A North Palm Beach restaurant has stopped serving iguana pizza after complaints were filed with the Health Department, following a viral video that showed the unusual topping being added to pies during a recent Florida cold snap, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
Bucks Coal Fired Pizza drew attention earlier this month when it posted a video showing pieces of iguana meat being tossed onto pizza dough before going into the oven.
The video racked up tens of thousands of likes online as temperatures across the state dropped, causing invasive green iguanas to become immobilized and fall from trees.
FLORIDA’DA BİR PİZZA RESTORANI, İGUANA ETİNDEN PİZZA YAPINCA VİRAL OLDU. pic.twitter.com/lbA3vADG66 [2]
— Haber Bandı (@haberbandicom) February 18, 2026 [3]
The reptiles are cold-blooded and can become temporarily paralyzed when temperatures plunge, a phenomenon that has occurred during previous cold snaps in Florida.
Owner Frankie Cecere said the idea came from a friend.
“My buddy hit me up and was like, how do you feel about me bringing in some iguana meat and making iguana pizza? I said, absolutely,” Cecere told Local 10.
Despite the backlash that followed, Cecere said the response was not entirely negative.
“It’s highly sought after apparently,” he said, noting the restaurant received “about 1,500 calls for iguana pizza.”
Still, the attention prompted complaints to regulators. Cecere said some callers raised concerns about animal cruelty and claimed the restaurant was keeping live reptiles on site.
“People called in saying we had live iguanas in house, like an animal cruelty issue,” Cecere said. “We don’t have live iguanas here.”
The restaurant has since removed iguana as a topping while it works through regulatory questions.
“I thought it would fall under catch and cook,” Cecere added.
According to Local 10, the pizzeria is now seeking clarity on the rules governing the sale of iguana meat.
Cecere noted that while iguanas are considered an invasive species in Florida and can be harvested without a license, the regulations surrounding serving them in a commercial setting are less clear.
“You don’t need a license to harvest iguanas because they’re an invasive species, but apparently, there’s no statute for it,” Cecere said.
FLORIDA: Restaurant faces backlash after selling pizza with iguana meat as a topping >>> https://t.co/FqfEX7KKcY [4] pic.twitter.com/VTsKLWphXm [5]
— WJHG-TV (@WJHG_TV) February 17, 2026 [6]
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has temporarily allowed residents to remove and dispose of cold-stunned iguanas without a permit during the recent weather event.
The viral pizza was not the only culinary experiment sparked by the cold weather.
A Florida TikToker also gained attention for collecting frozen iguanas and preparing them as tacos, posting videos of the process and tasting the final product.
Bucks Coal Fired Pizza has not indicated whether iguana will return to the menu in the future. For now, the restaurant has paused the offering while addressing the concerns raised by regulators and members of the public.