The Deep Dish: Dongli Brewery Feeds Beijing's Suburbanites With Imaginative Pizza and Robust Brews

As online voting continues for the 2017 Pizza Cup, The Deep Dish previews a few of the restaurants that vied it out for the title of Beijing's most beloved pie. So take a look, grab a slice, and pick the team you want to be victorious.

There aren't many options for Western dining out in Shangdi, so when Dongli Brewery opened their first venue back in June 2016, it was always going to be a risky endeavor. However, the gamble seems to have paid off and the team behind the brewery have been quick to pick up the slack, opening a second branch in June this year, in the equally far-out Yizhuang, apparently intent on feeding hungry mouths in Beijing's outskirts, people who otherwise may not find it so convenient to run into town when the need for pizza beckons.

The first thing that'll strike you about Dongli Brewery is the attention to detail that has gone into their venue design. Both spaces draw the eye with a combination of simple wooden furniture, black flourishes, and copper that runs from the brewing tanks at the back of venue all the way through to the railings leading up the steps to the front door. The effect makes for a quintessential "brewery" feel but with assuredly modern and stylish tweaks.

The food menu skirts the usual offerings of Chinese café: a hodgepodge of pasta, Tex-Mex, Bavarian specialties, and a somewhat ominous-looking rack of meat titled the "Overbearing CEO BBQ." On the pizza front, Dongli's options certainly err on the side of pleasing local tastes, with the imaginatively-titled "New Zealand Avocado Crayfish Fire Cake" leading the pack. There's also two types of sausage-topped varieties as well as a vegetarian option. All of the pizzas sport a thinner, crispier, and yeastier crust, something akin to a Roman-style base. This has the added benefit of letting the fresh ingredients shine through and allowing you to wolf down more slices given that you'll be less weighed down by the dough.

And then, of course, there's the brew. Each of Dongli's beers is made in-house and they are all surprisingly up-to-snuff for a first-time brewer with their eponymous Dongli IPA (RMB 45), chocolate stout (RMB 40), and Rockets Lager (RMB 40) proving the most popular. If you're looking to try as many as possible, grab a flight of four for RMB 50.

There might be few occasions you find yourself out in Shangdi or Yizhuang, but if for some reason you do, head to Dongli for a decent pint, a warm atmosphere, and bar food that is prepared with care.

Haven't yet voted in our 2017 Pizza Cup? Simply scan the QR code below to have your say before the winner is announced on Oct 19:

Photos courtesy of Dongli Brewery, Tracy Wang