IZZY'S PIZZA

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★★

Detroit-style pizza

Standout Dishes: Honeypeno; Miss Mona; Red Harvest; Pepperoni Pizza

For all the great pizza in Omaha, there’s simply nothing like Izzy’s Pizza.

From the shape to the consistency of the bouncy, airy crust to the impeccable caramelized cheese crown, Izzy’s is one of one. And until you eaten here, you haven’t experienced the brilliance that Detroit-style pizza can be.

This food truck built a massive following in Las Vegas, but owners Brett and Cherish Geiger chose to move to Omaha early in 2022 so their daughter (Izzy) could grow up close to her grandparents. While it was a massive risk to leave a passionate fan base and essentially start over from scratch, Omahans caught wind of the move and salivated over Izzy’s arrival for months. When Izzy’s held its first public event, it sold out of pies in 40 minutes.

That first exposure only put the pedal to the metal on the hype train, and Izzy’s sold out every service for months. In a city with so many great pizza options, that kind of adoration is unheard of.

But Izzy’s pizza is that special, and Omaha can’t get enough of it. It grew so quickly that, after less than 2 years off being in Omaha, Izzy’s opened a brick and mortar in South Omaha.

Part of the reason Izzy’s took off in Omaha is its novelty. Its people have had limited exposure to Detroit-style pizza, but once they experienced it, they fell for it wholeheartedly.

There are certain qualities that make Izzy’s Detroit-style specialities something that can’t be missed:

Dough: Airy and chewy, Izzy’s base is more like a focaccia bread than a traditional pizza crust. It’s as if a pizza were constructed atop buttery cheese bread; it has great bounce and texture, but it’s not heavy.

Caramelized crust: Izzy’s pizzas are cooked in rectangular pans, and Brett smushes his custom cheese blend against the edge to create a crispy caramelized crown. This cheesy perimeter not only adds texture and an audible crunch, but also a slight sweetness. This is one of the few pizzas where the crust bites are the best bites.

Sauce: Ladled on top to prevent it from soggying the airy dough, Izzy’s sauce is sweeter than most, but it’s balanced by a pleasant acidity from Stainislaus tomatoes.

An Izzy’s pizza is great before a single topping is added, but the additional elements really take them up a notch.

Start with the classic Detroit pie, the Pepperoni Pizza. Izzy’s liberally applies smaller Cup-N-Char pepperoni discs atop its pizzas, ensuring that every bite has some of that salty, fatty goodness. During their 20 minutes in Izzy’s oven, the pepperonis crisp and curl up into mini bowls, adding texture and creating mini grease pools for additional flavor.

Those brilliant pepperoni cups also make an appearance on Izzy’s signature pizza, the Red Harvest, only now they have some friends to play with. Peppadew peppers add pops of sweetness with just a touch of heat, bacon brings salt, and dollops of garlic ricotta apply creaminess and a mild sweetness. But the kicker is a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey, which balances the saltiness of the other elements with a pleasant sweet heat.

Want a little bit more heat? Go with the Honeypeno, which uses pepperoni, Mike’s Hot Honey, and pickled jalapenos to find the perfect balance of sugar, salt, spice, and fat.

While most of Izzy’s pizzas employ the classic red sauce, the truck isn’t afraid to deviate from the norm. The Miss Mona instead uses the rich, tanginess of ranch and sweet BBQ sauce to accentuate the pulled chicken and piglet’s worth of bacon underneath.

Then there’s the wildly creative Figgy Stardust, which employs caramelized onions, balsamic glaze, and a rich fig jam for a sugar-forward flavor profile. But just when it threatens to be too sweet, bits of crisp bacon and a dusty of salty, nutty parmesan reggiano arrives to keep things in balance.

Izzy’s also commonly runs specials, such as The Pretender, topped with rich, savory meatballs that are wonderfully spiced and sliced into meat medallions. Red onions and pepperoncinis add just the right amount of bite and heat.

Izzy’s even makes pizzas out of classic sandwiches, like its ridiculously delicious take on the Cubano. The carnitas are rich and have just the right amount of fat, while hearty chunks of smoked shoulder bacon add that nice savory, salty pop. The addition of Swiss to Izzy’s brick cheese blend brings a subtle mild nuttiness, while the garlic mustard/mayo drizzle finishes it all with a creamy zing.

Bottom line: Izzy’s base product is so delicious, just about any combination of toppings is going to work with it.

The shop is small, with only a few tables inside and on its patio, but it’s bright, welcoming, and cozy. Plus, the only thing separating the kitchen from the dining room is a giant plate glass window, so you can watch your pizza be made or give Brett a fist bump.

Izzy’s Pizza (the shop, not the bus) also offers Grandma slices, which feature a thinner, slightly more dense dough. They’re cooked in a rectangular pan in oil, giving them a brilliantly crisp exterior and some serious crunch.

The food truck makes its way around bars and breweries and parks at Trucks & Taps. This is done with purpose: by nature, Detroit-style pizzas take longer to cook, requiring about a 25-minute creation/cooking process. Along with Izzy’s popularity, this can create extended wait times, but Izzy’s chosen locations allow you to relax with friends and enjoy a beer or cocktail while the anticipation for your pizza builds.

Whether you choose to order ahead or fight the hungry crowds around the bus, you can stay up to date with the bus’ upcoming locations on Instagram, Facebook, and its website.

Before you visit Izzy’s, you may be skeptical of the hype train. “There’s no way,” your mind whispers, “that the pizza can match all the high praise you’ve heard.”

But once you take a bit of an Izzy’s pizza, you get it. The hoopla is earned. Izzy’s arrived in Omaha with grand buildup, and the excitement isn’t going away any time soon.