Wave Pizza – a beach party in the middle of America

A beachfront pizza joint…in the middle of America?

Wave Pizza Company and Bonzai Beach Club calls Grand Island, Nebraska, home.

As soon as you see the building’s exterior, you know you are there. A shark jumping out of the wall kind of gives you the hint you are there.

Inside, the décor is definitely beach friendly. The ceiling’s rafters have blown up toys, such as more sharks.

A swordfish hangs on a wall with a beach background.

A Volkswagen bus sits in the middle of the restaurant. It doubles as the keno lottery counter.

The food is delicious.

We ordered an appetizer of the Son of a Beach Strips O Chicken. It’s chicken strips on top of a bed of waffle fries. The five strips were huge. The app could actually be a meal if you wanted.

However, we wanted to try their pizza, too. We ordered a large Bonzai Pipeline. It is an 18-inch pizza. It is a Hawaiian pizza with ham and pineapple. Delicious! We had plenty to take home, so we got a couple of lunches out it.

So, the question remains – why is a beach front pizza joint in the middle of Nebraska? The name supposedly comes from an encounter the owner had with a guy.

The guy said he partied with a dude named Jimmy. All he had left the next day was a shaker of salt. Anyone familiar with the song “Margaritaville” understands that reference.

The shaker of salt sits in a glass box in the VW bus.

When in Grand Island, stop in at Wave. It’s downtown and worth the short drive off the interstate.

For menu options, visit its website at http://wavepizzacompany.wordpress.com/.