2019 Pizza Cup Recap: Beijing's 12 Best Pizzas, as Voted by You
Following over three weeks of high-octane, dough-tastic competition between 99 of the city's pizza vendors, we can now announce that the winner of the 2019 Beijing Pizza Cup is: Pizza Saporita! Our final top 12 is a varied bunch that speaks to the diverse nature of Beijing's pizza scene.
Of course, many of us wouldn't have been able to make up your minds about your favorite pizza without the 2019 Beijing Pizza Festival. Hungry hordes descended on Galaxy Soho in October to sample some of Beijing's most unique and tasty pies from the likes of Gung Ho!, Pizza Saporita, Tiago, and event-specific surprises from vendors such as Ganges with their chicken tikka masala and channa slices and 3 Little Pigs cranking out baguettes brimming with a range toppings. Then there was Baozza, whose deep-fried tomato and cheese-filled balls of dough maintained a heaving line throughout the entire weekend.
We don't blame you if you don't have it in you to chomp your way through all of Beijing's top pizzas but you can, at the very least, make the Top 12 a priority.
So, without further ado, below is your cut-out-and-keep, bookmark-in-your-browser, favorite-in-WeChat list of the top 12 pizza purveyors in Beijing.
12. Baozza
Baozza's pizza-baozi hybrid certainly seem to have captured the attention of the carb-hungry in Beijing, catapulting them to their first time in the top 12 (in previous years we included Baozza in the "Best Alternative Pizza" category, which they won two times). While not having a shopfront in Beijing (though they do have one in Shanghai), Baozza are now available in supermarkets like April Gourmet, making them an accessible treat for pizza lovers who want something a little bit different. If you needed any more proof that Baozza have "arrived," then look no further than a video released by the Global Times in 2018 taking aim at them and other Western-Chinese fusion foods. As co-founder Loren Heinold said at the time, "You might get some Italian pizza purists, saying Italian thin crust is the only kind of pizza, but there's also a ton of pizza innovation here in China with tons of different toppings. We see ourselves as doing something creative in the same vein..."
11. The Local
Despite slipping in the rankings this year from 4th to 11th, The Local remains one of Beijing's best places to grab a bite, for pizza or otherwise. The sizeable pizzas here are perfect to share with a bunch of friends, as is much of their other food, such as their stellar buffalo wings. The key to The Local's success also lies with their team, who owner Kenn Bermel succinctly describes as "talented folks who turn out the great food."
Looking for a great first pizza at The Local? Grab a Buffalo chicken and blue cheese pizza (RMB 95/12-inch). 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." We're also partial to the steak pesto pizza (RMB 108/12-inch) and the fact that you can create your own pizza from scratch if you're dining with picky friends.
10. Eatalia
As the forebearers of pizza, Italians are certainly tough to top in any competition. This is especially true of long-time pizza cup favorite Eatalia, which has been serving customers in their Di'anmen location since 2012 and has consistently placed in the top 10. Eatalia consistently dishes out authentic “pizza for purists,” as we wrote a few years ago of their Margherita, rustica (topped with Parma ham), and prosciutto e funghi pies. Eatalia's authentic Italian cuisine is also bolstered by their incredible three-story traditional courtyard setting and the accompanying views of the center of Beijing, near the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park.
9. Annie's
With 20 years in the biz under their belt, Annie's are tried and true Italian experts, serving pizza and pasta from a dozen locations scattered throughout the city. It doesn't hurt that Annie Lee and her team have built one of the most reliable food delivery services in the whole of China, making Annie's an easy go-to when hunger calls. That delivery service brings hot-out-of-the-oven pizzas to your door in what sometimes seems like mere minutes (they even won our very unofficial pizza delivery race back in 2014 with a time of just 20 minutes).
Their pizzas tend towards simple, classic combinations (the Margherita is hard to beat) but they are also constantly changing and improving what they do so as to introduce customers to Italian culture and its many flavors. One of their most popular innovations is the pizza al crudo tartufata (RMB 106/9-inch, RMB 116/12-inch), which features shiitake mushrooms, Parma ham, black truffle, and fresh mozzarella.
8. Jing-A Brewing Longfusi Taproom
Despite having only having been open and serving pizzas for a few months, Jing-A's new Longfusi Taproom has clearly made an impression, netting them a spot in the top 10. The Taproom serves 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.
7. Gung Ho!
Opened by the brains behind Wudaokou stalwarts Lush and Pyro, Gung Ho started delivering pies with their eye-catching pink and black-bedecked drivers in 2010. 10 years on, they have slipped a bit in the rankings after their third-time victory last year but nevertheless remain one of Beijing's most popular pizza purveyors for their pies that balance traditional and modern flavors, and healthy twists.
In recent years, their menu has scored big with vegans and adherents of keto, paleo, and gluten-free diets, after releasing a few of the city's only pizzas to align with these strict dietary requirements and demonstrating that the team isn't shy when it comes to experimenting in the kitchen. Meat eaters, however, have long espoused their Lord of the Lambs pizza (RMB 109/11 inch) with slow-baked lamb, grilled veggies, mint tzatziki, and arugula, made with lamb from the founders' native New Zealand (in fact, New Zealand products feature heavily across the whole menu).
