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It only seemed fitting to get CPK whilst in California. And although I can be a bit of a pizza snob - I think Chicago style is really the best, but I am more than willing to let other pizza styles compete for my taste bud's alliance.
California is quite big on their salads - about half of my colleagues opted for a salad instead of pizza! This is an alien concept to me. Really? Salad over pizza - odd. I ordered the Greek pizza - I feel like their flavors contradict what my preconceived notion of what pizza IS; however, I will happily sample anything in pizza format.
So my Greek pizza was a "healthy" alternative considering all the indulgences from earlier in the week. I was super pleased with the results. It was like having a Greek salad (minus the lettuce) atop my lightly cheesed pizza. Super good pizza and real attentive service. Thoroughly enjoyable experience. Kinda pricey, but so is all of California.
I've visited this location twice and both times, the food was pretty mediocre compared to other CPK locations (such as the one in Santa Anita, which I frequently venture to). The first time was with a boyfriend at the time and we were seated all the way in the back. And that's all I remember, haha, since that was in early 2007.
The second time was last week. We waited roughly around 10 minutes which wasn't bad and was seated pretty close to the television mounted near the bar, but too bad the Laker game was over by the time we sat down. I don't remember our server's name, however, I do remember he was from Oklahoma because his name tag had "Oklahoma" written underneath his name and I had asked him if that's where he really was from. He was friendly at first but throughout the night he would disappear for long periods of time.
I forget what he did but he was just really inattentive and he even rushed us for the bill. We were playing card games and he said that we could hang out for as long as we wanted too as long as we paid the bill first. Uhh, what? We paid the bill and one of our party members went to the restroom and overheard our server in the back loudly and angrily complaining to another server about how he's always the first to arrive on his shift and how he's always the last to go home or something. Very unprofessional.
Speaking of unprofessional, while we were waiting for a table, the Laker game was still going on. A lot of diners cheered loudly when Lakers made the winning shot, along with a few other servers. The hostess who was right next to us, said to herself with attitude (but loudly enough for us to hear), "Yeah, cheer again, if you don't want to keep your job."
What's up with all the rude and unprofessional employees?
As far as chain's go this place is better than most. I am eternally looking for a place that has a good weekday post gym dinner salad around $10 that I can just drop in and pick up and CPK comes close.
I usually order their Thai Crunch salad and it ends up being around $15 after tax and tip (not sure why I feel the need to tip since I am picking it up).
I won't really comment on their pizza since I think it is embarrassing that people all over the world now associate their pizzas as California's take on Pizza. Note to the rest of the world: NOT ALL CALIFORNIANS LIKE TO PUT AVOCADO'S, TOFU, AND CARROTS ON OUR PIZZA. I think Abbots Pizza Co is a lot more representative of the locals taste in pizza.
Wonderful accommodations, absolutely nice wait staff.
I stopped going when they got rid of the Philly Cheesesteak pizza. Everytime I start to like a pizza or pasta they take it off the menu and replace it with something that doesn't even sound appealing.
One of the things that was great when my friends with kids came into town was they had a pizza that had spaghetti on it for the kids. They stopped making it.
This location is very touristy. There are people who hang out there thinking they will see a star
This place was really good and consistent. I had the BBQ chicken salad which was very good. My son got the BQQ chicken pizza and loved it! It is a excellent family joint.
I came here in a "I need dinner on a Saturday night and NO I do not have a reservation" type of mood.
After they said 15-20 minutes I jumped at the offer. No Buca di Beppo, I am NOT waiting 45 minutes. And not even going to try Fritto Misto after seeing 20 people waiting outside in their plastic patio chairs.
The service was attentive for most of the meal. I didn't feel rushed. After searching the menu to find something remotely healthy, I gave up and got the Chicken Tequila Fettucine without Chicken nonetheless. It was decent. Could've had a little more something, but oh well. The Kendall Jackson Chardonnay was my drink of choice and the Red Velvet a la mode is my one true love.
So much for eating healthy.
Ok, I have been eating at CPK since there was only a few back in the day. And I only winced slightly when they became such a huge corporate chain. But today, I am disappointed and have been pushed to my limits with them.
The office PA ran out to get our lunch order and I was astonished to find out my grilled vegetable salad with chicken was over $18. I mean come on, at some of my favorite fine dining establishments i don't pay that much for a salad. And on top of it the veggies are over cooked and way too oily.
Wait one more thing, if you are ordering for pick up and you have more than a few people they will charge you 10% to write each persons name on their order.
Ridiculous!
I love this place. They have great food, and great service. They are very friendly here. I love their cheese pizza, salad, tortilla soup, and macaroni and cheese. The only complaint that I have is that their bread should be heated. Otherwise this place is great!
I normally abstain from reviewing chain places unless they stand out for a particular reason.
In this case, I must say that this is one of the worst CPK locations in southern California. I've been here a few times, and each time, there's a certain odor in the air that I finally realized could be either urine or body odor, or both. To top it off, I came here once during a typical SoCal heat wave and the air conditioning was broken! We ordered some drinks (water, beer, mixed drinks) that took for ever to bring. We didn't even bother ordering any food.
