Izzy’s Pizza started in Las Vegas in 2019 after owner Brett Geiger bought a school bus for $5,000, envisioning it as a food bus. He was living there with his wife and co-owner, Cherish, and their young daughter, Izzy—the restaurant’s namesake. When he first had the idea, pizza wasn’t yet on his mind.
Geiger was a sound engineer by trade, working for Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas for eleven years. He loved the precision of live sound and believed it was what he’d do until retirement. But the school bus idea kept fermenting—to put it in baking terms, it finally proofed when he discovered a love for making pizza.
Finishing with cheese
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Geiger began to experiment with pizza dough in 2018, making pies for coworkers during breaks and at home. He became a pizza nerd, improving his process daily in his newfound passion. His turning point came when he discovered Detroit-style pizza at Good Pie in Las Vegas.
“They kept posting this pizza with this cheesy edge. So I went and got one, sat in my car and—holy crap! it blew my mind,” Geiger said. He decided “I’m buying a pan and I’m gonna, you know, try to do this.”
He immediately bought a pan for Detroit-style pizza. That one pan turned into 160 and the food bus dream became reality with Detroit-style pizza. Izzy’s Pizza Bus was born.
Rotating the pizza
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Geiger served customers during the lunch hours while he continued to work on-call gigs for Cirque du Soleil. He did this right up until the pandemic. With Cirque du Soleil and other live gigs temporarily shut down, Geiger focused on the pizza bus. Restaurants were one of the few establishments allowed to be open.
“Food was allowed, and the news did a story on us,” Geiger recalled. “We would just get a parking lot full of people, and they’d just wait in their cars, and I’d bring them pizza.”
Pizzas hot out of the oven
Photo by Jennifer Corey
In 2022, the Geigers decided to move from Vegas due to the rising costs and fast-paced lifestyle. The area was getting crowded, and they wanted a change, so they came to Omaha.
“Cherish and I wanted to get closer to family and better schools for Izzy. And just a slower pace than Vegas,” Geiger said. “There’s a really cool food scene here, and the music scene too. I didn’t realize it until we got here, but I’ve been really happy with it.”
Guy Fieri – Keep cookin’
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Omaha quickly embraced Izzy’s Pizza Bus, gaining a flash of popularity that shows no signs of slowing. Within six months of the bus arriving in Omaha, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives came calling and they became a feature on the show.
The pizza bus is now retired from its baking duties, but Geiger remains focused on the brick-and-mortar located at 522 South 24th Street downtown.
Izzy’s Pizza dining area
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The restaurant is small with just a handful of tables. Pizzas are made in front—you can see the action through large windows both inside and outside. It’s decorated in rustic fashion with bright red walls, pictures and memorabilia, cans of tomato sauce and peppers and a large signed picture from Guy Fieri that says “Keep cookin.”
The menu is almost completely pizza with a high-hydration dough that ferments from 24 to 48 hours. Their standard pizzas use a blend of mozzarella and brick cheese, a Wisconsin original that brings a rich creaminess and honors the Detroit pizza tradition. Toppings are typically inspired ideas borrowed from other pizzaiolos and cookbooks like The Pizza Bible. Geiger jokes that “anything that goes on a sandwich can go on a pizza.”
A grandma-style pizza
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Our tour of the menu came by way of Geiger’s recommendations. The garlic knots are the main appetizer, so we tried those. There are two cocktail options, a Mike’s Hot Honey margarita and a regular margarita—Jennifer and I shared the hot honey version. The pizza comes in two styles, Detroit and grandma. We stuck with Detroit because that’s what Izzy’s Pizza Bus was built upon. We tried the Honeypeno, Red Harvest, Miss Mona and pepperoni.
Mike’s Hot Honey margarita
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Mike’s Hot Honey Margarita comes in a to-go pouch. It’s simplistic in presentation, but a powerhouse of flavor. The heat of Mike’s Hot Honey threads delicately through the citrus, pulling forward the agave in the tequila. The use of honey adds floral and spicy elements that work very well in a margarita. Drinking this is like an adult version of a Capri Sun – fun and playful. Pro tip: if you get this to-go, don’t pop your straw in until you get home.
