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The Kro's Nest 乌巢
Founded a few years back by an entrepreneurial young expat fresh out of school, both branches of The Kro's Nest (the two-story 700sqm Gongti branch that caters to Gongti/Sanlitun nightowls, and the student friendly Haidian venue bedecked with high ceilings, stone archways,a foosball table and a lively atmosphere) serves salads, piquant BBQ wings, calzones, onion rings, fries, and their famous table-tipping NYC-style pizzas. The bar also serves a range of cocktails, a small selection of wine and beer (bottled and draft, RMB 10-40). Free Tsingtao beer on Tuesday nights and other weekly beer specials. Daily lunch specials from 11.30am-3pm.
Locations
Beitaiping Zhuang
- Beitaiping Zhuang 北太平庄
- Bldg B, Youyan Dasha, 2 Beitaiping Zhuang Qiao, Xicheng District
- 西城区北太平庄桥2号有研大厦B座
- Tue-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm
- 8201 4899
- ¥¥¥ 50-80
Yuanmingyuan (Old Su ...
- Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace) 圆明园
- 1 Fuyuanmen (400 meters north of Beijing University West Gate, on the northwest corner of the intersection), Haidian District
- 海淀区福缘门1号 (从北大西门往北走400米,在路口的西北角)
- Mon-Fri 10am-10pm, Sat-Sun 10am-midnight
- 6252 8057
- Wifi
- Parking available
- Delivery available
- ¥¥¥ 50-80
Sanlitun
- Sanlitun 三里屯
- Inside Workers’ Stadium North Gate (next to Vics), Chaoyang District
- 朝阳区工体北门内
- Mon-Thu 11am-10.30pm, Fri-Sun 11am-midnight
- 6553 5253
- Wifi
- Parking available
- Delivery available
- ¥¥¥ 50-80
Contact
Map of The Kro's Nest
User reviews of The Kro's Nest 乌巢
Good for a large sized guy
When our group goes here the large sized guys are the ones who love this place more.
Though my personal liking is thin crust pizzas .
Here at kros nest the dough`s too thick for me and the cheese and the toppings praportions go haywire.
But still good for a change with our group as there are some who are have a great appetitie.
Yes the cheese drops out and the ingredients are just okay ,but kros nest still works for once in a while outing with our group.
Go only for pizza
This is not a good place to go when on a diet, not only because of the ridiculously oversized pies (newbies beside us were, as always, floored by the large they got) but because not much else is good on the menu. I ordered a Greek salad in an effort to keep down the carbs and got a really sad bowl of lettuce with a sprinkling of Feta, a few dots of olives and loads of the onions that I specifically requested to leave off. I should have known it was a mistake when she asked me what dressing I wanted on it: "Thousand Island? Caesar?" It was terrible. And the mozzarella cheese sticks were just as terrible - nice breading that was crunchy, nice amount of cheese, but NO FLAVOR! What a little bit of salt could have done for that. On second thought, a lot of salt!
In all fairness, this is still my husband's favorite pizza place (I prefer thinner-crust pizzas) and their fries are good.
Solid Pizza, better than I remembered
Went to The Kro's Nest in Gongti last night for the first time in over a year, maybe two, and had pizza and beer with a buddy.
Two of us sat down at about 5 minutes to 6 and ordered beers and pizza. We knew the free beer on Tuesdays deal didn't kick in til six so we didn't really have a problem being charged for our beer then. We ordered another beer at 10 after 6 and we were charged 10 kuai each for the glass and we both remarked to each other that we shouldn't be charged but it was ten kuai so we didn't complain.
We ordered a "medium" half Mighty Meat and half Hawaiian pizza. The pizza had plenty of cheese and toppings and was tasty. Good crust, and not too soggy. I seemed to remember the pizza at Kro's being soggy but this was very nice. I like a little more sauce on my pizza but that is personal preference. It was solid, tasty pizza.
The pizza is not dirt cheap however. The medium comes to 135 kuai. The "medium" is not really a medium, its a pretty large "large" pizza. What they call a large is really an uber large meant for a table of 6. I don't think the price is unfair but for two people its a lot of pizza. I guess it is about the same price as 2 Tree pizzas and you get more pizza for the price.
