Behold, Your New 2017 Pizza Champion: Pie Squared!

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It's been a hell of a ride but the new Pizza Champion for 2017 has been decided and it's one that's likely to shock many a steadfast Beijing pizza lover as well as give backers for the underdog much cause for celebration. Yes, that's right, the dark horse of this year's competition, Pie Squared, has ridden all the way through to claim this year's pizza crown, laying to waste reigning champions Bottega in the process.

It was a hard-fought battle and one that had plenty of drama and shock results along the way. Pie Squared's ascent up the rankings saw the Shunyi-based pizzeria knock down Lido's Eudora Station before sizing up against brewery giants Great Leap, then gave the heave-ho to New Zealand fair traders Gung Ho!, and finally clinched victory from formidable finalists Bottega.

This year's completed Pizza Cup bracket

The win is even more admirable given the two venues' varying trajectories over the past year. Bottega has been on the up-and-up, opening not one but two new venues, including their massive 300-seat space in Xinyuanli. But even that was not enough to unravel Pie Squared, which since its founding in 2013 has been quietly building a dedicated following among Shunyi residents as well as others closer to the center of town -- a spectacle that was obvious at this year's Pizza Festival, where a perpetual line snaked from their stand for both days of the fest.

What Pie Squared has seemingly been able to do is tap into Beijing's northeastern American-centric market, one that is largely word-of-mouth-based, delivering a warm atmosphere and a "taste of home" through their authentic Detroit-style pizzas.

That pizza in itself is noteworthy for its square shape, a byproduct of spare industrial parts trays being used to bake the pizzas back in 1940s Detroit, according to the city's lore, and delectable for the cheese that slowly bubbles outwards as the dough rises, finally caramelizing on the pizza's chewy crust.

Looking back at this year's competition, its apparent through where votes fell that the Pizza Cup changed as many hearts and minds as it did expand voters' waistlines. Pizza horizons have also once again been expanded, with 87 percent of you stating that you have learned about new pizza places, and 77 percent going out to try new pizza places they had not tried before. In the process, nearly half (48 percent) changed their opinion on their favorite pizza in Beijing.

But that's not to say the old favorites suffered during the promotion, with a full 72 percent of voters reporting that they ate their favorite pizza more than usual during the six-week run of the '17 Pizza Cup.

Also, boozing it up appears to be a time-honored pizza tradition, at least for half our voters, with 55 percent reporting that they consumed more beer than usual over the voting period.

Yes, this year's Pizza Cup was rife with surprising changes and ranking upsets from start to finish. Many establishments experienced dramatic jumps (and drops) in their rankings, such as Xingfucun Zhonglu's Frost making the great leap over 50 spots, from last year's obscure #78 to this year's #28, likely partly to do with their bagel pizzas served at the '17 Pizza Fest. Likewise, Eudora Station, which last year ranked #87, this year landed at #30.

Even our new reigning champ, Pie Squared, made the grueling climb from their #11 spot last year to become the #1 most-beloved pizza slingers in Beijing.

Interestingly, all of the top 12 pizzerias in the final rankings were locally born and bred – a testament to the character, class, and vitality of Beijing's food and beverage scene.

Pie Squared becomes our fourth different champion in the five years we've held the annual poll, joining Bottega (2016), Gung Ho! (2014 and 2015), and Kro's Nest (2011). No contests were held in 2012 or 2013.

And with that, the final rankings for the 2017 Pizza Cup look like this:

1. Pie Squared
2. Bottega
3. Eatalia
4. Tube Station
5. Gung Ho! Pizza
6. Annie's
7. La Pizza
8. Kro's Nest
9. Great Leap Brewing #45
10. Pyro Pizza
11. Ramo
12. The Local
13. Pizza Marzano
14. Luga's Villa
15. Hutong Pizza
16. Yummy Box
17. Q Mex
18. The Tree
19. Pizza Saporita
20. Papa John's
21. Pizza Factory
22. Tiago
23. Mao Mao Chong
24. Paddy O'Shea's
25. Pizza View
26. Tavola
27. Xian at East, Beijing
28. Frost
29. Bene
30. Eudora Station
31. VSports
32. Agrilandia
33. Sureno
34. Flypizza & Hoodakdak Chicken
35. Mio, Four Seasons Hotel
36. Bocca Della Verita
37. Grandma's Kitchen
38. Stuff'd
39. Vineyard Café
40. The Rug
41. Yellow Cab
42. Pizza Hut
43. Tim's Texas BBQ
44. Pizza by LMPlus
45. Domino's
46. New York Style Pizza
47. Lily's American Diner
48. Lakers
49. Passby Bar
50. Mr Pizza
51. Pizza Buona
52. The Irish Volunteer
53. Nasca Cafe
54. Jazz-Ya
55. Scott's Family Ristorante Italiano
56. Radici
57. Fratelli Fresh
58. Legend Beer
59. La Rucola
60. 789 (A-Life)
61. Buddy Bar
62. Jushi Pizza Just in Time!
63. Le Fromager de Pékin
64. Leos Pizza
65. Tribe
66. iFresh Pizza
67. Panda Brew
68. Ahava Bistro + Café
69. Alley Ale Taproom
70. Botany
71. Flying Kangaroo
72. Max Pizza
73. Miss Pizza
74. Elisa's
75. Four Ace
76. Napa
77. Park 17
78. The Veggie Table
79. 1st Floor
80. Atta BJ
81. Ebeiguo
82. Via Roma, Kempinski Hotel
83. Mrs Shanen's / Green Cow Cafe
84. Loft Eatalicious  
85. BK's Tavern
86. Doppio Sete Pizza
87. Yun Brew
88. Nine Road Pizzeria
89. Assaggi
90. PBD Pizza Bar
91. Peter Pan
92. Casalingo
93. Isola
94. Pizza Now
95. Pizza Maru
96. FA Cafe
97. Michael’s Place
98. Whale's Pizza
99. Mix's Italian Grill
100. Charlie's
101. Pomona
102. Prego, Westin Financial Street
103. Ricci Café
104. Kitchen Igosso
105. Byone

Finally, congratulations to Pie Squared and a huge thank you to everyone who participated and voted in this year's competition! Bring on next year (just after we've burned off the excess calories). You can see all of this year's action as it unfolded here: thebeijinger.com/2017pizzacup.

Images: Uni You, the Beijinger

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