Just over two months after Rally Pizza folded, the owners are reviving the brand inside another Vancouver, Wash., business.
You’ll soon be able to find some of Southwest Washington’s best Neapolitan-style pies inside of Victor-23 Brewing at 2905 St. Johns Blvd., which is about 3 miles northeast of Vancouver’s new waterfront.
The original Rally Pizza opened in 2016 in The Mill shopping district, which, at the time, we called Vancouver’s first great restaurant. It was modeled after the large suburban chain-style establishments that husband-and-wife team Alan Maniscalco and Shan Wickham typically end up eating at when they’re in Des Moines visiting family—comfortable with a familiar ambience but also truly great food.
The top-notch pies are similar to those at Ken’s Artisan, where Maniscalco was a co-owner and chef, but the menu also went beyond pizza to include hand-stretched pasta, roasted vegetables and custard shakes (with booze and without). Rally also prided itself on making nearly everything from scratch and sourcing ingredients year-round from local farmers.
Rally closed in late December 2022, citing industry challenges and economic conditions that made it difficult to run the sprawling facility. Taking over food service at D.B. Cooper-themed Victor-23 (the name refers to the standard airway the hijacker’s plane took after receiving his two parachutes and $200,000 in cash) means that the pizzeria can go forward without shouldering all of the operating expenses.
You can expect a menu of seven different 10-inch, thin-crust pies, with classic varieties like Margherita, pepperoni and four cheese. There will also be a small selection of appetizers, which include garlic bread, spicy salted almonds and a chopped salad. In addition to dine-in at the brewery Tuesday through Sunday, Rally plans to offer to-go online ordering.
The Victor-23 kitchen will be helmed by executive chef Alex McCormick, a Rally alum and graduate of Clark College’s culinary program who most recently worked at another Vancouver favorite: Little Conejo. Sage Maniscalco-Wickham, who has been working alongside her parents at Rally since high school, will help lead the new team, which includes several former Rally staff members.
“We are excited to be bringing Rally Pizza back to Vancouver after a brief hiatus,” co-owner Maniscalco stated in a press release. “We were very moved by the outpouring of good will from our supporters at the end of 2022. We are super grateful to Bryan Ward, the owner of Victor-23, for reaching out to us about collaborating. We’re thrilled that this partnership with Victor-23, pairing our pizzas with their delicious beers in a family-friendly brewery, will allow us to continue connecting with our Vancouver community.”
Rally will hold its grand opening from 3 to 9 pm Tuesday, March 14, which, appropriately, is Pi Day.