The first keg free deal on Tuesday's was over pretty fast. I don't think they used a full keg to start with because the place was not that busy and the keg was done before seven and they didn't start giving out the free beer until about 6:15. Maybe they did go through a whole keg but it sure seemed quick.
Other than that it was pretty good. The service was tight and the servers were very polite. Our drinks and food came fast and they didn't go cheap with the napkins, like so many restaurants do in Beijing. Overall I had a better impression of Kro's from the last time I was there and I would happily go back for another pie.
Too big for a normal person,more quantity less quality.
The pizzas even the smallest one is quite big.
If one orders some starters ,and beer and the pizza the pizza cannot be finished by a normal person.
One problem I find was because its too thick the cheese and the adds on like mushrooms are not enough for the bite .
Though its good for a hungry man , suggest they make more quality ,than quantity.
This has good crowd so far a beer drinker like me , I can smoke and drink and eat without a hassle .
Many other places I need to ask can I smoke, can I smoke. Here almost every body smokes and it smoke in the air too!
Don't Believe the Hype!
I checked out the Kros Nest after going out to a few other pizza joints in Beijing. Each time I was told how great the "New York Style" pies were at Kros Nest and after reading its many glowing reviews online, I figured I'd give it a shot.
Now, maybe I'm a pizza snob, but almost EVERY other pizza I've had in Beijing is better than the pies at Kros Nest. It's possible I went on a bad night or maybe it's just that most Westerners don't know what REAL pizza is thanks to the omnipresence of Pizza Huts and the "Chicago Style" bread bowls mistaken for pizzas, but after reading all of the glowing reviews online, I have to put my foot down and say it: Kros Nest is not very good pizza. The sauce is salty, runny, and watery causing the dough (which too ridiculously thick to be thoroughly cooked anyway) to get soggy. Additionally the cheese runs off the pizza, forcing you to commit the biggest of all pizza sins: eating with a fork and knife. I see there's also some complaints about grease which normally is fine on a pizza, but combined with the soggy landslide of other ingredients, it's just too much to deal with. The pies are big, I'll give you that, but there's only so much bread with melted cheese that you can eat in one sitting. And bread and cheese do not a pizza make.
I give Kros Nest two stars because obviously for some, runny ingredients and bread are a dream pizza. There's a decent beer selection and the atmosphere was nice. Since I was eating a pie I didn't have a chance to check out the other items on the menu. But regardless of the other menu options, if you're going for pizza, you're going for PIZZA, and Kros Nest is not the place to find it.
Can't stop going back to this place
As a Chinese person, I'm not a big fan of pizza, most of time I'd be more than happy to stay with my hotpot, chuar and er guo tou.
But since one of my friends started working there as a manager, we visited that place a lot, not originally for its pizza, but to support him. Every time, we ended up filling ourselves with their huge pizza and those mei nv beers until no one wanted to even look at the pizza any more. Then we regretted, pissed off, blamed this place and spit in their nice courtyard while burping, and next time came back again and did the same thing.
I'm getting fat...and still not sure if I love this place or not.
Used to be a big fan ...
But I found after a while that every time I went to Kro's Nest I'd feel really thirsty afterwards, even waking up the next day wanting to drink 2 liters of water. I guess they dump loads of salt in those huge pizzas.
The pizzas are actually pretty good. I don't think it's on the menu, but if you ask they can do a four cheese, which is great. The Kro's Special is another good one.
My tip is not to bother with the large sizes - they don't bake as well, and end up a big sloppy mess. Go for two or three mediums, depending on the size of your group.
There's a decent beer selection including cheapish draft beer and higher quality stuff like Erdinger.
Overall, I still think Kro's is a decent place, but I don't want to get dehydrated for the sake of eating a pizza.
Soggy and sickly sweet
Kro's Gongti location induces vague nostalgia among Americans because it has the look and feel of Arnold's Diner in Happy Days -- Potsie, one feels certain, is about to make a clumsy entrance. Unfortunately, the pizza base is sinfully soggy because it is drenched in a sickly sweet tomato sauce upon which the ingredients slither and slide. With each bite, the super-sized pie becomes increasingly unappetizing -- unless, like so many other patrons, you are drunk.
