California Pizza Kitchen

One of the worst experiences at a restaurant. The server MANNY in particular was very rude. When I first walked in the booth I wiped the seat with a napkin and he said «well is it clean enough for you.» I will not be coming back. Carlos was very polite though.

First time here at this CPK. Dirty Plates, dirty spoons… service was okay cause it wasn’t that busy… this do got more lighting than Pleasanton one.

Trust me, they’re three stars. Don’t expect more, or less. Most of the time their pizzas are good, but the experience is usually lacking. Still better than Papa Johns.

CPK is never going to be a destination for me. I’m an avowed NY pizza snob and this isn’t a place for particularly good pizza. Having said that, the food is reasonable and the service we had for our daughter’s birthday party was pretty terrific. Thanks Jazmine!

When my husband and I had late lunch, We ordered, original bbq chicken pizza and it was delicious. The table where we sat, smelled horrible because it wasn’t clean properly. it smelled like dirty rag.

The Hillsdale CPK is awesome. We live closer to the Stanford location, and refuse to go there anymore because it’s always a horrible experience. This location is delightful. They are always attentive, the food tastes great, and they go above and beyond.

My boyfriend and I get CPK whenever we’re not too sure what to eat. I’m normally not a huge fan of pizza, but actually enjoy CPK’s pizzas. I’ve only ever ordered the pizzas so I can’t really review their pastas/​salads/​whatever else they serve.
We usually get a California Club pizza, though we’ve tried a few other ones like the teriyaki, the mushroom and sausage, and some of the seasonal ones (one had artichoke, egg, and potatoes!). The California Club is by far my favorite — it feels like a healthier version of pizza. They’re generous with the veggies that they top it with.
One pizza’s ~$ 15 and we usually share. Between the pizza and the free bread they serve at the beginning, it’s sufficiently filling for dinner.
They can get really, really busy around lunch time. A lot of families will stop in before or after a day of shopping, so it gets especially crowded on the weekends. I’d give them ⁵⁄₅ but service is really hit or miss, sometimes they’re really on top of everything and other times (especially when it’s really busy) it can get difficult to flag down someone to refill your water or close your check.

What I’ve learned from tonight’s dinner — CPK has jacked their prices and lowered the quality of their food, but after 4 days spent with a gluten-​free vegan tetotaler, a glass of wine and half a pizza goes down nicely, especially when the cute bartender keeps flirting to get a bigger tip.

I ordered two salads, I know this place is over priced but my husband likes it.
I order a small Caesar salad. I Get Home and my salad it’s half way full, lots of core Romaine and rusted lettuce!
I think CPK just lost my business.

Waldorf salad and Cobb salad are my favorites here. All the food is yummy.
If they offer organic options and pastured grass fed meats options I will raise my rating to 5 stars.

Slow service but good server. Aren’t we supposed to get warm bread. Didn’t get it.
Flatbread was warm not hot.

The «Caramelized Peach Salad» with added bacon is amazing. Its light and refreshing with their housemade white balsamic vinaigrette yet filling when you add the bacon. This is a salad that I will crave for because its that good.

One of my fave at CPK! I had the Cedar Plank Salmon — Roasted on a cedar plank on a hearth oven with smoked paprika and lime. Served with white corn & spinach succotash topped with Feta. It was fantastic! Our waiter was excellent. simple as that! Will definitely come again. (Late post: 7÷19÷15)

At the mall on a Friday night, the stores are closing and my friend and I find that we’re starving. We decide to go to CPK. Turns out EVERYONE had the same idea. CPK is packed with families and there are a dozen more waiting. There are two of us so we could have sat at the bar but it basically looked like sitting in the kitchen, so we waited. And waited. And waited.
We finally got probably the worst two-​top in the place, right next to the seats we’d rejected. Ha! Next to one of the waiter stations. We cajoled our way into a better seat but were clearly hated for asking. No matter. We were in a nice booth and could rest after a long shopping spree. I ordered a glass of wine and they ask if you want small or large. HUH? Regular glass of wine, which one is regular? 6 oz or 9 oz is the answer. Good lord. My friend ordered a Corona and I kid you not, the waiter brought a 24 oz giant bottle! She said «oh, I had no idea it was a giant bottle.» We’re totally mystified as the waiter knows that it’s just the two of us girls. «I can’t drink all this, I wish you would have said something,» she says. To which the waiter shrugs and says something about thinking we wanted to party. UGH.
I’ve eaten at lots of CPKs and — for a chain restaurant — it’s quite good. Crispy crust, regular pizzas, the signature dishes, big salads, I love it all. But this particular one needs to be cleaned and/​or remodeled. It has that gross dirty carpet smell that puts me right back in college to my days waiting tables. It’s the way a lot of places smell before they start cooking the food. But when you’re sitting right next to the kitchen in full swing, and it smells like dirty carpet, it makes you wonder just how filthy it is. Kind of ruins the experience.

