Adam of Ron Mexico Dishes Up the Dirt on the Best Pizza Joints

In the run-up to the 2016 Pizza Cup (mark your calendars for the Pizza Festival on Oct 15-16 at Wangjing SOHO), we've asked Beijingers to tell us about their favorite pizza places. To launch our Pizza my Mind series this year around, we talk to American bartender and bar owner Adam Gottschalk, 32, who lives near Yonghegong and runs both nearby Ron Mexico and Sidd Finch's near Qianmen.

Adam Gottschalk tells us that pizza used to be a regular part of his Beijing routine until he opened Ron Mexico and started eating at home more: "Pizza is something that is actually done fairly well in Beijing, and at the right places, in my opinion, isn't a huge drop-off from the stuff found back home. I spent years eating nothing but pizza, as the two most popular eateries around my local college were both craft pizza joints (Mellow Mushroom, where I bartended, was the thick-crust variety, while Christian's, a thin-crust toppings-heavy option, was open all night and the perfect stumbling-home-drunk meal)."

We asked Gottschalk about where he would go for pizza in the following situations:

A Date with a significant other: Bottega
"I'd just returned from my first trip to Italy when Bottega opened a couple years ago, and I never had any pizza in the "mother country" better than what I had when I returned to Beijing. Bottega is absolutely the real-deal, both in terms of ingredients and the rustic, uneven appearance. It's not "comfort food" pizza in the way that people like me are used to, but the balance of proper mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, and dough crisped in a wood-fired oven makes this a fantastic example of the authentic version of the dish."

For a pint out with the gang: Stuff'd
"I always feel like I'm breaking some rule when I order the pizza at Stuff'd. Their pizzas are buried at the end of their menu, after the Arrow Factory beers, the ubiquitous sausages, and the popular burger and sandwich choices, and I usually feel like the only person in the dining room ordering a pizza. Then I feel pity for everyone else, because their pizzas are the best thing on the menu. Specifically, the four cheese pizza, and the chicken shawarma pizza. I don't know how they do it, but it's the only place in Beijing where I order a pizza to share, then eat the whole thing myself, and end up apologizing to whoever I came with. The thin-crust pies aren't a taste of home like Kro's Nest, or authentically Italian like Bottega, but something about them feels perfectly balanced and I always wonder why I don't order it every time."

For the end of the month (when you're worried about the budget): Ramo
"First of all, it's close to home, right in the middle of Fangjia Hutong's burgeoning bar street. In my opinion, there's absolutely no comparison in Beijing for pizza by-the-slice. The buffalo chicken is my favorite, and I never leave without one slice of that one; I usually rotate my second slice between the rest of their list. Their slices are large enough that they're served cut in half, which means two slices can even be a serviceable lunch for two people. The service at Ramo can be a hit or miss, and the other menu items (while often great, like the summer salad) are pricey for dining on a budget. But this is about pizza, and for that, Ramo clearly deserves a shout-out as an awesome lunch spot."

For when you want a taste of home: Kro's Nest
"Hands-down. It helps that Kro's is, at least in part, modeled after Mellow Mushroom, where I spent four years bartending; Mellow Mushroom is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, which happens to be Kro's hometown, and the influence is immediately obvious, from decor to menu options. I always go for the Pardon the Pesto, which has roasted duck along with a pesto base, or (ok, and) the Hawaiian, which I think they do better than anyone in town. The key at Kro's is the crust, which is thick, doughy, and flavorful. One could forgive an Italian for calling Kro's nest pizza blasphemy; but I'm not Italian, I'm American, and for me, this more than anything else around tastes like home."

Want to give us your two cents on Beijing's best pizza joints? It's as easy as pie – click "Read more" to know how.

The Beijinger's 2016 Pizza Cup and Festival is just around the corner. The celebration kicked off earlier this week with Pies for the People. Get special deals from various pizza parlors around town. Click here for more details.