I'm fat and I like to eat a lot so I really like this place
Kro's has huge pizzas as most know but if you think quality suffers as the quantity increases, you're wrong. Their pizza is flat out good.
They have a lot of choices over at Kro's and if you can't decide what you want then you can always get a pizza split with two different styles. Normally, I get the Kro's special (a traditional supreme) and one other depending on my mood. The crux to it all though is getting the pizza chicago style for 30 rmb more.
The drinks are huge and they have a nice selection of beers. However, don't drink more than 3 car bombs as you might end up at Vics which is never a good thing.
Great PMBs,too good french fries
The PMB pizza ,is my favourite.
I love the extra cheese,though not good for the waist of an 22 year pretty girl.
But I just love to hog here.Its great with or without friends.The size of the Pizza is good.One meal here is enough for the day !
The Onion rings,whatever you order its like my staple home food.
The beers are a bit pricey now.
But will keep going here for the food and stop exprimenting with the Middle Eastern or Indian food and specially wont go where the admin recommends!
Not Just The Biggest
Ok so I'm pretty new to Beijing having come from Brooklyn a few months ago. My brother has been here for quite sometime and I wanted to see for myself...yadda yadda yadda everyone has their story. Anyways, really missing a great pie so me and my bro went on a "pizza tour" of Beijing.. Gotta say, Kro's is by far the best. Apparently this place is famous for having big pies (and big they are) but it also simply tasted great. Reminds me of this place I used to go to a lot back home, only the pizzas there aren't as big, lol. Cheap drinks and friendly staff. Worth checking out if you miss home or if you want to see what all the fuss is about. gets my seal of approval!
-dennis
Great Pie, Wings, Salad & Tunes
I've only been to the Worker's stadium location but I've been quite a few times. Each time the pizza had been delicious and plentiful. The wings are spicy but don't leave you looking like a 1 year old eating cake for the first time, they have just the right amount of sauce. The salads are tasty and big enough for two people to eat off of. The music is great too, awesome vibe. It's a must for pizza lovers...I hear they are delivering, call for details.
Cheers!
An Amazing Taste Of Home
I've been studying here for about half a year now and one of my classmates told me about the Kro's Nest. Pizza in Beijing...no way! You see, we have been forced to commit to a "language pledge" which forbids us from speaking English, we also live in a dorm with Chinese students, so naturally our lives here as students have been very Chinese and stuff like pizza parlors rarely enters our thoughts...
Boy can I say I was happily surprised! The atmosphere made me feel like I was back in the States. Rock music blaring and a kind of dark, dare I say seedy (but welcoming) decor. I really enjoyed the casual and homey feel of the place. The waitresses (all Chinese) were cute and friendly. There was more than enough ample space for me and my large group of friends and we kind of got the impression that we owned the place because of the service and environment.
I've read some other reviews and I don't understand some of the criticisms they make. Too much grease on the pizza? Hello, where do you think you are? Are you dining on caviar and lobsters? Are you on a diet? This is american style PIZZA! And for all they claim to do, they do it extremely well! I must say I was skeptical at first - I wasn't sure if they pizza would be good "for Beijing" or good "in general" but it was actually some of the best pizza I've ever tasted! You can be sure that I will be coming back here again and again.
Huge Pizza
Pizza is huge, beyond any expectation. It is middle american style, thick greasy, and delicious. The beer selection is good but not great and the wait staff are friendly. Nice place.
Great, big pizzas, but go easy on the grease
Just had a massive lunch at the Kro's Nest, which deserves props for their gargantuan portions and the fact that they don't skim on the toppings, but am a little turned off by the grease, which tends to drip off the pizzas. All the same, it's still worth working up an appetite for.
Kro's Gongti Location now open
As of Wednesday, August 27, Kro's Gongti location is open. I thought we were going to have to wait until after the Paralympic Games, but thankfully that is not the case. They still have a great microbrew selection at 35 RMB / bottle.
Can't wait for the gongti location to reopen ...
frankly, olympic tourists missed out big time since the Gongti location of the Kro's Nest was closed ... mouth is watering in anticipation for its reopening (and yes I am too damn lazy to go to the Haidian location, despite the opening of Line 10 ...)