Long Histories and Loyal Fans Determine Bracket B in Fight for the Elite Eight

Mary Kate White | Oct 4, 2017 5:00 pm | Add a comment | 708 reads

The fight for pizza supremacy in the 2017 Pizza Cup is intensifying, as our original 100 vendors dropped to just 32 two weeks ago, and now those 32 vendors have been whittled down to 16. There have been some unexpected knockouts and some dark horses rising, all thanks to you, our pizza-bingeing voters. Keeping things spicy in Bracket B, we have Tube Station, Ramo, Annie's, and Pyro Pizza going head-to-head-to-head-to-head in the fight to reach the Elite Eight.

Annie's
Annie's are tried and true Italian experts, serving pizza and pasta from a handful of locations scattered throughout the city, and earning the Beijinger's "Best Italian" restaurant award for several years. Despite changes in location, decor, and wine offerings, they have kept their prices affordable, making them a consistent fan favorite. Their fans failed to propel them past Bottega in the final round of last year's Pizza Cup, however, in a heartbreakingly, nerve-wrackingly near miss in the final round. Will Annie's rise up and retake the throne this year?

Ramo
We're not sure how to feel about this one: The recently shuttered Fangjia Hutong eatery technically doesn't even exist anymore, but reportedly plans to reopen soon in a new location. They lost some of their charm earlier this year when their storefront's large windows were obliterated by The Brickening, turning what was once a bright and breezy atmosphere into a sad and strange display of the tragedy endured by the hutong's businesses. But their sometimes simple, sometimes unusual, but always delicious pies (and individual slices) kept us coming back for more, and were enough to take them beyond much of the competition.

Pyro
Pyro Pizza in Wudaokou is a student haven in many ways. For more than 10 years, they have served as a welcome wagon for new and probably disoriented students arriving in the university-laden area of the city, slinging classic, thin-crust New York-style pies, wings, subs, and cheap beer to the drunk or soon-to-be-drunk newcomers (and to the not-so-newcomers, too). It seems to be a recipe for success, as their loyal following has gotten this relatively small pizzeria into a round of heavy-hitters.

Tube Station
At Tube Station, bigger is better (see above). Like Annie's, Tube Station is a Beijing staple, serving their comically oversized pizzas from stations throughout the city. Founded at the turn of the 21st century, it may be one of the oldest locally owned pizzerias in Beijing. That long-running history has earned them a reputation that now translates into nostalgia, with their loyal and, for the most part, Chinese patrons from the early 2000s now bringing their children in to try their American-style pizza and wings. Their big-as-your-face slices from their big-as-your-body pies will transport New Yorkers and fans of New York pizza back to the land where you must fold your slice in half just to fit it in your mouth. And we love it.

Things are heating up! 16 contestants are now fighting for the Beijinger’s 2017 Pizza Cup, click here to vote now or scan the QR code below. The Elite Eight will be announced on Oct 9 at 2pm.