In general, I like CPK but I have to say that this particular location could use some new management and an upgrade in utilities. Considering its location near the beach and 3rd Street, they should pay extra attention to ensure that everything functions smoothly. When it's 90 degrees out on a summer Saturday and the place is only half-filled at the height of the day, it speaks volumes on the quality of service one can expect...
okay, so CPK is the last place you'd expect to find a good bowl of pasta, but to my own shocking discovery, the pasta wasn't so bad. Very bland, but fixable if you put enough Parmesan cheese to it . But they had exactly what I was craving for that entire week: a simple bowl of pasta with tomatoes and basil. Not enough tomatoes and not enough basil neither. But you can ask for extra when they brought it to you.
Who do I gotta cough up a hairball on to get some real dinner plates? The service was terrible but the food was surpisingly mediocre. First we got the deep fried avocado egg roll things. I asked how many you get and the waitress said '4' but it was really 2 cut in half and made to look like 4. Then we got the lettuce wraps. Guess how many leaves of iceberg lettuce they gave us? 3... yes 3! Frigging weak! Isn't iceberg lettuce like the cheapest thing on the planet? Cobb salad was probably the most popular thing on our table though the Milan pizza was tasty with the sausage, sausage, mushrooms, and cheese. Susan liked it and she said the wine glasses were 'good sized.' The portobello mushroom raviolis were swimming in cream sauce and rounded out the meal! Not bad for a first time CPK adventure. Stella on Tap!!!
Note to self: P.F. Chang's right up the street!
If you've tried CPK before, you know what I'm talking about. The layout of this particular chain is not very nice, and it gets very crowded in the entrance (if that's what you want to call it) when it's busy. The service is average at best, and the pizza can be descent to disgusting depending on what you order. I've actually had a much better dining experience (from the food to the service) in Florida than the few CPKs I have tried in southern california.
The salads are always above average, the portions and the price are very good in that aspect of the menu. As far as the pizzas, there are a few bad combinations you should stay away from (anything "greek" or too many toppings) and make sure you always order the honey-wheat crust because it makes the pizzas a lot better. The soups and appetizers I have tried are not very good at all. And I really, really dislike that fact that the bread they give you is cold and stale. It's really unappetizing. There a few very good pizza places in Santa Monica (Abbot's and Joe's) but if you're craving pizza or something light after walking around third street, this isn't the worst option on the block. Just don't expect anything exciting.
Hmm. Real life story.
Open up menu. 3 pages. Bombarded with choices. I mean really. This is a pizza place, right?!? Why is there pasta, salads, sandwiches, etc. all littering the menu!!!
Been to CPK in the past. The menu was simpler, more concise and easier to navigate. The place then (and the menu, while at it) did NOT feel like a souped up diner that is found nearly everywhere.
Quite simple really. Stay with the original idea CPK! Revert to your roots or lose your unique character.
Best of luck!
i''ve been to a few california pizza kitchen's around greater socal and i generally have no complaints about their food. today's experience was a little interesting. My mom's in town visiting so we went up to the 3rd street promenade to check out the scene. Ending up at the north end of the promenade (and having to make a obligatory stop at hennessy + ingalls bookstore) i noticed cpk there and thought we'd check it out. For being a non-primetime hour, there seemed to be a few too many people waiting for tables... the host explained they were short staffed and the wait would be approx. 20 mins. That was cool, we waited.
The shortness of wait staff being the case, it was obvious that the service would be less than satisfactory, and generally was. However, the main reason for writing this review was for the host at the front door, I think his name was Taylor. He was running around trying his best to help those that he just seated as much as possible until their server could make an appearance.
Kudos to Taylor for puttin' in the extra effort.
I am a fan! I was not a fan of the 45 minute wait. However, My guest and I walked a block and hung out and looked at the ocean.
Ordered: BBQ chicken salad( split as an appetizer)
Jamaican Jerk Pizza
The salad was amazing! I know it was just small chopped iceberg, but the combination of lettuce, tortilla strips, ranch, chicken and BBQ sauce really worked for me. I will get this upon my next visit! Tip: Get the half order. I was plenty big for two people before dinner.
Pizza was fantastic as well!
The only reason I would give this place 3 stars instead of 5 was due to the wait, and the service. Our server only came once, which was to take our order. My guest and I had our drinks, apps, and dinner selections ready. Then she was gone. There was a very very fussy table next to us, so I think maybe they were taking the attention whenever our server would make her way over.
It was a Saturday night at 10pm. Place was packed!! This is not the issue. Big problem was that you don't give a time frame for the wait, and then not even be in the ballpark. Also, they have no buzzers or intercoms so you really have to be RIGHT next to the hostess stand or you might miss your seat! The front was used to store all the baby strollers( I guess they prefer not to have them in the restaurant), and one bicycle. Okay, why was there a stupid bike inside? I would have said, " I'm sorry, we need the room for people! Why don't you put it on the bike rack like everyone else. Oh you don't have a lock? I don't care! Sorry, You can't put your stupid yellow bike inside!" Now the strollers. There had to be five or six. At 10pm there were six strollers! Why aren't these kids in bed?
