California Pizza Kitchen

Extremely disappointed with our visit. Our waiter was as unprofessional as they come and made our dining experience very awkward. We asked for bread when he was taking our drink order and he responded «I guess so» which is was weird. We brushed it off. He then asked what the logo on our shirt meant. We told him what it stood for and he responded… «I don’t know what the f*** that is» I have never had a waiter use that language. Very unprofessional.
I will say the food was good, CPK is one of our favs and the food was just as good as ever. But our experience with our waiter just about ruined our visit.

My boyfriend and I grabbed lunch here the other day, and had an awesome time! The wait was short, and the food was awesome. Our waiter Carson was one of the best waiters we have ever had! He was extremely personable and checked on us multiple times. We will definitely be returning to this location! Although next time we will share a pizza because there portions are huge!

We really like this location. The wait staff and managers are always looking to ensure that your food and experience are just right. And on the off chance that they’re not, they do their best to make it right.
One bit of advice, CPK, please train your staff at front desk to answer the phone clearly and professionally. Some of them sound like a 4^th grader answering the phone at home, speaking a mile a second, mumbling their words at the same time. We called ahead around 5:30 on a Sat., knowing that the dinner rush begins around then. We were told there was no wait at that time and we didn’t need to put our name on a list. We arrived 20 min. later, (parking difficult during Xmas shopping, DUH!) and there was a 45 min. wait. We were thankful that we had insisted they write down our name on the Call Ahead list. Isn’t that what it’s for, after all?
Favorite dish there… Chicken Piccata. Yum!

The Holidays were super busy for me. Sorry for the late reviews! Hungry while shopping? This place is located on the second level of the Fashion Valley Mall next to the foodcourt and across from the AMC Theater. They have an outdoor patio for dining and a bar inside. I’ve been here a few times. Each visit is a different experience. This past visit was about an hour or so before closing on New Year’s Eve with my friend. After doing some well deserved shopping for ourselves after Christmas, we decided to dine here. There was no wait, so we were seated right away. Our server was friendly. She also gave me a compliment on liking my Star Wars hat. Since we were famished, we already knew what we wanted to order. She took our drink orders first. I tried their Mango flavored iced tea. It was very sweet. As I was getting ready to separate our bread plate to give to my friend, I noticed that our plates had crumbs on it. I didn’t know where our server went, so we got the attention of one of the male server’s. He was working in the front host area. We asked for new plates. As he took our plates away, he said he will be back with new plates. He didn’t return. When our server delivered our bread, I told her about the plates. She came back with freshly washed plates that were nice and warm. We ordered their Sesame Ginger Chicken Dumplings as an appetizer and the Wild Mushroom Pizza with Wheat Whole Grain Crust. The dumplings were steamed to perfection with popping flavors of ginger. It was really yummy! The Wild Mushroom Pizza was also very tasty! We shared the appetizer and the pizza. They were perfectly proportioned between us. Good place to relax, dine and enjoy the company of friends before, after or during your shopping, also before or after a movie.

Excellent food and service!
Kids pizzas we’re great!
Had the Cobb salad and the Moroccan spiced chicken salad with butternut squash. Super yummy!
They got us in and out quick
Just wish I would have known about the dinner and a movie deal before we bought our tickets
***If you buy an entrée you get an amc movie ticket for $ 9!

Love he pizza here. The service was great, prices are dectn. Basically ou are gonna spend about 50 bucks for 3 people here. About 15 dollars a pie that feeds one person. Love love love the different types of pies here. Must try.

Our server Efrain was awesome! We let him know we’re short on time to get to a movie. He brought our food in about 5 minutes flat! It was delicious! Everything was awesome!
And we made the movie on time!

This is typically the go-​to spot for drinks and snacks before seeing a movie at the Fashion Valley AMC. The proximity to the theater from CPK’s bar is SO convenient.
My most recent visit was a weekday lunch stop however. I typically visit at night or on a weekend so I hadn’t had the opportunity to try their lunch duos before. It is a good deal! You get to choose a soup and salad, or a soup or salad and a sandwich or pizza. I eat a LOT so I’m constant wondering if something like this will be enough food. It is perfect. I went with a pizza and soup combo. The BBQ chicken pizza is one of my favorites anyway and it was great as a personal size as well. The tortilla soup was creamy but delicious. My friend had the potato soup and she really enjoyed it.
We also had the chicken lettuce wraps and those were good too.

