Newbies Niu Burger, Burge's Power Through Into the 2021 Burger Cup Sweet 16

Well, burger fans, we've made it another round. Separating the whole wheat buns from the chaff buns, your votes have cut out 16 competitors from the Cup, leaving another 16 to fight tooth and nail for the top spot. 

SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW TO CAST YOUR VOTE IN THE SWEET 16

You have until Friday, Oct 8 to vote! That gives you the whole holiday to get out there and try all the burgers you're not yet familiar with before casting your ballot.

Now, onto the results!

A number of newbies were able to push their way into the round of 32, but the Sweet 16 is a different beast, and only one pair of newcomers had what it takes. The first was Burge's Bistro, who managed to beat down NBeer Pub to keep their spot in this round. It goes to show how effective strutting their stuff at Burger Fest really was!

Of course, we were all curious to see how international giant Shake Shack would perform in their first year in the Cup, but their virgin run ends here: they were narrowly sacked by the other newcomer to bust through – Niu Burger – who also had a good showing slinging their burgers at this year's Fest. 

However, luck of the Burger Cup draw has it that both newbies are in the same bracket, and each will have to fight against entrenched stalwarts to survive another round. Burge's must now go bun-to-bun with Home Plate, while Niu Burger must contend with perennial top 10 brewmeisters Beersmith.

Meanwhile, KATCHUP, a hutong burger joint who's done alright for themselves in the past, was knocked out clean by an old classic, Blue Frog

Miam Miam put up a strong fight this year, picking up the Crafter's burger that landed second place in 2019, but they were matched up with a tough opponent this round – their old rival Slow Boat who bested them for the championship that year and bested them again in this year's Round of 32.

With the exception of Boxing Cat, who closed their only Beijing location last year, eleven of last year's Top 12 are still in the running in the Sweet 16. The remaining five – newbies Burge's and Niu Burger, alongside Slider Nation, Fatburger, and The Local – will now see if they can outperform the establishment and upset the status quo. Here's to a rumble worth biting into!

You'll find the full shakeup below:

Bracket A Results
Side Street街旁 over DE REFTER比利时啤酒·餐吧
Great Leap Brewing大跃啤酒 over The Roots香海西厨
Blue Frog蓝蛙 over KATCHUP
Slider Nation小堡邦 over Hulu by TRB琥禄

Bracket B Results
Slow Boat Brewery悠航鲜啤 over Miam Miam咪吖咪吖
Jing-A京A over Lily's American Diner
Arrow Factory Brewing箭厂啤酒 over Bistro 108巴黎餐吧
The Local over Paddy O'Shea's爱尔兰酒吧

Bracket C Results
Q Mex Bar & Grill库迈墨西哥餐吧 over Messy Burger汉堡探索中心
3 Little Pigs by Andy's Craft Sausages三小猪 over Fire Works北焰扒房
The Great Outdoors野友趣 over Peach by Hulu
Fatburger特福客汉堡 over Kitty & Daniel Hollywood Grill & Bar大牛好莱坞餐吧

Bracket D Results
Home Plate BBQ本垒美式烤肉 over Fat Tiger Burger胖虎汉堡
Beersmith Gastropub鲜啤吧 over Plan B
Niu Burger橘气牛蘑王手工汉堡 over Shake Shack 
Burge's Bistro & Bar小伯格酒馆 over NBeer Pub牛啤堂精酿啤酒餐吧

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The matchups for the Sweet 16 Round!

Bracket A Matchups
Side Street街旁 vs Slider Nation小堡邦  
Great Leap Brewing大跃啤酒 vs Blue Frog蓝蛙

Bracket B Matchups
Slow Boat Brewery悠航鲜啤 vs The Local 
Jing-A京A vs Arrow Factory Brewing箭厂啤酒 

Bracket C Matchups
Q Mex Bar & Grill库迈墨西哥餐吧 vs Fatburger特福客汉堡 
3 Little Pigs by Andy's Craft Sausages三小猪 vs The Great Outdoors野友趣 

Bracket D Matchups
Home Plate BBQ本垒美式烤肉 vs Burge's Bistro & Bar小伯格酒馆  
Beersmith Gastropub鲜啤吧 vs Niu Burger橘气牛蘑王手工汉堡

Finally, as is our custom, we asked you to rank those who didn't make it into the Round of 32. Here's how you rank them (these are now these venues' final standings in the 2021 Burger Cup):

33. The Cheesecake Factory芝乐坊
34. Peiping Machine北平机器
35. Turkish Feast西庭·秀色
36. Tiger's老虎西餐
37. L'Fête de Bistro 105法式小餐馆
38. Bistrot B怡庭
39. Market Café, Hyatt Regency Beijing, Wangjing北京望京凯悦酒店·咖啡厅
40. Panda Brew熊猫精酿
41. The Music Bar, Hyatt Regency Beijing, Wangjing北京望京凯悦酒店·音乐吧
42. Lenbach兰巴赫 西餐啤酒坊
43. Angel Burger天使汉堡
44. Grandma's Kitchen祖母的厨房
45. EAST Beijing北京东隅酒店
46. Let's Burger Plus非常创意汉堡
47. 4 Corners肆角餐吧
48. Station Grill
49. La Rosee枫丹露原·福楼新概念
50. Commune Reserve
51. Migas Mercado米思家
52. Cafe Ruhe 如何餐厅
53. BLT American RestaurantBLT美式西餐厅
54. Manchester United Theater of Dreams Restaurant曼联梦剧场餐厅
55. Lush
56. The Rug Café
57. Leo's Butcher小李肉铺
58. Panorama葩诺
59. LAKER'S湖人俱乐部
60. Salt Lake Inn盐湖酒廠
61. XL Bar and Restaurant
62. WasPark
63. GLOU Bar & Kitchen
64. QS奎妮精选


They join the other restaurants that were ranked by you in the previous round:

65. Aurora
66. Spacelab 失重餐厅
67. Park Side 园景
68. CHAR Bar & Grill 恰牛扒房
69. Veggie Table 吃素的西餐
70. Legend Beer 老牌酒廠
71. Bodensee Kitchen 德南餐厅
72. Meat by Ernest 吃肉西餐厅
73. Eudora Station 亿多瑞站
74. Peking Garden 北平花园
75. Wubei at City Walk 五杯美食精酿餐厅-城市大道店
76. Wiggly Jiggly 欧也
77. Shaking Crab 波士顿手抓海鲜
78. Tough Tongue 硬舌酒肉
79. FAMOUS 墨西哥餐吧
80. Park Square Restaurant & Lounge 园庭
81. RE 而意
82. Café Flatwhite
83. Panino Teca 品味
84. Su Zui 素醉精酿
85. Dongli Brewery 东里手工啤酒
86. Alpha Omega Club 甲丁坊新德餐吧
87. World of Beer WOB 北京精酿餐厅
88. Wobbit 窝边草
89. Living Room·CHAO
90. Space & Bar 盲区
91. Houlai Burger Restaurant & Bar 逅来后来美式手工自助汉堡餐吧
92. Windy City 风渡嘉荷西餐厅
93. He Kitchen
94. Hey Burger 堡嗝汉堡
95. Bunny Drop 白兔糖精致烹牛·精酿啤酒
96. The Virtue 五德酒场
97. Uncle's Kitchen UK大叔的厨房
98. Burgermood 堡格曼
99. Foam Lab 泡沫实验室
100. The Bell x TERRAZZA MARTINI

READ: Burger Fest 2021: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Images: The Beijingers