13 Years of Square Pizzas at Hutong Pizza

Ahead of this year's Pizza Cup and Festival -- which kicks off this Sunday -- we are serving up bite-sized details about this year's participants in a series we call Pizza Mania. We kick it off today with one of Beijing's longest-running independent pizza purveyors, the beloved Hutong Pizza.

Just recently having celebrated its 13-year anniversary, Hutong Pizza's square pizzas participate again in our Pizza Cup and just like last year, they're hoping to score big.

This modest location may have over 600 years of history – the restaurant previously home to Guanyin Temple – but don't worry, their pizzas are more than contemporary, opting for an eyecatching square design and a stomach busting 32 varieties. The space itself is extremely quiet when compared to the hustle and bustle of nearby Houhai.

Their bestselling pizzas are the Hawaiian, Mediterranean, and carnivore carnival. Last year, owner Wang Kunsong told us that their most unique pizza is the Mediterranean pizza, which is smothered in mozzarella, feta cheese, tomato sauce, pesto, all sitting atop a thin, crispy crust. We're also fans of the anchovy and olive pizza, which also comes with sliced red and green bell peppers spread evenly across a thin cornmeal-dusted crust.

Crispy jacket potato skins with garlic dip

Wang told us about Hutong Pizza's philosophy, saying: “all of our pizzas are pretty standard. By standard, I mean our pizzas are like cars: plenty of car companies say we have this new technology or that, but the actual production is standardized, and has been tested and perfected over time. That process of standardization takes a lot of wisdom from many people, and that wisdom will align to the tastes and preferences of all kinds of customers.”

This year, from Oct 8 to Nov 8, Hutong Pizza will be offering 15 percent off all pizzas. What are you waiting for? Head to Houhai and see what exactly has kept this rare breed of pizza outlet alive in Beijing for so long.

The Beijinger's 2016 Pizza Cup and Festival is just around the corner. The celebration will kick off with Pies for the People on September 18 onwards. Get special deals from various pizza parlors around town. Click here for more details.