Chow Down in Cowtown is an (almost!) weekly account of Calgary’s most awesome eats from Ceci n’est pas un food blog.

You may be surprised to learn that my friend Tiffany and I eat meals other than brunch together. A few weeks ago, we went for supper at Without Papers, a new pizzeria in Inglewood run by the owners of Sugo just next door.

The name “Without Papers” is actually a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that although the restaurant specializes in thin-crust, Neapolitan-style pizza, they are not registered with the Associazone Verace Pizza Napoletana, the international group that ensures that its members adhere to strict specifications (including ingredients and method) that make a Neapolitan pizza.

The restaurant takes over the space that was previously occupied by Nectar Desserts, the former venture of ousted Top Chef Canada competitor, Rebekah Pearse. The new owners have made the space appear larger by knocking down a few walls to create a semi-open kitchen. They’ve also gotten rid of the clunky (but comfy!) furniture that was in Nectar, and replaced it with seating that lines the perimeter of the restaurant and the stairs in the middle that blends in nicely with the existing creaky wooden floors and exposed brick walls. The only downside to the renos is that there isn’t a lot of space for people waiting for a table – when it’s busy, potential patrons are either blocking the narrow stairway or hovering awkwardly close to people seated at the bar.

Tiffany had been to Without Papers once before, and recommended the Hogwild ($18), a white pizza with spicy wild boar sausage, prosciutto, braised rapini and friulano cheese. She did warn that some people found the combination of sausage and prosciutto too salty. Coincidentally, shortly before we ordered, we ran into Julie, who, without asking what we were planning to have, said that she found the Hogwild too salty.

We ordered it anyway.

Perhaps the trick to enjoying Hogwild is the expectation that it would be salty. I liked the contrast in texture between the crisp prosciutto and the bits of spicy, ground boar, and I thought that the bittersweet rapini did a great job cutting through all the saltiness. The crust was nicely charred and full of air pockets, though those who like Neapolitan pizza may find the crust a little too crisp, without much chew. (I didn’t mind.)

Interestingly, it was our other pizza, the Baby Doll ($18), that I found too salty, with its large chunks of canned artichoke. I felt that it took away from the rest of the toppings, which included eggplant (don’t remember this being on the pizza at all), roasted free-range chicken, cherry tomatoes and goats’ cheese.

As per fellow Calgary is Awesome editor Irene‘s advice, we paid the extra $3 to get the bolognese dipping sauce. The sauce was warm, tomatoey and meaty, but there’s so little crust on the pizzas at Without Papers (which is a good thing, in my opinion) that next time I would probably skip it.

Tiffany and I each ate four slices of pizza (aka 2/3 of a pizza each), so we couldn’t enjoy all the other delicious treats that are available at Without Papers – their menu boasts a list of shared appetizers, an eclectic selection of wines and beers (including Mill Street Lemon Tea ale) and house-made ice creams that can be enjoyed by themselves, or in a Grizzly Paw soda float (mmm…)

Without Papers doesn’t take reservations, so be prepared to show up early (and wait!)

Without Papers
Upstairs, 1216 9 Ave SE
Calgary AB T2G 0T1
(403) 457-1154
Open Tues-Sat 11 AM-11 PM; Sun 3 PM-11 PM. Closed Mondays. No reservations.