Bottega and The Local Bow Out of Pizza Cup 2018 Championship
Following just over six weeks of intense, lip-lickingly delicious competition, the two venues to duke it out in this year's Championship Round of the 2018 Pizza Cup stand before us, proud, defiant, and slightly burnt around the edges: Gung Ho and La Pizza.
Now eight years old, Gung Ho has proved a formidable foe in every single one of our Pizza Cups, showings that have culminated in their winning of the crown in 2014 and 2015. Additionally, they placed third in 2016 and fifth last year, dropping a couple of places but still leaving close to 100 venues trailing in their wake. A strong marketing campaign and some brilliantly thought out games at this year's Pizza Festival undoubtedly put the New Zealand-hailing restaurant in the minds of this year's voters.
The Gung Ho crew at the finish line of 2015's Pizza Cup
In this year's competition, the Gung Ho crew has had to fight off a number of strong competitors, including Pizza Saporita, last year's winners Pie Squared, and 2016's champs Bottega in the Final Four, proving that year-to-year, it's still anyone's game.
Though La Pizza is the underdog in this year's competition, having never held high the gilded pizza trophy, they similarly have faired very well in previous cups, placing fifth, ninth, fifth, and seventh in 2014-2017, respectively. Among their loyal fans, the nine-year-old restaurant is adored for its wood-fired pizzas and authentic Italian toppings; "Everything at La Pizza comes from Napoli in Italy: the owner, the oven, the chef, and the ingredients, including the flour, the peeled tomatoes, the mozzarella, and even the salt."
In their lead-up to the final, La Pizza had to duel it out with a couple of their own countrymen, laying to waste Tavola in the opening round before taking out Eatalia in the Elite 8. Not even Courtyard 4 favorites The Local could stop La Pizza's run towards the finish line.
Scan/Extract the QR code below or forever hold your peace. Vote for whoever you want to see crowned the 2018 Pizza Champ!
Stats breakdown
Now for the number crunching. Last round, we asked you a little bit about your pizza habits, and this is what we found:
The Pizza Festival has changed hearts and minds: 42 percent of you have changed your opinion on your favorite pizza in Beijing
The Pizza Festival broadened your pizza horizons: 80 percent found out about new pizza places you had not heard of before, and 61 percent of you went out to try them
The Pizza Festival probably fattened you up: 58 percent of you have eaten more pizza than usual and 42 percent of you have drunk more beer
We also asked you which regional styles you liked the best, with Neapolitan edging out New York-style, 28 percent to 24 percent. In the epic battle of the ownership of pizza in people’s minds, Italian styles (Neapolitan, Roman, and Sicilian) combined to reel in 56 percent of voters, whereas the American styles (New York, Chicago, Detroit, and New Haven) combined to take 44 percent. The tally:
Neapolitan-style (28 percent)
New York-style (24 percent)
Roman-style (14 percent)
Sicilian-style (14 percent)
Chicago-style / Deep Dish (11 percent)
Detroit-style (7 percent)
New Haven-style (2 percent)
Naples and New York also scored big when it comes to being the cities you most closely associate with great pizza. Naples, the traditional home of pizza, took a full third of the votes, while 21 percent – our homies in the capital of the Middle Kingdom – chose Beijing, with New York in third place, giving a top 10 like this:
Naples (34 percent)
Beijing (21 percent)
New York City (14 percent)
Rome (8 percent)
Chicago (6 percent)
Any Italian city (3 percent)
Shanghai (2 percent)
Milan (2 percent)
Melbourne (2 percent)
Detroit (1 percent)
All others (7 percent) (Auckland, Belgrade, Florence, London, New Haven, Palermo, Paris, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Marino, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Sicily, Tokyo, Turin)
Additionally, we asked you what your reaction would be if your dining companion asked for a knife and fork (or a pair of chopsticks) to eat their pizza. Fifty-eight percent of you remarked that pizza should be enjoyed with your hands only, while 42 percent were much more tolerant of eating pizza with a knife and fork or a pair of chopsticks.