Deez knots
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Deez Knots are the signature dough twisted, baked and double-coated with garlic butter, topped with parmesan cheese and served with a side of tomato sauce. The sauce itself is fresh and invigorating with fresh crushed tomatoes, lightly seasoned with a hint of garlic. It’s a great dip for the knots, which are soft, doughy and buttery. The garlic is restrained—an accent, not the star of the app.
Detroit-style Honeypeno
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Honeypeno is topped with pepperoni, house pickled jalapeños, pizza sauce, Mike’s Hot Honey, the Izzy’s cheese blend and parmesan. This pizza brings a balanced heat that’s prominent but is not overpowering. The pickled jalapeños add a spicy, fermented acidity that balances with the pepperoni, cheese and sauce. The hot honey brings heat, but also teases out a sweet, nutty edge from the savory base.
Detroit-style Red Harvest
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Red Harvest is the standard dough-and-cheese blend topped with bacon, pepperoni, Peppadew peppers (small, red, sweet and slightly spicy peppers originally from South Africa), red sauce, roasted garlic ricotta and drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey. The Peppadew peppers add a sweet, hearty acidity that plays nicely with the saltiness of the bacon and pepperoni. Roasted garlic ricotta adds a sweet creaminess and leaves behind a gentle garlic finish. The hot honey brings a sweet tinge of heat that works well with the toppings.
Detroit-style Miss Mona
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Miss Mona is topped with oven roasted chicken, diced bacon, BBQ sauce, a house made ranch and green onions. While this isn’t a traditional red-sauce pizza, the sweet BBQ sauce brings a tangy, playful kick to the chicken and bacon. The house-made ranch—creamy, succulent, full-bodied—is what makes this pizza memorable. The green onions sit on top, crisp and fresh, further invigorating the flavor profile.
Detroit-style pepperoni
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The pepperoni is once again the Izzy’s dough-and-cheese blend with an abundance of pepperoni, topped with the red sauce. It’s traditional pepperoni on Detroit style pizza, which elevates the staple pizza topping. The pepperoni cups and crisps in the oven, lending its meaty heft to the dough’s cheesy richness in every bite. The crispy outer cheese crust adds texture and crunch.
Of the pizzas we tried, Jennifer’s favorite was the Honeypeno, while mine was the Miss Mona. Choosing a favorite here isn’t easy.
Mike’s Hot Honey neon sign
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Izzy’s leans hard into Mike’s Hot Honey, because Geiger loves it and the relationship he’s developed with Mike and his team. It’s a brand that carries its own weight, born out of Brooklyn and grown to a national scale while keeping its craft sensibility. You can currently find it on the Honeypeno and Red Harvest—two of the best sellers.
Geiger eventually retired the Pizza Bus, but not by selling it off. “I’ve donated it to Long Walk Farm,” he said. “They’ve been super supportive of me and Cherish since we got here, so I figured I’d rather donate it to them than try to sell it to a random person.”
Topped with red sauce
Photo by Jennifer Corey
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t traveling pizza in Izzy’s future. Geiger’s been toying with the idea of a pizza trailer, and he’d like to get to West Omaha eventually. “No matter what, I want to get out west if possible.” Geiger said. “Maybe another small brick and mortar, but that’s at least probably another year from now.”
Izzy’s is much more than Detroit-style dough and crispy, caramelized cheese edges. It’s the story of a family that gambled on a wild idea that started with a loan from Cherish, crossed the country and became one of Omaha’s favorite pizza spots.
Taking pizza out of the pan
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Izzy created the Queen Bee pizza (topped with chicken, bacon, olives and red sauce). Fieri insisted it stay on the menu.
Geiger credits Izzy as his inspiration. “She’s one of the most important people, made me a better person,” Geiger said. “Maybe she wants to own a pizzeria one day. It’s already got her name on it.”
Izzy’s began as a Vegas gamble—a bus, a borrowed 401(k) loan and a wild idea that somehow proofed into something bigger. It’s grown roots in Omaha, becoming as much a part of our city’s story as the Geigers. The future might bring a pizza trailer and maybe a westside shop. It’s Izzy’s name on the sign, Omaha at its back, and crispy cheese-edged Detroit-style pies still drawing the crowds. If you haven’t tried it yet—hot damn, you need to.
