Pizza Culture: Inside the authentic Neapolitan pizza spot in Calgary

Feb 10 2023, 5:19 pm

Pizza Culture is definitely one of the best places for pizza in Calgary — especially if you love authentic Neapolitan.

The room here is entirely open, with tables of happy people eating slices of za and sharing bottles of wine, walls covered in Italian deco and rows of wood for the oven, and the open kitchen invites eyes to see the massive wood-fired pizza oven cook pies in 90 seconds or less.

Watching the pizza makers wield their long brushes and spatulas to perfectly cook every inch of the crust is half the fun of dining here. It feels almost interactive and is one of the most traditional experiences you’ll find in Calgary.

It’s a restaurant with a long list of pizzas, half of which are traditional classics, and the other half are new spins on the form. The ingredients are top-notch, the crust gets crispy and charred, and there are great options for add-ons, like house-made pickled chilis, oil, and honey.

Dished recently had the opportunity to enjoy the spot, including some absolutely fantastic starters and sides.

We had a feeling the pizzas were going to be incredible, but we had no idea the starters would be so good. We had the Caesar salad, which was made from scratch and had an amazing chew from the pancetta. We also had the beef, pork, and veal meatballs and the arancini, which were coated in cheese and dressed with mixed greens and Calabrian chili aioli. They were unique and bursting with flavour.

pizza culture

Dished Calgary

pizza culture

Dished Calgary

pizza culture

Dished Calgary

We also tried a few glasses of Italian wine and an Aperol Spritz because that was clearly the vibe. We loved it, but we were ready for pie.

We tried three of the pizzas.

The New Yorker was the classic style with melty cheese and cooked and curly pepperoni slices. We added mushrooms and honey to complement the saltiness of the meat. The crust had an ideal combination of char, crust, flop, and chew, which can be a difficult balance in this style of Neapolitan dough.

We also went for the feature pizza, and for the regulars, this is a great way to try something new. It was a Hawaiian-inspired pizza but wood-fired and with large chunks of pancetta that elevated far past the usual controversial “pineapple on pizza” kind of pie.

Lastly, we ordered the mortadella pizza, and we could not recommend it enough. Not only did it look like a work of art, but it was an exceptional combination of tastes, textures, and even temperatures. This thing is cooked with just mozzarella and oil, and when it comes out, it’s sliced and topped with pistachios and basil for an extra crunch and taste. Then, a rosebud of mortadella stuffed with ricotta is carefully placed on each slice, and then honey is drizzled all over it.

pizza

Dished Calgary

It sounds like a lot, but it all works to create a hot pizza that’s sweet and salty and has a hot base with cold cuts on the top. Mortadella pizzas seem to become quite the go-to, and this spot might be the best we’ve had in YYC.

The service was so friendly and very helpful when we needed it, but it always felt like a laid-back spot where the food is made fresh and comes out fast. We didn’t even want to leave, and regardless of being so full, we got a couple of affogatos with creamy pistachio ice cream and never regretted a thing.

pizza culture

Dished Calgary

Neapolitan pizza can often feel too boring to some, and if done wrong, can taste burnt or be a floppy and wet mess of ingredients. But when done right, it’s many aficionados’ favourite style — and Pizza Culture certainly does it right.

Pizza Culture

Address: 1114 Edmonton Trail #1, Calgary

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