R Jing-A "Come for the Atmosphere, Stay for the Pizza"

Jing-A Longfusi: Come for the Pizza, Stay for the Atmosphere

Robynne Tindall, Contributing Editor | Nov 6, 2019 4:30 pm | Add a comment | 680 reads

Have you ever wished you had somehow invested in Beijing's craft beer scene when the craze first started? Well if not, you certainly will after spending any length of time at Jing-A's new perennially packed Taproom in Longfusi. Likewise, anyone who questioned why brands were so quick to move to this new development far from the comfortable confines of Sanlitun or Guomao will be eating their words when they see the crowds it draws on any given day of the week.

The Dongsi subway-adjacent Longfusi development has been tastefully and sympathetically renovated, and Jing-A’s brand of industrial chic style fits in perfectly. Taking over a two-story former factory space just north of the new M Woods Gallery, the Longfusi Taproom is lighter, airier, and altogether more day drinking-friendly than their Xingfucun Brewpub, even boasting a sizeable outside seating area.

We’re also in love with the colorful and incredibly detailed mural created by Beijing-based artist Leon Fenster. We challenge you to pick out all the different Beijing-related scenes – it’ll take you more than a few pint’s worth of time.

With this new space comes a new menu, the focus of which is on sourdough pizzas, created by executive chef Simone Thompson. The passion for fermentation that has made Jing-A’s beers so accomplished is apparent here too, with a dough that is left to rise slowly overnight before being tossed into the high-temperature brick oven. That slow rise gives the dough a complex flavor and a bubbly texture akin to Neapolitan-style pizza.

While the basic margherita (RMB 75) is undoubtedly tasty, the best pizzas see the kitchen flexing their creative muscles. The Yunnan wild mushroom (RMB 90) is as good a white pizza as we have had in Beijing, topped with a generous and fragrant scattering of mushrooms and black truffle shavings. And if you think that pineapple has no place on a pizza, then you might change your mind after trying the Lao Gan Ma’s Luau (RMB 100), which features char siu pork, spicy Lao Gan Ma barbecue sauce, and roasted fermented pineapple.

Pizza might be the mainstay of this new menu but don’t sleep on the sides, either. The trio of dips (roasted red pepper and walnut, classic hummus, and cashew and basil pesto, RMB 70) will have you scraping the bowls clean in no time, particularly the piquant hummus.

We also appreciate the bold decision to take on the classic northwestern Chinese dish liang pi, not exactly a frequent fixture of most pub menus. In addition to the usual rice noodles and shredded cucumber, Jing-A’s more salad-style dish features pickled cabbage and carrots, red cabbage, and a cashew dressing made with Naked Nut Butters’s cashew butter. Is this RMB 45 take really worth that much more than the RMB 10 versions you can grab from a hundred small stalls across Beijing? When enjoyed outside with a pint of Watermelon Sour, we would argue for a definitive "yes."

Though the craft beer pub formula is an overly familiar one – bare brick walls, communal tables, beer menu writ high on the wall – Jing-A calculates it with such aplomb that it doesn’t seem to matter. Go for the new pizzas, stick around for the bustling atmosphere.