I have never been to a California Pizza Kitchen, so I was very excited to make a first visit. There are two, near where I live, so I decided to go to the Fashion Valley location because I was just leaving campus, and it was the closer option.
I was given a $ 50 gift card to CPK, so I came in one day after a long day at school. Upon my arrival, I was promptly seated at the bar by the host. He was friendly, and gave me the option to sit at a table, but since I was all by myself, I chose the latter. I looked at the menu before I was approached by a waiter, named Renee. She took my drink order first, and I got the Caribbean Sangria, and a glass of water. I came in around noon, and the lunch special was still on so I took advantage of that.
She came back with my drinks and apologized for not having pineapple in my drinks, and I laughed and told her it was perfectly fine. She came back a couple minutes later with a plate of chopped pineapples. It was a simple gesture, but all the more appreciated. The sangria was really really delicious. I’ve had my fair share of sangrias, but that drink alone could keep me coming back. So with that, my first impression was already off to a great start.
She took my food order, and I got the lunch special with a caesar salad and their specialty, bbq chicken pizza. After that, Renee gave me some bread while I waited, and sipped on my sangria. My food came out and the salad was okay. Can’t really blame them because all caesar salads that I’ve had taste the same, HAHAHA! Anywho, their pizza was really good. Loved the savory and smoky flavors.
Their food was very satisfactory, but the service I received from Renee was really really great. She kept conversation with me, kept checking back, did little things here and there that I didn’t ask her to do, but she did anyways. Being self-​efficient is definitely key to being a great employee, and Renee was outstanding. Kudos to her, and I’ll definitely be making more trips back if service there is as good as hers :)
Great first impression, CPK!

Got the pesto cream penne with chicken. It was delicious, although i did wish it came with more chicken. Came here for a weekday lunch. So glad we went around 11:30. As soon as it hit noon, there were so many people! My friend got the asparagus spinach spaghetti– that looked really good. I’ll probably be trying that next time! Another friend got the bbq chicken salad. Man– that salad was huge!

Since we were already at the mall we decided to go to California Pizza Kitchen. Although the wait was 40 minutes it was well worth it. Immediately upon being seated our waiter came over to ask if we cared for a drink as well as if we wanted bread. The bread and beverages came instantly.
I decided to have the avocado club egg rolls and my hubby had the chicken fettuccine. Within 10 minutes our meal arrived and this was a fully packed restaurant with patrons still waiting outside to be seated.
My egg rolls were delicious. There were chunks of chicken, avocado, tomatoes, monterey jack and apple wood smoked bacon. Everything is better with bacon. This was so good my hubby kept taking bites out of my egg rolls.
His fettuccine was rich, creamy and perfectly blended. Definitely not from a jar. The pasta was perfectly cooked with large chucks of chicken throughout the dish. I will definitely return to California Pizza Kitchen.

No matter which location you go to, CPK is consistent through and through. And, that’s a good thing. Service is first rate and friendly. The quality of the food is obvious. The variety is there as well.
Bravo to this chain!

This place is yummy, I always get the avocado egg rolls and the bbq chicken pizza. Both are to die for, they have a full bar and some cool and yummy specialty drinks.
They seem to always be busy but I generally go before going to a movie.
They have take out and if you live close by I suggest their take out.
I go here often and would suggest it to others.

although our meals had good taste, I was not blown away by the CPK experience as I have been in the past. We were seated immediately in a comfy booth. Our server definitely had upselling on his mind, but it was a bit over the top and pushy in my opinion. Instead of asking if we wanted a cocktail, we were asked if we wanted this option or the other? It made me feel a bit awkward to say no. Other than that, our service was prompt and we were well taken care of.
The bread that came out was hot, fresh and served with a flavorful herbed olive oil. We had the original BBQ chopped salad and the club pizza. As I was looking over the menu, I noticed how similar so many of the items are on the menu. Avocado, bacon, chicken, and strawberries seem to be the overall theme here. My salad was tasty, but tasted very similar to my husbands pizza which was disappointing since we were sharing. The hot pizza with a pile of arugula and lettuce was an odd concept that we didn’t love. Granted, we knew that when we ordered it. it just sounded better than it was. Next time we come, I’ll be trying one of the pasta entrees.

