These babies are Beijing's best pizzas

See how many you can cram down your gullet this weekend

Our next issue has a comprehensive run-down of all the best pizzas in Beijing to sink your mozzarella-maniac jaws into; for now, enjoy this snacksize peek of the list, and remember – pizza might be like sex, as in even when it's bad it's still pretty good, but these perfect pies are like the kind of sex you still tear up in joy thinking about years later. 

Bottega

Bottega, 118RMB for 12"

A refreshing pizza. They said it couldn’t be done, but if anyone was gonna do it, it had to be Bottega, who are just going from strength to strength as the finest pizzeria in town. The signature pie, dashed with salty anchovies and juicy cherry tomatoes is a corker from the get-go, but it’s when the crowning burrata bursts and oozes its beautiful, creamy innards onto the wonder below that this one really takes flight. It might just be our favourite.

The Green Machine

Great Leap Brewing #45, 110RMB for 16”; 25RMB for an 8” slice

Green Machine is on the right; the other GLB pizzas are pretty A+ too.

This Philadelphia-inspired mammoth boasts a beefed-up, pillowy crust, but that’s about as beefy as it gets; loaded with whole roasted garlic cloves, red peppers, courgette and kale, it’s a veritable forest out there, while black pepper ricotta adds creamy bursts amid the herbivorous action. This isn’t just some token nod to the veggies, though, it’s stand-up scoff in its own right, and one of the highlights on GLB’s exceedingly good pizza menu.

Calabrese

Pizza Marzarno, 128RMB

Some like it hot, and this colourful character certainly packs a brawny punch, loaded with spicy ’Nduja sausage, Calabrian-style salami, chilis galore and, just for good measure, more grilled peppers. Blobs of mozzarella, parmesan and rocket provide some respite, but unleash a ball of creamy burrata Italia

(98RMB) on top to truly balance out the kick. An ultra-thin base adds a pleasing crisp to counter the greasy, and no less pleasing, meaty action on top.

Old School Cheesey

Tube Station, 48RMB for 10”; 115RMB for 19”; 140RMB for 24”

For all the wealth of toppings that can grace the upper crust, sometimes you’re just chasing a no-nonsense quick fix, and that’s exactly what you’ll get with this New York-style mozzarella fest. Thicker crusts are ample love handles for an ever-so-cheesy and very sleazy pizza affair. Life hack: add extra cheese to take this baby to the next level. Want even more? Tube Station also claims to make ‘the biggest pizza in Beijing’ – the 32-inch Party Monster.

Parma Ham and Rocket Salad

Ramo, 68RMB for 12”; 22RMB per ‘slice’ (actually two)

Chaoyang has long been the seat of pizza power in Beijing, but Ramo keeps on fighting the good fight down in Dongcheng’s ever more depleted hutongs. Don’t be fooled – although it might call itself a salad, this is definitely a pizza, but a liberal topping of fresh rocket and cherry tomatoes certainly lessens the guilt; salty, fatty but darn tasty parma ham swings it back the other way, coming together nicely on a crusty and more than adequately cheesed thin base. Luckily for the carb-conscious, all of Ramo’s pizzas are available by the slice.

More of a burger fiend? Hit '阅读原文' for more indulgent ways to gain five pounds in the space of a weekend.

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