Gung Ho!, The Local, Great Leap #45, and Pie Squared Head in Sweet 16

Bracket C Closer Look: Only Two to Survive from Gung Ho!, Local, Great Leap and Pie Squared Fight

Tracy Wang, Senior Editor | Oct 2, 2017 9:00 am | Add a comment | 714 reads

After the fervor of Pizza Fest in Wangjing Soho died down, Beijing’s 100 pizza contenders fell to 32 two weeks ago, and now those 32 vendors have dropped to 16. In Bracket C, Gung Ho! all-blacked VSports, The Local dispatched Tiago, Great Leap #45 trumped Mao Mao Chong, Pie Squared squeezed past Eudora.

Opened by the brains behind Wudaokou stalwarts Lush and Pyro, Gung Ho! Pizza started delivering pies with their eye-catching pink flags around Beijing in 2010. They won our 2015 Pizza Cup and ended up in the Final Four last year with their non-traditional Italian pizzas. Aside from the great deals on weekdays (half-price salads or pizza) and hearty sides, their beloved pies include the fairly standard pepperoni (RMB 38-86) and Margherita (RMB 38-86), as well as fancier options like New Zealand lamb (RMB 66-143) or mussel pizza (RMB 66-143). Check our last visit here.

The Local is not just a popular American pub with a casual atmosphere in the heart of Sanlitun, but also one of our favorite spots to grab after-work beers and cocktails. The pizzas here (and much of their other food) are perfect to share with a bunch of friends. “The large buffalo chicken and bleu cheese pizza is the stuff that drunk dreams are made of – 20 solid inches of spicy chicken and piquant blue cheese. Just try not to drop it all down your shirt in your drunken haze,” as described by our Robynne Tindall.

Opened in 2014, Great Leap Brewing #45 at Xinyuanli is not only renowned for its delicious microbrews, but also for its 16-inch New York-style pizzas (or slices from 18-inch pizzas), with their crunchy crust, as-promised amount of cheese, and the great grilled color of the pie. Their classic pepperoni pairs well with the newly released Fly You Fools Lager, with crisp and fruity aromas to help you to wash it down. We also recommend the Little Nunzio pizza with their Honey Ma Gold, the spicy and zesty beer pairs well with the home-made sausage pizza. If that’s not enough (is it ever enough?), try the mushroom pizza with a Little General IPA – the Qingdao Flower hops enlighten the earthy flavor of the pizza.

Opened in 2013 in Shunyi, Pie Squared ended their run after making the Sweet 16 last year and was extremely popular at this year's Pizza Fest with their Detroit-style pizzas. Their signature pizzas are square and deep dish, including the unique BLT square pizza (RMB 42-128) with a layer of mayo and chopped lettuce on the steaming crispy bacon and New Zealand mozzarella cheese pizza; and the Motown meatball pizza with homemade tomato-based pizza sauce and homemade meatballs. They also offer two additional crust options – a medium-thickness traditional American-style round crust pizza, and a flatbread thin crust pizza, which is grilled on both sides.

Things are heating up! 16 contestants are now fighting for the Beijinger’s 2017 Pizza Cup, click here to vote now or scan the QR code below. The Elite Eight will be announced on Oct 9 at 2pm.