‘Everglades Pizza’ goes viral: Inside the iguana pie made in North Palm Beach

A pizza topped with iguana meat is not something most people expect to see — but viral videos showing exactly that have pulled millions of viewers into a North Palm Beach restaurant. (WPEC)

by Katie Bente

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A pizza topped with iguana meat is not something most people expect to see — but viral videos showing exactly that have pulled millions of viewers into a North Palm Beach restaurant.

CBS12 News reporter Katie Bente met up Thursday with South Florida content creator Ryan Izquierdo and the owner of Bucks Coal Fired Pizza as they recreated the now-viral “Everglades pizza,” a one-off dish inspired by Florida’s invasive green iguana problem.

Inside the restaurant, Izquierdo explained exactly what went into the pizza as it was prepared.

“Iguana, venison, alligator, bacon, white pizza with cheese, finished with ranch,” he said.

As the pizza came out of the oven, Izquierdo pointed out the topping drawing the most attention online.

“This white meat in the front is the iguana meat,” he said. “So they call them chicken of the trees — they taste just like chicken.”

Izquierdo, who appears eating iguana in several viral posts, didn’t hesitate to take another bite.

“They’re absolutely delicious,” he said. “I’ve been eating these for years. The meat tastes just like chicken. You would never know you’re eating iguana.”

How the idea took off

Izquierdo says he is a full-time content creator based in South Florida, typically traveling the world to document fishing, culture and remote locations. The iguana content, he says, came unexpectedly after a recent cold snap caused the reptiles to become cold-stunned and fall from trees.

“So I woke up Saturday morning, and I thought it’d be a great opportunity to go and document it, educate people on what’s going on,” he said. “Before I knew it, before 11 o’clock, I had over 100 iguanas in the bed of my truck, and I posted that video.”

The videos quickly gained traction, leading to an idea Izquierdo says he never expected to go viral.

“I messaged my buddy Frankie, who owns Bucks Coal Fired Pizza, and we came up with this genius idea to make an iguana pizza,” he said. “We had this amazing idea, and we were not expecting it to blow up like this.”

Izquierdo says he has also made other iguana dishes on camera, including omelets, as part of his content.

Why iguanas?

Green iguanas are an invasive species in Florida and can be humanely killed year-round without a permit on private property, with landowner permission. Izquierdo says the viral attention has opened the door to educating people about the damage they cause.

“They are overpopulating like crazy,” he said. “They’re causing millions of dollars of damage to just Palm Beach County every single year.”

According to Izquierdo, iguanas damage crops, landscaping and other property.

“They eat crops, they eat flowers and landscaping, and they’re costing the state — and people who live in Florida — a lot of nuisance and headaches,” he said.

The legality questions

As the videos spread, many viewers online questioned whether iguana meat — or the pizza itself — could legally be sold.

Izquierdo says he’s been clear in his response.

“The number one comment I’ve got on my videos is, ‘Can I have some iguanas? Can you sell me some?’” he said. “You cannot do that. It’s illegal.”

While Florida law allows people to humanely kill and consume invasive iguanas, restaurants are subject to stricter food-safety regulations. Health rules generally require restaurants to serve food from approved and inspected sources, which typically prevents businesses from cooking or selling meat brought in from outside.

Because of those regulations, the iguana pizza was created strictly for demonstration and content purposes.

“Right now, it is absolutely not for sale,” Izquierdo said. “So don’t even waste your time calling.”

A viral moment — not a menu item

The owner of Bucks Coal Fired Pizza confirmed the iguana pizza will not be added to the menu.

For Izquierdo, the attention surrounding the videos is about more than shock value.

 

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