La Pizza, The Rug & Jing-A Close Some Branches + More Changes
Beijing's F&B community saw its fair share of surprise closures last year, with longtime favorites bidding farewell with great abandon and some lesser-known hits quietly disappearing for good. Unfortunately for us in the capital, the closures continue into 2025.
Branches of three Western dining stalwarts have shut recently, and one other popular brand has been taken over by new ownership.
La Pizza's Shangdu SOHO Branch Says Arrivederci
Once a sleeper favorite among Italian expats in the capital for its expertly made pizza and rotating menu of pasta and comfort food, La Pizza Shangdu SOHO is now no more.
Gennaro Miele, current manager and business partner of former La Pizza chef Giuseppe de Stefano told the Beijinger the shop has been sold to fellow Italian eatery SÌPASTA (more on them later) following his decision to return to Italy.
La Pizza has had a storied 15 years in the capital, with its still-standing, original Solana location making waves among resident foodies and pizza lovers when it opened in 2008. The pizzeria's successes enabled their expansion into Shangdu SOHO a few years later.
The brand was shaken by tragedy in 2021, when de Stefano was hospitalized following complications due to a septic infection. Even though the Beijing expat community rallied to raise funds for de Stefano’s hospital care, and the chef ultimately made a full recovery, he returned to Italy that same year, leaving La Pizza’s future uncertain.
Thanks to the enterprising efforts of Miele, La Pizza’s Shangdu SOHO branch made a comeback in a big way from 2023 onwards. New additions like their larger Pizza a Ruota di Carro (“wheel of the cart” pizza) and a rotating list of regional pastas garnered rave reviews.
Sadly, the Shangdu SOHO location’s time has come to a close, with the reins passing on to SÌPASTA, who has also seen a recent shake up…
SÌPASTA Gets New Owners
…in the form of new ownership, with the pasta-focused Italian eatery in Liangmaqiao having been sold to new owners at the end of last year.
Opened in April 2022, SÌPASTA quickly created a buzz in Beijing for being one of the only Italian restaurants in the city to focus completely on pasta. All pasta here was handmade and used in everything from traditional classics to the more elaborate Spaghetti alle Parmigiano Reggiano, prepared tableside in an open wheel of the eponymous cheese.
While it’s unclear as to what direction the brand will take after this, or what’s in store for the original location – a notice posted in December said the store was closed for renovations – the new Shangdu location in La Pizza's former digs seems to already be open, although its operating hours have yet to be confirmed on Dianping.
The Rug Closes Two of Its Three Locations
Two branches of longstanding Beijing dining spot The Rug shut in January: both its Sanlitun Courtyard No. 4 location and its Wangfujing branch.
Per a pre-Chinese New Year post on the Rug’s official WeChat account, the two branches closed Jan 16, with the post stating they’d be looking for new locations in the near future.
Having been around since 2014, the SLT branch of The Rug served up more than just breakfast from its two-floor space in the compound. Along with typical brunch options, there were other Western staples, including their ever-popular Mapo Tofu Pizza.
Thankfully, The Rug is survived by its Chaoyang Park branch, meaning their mapo tofu pie is still up for grabs and first tries. Here’s hoping they’ll find new locations soon.
Jing-A Quietly Closes Hopson One Location
In other closure news, Jing-A has quietly closed its location in Hopson One near Dawanglu. A post on their official WeChat stated that due to the expiration of the lease, they will now "adjust their operational plan" and the Hopson One location is no longer included on their official list of locations on their WeChat.
Jing-A Hopson One opened its doors in the fall of 2022, debuting a Surf & Turf burger and small bar snacks only available at the then-new digs. Jing-A has seen a lot of changes over the past few years after Covid. The brand closed one of their locations in Shenzhen in 2023, one of their first outside the capital, which was followed by a standardizing of their menu across all locations in early 2024.
READ: 24 Hours in Beijing With Charles de Pellette
Images: theBeijingers, Uni You, courtesy of the venues
