Closures, New Competitors Change Complexion of Pizza Cup ‘18

The Beijingers | Oct 16, 2018 11:30 am | Add a comment | 1939 reads

Its been a tough year for Beijing’s pizza-slingers: of the 105 that ended up on our top pizza list last year, nearly a quarter of them are no longer in business, and another few dropped pizza from their menu.

In the rough and tumble world of Beijing F&B, closures are to be expected, but a 25 percent closure rate is quite a bit higher than in previous years.

Among the fallen are Hutong Pizza (#15), who was removed from its ancestral home near the banks of Houhai and is in search for a new spot. Also, the Trees (the original and the Hidden Tree, ranked #18) are no longer with us, marking the first time one or the other did not appear in the cup. Ambitious by-the-slice purveyors Pizza View (#25) closed as well, as did heavyweight competitor Sureno (#33). Vineyard Café (#39) will also be missed.

Other notable closures this year include Lido’s The Irish Volunteer (recently reopening, amid some controversy, as Shamrock), as well as Chaoyang West Gate’s La Rucola; Napa, Park 17, and Isola.

Despite this carnage, the leaders are still going strong – our Top 12 this year are still turning out quality products for their beloved customers and return for the battle.

Taking the place of these fallen is a healthy influx of new competitors – 13 that are either new this year or previously were unranked in our Top 100. We take a closer look at some of them below:

Andy’s (new)
Serving Napoli-style pizza with subtle, minimalist toppings, and a soft crust, south-end newcomer Andy's is a welcome addition to the sometimes sparse restaurant scene outside of Sanlitun, Gulou and the CBD. While we were more impressed by the pasta and risottos when we visited back in January, who knows what a difference 10 months will make?

Fella's (previously unranked)
This sports bar and family restaurant located in the Beigao area of Beijing, just north of WAB, is popular among the Shunyi community for its large veranda and views of the adjoining lake and willow trees. Between the setting and its selection of pizzas and other Italian favorites, Fella's makes for an idyllic location for an afternoon pint.

Hisewel Brew-pub (new)
Yet to celebrate its first Beijingversary, newbie Wangjing pub Hisewel by Scottish Gordon McMeekin proved itself well worth a visit when we went out to visit back in May. Will their pizza's live up to the high standard set by their beers? We're looking forward to finding out.

Joe’s Bar & Kitchen (previously unranked)
Sanlitun is crammed with slick, trendy and high-end dining venues, and Joe's Bar & Kitchen is not one of them. Thank god, because Beijing needs more friendly, unpretentious bars where you can grab a bite and watch some sport with your friends. During happy hour (5-10pm), their pizzas are only RMB 40, so there's no excuse for not giving this newcomer to the Pizza Cup a try.

La Villa (new)
With seven different pizzas on the menu, this classy Chaoyang Italian restaurant – with an in-house gas oven and an open kitchen so you can see the chef kneading the fresh dough – charmed the pants off us when we visited back in March and is likely to be a strong gourmet contender.

Lievito (previously unranked)
"Lievito’s 'south flavors' gourmet pizza is so offbeat that it shouldn’t work, and yet it does." Serving up unusual pizza choices such as battered cod on rustic, semi-whole-grain dough made with imported Italian flour, as well as deep-fried panzerotto, Lievito certainly stands out from the crowd. But while they certainly put a smile on our faces, only you can decide if they deserve a place in this year's Pizza Cup.

NBeer Pub (previously unranked)
Despite having been around since 2013, this is the first time that NBeer Pub is entering into the heady world of pizza competition. The mega-bars with their rows and rows of shiny taps certainly have beer tasting locked down, but can they compete in the pie game? Given that their menu includes durian cheesecake for dessert, we are somewhat skeptical.

Peiping Machine (previously unranked)
Attendees of last year's Pizza Festival might recall tasting piping hot slices of Peiping Machine pizzas before they were officially on the pub's menu. Now they are, and they're ready to take on the greats in our epic voting battle.

Pinvita (new)
Pinvita is rapidly branching out from ice cream, for which they were originally known, serving up stacked burgers at our 2018 Beijing Burger Cup, and now entering into the pizza fray with the 11 pies that appear on their menu. They are playing it very safe with their topping choices (margherita, four seasons, as well as calzones, are all here) but hey, who said pizza had to be complicated?

Pizzagram (new)
Pizzagram, as the name suggests, is a pizza parlor, where said pies are sold by the gram. At RMB 18 per 100g, they offer up great value, and the arcade-style ranking board, where different pizza slices rise and fall according to their popularity – is a super fun way to keep track of what people are enjoying. Are they still serving up quality slices, as they were when we visited in February? You be the judge.

QS (new)
They've been serving up cheap, late-night grub to hungry party-goers for a couple of years now, but pizzas only just made it onto their menu recently. Pretty much any slice of pizza will do at 4am, when you're drunk, hungry and tired, but will QS be able to hold their own in the fiercely competitive Pizza Cup? Watch this space.

Red Rose (new)
2018 has been a very big year for Xingfucun favorite Red Rose. After falling victim to the Great Brickening, and being shuttered at the beginning of the year, they reopened last month with a fresh new look and heavy-hitting lineup of Shanghai F&B stars. But all of this pales in comparison to their entry into our Pizza Cup list. It's a historic moment for them.

Uno Bar & Grill (new)
Opening a bar and grill right next to Paddy O'Shea's is a bold move to be sure, but if Uno Bar & Grill are worried, they aren't showing it. We appreciated their pies when we visited back in January, and are looking forward to seeing how their interesting pies (like the mozzarella, Christmas ham, and truffles) stack up in the Cup.

Blufish (new)
Psychedelic "under the sea"-themed Wangfujing restaurant Blufish are nothing if not creative. The avant-garde nutters who – as you may recall, sold creole crawfish croissant pizza at our 2018 Hot & Spicy Festival, so we're kind of dying to see what they come up with on the pizza stakes.