COPPS PIZZA COMPANY
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★⭑
District: Aksarben
Pizza with Unique Toppings and Wings
Perfect For: Casual Dining; Lunch; Takeout
Standout Dishes: Burnt Ends Pizza; Porkmaster Pizza; Honey BBQ Wings
If there’s one thing you can say about Kris Copp, the owner of Copps Pizza Company, it’s that the man isn’t afraid to be bold.
First, there’s the restaurant’s backstory. Kris previously lived in Kansas City, where he managed 22 Pizza Huts. He believed he could produce a better product, so he and his wife (who was also a GM of one of the Pizza Huts) relocated to Omaha in September 2019 with some other employees to realize the dream.
That’s bold.
Upon strong initial success at its original location off 72nd and Dodge, Copps opened a second location in Papillion less than a year later.
That’s bold.
But maybe the strongest evidence of Copps’ confidence is its inventive pizza options, including the Deluxe Nacho (among the ingredients: beef, guacamole, and nacho cheese), the Backyard BBQ (smoked pork shoulder, baked beans, baked slaw), and the Crab Rangoon.
And then there’s the crown jewel: the Burnt Ends Pizza. Most barbecue-only restaurants struggle with burnt ends; can a pizza place really do them justice?
The restaurant prides itself on its cream cheese-based pizzas. I’ve had plenty of pizzas with dollops of cream cheese (shout-out to Piezon’s Pizzeria for doing this best), but never one that featured it in the sauce. Copp’s incorporates its signature sauce into many of its pizzas, but it also offers several with a traditional tomato-based sauce for the less adventurous eaters.
The familiar pizzas, such as Supreme, Meat Lovers, and Hawaiian, are present, but as previously mentioned, Copps isn’t afraid to get a little crazy. The Porkmaster (bacon, pepperoni, and Canadian bacon with an Asian gojuchang drizzle) is already a crowd favorite, Kris is constantly rolling out interesting new specials.
Now back to that aforementioned Burnt Ends Pizza.
Every element of the pizza plays perfectly with one another. The burnt ends are chopped small and are perfectly tender. The soft texture of the burnt ends and the cream cheese is nicely offset with the crisp bacon and raw red onion. The bacon and cheese are indeed salty, but the sweet honey BBQ sauces drizzle keeps everything in balance. Throw it all on a thick, slightly chewy dough, and you have one heck of a pizza.
The Porkmaster is similarly strong, with three types of pig (pepperoni, bacon, and Canadian bacon) bringing plenty of flavor and saltiness. The gochujang drizzle adds sweetness and a touch of heat, though it’s very heavily applied and sogs the pizza a bit.
If you love pepperoni, however, the Pepperoni Lovers is the way to go. Copps employs an army of tiny pepperoni discs that crisp up into mini cups during the cooking process, adding texture and fat. These tiny bowls of flavor cover the entire pie, and the red sauce base adds tang and some sugar.
The burnt ends pizza may steal the show, but it’s not the only worthy competitor. The Supreme Pizza is pretty standard, with pepperoni, sausage, olives, peppers, onions, and mushrooms joining the red sauce. Copps absolutely loads on the toppings, as every centimeter is covered with meat and veggies, the latter of which taste extremely fresh.
The cream cheese might be best on the Buffalo Chicken Pizza. With grilled chicken and a buffalo sauce drizzle, this pie mirrors a buffalo wing (minus the crispy texture from the deep fry). The cream cheese acts as the ranch or blue cheese wings are typically dipped in, and banana peppers add a little acidity and zing.
To be very clear, all these pizzas are great on their own and need no extra help to stand out. But when you add some of the house-made ranch (one of the best I’ve had) or the dipping sauce, they go up another level.
Kris isn’t ready to divulge the secret behind his dipping sauce. All he’d offer is that it’s ranch-based with a few extra seasonings.
Honestly, I don’t care what’s in it. Just give me more of it. It’s perfectly tangy and creamy, and it just amps up each bite a little higher. I don’t care what you put this dipping sauce on: tofu, a twig, an old shoe… I’ll eat it. The sauce is that good.
All pizzas can be ordered in 8″, 12″, or 16″ sizes. This is an underrated and underutilized tactic at pizza restaurants. I really appreciate the ability to order a personal pizza (and the 8″ is the perfect size) for just myself, while still having the option to get larger pies for gatherings. It’s a great move, and one I wish more pizza joints would adopt.
The pizza is the highlight, but the Traditional Wings aren’t too far behind. I don’t know where Copps gets their chicken wings, but this farm must have their fowl working out on the regular. These are beefy wings, easily the biggest I’ve seen in Omaha. I’d bet eating a dozen is nearly a pound of poultry. The meat is tender and clings nicely to the bone, and coating lightly in one of Copps’ 10 sauces. I highly recommend getting the wings char-buffed, upon which they are finished in the oven, creating a brilliant caramelized sensation and adding extra charred flavor.
The menu also several appetizers, including pretzel bites, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and Mac N Cheese Gouda Bites.
The Pickle Fries are unlike any other version of fried pickles I’ve ever had. They actually look like fries because Copps takes the time to cut each pickle into thin, fry-shaped strips. They’re lightly coated, so the batter isn’t overwhelming, and the acid from the pickle is allowed to shine.
They do get a bit soggy with time, but a dunk into the ranch or dipping sauce brings them back to life (and then some). I’m pretty disciplined with my diet, but I found myself reaching for more and more of these even after I told myself I was done.
If by some miracle you have any room left after this massive meal (or if you just have a sweet tooth, Copps offers several different desserts and milkshakes. Available are three different dessert pizza, cinnamon breadsticks, and three types of cake (banana chocolate swirl, lemon loaf, and banana loaf).
The Cinnamon Crumble Pizza somehow feels very light, and that’s a really good thing after a big meal. The cinnamon application isn’t overpowering, and there’s just enough of a frosting drizzle to make it sweet without making it cloying. This is a very satisfying way to cap off a happy meal.
Pizza is what makes Copps awesome, but it’s the people that make you root for the restaurant’s success. The customer service is off the charts, and the staff is exceedingly friendly. Talk with Kris for 20 seconds and it becomes abundantly clear how passionate he is about his product and making people happy. He consistently moves from behind the counter and throughout the restaurant to interact with diners. Copp’s has a set lineup of pizzas, but Kristopher will typically let patrons craft their own creations, granted the restaurant has the ingredients on site.
The prices are cheaper than you’ll find at some chain pizza joints, and the flavors are laughably superior. Most of the personal pizzas are around $10, more than a fair price for a full stomach.
If you’re looking for something funky with some unique flavors, Copps is here for you. Not every pie is a home run, and the toppings can be a bit uneven. But it’s a bold restaurant that’s willing to do some fun things.
If you doubt this review, go get a Burnt Ends pizza and give it a healthy dunk in the dipping sauce. If you’re not satisfied, I will gladly pay for the transplant surgery to supply you with functional taste buds.