California Pizza Kitchen

[Pacolovestacos]

Anyone else like this place? I do really like the pizzas and the salads. But these sneaky little guys keep jacking their prices. I just ordered a sicilian pizza and noticed the cost is now over $16. Way too much, IMO. I remember when it was $14 and thought that was high.

 

[low-key]

California is a great place, but they should be allowed to make Pizzas

 

[bcla]

I worked with a few Italians, and one told me that his kid asked to go to California Pizza Kitchen. He relented, but let's just say it wasn't his first choice. I don't think it was because he was worried about authenticity, but that he didn't think it was a good value or that great given the number of really good local pizza places.

It was probably like Jacques Pepin taking his daughter to Burger King. He did it to make her happy.

It's a chain. In general it's going to be remarkably consistent but never spectacular. If I was going out with a group and the consensus was to go to CPK, it wouldn't bother me, but I wouldn't be the one to suggest it. If there's a lack of really good pizza restaurants in your area, it might be a better option for pizza.

 

[dotfurio]

We usually get them for take-out a couple times a year. I like that they have some really unique combinations you can't get at your average pizza place. They are kind of pricy, though.

 

[sonnyjane]

Love CPK. Don't live anywhere remotely near one anymore sadly. I don't even order pizza - I get the Thai crunch salad, sub the chicken for avocado. Yum.

 

[indygirl99]

Much cheaper to buy it from you local grocers freezer section and make it in you own oven.

 

[clori]

when the girls were young enough we used to go with their coupons for free birthday meals which included drinks and dessert. Their birthdays are in May and June so we usually had both postcards before the first expired. That was typically the once a year we went. We all like the BBQ chicken pizza.

 

[Albort]

Much cheaper to buy it from you local grocers freezer section and make it in you own oven.

i think they changed their recipe on those. its like flakier now... i really did enjoy their old recipe more... :\ oh well.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I enjoy the restaurant when I go there. I kind of consider CPK it's own thing apart from pizza. I wouldn't go to CPK if I were in the mood for pizza (as in traditional red sauce with cheese and toppings pizza) but I do get in the mood for the non-standard CPK choices.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

i think they changed their recipe on those. its like flakier now... i really did enjoy their old recipe more... :\ oh well.

Agreed it's just not the same thing.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I really liked a soup they had, I think it was potato and leak soup. But that was the only thing that I liked.

 

[E&Cmom]

We don't have it here but do go when we are in the Seattle area. Love the BBQ chicken pizze and thr carmellized peach salad. DH as a gluten intolerence and really enjoyed thier gluten free pizza.

I have gotten thier frozen BBQ chicken pizza at Costco and enjoyed it as well.

 

[Heidict]

We have one up at Foxwoods and my DH and I like to stop by for a couple of apps and drinks when we are there. I have actually never had their pizza before.

 

[LilyWDW]

Never been to an actual location. I do get their frozen White pizza because it is one of the few frozen pizzas I can have. Usually have that a couple times a month with a salad.

 

[BrianL]

When I first went to Los Angeles it was with a group from this website I wrote for, and the boss had one rule, "NO CPK!" He said they always end up there and he doesn't like it. Funnily enough, when I first got there (late flight) and my sister and brother-in-law picked me up, we went looking for places to eat and the only thing open was...CPK. It was underwhelming too. At least I wasn't with the guys from the website yet, though I did regale them with my harrowing tale of going to a CPK a couple days earlier.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

California Pizza Kitchen is garbage. And it isn't even a genuine California style pizza. It's a total rip off. I never thought anyone could make a worse pizza than Cici's. Then I ate at a California Pizza Kitchen.

 

[tvguy]

Anyone else like this place? I do really like the pizzas and the salads. But these sneaky little guys keep jacking their prices. I just ordered a sicilian pizza and noticed the cost is now over $16. Way too much, IMO. I remember when it was $14 and thought that was high.

Their food is good. The location, in the mall, is lousy, and they have always been $5 per entree to expensive. We go about once a year or two to do something different and when we feel we can blow an extra $15 or $20.

 

[bcla]

California Pizza Kitchen is garbage. And it isn't even a genuine California style pizza. It's a total rip off.

I wouldn't go that far. I think it's edible.

Supposedly the founder of CPK was instrumental in the history of California style pizza as the head pizza chef at Spago in Beverly Hills. I wasn't really into that style pizza at the time, but I do remember a series of Pacific Bell TV commercials in the 80s that included Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and Wolfgang Puck. Puck mentioned in the commercial that he asked Waters where she got her wood-fired pizza oven.

Anyone remember the broccoli pizza in Inside Out? I guess that would be California-style. We get that stuff at the Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley or one of several worker-owned Arizmendi Pizza locations. Pixar employees said they ate at Arizmendi Emeryville, although I'd think many have also been to Cheese Board. Arizmendi Emeryville even had a broccoli pizza one day when Inside Out was showing in theaters. Maybe some have been to CPK at Bay Street, but I wouldn't think they were particularly inspired by it.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I wouldn't go that far. I think it's edible.

Supposedly the founder of CPK was instrumental in the history of California style pizza as the head pizza chef at Spago in Beverly Hills. I wasn't really into that style pizza at the time, but I do remember a series of Pacific Bell TV commercials in the 80s that included Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and Wolfgang Puck. Puck mentioned in the commercial that he asked Waters where she got her wood-fired pizza oven.

Anyone remember the broccoli pizza in Inside Out? I guess that would be California-style. We get that stuff at the Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley or one of several worker-owned Arizmendi Pizza locations. Pixar employees said they ate at Arizmendi Emeryville, although I'd think many have also been to Cheese Board. Arizmendi Emeryville even had a broccoli pizza one day when Inside Out was showing in theaters. Maybe some have been to CPK at Bay Street, but I wouldn't think they were particularly inspired by it.

He was indeed instrumental, in transforming it from a beautiful product into mass marketed junk. The CPK frozen Pizza in the super for $5 a piece is probably only about 3-5% behind what you get at the restaurant.
Note that in no way should that statement be taken as a compliment of their frozen pizza.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

You know I just realized something. No wonder everyone in New York and Chicago think California style pizza is garbage. CPK may be the only example of it they've ever had.