Tube Station Brags Being the Mostest Hostess

Ahead of this year's Pizza Cup and Festival, we are serving up bite-sized details about this year's participants in a series we call Pizza Mania. This time we introduce Tube Station.

Since its founding circa 2011, following the acrimonious split between the business partners that brought Kro's Nest to life, one half of that venture, Yuan Jie, went on to form Tube Station, arguably Beijing's pizza behemoth. Now bragging 13 stores across the city, the restaurant still sticks to what has made it popular since its inception: serving humongous pizzas that satisfy the cravings of both local and foreign tastes.

Tube Station has never shied away from being one of the loudest and brashest vendors at our Pizza Fests, which is partly why we like them. And they've certainly earned the right to boast – their pizzas, like their business tactics, ain't dainty and there's something deeply satisfying to my human base instincts to see a steaming and stacked 24-inch hearty and chewy crust, delivered in a box that can only fit through the front door at a 45-degree angle.

A sight difficult to ignore and not drool all over courtesy of Tube Station at our 2015 Pizza Fest

Apparently, I'm not the only one that likes to fester in doughy decadence, as Tube Station's Media Manager Victoria Yang tells me that to this day, their bestselling pizza remains their notorious Garbage Pail (medium, RMB 170; large, RMB 220), which features every single one of their classic toppings on one pizza.

But that's not to say that the team doesn't also know how to do nuanced, launching two new pizzas this past summer: Summer Salmon (small, RMB 55; medium, RMB 135; large, RMB 175) and Greek Champion (small, RMB 55; medium, RMB 145; large, RMB 185). The former (pictured at top) may raise a few eyebrows, combining smoked salmon, fresh orange, and walnuts, but may just trick your brain into thinking you're eating healthy. The vegetarian Greek Champion however, was borne from an experiment at 2015's Pizza Fest, its combination of caramelized onions and Greek feta cheese going on to be voted Metro Radio's Champion Pizza at the event, providing the name that would eventually stick.

Some deals to wash it all down

As always, Tube Station will be present at our October 15-16 2016 Pizza Fest, hoping to nab voters' hearts, minds, and stomachs with some suitably brazen showboating as well as coupons for 50 percent off their small in-store pizzas. We wouldn't expect anything less, after all, as they say: go big or go home.

Did that whet your appetite? Then click here to continue nibbling all of our tasty Pizza Mania coverage.

Tickets are still on sale for our October 15-16 Pizza Fest (yup, that's this coming weekend!) at the Zaha Hadid-designed Wangjing SOHO. Tickets are limited so buy ahead to make sure you don't miss out! Click here to purchase.