Behold, Your New 2017 Pizza Champion: Pie Squared!

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 2017'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 giving the heave-ho to New Zealand fair traders Gung Ho!, and finally clinching victory from formidable finalists Bottega.

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 180-plus-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.

Their success at the Pizza Festival may very well have been Pie Squared's breakthrough in the eyes of many Beijingers who queued up to try it for the first time. After all, the pizzeria for now only delivers in the Shunyi area via its own drivers, limiting its exposure compared to many of its competitors. Owner Asher Gillespie secured a strong foothold in that expat rife neighborhood over the years, and slowly began building a following outside of that. The latter can be attributed in part to many of the sports leagues that his restaurant sponsors, such as the Beijing International Ice Hockey (BIIH) league, which features many members who play in Shunyi but live elsewhere, and talked up Gillespie's Detroit style slices to the uninitiated. As Pie Squared's underdog status grew, many patrons from afar began using other creative means like Didis to get those square slices to their door.

But all that success began with Pie Squared tapping into Beijing's northeastern American-centric market, one that is largely word-of-mouth-based, delivering a warm atmosphere and "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 and the way the votes fell, it's apparent 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 pizzerias 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. Prime examples include 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. Though the pizzeria has participated in the Pizza Cup and the Pizza Festival several times over the years, their prior rankings never showed such momentum – placing #22 in 2014, tumbling to #34 in 2015, and then nearly cracking the top 10, but not quite, with their eleventh place showing last year. That makes their victory this year all the more exciting of course, and just goes to show how dynamic Beijing's food scene can be. 

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.

Images: Uni You, the Beijinger