Bf: «Let’s go to the mall!»
Well, someone’s excited.
Me: «oh, look! CPK!» =)
I love that I can count on CPK to provide good pizza and a very, very tasty (ahem: gut busting!) jambalaya. Add on a healthy California Fields salad and your lunch out at their patio with the glorious SoCal sunshine is more than A-​OK!
Yes. Even at the mall.

I really wish there was a CPK nearby! I stopped in for a quick dinner before a concert, and was reminded how much I love their pizza!
It’s been a good couple years since I was back, but they sadly took my favorite pizza off the menu! I ordered the margarita pizza THINKING it was the one I saw all the servers carrying when they walked past! I wish they had pictures of each pizza on their menu because it was not what I ordered– my mistake for not asking darn it! It was still tasty, you can’t order a bad pizza here!
If you don’t come for pizza, come for their SANGRIA! Oh my gosh, so amazing. Even my sister who HATES wine loved hers! She got the orange colored one, and I the red. I’m blanking on the names, but you can’t go wrong with either! They come in a fishbowl like goblet, and so refreshing!
I came on a weekday and the place was packed– GO SIT AT THE BAR! Attentive service and a friendly gal working behind the bar (they don’t have happy hour though, oh well).
Bring the one back in VISTA, CA ;)

I usually don’t like to go to restaurants that I can find everywhere on the country, but I was hungry. The occasional mainstream food outing is never a bad thing. This CPK was great. Our server was excellent and always looked for ways to have us save money. She even notified us about their rewards program, which made two of our small plates free! That was awesome of her.
The White Corn Guacamole was pretty good, with the sweet addition of corn. And the chips that came with it were not from a bag, they looked fried in-​store, which is a plus. I also tried the Spicy Chicken Tinga Quesadilla, which was very filling for my mood at the time. If you are looking for something quick, the small plates are good. As for the meals, I thought the pizzas were kinda pricey for how much you get. Overall though, I can keep CPK in my mind for a dinner option

CPK is a pretty decent chain restaurant offering pizza and pasta. I’ve been to this location inside the Fashion Valley mall a couple of times and like their service and the cozy outdoor seating area. Great for people watching and sipping on your Strawberry Mojito!
Food quality was good, the SUMMER STRAWBERRY SALAD being my favorite. Nothing beats a fresh salad topped with delicious strawberries! The MARGARITA PIZZA is simple but thin-​crusted and tasty. Finally, the CAJUN PASTA was the heaviest dish on the table and was certainly filling — with a little bit too much Cajun if you ask me.
Overall, good experience here and super friendly staff.

Fast and delicious food
I enjoyed my bbq chicken pizza with bacon extra crispy
Great service from all hostesses and servers!

Met up with the fam for a late lunch. I was working in the area while my favorite gals caught a silver screen presentation at the theater. I believe that the CPK lunch menu runs until 4pm.
It wasn’t crowded on a weekday afternoon and getting a table was easy well after typical lunch rush hours. Although the patio tables were open, the inside dining room was bustling and the bar seats were all taken. TVs were playing sports highlights. Service was pleasant and cordial. Our waiter came by a few times to check on us and refill drinks.
The California Veggie pizza is a veritable cornucopia of garden fresh ingredients: baby broccoli, Cremini mushrooms, sun-​dried tomatoes, eggplant, and red onions. I added goat cheese and it was great. The Mediterranean salad is delicious as well: crisp greens, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, red onion, chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), and feta crumble. Great lunch-​sized portions that can fill the tummy without the debilitating food coma afterwards. I’ll be hungry again soon.
CPK does a nice job of providing the relaxing sit-​down restaurant alternative to the food court madness.