Yesterday was my first time at California Pizza Kitchen. All I have to say is WOW. Everything was great. I am a picky eater and I have to say that the food was excellent. Not only was the food very good, the customer service provided at CPK was very welcoming and it was very much appreciated.
We went in around 715 and we were told the wait was about 10 – 15 so of course we decided to wait. My friend wanted to look at the menu so when he asked the hostess, she was rude. She just handed him the menu without even looking at him with a smile or anything. This left a horrible impression and I was already dissatisfied. I used to work in a restaurant so I know how important first impressions are and hers was not great. I would recommend getting rid of her because she gave a bad vibe upon 10 mins being there especially that we were first timers. I will not go on about her because the rest of the staff was truly great.
We were seated after 10 mins like we were told. The name of the server we had was Gianna. She was amazing. She was very helpful with her suggestions and she really made us feel welcomed. You could tell that she likes her job and she was not bothered no matter how many questions we asked. I loved her customer service and I hope we get her again. The hostess should take a couple tips from Gianna.
We were told if we sign up for the rewards, we would receive a free small plate. We got the Shaved Mushroom and Spinach flat bread. It was DELICIOUS. The name of the manager that was working was Becky. She was super nice and friendly. You could tell that she was loved her job as well. She brought us the flat bread which was surprising because managers usually sit there and dont send food. She was very active and we really felt welcomed by her. Its nice to see that even though she is a manager, She still cared to help the servers. We were also served bread and it was soo yummy. The oil with spices was just amazing.
For the Entrée we ordered the California Cobb Salad and Half Tostada pizza and half California Club. It was amazing. There are no words to describe how good the pizza was. Throughout our entire dinner, Gianna was checking on us and getting a refill and just all around great.
Towards the end of the meal, We were so full we did not want to get up and walk. Becky the manager came up and checked on us again. It was so sweet that a manager showed how much she cared about our first time here. She offered us a free dessert but we declined since we were so full. It was really sweet of her and we appreciate the amazing customer service. Both Becky and Gianna really made our first time here amazing and totally made us forget about the rude hostess.
We will be back very soon and I will make sure to bring in my family and friends that have never been here before.

CPK is a good middle of the road option. It is not great and it is not bad either. This particular location has an appeal because it is close to the food court at the Hillsdale mall and a better option that anything you can find there.

Surprisingly, this place was packed around 1pm on a Sunday afternoon, though we didn’t wait at all for a table. I don’t remember being enchanted with CPK on my one or two visits to the chain, but I very much enjoyed the food we had this meal: we shared a The Works pizza, which includes sausage, pepperoni, olives, onions, and peppers and a full size roasted veggie salad. They ask if you want complimentary bread, which of course I accepted. The oil and herb mixture they offer for dipping is very savory, fragrant, and tasty. I have actually found myself thinking about it since my meal here and contemplating how to recreate it at home. I liked the saltiness of the meats on the pizza. Most of all, I liked how the pizza wasn’t overladen with cheese and the thin, crispiness of the crust. It’s fun and all to see strings of cheese dripping of pizza, but to eat it that way actually grosses me out. CPK has a lighter, more appetizing take on pizza. The roasted veggie salad consisted of a spring mix with avocado, asparagus, artichoke, and other yummy greens. I might ask for a bit lighter hand with the balsamic dressing next time, but the salad was overall tasty and with added protein would definitely satisfy as a meal by itself.
The total plus tax and tip was $ 35 for three of us, which is a reasonable price. This lunch boosted my opinion of CPK! Now, I will think of it as a good place for an affordable sit-​down meal with high quality food.

My family went to this restaurant to celebrate my nephew’s birthday instead of Cheesecake Factory because the wait was 2 hours. I don’t eat at CPK very often. I don’t even really know where it is located in SF. It’s good for a fun family dinner. It’s not expensive. It’s nicer than Pizza Hut or any pizza joint. it’s a sit down restaurant with an American ambience. I shared the Moroccan salad and Kung Pao spaghetti with my mom and dad. There’s nice bread with olive oil to start. I also got a lemonade (free refills) and a key lime pie slice that was generous. Their lemonade recipe wasn’t the best I’ve had. I think it’s fun every once in a while, and I’d come back to CPK.

Okay, Okay, I am guilty! This was my first time here on 3÷16÷15! Yes I said it, FIRST TIMER!
I came ONLY because I had a $ 50 gift certificate and I was SO happy but after I looked at the menu I knew ACTUALLY why my gift card was for so much! Well hello! There prices are a little HIGH!
I ordered:
–Appetizer: Avocado Club Egg Rolls! ~5\5 Very yummy and I loved the dipping sauce that comes with it!
Salad-​: Asian Chicken Salad ~10\5 haha really they exceeded my expectations! I truly couldn’t get enough of this and wanted to ask for another order! It was SO delicious and definitely a MUST try! I was sad to see the pricing of it but hey its worth it. No doubt!
Meal: I ordered their Hawaiian Hand tossed pizzas which was totally enough for me and another person to share.(Please note, this place doesn’t have thick crust).
Hours of operation:
~Mon — Thurs 11:00 AM-09:00 PM
~Fri — Sat 11:00 AM-10:00 PM
~Sun 11:00 AM-08:00 PM
Just a note: this place does get packed and busy during Friday through Sunday!
Every available service per location is different but this particular location provides:
~Catering
~ Complimentary Parking
~Curbside Service
~ Delivery (M-​F, until 2pm, 5 mile radius, $ 100 min)
~Full Bar
~ Hosts FUNdraisers
~Kids Menu
~Online Ordering
~ Patio Seating
~Takeout Menu
~Valet Parking
I would definitely be back here again! I have SO many other things I would like to try on their menu!

I love CPK but honestly the service we got really made me uncomfortable & not wanting to go back … The food is amazing but service is everything.
I went in the afternoon with some of my girlfriends to enjoy some yummy food from here. The waiter we had was some older guy (in the picture you can see the side of his face).
My friend asked him if the chicken on her salad could be cut into smaller pieces and he said «I’ll see if they have time». Wait what? Are we not paying for this food? Shouldn’t it be made how we want it? That is a sentence I never want to hear from a waiter, I’m here paying for my food therefore my food better be made how I want it. If it’s extra $$ just tell me but don’t tell me your going to see if they have time.
He was a rude waiter overall and did not seem very happy to be our waiter. The tip we left was very generous because he really just deserved perhaps a $ 1 for taking our orders.
–unhappy customer (Val)