Underdogs Upset Big Smoke, Lily's as Burger Cup Moves to Sweet 16

Scott DeVoy Su | Jun 8, 2016 4:00 pm | Add a comment | 2011 reads

The quest to find Beijing’s best burger took another step forward as 16 patty-slingers inched closer to lifting the Burger Cup, and another 16 saw their dreams crushed. Perhaps the most intriguing burger joints to advance include newcomers Ahava and Fatboy’s The Burger Bar, both managing impressive upsets against their higher-seeded counterparts.

UPDATE: Slow Boat Brewery Wins 2016 Burger Cup for Back-To-Back Titles

Establishments that failed to make to cut included the venerable Big Smoke and Lily’s American Diner, with both restaurants placing in last year’s top 12. As for the burgers that did make the cut, they’ve arguably taken this year’s Sweet 16 to uncharted levels of pure foodie ecstasy. Trust us: You can’t go wrong with any of the monstrously delicious burgers that made it through.

Below is Recap of the Round of 32:

Bracket A
Slow Boat Brewery (1) navigated past Loft Eatalicious (8)
Café Flatwhite (4) flattened Stuff'd (5)
Ahava (6) denied Lily's American Diner (3)
Union Bar & Grille (2) crashed Lush’s (10) party

Bracket B
Great Leap Brewing #12 Brewpub (1) silenced the Chat Room (9)     
Luga's Villa (4) froze Frost Coffee, Cocktails and Dining (5)
Plan B (3) shattered BurgerMe (6)
Let's Burger (2) took Morton's of Chicago for a ride on the L Train (10)

Bracket C
Home Plate (1) said shalom to Biteapitta (8)     
Fatboy's The Burger Bar (5) angled by 4corners (4)     
Katchup (3) sobered Drunk Craft Beer & Restaurant (11)     
Q Mex (2) washed-out Jamaica Blue (10)

Bracket D
blue frog (1) hopped past Billy's Fish & Chips (8)     
Jing-A (4) tapped out Kenny's Burgers (5)
Feast (Food By EAST) (6) lit up Big Smoke (3)
The Local (2) said adios amigo to Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q (7)

Now it's on to the Sweet 16: voting is now live and will close noon Sunday, June 12.

Recall that you'll need to return for each round to escort your favorites to the finals. Here's the remaining vote schedule:

Elite Eight: Opens 4pm Sunday, June 12; closes noon Wednesday, June 15.
Final Four: Opens 4pm Wednesday, June 15; closes noon Friday, June 17.
Championship Round: Opens 4pm Friday, June 17; closes noon Monday, June 20.

And as is our custom, last round we asked you to rank the burgers that did not make it on to the Round of 32. This ranking now serves as their final standings in the 2016 Burger Cup:

33. Paddy O'Shea's
34. Bistrot B, Rosewood Beijing
35. Ramo
36. Blue Marlin
37. 8-Bit
38. Nola
39. 1F
40. Nasca Café
41. The Smokeyard
42. Pinotage
43. Bunny Drop
44. Beer Mania
45. Temple Bar
46. Village Cafe, Opposite House
47. He Kitchen
48. Grandma's Kitchen
49. The Garage
50. Peter's Tex-Mex
51. Laker's
52. Burger Break
53. The Cut, Fairmont Beijing
54. Helen's Café
55. Grinders
56. Burger Counter
57. Eudora Station
58. VSports Bar and Restaurant
59. Park Side Bar & Grill
60. Dongli Brewery
61. Yuppie Yummy
62. Koli’s Camp
63. The Filling Station
64. Paulaner Maximilian

They join our previous rankings from the last round:

65. The Bookworm
66. Irish Volunteer
67. XL Bar
68. Veggie Table
69. Caravan
70. Angel Burger
71. Park Square
72. Serbia Burger
73. Hungry Horse
74. Cannon's Eatery
75. Dr. Cactus
76. Windy City
77. Uncle Sam's
78. Food Studio, Renaissance Beijing Wangfujing Hotel
79. Corner
80. Waspark
81. Pebbles Courtyard
82. Craft, Crowne Plaza Lido
83. One East
84. Rolling Rolling
85. North Capital
86. Kitchen Table, W Beijing Chang'an
87. Must Guette
88. Steak Exchange, InterContinental Hotel
89. MRL
90. Golden Era 50's Diner
91. Hub Kitchen
92. Little Britain
93. Landmark Café
94. Old Bike Café
95. Pentalounge, Penta Hotel
96. Fuel, Langham Place
97. Nanluo Big Burger

Images: the Beijinger, NowCultured, Alex Solis