KING CITY — Rising Phoenix Pizzeria and Taproom co-owner Jade Ronconi has been having a blast the past three weeks with all the commotion surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament.
For starters, she can instantly feel the electric energy anytime a group of supporters from one nation cheer loudly following a goal.
“You can hear the screaming from across the street,” she said. “We’ve even had some customers bring in their horns, and it just feels like you’re at the game.”
Ronconi added, “I’ll be working, and you can’t help but stop and watch everyone celebrate. It’s really cool to be a part of.”
Ronconi said the nice part about Rising Phoenix hosting watch parties is they’re the only place in King City that offers a beer garden experience to fully enjoy the beautiful weather.
“It kind of feels like you’re in someone’s backyard,” she said.
Ronconi noted the Mexico matches have been great for business, doubling in sales versus a normal weekday, especially because some of the games were on a random Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon.
“It definitely draws a crowd that we don’t normally see during the week,” she said.
Ronconi anticipated the large crowds, yet there was no crystal ball to say exactly how many people would show up. She made sure to stock up, expecting a large turnout for Sunday’s Round of 16 match between Mexico and England.
“We have to have a mentality that they will show up, and if they don’t, we’re still prepared,” she said.
Mexico was eliminated from the World Cup after coming up short in a 3-2 loss to England on Sunday. However, the United States was still alive as of Monday. They were scheduled to play Belgium in the Round of 16.
Rising Phoenix isn’t just a taproom, though. The establishment, located at 320 Broadway St., serves a scrumptious pizza that comes straight out of a wood-fired dome oven located in the beer garden.
Personally, the best way to test a pizza is to order one with just pepperoni. The menu offered a pie called Hogtown with thick housemade red sauce, melted mozzarella, parmesan and crispy pepperoni.
They also have several signature pizzas, including one called the Blazin’ Phoenix — ranch base, mozzarella, parmesan, chicken, heirloom tomatoes, jalapeño and red onion.
Ronconi mentioned they have plans on expanding the menu later this year, including more pizza options, such as the Holy Cow (think tri-tip) and a couple of other things she can’t mention, yet.
For now, they continue to do test runs on different items, including a tri-tip sandwich that has been a hit amongst customers.
“We’re probably going to hold off on those, just because you want to sell those fresh,” Ronconi said. “The nice thing about the pizza is we can prep it and throw it in the oven, and it heats up beautifully.”
Apart from the World Cup watch parties, Rising Phoenix also hosts fundraisers, pop-up events and even live music, such as Los Gallos del Valle — a popular regional Mexican and musica norteña band based in the Salinas Valley.
Other plans in the near future include a corn hole league and maybe some line dancing.
Ronconi, along with her husband Matthew, said the goal moving forward is to ensure everybody in the community feels welcome.
On top of offering local craft beers, they recently introduced popular domestic and imported beers, such as Pacifico, Modelo, 805, Coors and Michelob ULTRA, which have been selling well.
Ronconi said Rising Phoenix is not just for the craft beer connoisseurs, but it’s for the average person who wants to grab a beer and a pizza.
“It’s for families, and it’s for dogs, as well,” she said. “We just want to be open to everybody. We don’t want anybody to feel excluded, and that’s really our mission, is just to be a part of the community.”
