Shop 3006; (5136 5576)
 

The Restaurant: Ahava Bistro & Cafe
What it Should Have Been Nominated For: Best Sandwiches
This eatery, located within walking distance from the UIBE’s west gate, is a sandwich haven for those living in the Huixindongjie area. And although their Reuben sandwich isn't exactly overflowing with corned beef and cheese – I’ve given up trying to find Katz-Deli type of Reuben in Beijing – their Cuban panini is truly one of the best paninis I've had in Beijing.
Address: 17 Huixin East Street; (135 2105 5392)

The Restaurant: Xi Yi Lang 喜一郎
What it Should Have Been Nominated For: Best Japanese
We’ve got some pretty good options in Beijing when it comes to Japanese food, so much so that many have started to specialize. Geba Geba’s new specialty tempura restaurant, Xi Yi Lang, shows that the delicacy of Japanese food is not reserved for slices of sashimi. 70-year-old Asano Kiichiro has been frying tempura for decades and his expertise shows in every morsel. Get the set menu and let him work his magic.
Address: 101, Bldg 20, 5 Vanke Park, Tianshuiyuan Jie, Chaoyang District (6501 4377)

The Restaurant: Ricci Cafe
What it Should Have Been Nominated For: Best American
With its location way up in Haidian near Peking University and Tsinghua, Ricci Cafe doesn't get the expat love it would be getting if it were in Sanlitun or other areas. Great as a cafe, its hidden secret is an excellent dining menu that includes all sorts of Western fare done with almost fine dining flair but at casual prices. Try their flatbreads.
Address: D1, Tsinghua Science Park, Haidian; (8215 8826)

The Restaurant: Charlie's (Trattoria Da Carlo)
What it Should Have Been Nominated For: Best Italian (Casual)
You are never more than whispering distance away from Charlie himself when dining in this tiny Italian eatery. With just a handful of tables and done up with homey decorations, this place feels a bit more like eating in someones living room than at a food service establishment. With an on-site proprietor who knows his stuff, the menu selections range from familiar to more avant-garde, all done quite well and at reasonable prices.
Address: Unit 4-04, Tianzhijiaozi, Shuangjing; (6776 8787)

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. If your review is insightful enough, we might  even consider inviting you to be a part of our nomination panel for next year's Reader Restaurant Awards.

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.