A Closer Look: Beijing's Best Delivery
A Closer Look reviews the winners from the Beijing 2015 Reader Restaurant Awards, which were announced March. Here we take a look at the winners of the Best Delivery category, and by this we mean the best delivery done by restaurants themselves (as opposed to external delivery services like Sherpa's or Jinshisong, which are also great but often tack on an additional delivery fee).
Best: Annie's
Annie’s is a modern-day Beijing miracle. I’ve ordered a pizza from Annie’s and had it arrive in almost less time that it takes to cook a pizza, and it's too hot to eat right out of the box. Their delivery staff are prompt, courteous and don’t ever show up without the correct change. Veterans of ordering Annie’s for home delivery will also testify to the fact that some of the dishes you order come on actual dishes: I’ve got a dozen ceramic plates and a few Annie’s bowls to prove it. Reasonable prices, reliable service, and locations that cover most of the eastern side of the city (and on up into Shunyi) make for a winning combination. Our one complaint: the inability to order online.
Outstanding: Gung Ho! Pizza
No one beats the Gung Ho! boys for style. With their pink bikes, matching outfits (including protective helmet) and Go! Go! Go! attitude, they’re consistent, friendly, and deliver a little pizazz with every pizza. Though their delivery area is somewhat limited, it still covers most of the eastern corridor of Beijing from Shuangjing to Lido. Delivery times are usually within 30 minutes, though during peak periods that can stretch to 45 to 60 minutes. If its going to be longer, they call you to explain and offer you the chance to cancel if the timing doesn't work for you. Flawless online- and mobile-based ordering makes communicating your order a breeze, and saves the effort of making yourself understood over patchy phone connections. They’ll always give you a fapiao if you request one, always arrive with the right change, and they’ll even bring a credit card machine along for the ride to allow you to pay by plastic.
Outstanding: Haidilao
WTF? You can order hot pot for home delivery? Obsessed with service, Haidilao will stop at nothing to satisfy their customers, even if said customers are bedridden, agoraphobic, under house arrest or just too lazy to want to hoof it over to one of Haidilao’s numerous Beijing locations. All you need do is visit their site (unfortunately in Chinese only), order away, and they'll bring the whole shebang for you – your food, your sauces, the pot, a burner to heat it on, and even a bag of crunchy snacks for appetizers – and will set it up while you watch. For an extra charge of RMB 200, a server will stick around and cook the feast for you; otherwise send the delivery man on his way and call for free pickup of the gear later on.
The only drawback to eating Haidilao at home is the selection of sauces is more limited than at the restaurants themselves, and of course you won't be getting the frills that waiting dine-in customers have access to, like free shoe shines, manicures, and massages. But hey, you can probably order that for delivery from some other service anyhow.
Hungry for more? Follow all of our 2015 Reader Restaurant Awards coverage here.
Images: Annie's, Gung Ho! Pizza, Haidilao
