Hutong Pizza 8($)

Hutong Pizza.

The Hutongs are the traditional family homes in the ancient villages around Beijing. These little family homes consist of four homes that surround a common courtyard area. Traditionally Families would live here together, grandparents, and children and pass the home on to their sons, who would bring their wives to live with them there. Today the Hutong is composed of small families like in ancient times, small shops, convenience stores, boutiques and restaurants. For the most part these restaurants will be frequented by the locals, unless it is a larger restaurant facing the busy street or in touristy areas like HouHai.

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This little place was a little hard to find, though there are a few signs that point you in the right direction. Located in an actual hutong courtyard the little pizza place has four two person tables in the little covered patio area; and indoors there is more seating on the ground level and them more on the balcony level. But don’t get me wrong, this is a little hole in the wall kind of restaurant. There are two kitchens, one just for pizza and then a smaller separate one that would have been the family kitchen shared between four houses is used as a service kitchen where smaller dishes like salads are prepared.

I was not really that hungry but I wanted to try as much as possible. So we ordered the All Gone Pizza: pepperoni, ham, sausage, red, orange and yellow peppers, onions, mushrooms, crenel corn, olives, mozzarella cheese, and goat cheese on a tomato sauce thin crust. We also ordered Lasagna, two beers and a slice of apple pie a la mode.

It was very good. For some reason we were served our apple pie first. I think it was a miss understanding. I have been searching for apple pie since we got here (apple pie is my favorite dessert, though it rarely lives up to my expectations). It was pretty good. Had a little bit different taste to it, an almost anise taste like black licorice, not nutmeg.

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The Lasagna was also good, though it only had the one kind of cheese in it. It was basically some wide noodles with red sauce, sausage and mozzarella on top, bakes in a little dish. I needed at least ricotta to be a real lasagna.

Then the pizza came. I really was getting pretty full but it looked really good. Corn on top of pizza seems like a weird thing, but its not it adds to the flavor and I assume that other pizza toppings that are common in California are really expensive here, like artichokes or fresh tomatoes.

For taste I give Hutong Pizza a 8 out of 10. There were a few things missing, but it was overall very good. And where substitutions were made, it almost didn’t make a difference.

For atmosphere I give it a 7 out of 10. The place was unique. It also had a large Kio pond and fountain in the patio area and the inside had large red columns holding up the roof. But the bathroom facilities consisted of one single toilet, not that clean and very close to the door.

For price dinner for us and all that we ate cost $ in US dollars.

Overall I give Hutong Pizza a 8 out of 10.