UNA’s moniker is a pretty economical description of its menu, but its appeal is in the details: creative, thin-crust pizzas topped with sustainably produced ingredients and served with organic wine. Pairing this menu with community mindedness, owners Jayme MacFayden and Kelly Black designed UNA with social ambitions.
“Pizza is all about sharing,” says MacFayden. “People rarely order a pizza for themselves. If ever you’re out for dinner with people you don’t really know that well, you’re best to share food. It incites this conversation about what you’re eating.”
Both restaurant industry veterans, MacFayden and Black opened UNA after being smitten by San Francisco’s pizza scene. “Just like we have a Starbucks on every block, in San Francisco they have pizza places on every block,” says MacFayden. “They’re more than just pizza, though. They are neighbourhood hangouts where you have people in there at all times of the day.” On top of that, the Californian creative approach to pizza making allows that any topping is fair game as long as it tastes good. Inspired, they took the approach home to Calgary.
UNA was one of the city’s few late night eateries when it opened in 2010. It serves pie every day from 11:30 am to 1:00 am. Keeping such hours was a risky move at the time, but Calgarians responded enthusiastically. People regularly drop in for dinner at 10 or 11 o’clock at night after staying late at the office, attending a hockey game or a theatre performance. Be forewarned: UNA doesn’t take reservations. On especially busy evenings, you may have to wait for a table or barstool.
