Less is More: Beijing's Best By-the-Slice Pizza Options

Robynne Tindall, Contributing Editor | Oct 7, 2016 5:00 pm | 1 comment | 1295 reads

It probably comes as no surprise that we love pizza. Heck, we throw an annual pizza appreciation competition. But as much as we crave these circular celebrations of carbs and cheese, there are times when even we can't finish a whole one. Thankfully for us and our over-taxed digestive systems, several of Beijing's top pizza purveyors offer by-the-slice options. Below are a few of our favorites.

Ramo
Set on ever-more-bustling Fangjia Hutong, Ramo has become a firm favorite for both its relaxed vibe and stellar pizza since it opened nearly two years ago. With pizza by the slice starting from around RMB 20 and a number of meaty and vegetarian toppings to choose from, Ramo is a great option for a mix and match lunch or dinner (their salads are pretty bomb too). Our go-to order at Ramo is the Super Yibu (named after their Italian chef), featuring a well-balanced topping of mozzarella, blue cheese, salami, and beef sausage.

Pizza Plus
Pizza Plus serve pizza al taglio, Italian for "pizza by the slice." Originating in Rome, this style involves thin crust pizzas baked in rectangular trays and served in square or rectangular slices. Pizza Plus peddle more than 20 varieties, all of which are available by the slice, a good way to sample lots of flavors or please picky eaters. Their specialty is the Forest pizza (RMB 20 per slice), topped with sausage, mushrooms, walnuts and truffle cream, which won chef Fabrizio Montori first place in the 2011 World Pizza Games. Vegetarians can't go wrong with the spinach and ricotta "sandwich" pizza (RMB 18 per slice) and we're guilty fans of the ridiculously decadent Nutella-stuffed pizza (RMB 20), topped with powdered sugar. Pizza Plus have stores in Dongzhimen, Chaoyang Park, Shuangjing, and Lido, all of which offer delivery.

Pizza View
From the team behind Opera Bombana, Pizza View specializes in Roman-style deli pizza, the type to be grabbed and eaten on the go. For those who worry pizza by the slice isn’t really a meal, be assured that these slices are hand span-sized monsters. The crust too is substantial, the Roman-style being thicker and crisper than, say, Neapolitan-style pizza, and with a strong taste of olive oil. The dough for the crust, made with the same imported flour that makes the bread at Opera Bombana so memorable and a decade old “mother” yeast starter, is lovingly fermented for more than 30 hours. The crust stands up well to the plentiful toppings, such as the cooked ham, artichokes, mozzarella, and mushrooms in the Capricciosa (RMB 48 per slice), although we prefer the sparser Diavola, topped with spicy salami and a handful of arugula.

Great Leap #45 Brewpub
First, writer confession: Great Leap is legit my favorite pizza in Beijing, so I was always going to try and shoehorn it into this blog. The pizza by the slice is available at Great Leap #45 at lunch, when if you buy any two slices of pizza (slices from RMB 25-30 depending on the pizza), you will get a free Pale Ale #6, Edmund Backhouse Pilsner, or soft drink. The slices come from 16-inch pies, so they're pretty substantial. The Green Machine, with its trendy kale and black pepper ricotta topping, is one of the best vegetarian pizzas in Beijing, avoiding the sogginess that often plagues veggie-loaded pizzas.