The Kro’s Nest Beats Gung Ho! in The Beijinger Pizza Cup

After three gluttonous weeks, five fierce rounds and 32 pizzas (ranging from traditional Neapolitan to the most re-imagined American slice), The Kro's Nest has come out on top. The final match pitted the crazy Kiwis in pink against the second-coming of the Kro in a nail-biting final that left The Kro’s Nest reigning victorious and serving up the best pizza in Beijing.

Responding to their win, a spokesman for The Kro's Nest had nothing but thanks for everyone involved: "A big thanks to all Kro's Nest' friends, you're the ones that took us over the top. Thanks to all our staff for their dedication and persistence for greatness. A big thanks to all our competitors, you give us great motivation and a reason to continue on, and thank you to The Beijinger, the Pizza Cup rocked."

And from the ever gracious, runner-up Gung Ho!: "Congrats to Kro's Nest! They've done as much as anyone to put their own unique stamp on the pizza experience! And go Gung Ho! We're super stoked to make it all the way to the finals. And Kro? We'll meet again."

Kro’s win seems like a well-earned victory in a year where Olaf Kristoffer "The Kro" Bauer emerged out of the ashes from the previous year's troubles of losing his restaurants and fighting for his name. Kro made his comeback nearly a year ago to date at his Xiaoyun Lu branch, a Kro's Nest that was bigger and more impressive than ever. The restaurant, like his pizza, did everything on an over-sized scale from the engulfing entrance to a dining area large enough to fit an actual tree. Kro recently opened a second branch in Sanlitun influenced by the hip, trendy vibe of the surrounding nightclub scene.

Along their path to the top, the Kro’s Nest beat out worthy competitors Pizza Buona (+66 percent), Paddy O’Shea’s (79 percent), La Pizza (59 percent), The Tree (58 percent), and finally Gung Ho! (56 percent).

In the battle for third place, The Tree handily put down their worthy competitor Hutong Pizza, raking in 64 percent of the vote.

To get more information on Beijingers' view of pizza we asked some more simple questions, including whether you're an Italian-style purist or open to reform:

If you thought RMB 68 for a pizza was a good price:

And if the crust should be thick or thin:

We hope everyone enjoyed The Beijinger Pizza Cup, and had plenty of pizza in the process. Crowning one champion doesn’t make the rest losers, but highlights how much variety and debate there is in Beijing when it comes to pizza. We salute all the original pizza places of Beijing – each with its own specialty and each in its own way contributing to the unique culinary culture of Beijing.

In honor of their win, The Kro's Nest will open their doors for a night of special discounts. Keep an eye on the Beijinger for more information. Meanwhile, Sida, Hills and fishsh will all receive a pizza party for 10 for their correct final predictions.