6. La Pizza
Now 11 years old, La Pizza has maintained a strong and steady fanbase through the use of imported ingredients, wood-fired pizzas, and authentic Italian toppings. Everything at La Pizza comes from Napoli: the owner, the oven, the chef, and the ingredients, including the flour, the peeled tomatoes, the mozzarella, and even the salt. This process is expedited by the fact that they have their own supply network, the "only way to guarantee 100 percent of our ingredients are strictly monitored."
Try their specialty baci, which means "kiss" in Italian, and are sort of like little pizza rolls filled with a variety of different fillings, such as ham (baci Sorrento, RMB 88) or bacon and mushrooms (baci Ischia, RMB 88). With three venues in Solana, Shangdu Soho, and Wangjing, their pizzas are easily accessible wherever you live.
5. Tube Station
At Tube Station, bigger is better, their largest pizza stretching to an incredible 36 inches. With this motto alone, the chain has become a Beijing staple, serving their oversized and indulgent pizzas from throughout the city. Tube Station remains one of Beijing's oldest and most popular locally-owned pizzerias in Beijing and that long-running history has earned them a reputation that now translates into nostalgia, with a loyal coterie of patrons who voted them into 5th place this year.
If you have not yet looked on in amazement at a Tube Station delivery man trying to fit one of these mammoth pizzas through your door, well, winter cometh and there's no better time to do so (pro tip: these make great pizzas for a party). We recommend you do it right and order one of their astounding Garbage Pail (RMB 185/19-inch, RMB 228/24-inch) pizzas topped with pepperoni, beef, ground pork, salami, ham, mushrooms, onions, peppers, feta cheese... basically any topping you can imagine.
4. Great Leap Brewing
Great Leap Brewing is not only renowned for its delicious craft brews, but also for its 16-inch New York-style pizzas (or slices from 18-inch pizzas). Made using a specially imported US oven that provides them their crunchy sourdough crust, these moreish slices boast a rich three-cheese melted blend that gives a great color.
Great Leap's best-selling pizza is a classic pepperoni (RMB 120/16-inch) but we're also fans of their excellent vegetarian pizzas such as The Shroom (with mushrooms, garlic, parmesan, arugula, thyme, and lemon-ricotta honey) and The Green Machine (with zucchini, red peppers, garlic, kale, shallots, red chili flakes, and black pepper ricotta) (both RMB 120). Originally only available at Great Leap Brewing #45 in Xinyuanli, diners can now get pizzas at their taproom in Lido, too.
3. Bottega
Since opening in 2014, Bottega has proven itself a missing link in Beijing's burgeoning pizza scene. In 2019 they maintain their 3rd place position from 2018. The Salvo brothers' Neapolitan-style pizzas have 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. With two venues in Sanlitun's Nali Patio and further north in Xinyuanli, Bottega remains one of Beijing's best-loved pizzerias and it looks as if that recognition can only grow in the coming years.
Bottega's pizza menu offers a lot of choice but you can't go wrong with the eponymous Bottega pizza (RMB 138), topped with anchovies, cherry tomatoes, and a great big sphere of organic burrata, while their best-seller is the diavola spicy Italian salami (RMB 88), which has a final flourish of chili flakes for extra spice.
2. Q Mex
Q Mex might not seem like an obvious place for pizza but just like their consistent high-ranking in the Burger Cup, their tasty pizzas are also winning over Beijing hearts and stomachs, taking them from 8th last year to second this year. Their climb up the rankings has certainly not been without controversy but ultimately the effort that goes into their pizzas speaks for itself.
Q Mex offers a range of pizzas on a choice of thin tortilla-style crust or thick New York-style crust that range from the ordinary – Margherita – to the creative – chicken and chorizo jambalaya. Our editors are big fans of the Mexican-inspired pizzas, such as the spicy nacho pizza (RMB 80), which comes topped with guacamole, salsa, ground beef, and crispy tortilla strips, and the spicy chorizo pizza with jalapeno and cilantro (RMB 75), with homemade chorizo. Coupled with a wide-ranging menu of strong drinks and regular promotions and events, Q Mex has earned a rightful place among Beijing's most popular pizza spots.
1. Pizza Saporita
Formerly known as Pizza+, Pizza Saporita has always been a formidable challenger and never dropping too far away from the top of the pile, coming fifth place in 2015, ninth in 2016, slipping down to 19th in 2017, before bouncing back to 10th last year.
Pizza Saporita sets itself apart from the crowd by selling pizza by the slice (or "al taglio" as the Italians say) – although their pizzas are also available whole. An Italian team oversees a menu that really does offer something for everyone, whether you like your pizza cheese-free, extra cheesy, topped with seafood or completely veggie (and that's just a selection of the combos on offer).
Speaking at Pizza Saporita's Shizipo venue just after their win was announced, chef Alex di Tullio said that after having taken a break from the Pizza Festival last year, they were especially happy at this year's event: "We saw that a lot of people were interested in our pizza and lots of people were asking questions," he added, "Our number one pizza in sales is our Forest pizza, topped with sausage, truffle, mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms."
When asked why their pizza saw them crowned 2019 Pizza Champions, di Tullio didn't hesitate to explain: "For the quality and the price, we are the best. Also, we’re the only type of Roma-style pizza in Beijing."
See how this year's best pizzas rack up compared to last year
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