Ranch Pizza will open a new location in Montavilla’s downtown within the former Hungry Hearts storefront at 7940 SE Stark Street. This shop will be the seventh pizzeria for the local chain restaurant since owners Richard Corey and Eric Wood founded it in 2017. The menu honors the square Sicilian-style pizza, and most orders include a side serving of handmade ranch dressing.
The restaurant’s name focuses on a polarizing topping for pizza aficionados. However, Ranch Pizza’s owners feel it enhances the flavors and deserves a spotlight. “The one argument for ranch on pizza, and what I tell most people if they’re confused about it, is that it makes each bite really balanced. Most pizzas have a really tangy red sauce. The tomatoes are really acidic, and it has salt and garlic or whatever. If you add ranch to that, the creamy and tangy, salty flavors are polar opposites, but when you combine them, it’s perfect,” said co-owner Richard Corey to Vice News in 2018. The combination has proven popular for the chain, earning a spot on Willamette Week’s 2018 The Greatest Things We Ate This Year list.
The thick-crust pizza is reminiscent of focaccia bread, and the cheese spreads over the edges, making a toasted crust as it cooks in its pan. The menu offers vegan options, and most pizzas are available by the slice, which is a quarter of the whole pie. The company has stores all over the area, with locations as far out as Beaverton, Oregon City, North Portland, and Happy Valley. This new restaurant will fill an East Portland gap. People interested in sampling the Pizza can visit the inner SE location at 2239 SE 11th Avenue.
Ranch Pizza will join several other pizza locations in the neighborhood, with Flying Pie Pizzeria on the same block and two other pizzerias within walking distance. However, its Sicilian-style pizza and affinity for ranch dressing has successfully carved out a niche for the chain across the region. “We’re happy to join the Montavilla pizza community. We feel we’ll bring a welcome new option and style of pizza to the area, especially with Sebastiano’s relocating to Sellwood in March,” explained Eric Wood.
Ranch Pizza hopes to open the Montavilla Location in March. It will house both the pizzeria and a sister business, Loro Coffee. Loro will serve customers coffee, tea, and pastries in the mornings and early afternoons. The pizza shop will open daily at 11 a.m. and close between 9 and 11 p.m., depending on the day of the week and time of year. In addition to regular menu items, they will offer rotating quarterly special items specific to Montavilla and pastries supplied by Hungry Heart Bakery.
Update 2:45 p.m. December 30th, 2023: This article was updated with additional information regarding the timeline and format of the new restaurant.
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