The top 10 responses from the hands-only camp:
I’d give them an Ultimate Warrior Flying Double Leg Kick to their disrespectful face.
I’d stick them with the bill and delete their WeChat.
I’d tell them they can DiDi home alone.
I’d ask if they have lost their mind. Would likely not eat pizza with them again.
Blasphemy!
I’d give him or her a slap in the face.
I’d flip the table.
I’d tell them God is going to punish them.
I’d give it to them in dismay. I have chosen the wrong dining companion.
I’d tell them we are no longer friends.
And from the laissez-faire anything goes side:
Whatever, I’m not a fascist.
Chopsticks? *bows down* Teach me, master.
Everyone enjoys pizza his or her own way!
All good, gotta be stuck up to care.
That’s cool, each to their own!
Give it to them, it’s better they enjoy the pizza than care about the method.
Give them a pair, everybody is free to enjoy their pizza the way they want.
I tell them I embrace diversity.
I’m Italian, and I love to eat pizza with knife and fork; in this way I can eat more slowly and I can have pizza for more time!
Whatever, man, it all tastes the same.
It's a divisive foodstuff this pizza! And with that, all there is to do is to vote, wait, and eat more pizza than you probably should. 'Tis the season after all. Voting closes on Monday, Nov 5 at noon and the ultimate Pizza Champion will be crowned and announced at 3pm! Stay tuned!
Final rankings from #5 on as voted by you
5. Annie's
6. Pie Squared
7. Eatalia
8. Q Mex
9. Great Leap Brewing #45
10. Pizza Saporita
11. Kro's Nest
12. Tube Station
13. Pyro Pizza
14. Papa John's
15. Ramo
16. Yummy Box
17. Paddy O'Shea's
18. Pizza Marzano
19. Tavola
20. Xian, East Beijing Hotel
21. Mao Mao Chong
22. Domino's
23. La Villa
24. Lievito
25. Tiago
26. The Veggie Table
27. Lily's American Diner
28. Lakers
29. Tribe
30. Pizza Hut
31. Legend Beer
32. NBeer Pub
33. Pizza Factory
34. Stuff'd (closed after voting started)
35. VSports
36. Luga's Villa
37. Eudora Station
38. The Rug
39. Fellas
40. Grandma's Kitchen
41. Le Fromager de Pékin
42. Tim's Texas BBQ
43. Bocca Della Verita
44. Nasca Cafe
45. Mrs Shanen's / Green Cow Cafe
46. LMPlus
47. Mio, Four Seasons Hotel
48. 1st Floor
49. Scott's Family Ristorante Italiano
50. Andy’s
51. Joe’s Bar & Kitchen
52. QS
53. Mr Pizza
54. Assaggi
55. Pizza Buona
56. Flypizza & Hoodakdak Chicken
57. Peter Pan
58. Panda Brew
59. Nine Road Pizzeria
60. Buddy Bar
61. PBD Pizza Bar
62. Fratelli Fresh, Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel
63. Via Roma, Kempinski Hotel
64. 789 (A-Life)
65. Radici
66. Peiping Machine
67. Pizza Now
68. Bene, Sheraton Grand Dongcheng Hotel
69. Uno Bar & Grill
70. Passby Bar
71. Red Rose
72. Charlie's
73. Max Pizza
74. Mix's Italian Grill, Crowne Plaza Zhongguancun
75. Four Ace
76. Botany
77. Leos Pizza
78. Elisa's
79. Jazz-Ya
80. Prego, Westin Financial Street
81. Casalingo
82. Kitchen Igosso
83. Agrilandia
84. Hisewel Brew-pub
85. Pizzagram
86. Loft Eatalicious
87. Yun Brew
88. Blufish
89. Pinvita
90. Whale's Pizza
91. Miss Pizza
92. Byone
93. Jushi Pizza Just in Time!
94. Atta BJ
95. Ebeiguo
96. BK's Tavern
97. Pomona
Images: the Beijinger
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