The Beijinger 2013 Burger Cup Finalist: Home Plate Bar-B-Que

As we head into the home stretch, with the Beijinger 2013 Burger Cup culminating this Saturday (Aug 17) in the Beijinger 2013 Burger Festival at Beijing City International School (BCIS), we are reviewing all of our finalists before they cook off, face-to-face, for the title.

Home Plate Bar-B-Que
Tucked into a street of lunchtime office eateries near the US Embassy is Home Plate Bar-B-Que, a little place that has had a big impact on Beijing's non-Chinese dining scene over the last two years. The place has launched two food scene personalities, Adam Murray and Seth Grossman. They're readying their second venue, this time in Sanlitun and adding veteran Zach Lewison to the kitchen. They won Best Restaurant of the Year (Non-Chinese), Best New Restaurant (Non-Chinese), and Best American Restaurant at the Beijinger 2012 Reader Restaurant Awards. And of course, they are the current holders of the Burger Cup.

The Burger

The Cheeseburger has an advantage over the flagship offerings of all the other Burger Cup finalists: it's the least expensive. RMB 30 gets you a burger on a toasted, buttered roll, with a slice of white American cheese, tomato, pickles and lettuce. It has a real, homemade taste to it and is juicy enough to require multiple napkins. Not huge, but not expensive. The Double Cheeseburger is only 10 kuai more at RMB 40.

Price: RMB 30.

Reader comment: "Prices charged at Home Plate are absolutely reasonable – a cheeseburger is priced 30-40 RMB – and kick any 70 RMB burger's ass to the moon and back."

Why they could win it all: They're the champs. They know how to win. They have an extremely loyal fan base. The fact that they won the 2012 Burger Cup when their signature menu item is actually a pulled pork sandwich says a lot about their consistency and range. The 2011 Burger Cup winner, Blue Frog, won't be there (see below). Is the stage set for Home Plate to hit a back-to-back home run? Come on Saturday and find out.

Update: Blue Frog has withdrawn from the 2013 Burger Cup. Although they will not participate, fans of their burger may still vote for them at the event. They will be replaced by Plan B, which was featured in a finalist spotlight.

Photo: Steven Schwankert