I don't know what the deal is with some of the negative reviews here. Anyone who knows anything about Beijing dining knows the semi old Beijing lore about Kro's Nest and Tube Station and the fallout between them and so forth. And they also happen to be some of the best pizza places in town.
A lot of places in Beijing have some kind of pizza nowadays. But the fact is, Kro's Nest is one of the best all around American style pizza places. As well as Tube Station which is very similar. More on that in a sec. If you're looking for strictly Italian style, La Pizza would be a pretty good one also. Anyway Kro's Nest has good pizza with many styles and good toppings. They even have artichoke hearts which is a good addition. Not sure if this made it over to Tube Station and many other places don't seem to have them but they do here. The atmosphere is pretty good and it's pretty spacious inside, etc. It feels a bit like New York with the bricks and design and stuff. They also have many spices and seasonings at the table that you can put on. Not just salt, pepper, parmesan, and red peppers like most places. There is also the Kro's special, basel, and a few more too.
On principal I want to support Kro's more than Tube Station. However Tube Station is quite good also. They have good pizza, a great environment with music and movies on the TVs, and big, comfortable booths, etc. The prices are pretty good and the various happy hours (there are several, depending on the type of drinks etc) are a good bonus.
I think in general you could say that Kro's Nest is like New Order and Tube Station is Peter Hook and the Light. New Order is the original, and a classic band with a huge influence. However Peter Hook is doing a good job also, despite going off on his own and being a bit rude, much like Tube Station. Kro's Nest has clearly influenced some of the newer pizza places around town and had their internal feud and break off restaurant etc.
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"And they also happen to be some of the best pizza places in town."
Disagree. Neither are particularly good and have been surpassed by many better options. I tried to stick with Kro's out of support for the owner who screwed over, and it is better than Tube Station (which is just stodge with low-grade toppings) but I find it unspectacular now that it's not the only place in town.
Give me Gung Ho or La Pizza over Kro's anyday, and even Hutong Pizza and Eatalia with their square Sicilian-style pizzas beat Kro's.
I differentiated between Italian and American style pizzas, which you did not. Kro's and Tube Station have a good, all around solid American style pizza and that type of atmosphere as well.
There are some other types around town also, some of which are pretty good, yes.
I don't think Kro's or Tube Station are good for American style pizza, though.
Maybe you're looking for a more artisan type pizza or something.
Look, compare them to Papa John's, Dominoes, Pizza Hut, Luga's (which I like for some things but their food seems a bit heavy), Lily's American Diner, Bang Bang Pizza, and the other stuff available around town, etc.
I think they're clearly in the top 10-20%. Plus there's other side dishes, pretty good atmoshere, big and comfortable booths, convenient locations, etc.
And the crust is good too. A lot of place don't even do crust right.