‘17 Champ Pie Squared Brings Detroit Style to New Location

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While its award-winning Detroit-style pizza remains the same, Pie Squared has a new home near the Western Academy of Beijing in northeastern Chaoyang District.

The new location is only two kilometers southwest of their previous spot just outside of Capital Paradise but puts them just that much closer to being able to deliver to neighborhoods like Wangjing and Lido.

The winner of The Beijinger's Pizza Cup in 2017, Pie Square’s claim to fame is their Detroit-style pizza, a thick-crust pizza baked in a pan with toppings spread right to the edge, leaving no discernable exposed crust (as you might see in a more standard round pizza).

Caramelized edges are one of the attributes that make Pie Squared's Detroit-style pizzas uniquely delicious

As it bakes, the cheese and sauce caramelize around the edge of the pan, leaving a crunchy border that provides a tasty contrast to the doughy and soft base. The dough also resists getting soggy because the cheese is put on first, unlike most pizzas that use sauce as the base layer. Liberal use of sauce and toppings prevent the pizza from getting too dry or bready.

Pie Squared’s menu features a range of standard pizza combinations, as well as more unique permutations like the Motown Meatball, featuring meatballs, onions, and cheese. One I’ve seen nowhere else in Beijing is the BLT Pizza: a pizza first baked in the oven with cheese and crispy bacon, then topped with mayo, fresh lettuce, and tomatoes. Fans rave about it, making it one of the more popular menu choices.

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Individual-sized pan pizzas run from RMB 42 to RMB 60, while larger pies run from RMB 78 to RMB 155.More of a traditionalist? You can also order the same combos on a standard round crust (in regular and thin crust permutations), but that would be like ordering Kung Pao Chicken at a Roast Duck restaurant. Stick with the square if you’re a newbie -- it’s what makes them special.

In addition to pizzas, they also serve salads and pasta, as well as mac and cheese, chicken wings, stromboli, and mozzarella sticks.

Pie Squared staff celebrate their 2017 victory in front of their old location

The new shop is considerably smaller than its previous digs (with only 20 seats in its dining room), but it retains the Americana-centric atmosphere. Murals and mosaics featuring their logo decorate the wall alongside Detroit memorabilia. More than any other pizzeria I’ve been to in Beijing, it’s got the look and feel of a neighborhood pizza shop straight out of the United States.

Their cozy interior has the authentic look and feel of an American neighborhood pizzeria

Soon they’ll be on delivery apps such as Meituan and JSS (previously they had fulfilled all their deliveries via their own couriers). In the meantime, their delivery service is unavailable, though you can dine in or call ahead (their phone, 6438-2112, remains the same) for pickup.

The new location puts them smack dab in the middle of a new row of restaurants just north of the campus of Western Academy of Beijing. There’s been a veritable explosion of new openings there recently: new locations of Hulu and Hatsune; the new Ganga Impression Indian restaurant; and Hulu’s new healthy lunch concept Peaches. Add the existing Pinotage South African restaurant, Michael’s German Bakery, and the Secrets from Africa coffee shop, and it makes for a dining destination worth going out of your way for.

Pie Squared
8 Laiguangying Dong Lu, Building 1, 1-5, Chaoyang District, Beijing
方派披萨店
朝阳区来广营东路8号1楼1-5
6438-2112
Open daily 11am-9pm

Images: Michael Wester, The Beijingers

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