In short, great food! I would advise against this location and time.
One star for the nice decor, one star for the nice friendly service. But WTF happened to the pizza and salads in this place? It was always kind of expensive for pizza and salad, but now - 11.99 for a really blah, bland, boring Cobb salad that really wouldn't have been out of place in a dorm cafeteria. I haven't been to one of these places in a while, so maybe it was just sticker shock, but it was never that great (points for taking the whole California Pizza idea - that is, put just about any kind of cuisine on top of some thin crust, and it'll be good - running with it, and franchising it), and now - wildly overpriced.
If you've got stock in CPK, I think I'd sell now, if I were you - I think they might have priced themselves right out of their market.
CPK is CPK. If you've tried it, you know what to expect. If you haven't tried it, think more "California" than "Pizza". It is a step above fast food, but it's not fine dining.
My favorite entree is the goat cheese and roasted bell pepper pizza. Welcome to California.
This CPK location near the Promenade was able to seat 9 people on short notice for a http://ThursdayLunch.com when nearby restaurants had long waits.
One star for the consistency of the food.
There are no more stars, people!
This is the worst restaurant service I've ever experienced. The service is almost non-existent. It's so bad that I've had to wait 30 mins for someone to even come to our table to take drink orders, over 30mins for cold food that must have been sitting somewhere, and 20 mins to get our check, over 10 mins waiting on the phone for someone to take a takeout order, and over 15 mins waiting for someone to acknowledge customers' presence when they are picking up an order.
Keep in mind that these are all separate occasions. I've started conversions with other customers who were also waiting about how terrible the service is. Today was the last straw. I called in an order and had to repeatedly call back before I was not on hold. When I told them that I have been on hold for over 10mins for someone to take my order, the person on the other end said something within the lines of "We're really busy. Maybe you can call back later." and then hung up.
The ONLY reason I have gone back for take out is because I love their salads and sometimes I just crave them.
Now, I understand that they are near the Promenade and they are busy. But, guess what?! Almost every restaurant in Boston and New York gets busy during the lunch rush. In fact, they are even busier than this one. The difference is that other places don't seem to be chaotic or disorganized. Who is managing this place?
I will be venturing to Marina Del Rey from now on if I really need my CPK salad.
Ok, so I get that people want different things for their pizza. I can be open to different size crusts, various toppings and can branch out and go for a sauceless pizza. I thought getting pizza here would be a no-brainer, they have pizza in the title. I was deeply disappointed. I did pizza takeout. The crust tasted sweet like a pastry and the sauce was sweet like sugar. My boyfriend got a salad and it was meh.
compared to other california pizza kitchens i have been to i would have to say that this one is not that good in comparison. however, it is always dependable and you always know what you are going to get. no suprises here and the food is consistent.
CPK in Santa Monica (aka paradise) is one of my favorite eating establishments in the world. What can I say, I am a simple man with simple needs - give me bread, goat cheese, a Newcastle and some Tapatio sauce and I am in my version of heaven.
I am a big fan of california style pizza and I think that CPK does it best. In fact, having eaten at the restaurant that invented the California style of pizza, Spago's in Beverly Hills, I can knowledgably (is that a word - if not, I will pull the "I was not born in this country card") say that CPK, a corporate chain, out-does the original. Please note that the preceding paragraph was written to highlight that I have been to Spago's, which, to the best of my knowledge, makes me automatically cooler than you.
I agree with Jehan (AKA the 40 year old virgin) that the spokes radiating from the kitchen were a pretty amazing feature of the restautant; good attention to details.
Recommendations:
1. Best meals depending on dietary restrictions:
BBQ Chicken or Carne Asada pizza for non-vegs
Goat Cheese for vegetarians
Bread for vegans
2. Avoid anything on the menu that does not have the word "pizza" in it i.e. the Jambalaya and pastas are marginal at best
3. The Italian sodas taste quite good, have multiple flavors, and come with free refills
4. Ask for "complimentary bread" - it's, as the name suggests, free
There's something about CPK that I love. Kit mentions that their dishes are boring and plain. Personally, I don't think their dishes are boring. Plain, yes. But not boring. Their salads, pastas, and sandwiches are actually pretty darn good. I actually don't like their appetizers and pizzas, which is ironic since it's called California "Pizza" Kitchen and not California "Pasta" Kitchen.
Anyhow, although the dishes are plain, I actually prefer that for lunch. I don't usually go to CPK for dinner, but for lunch, plainer pastas are a bit better. I'll wait till dinner to get my elaborate sauced/spiced/seafood pasta.
The only problem I have with this place is the service.. I have never actually received good service at a CPK. Most of the time, the service is bad and snooty. I actually have a friend who used to work at a CPK and she told me about the rigorous classes/tests that they make all of the servers go through before they get the job 100%. And all of this other stuff.. It just surprises me that they make their employees go through so much and yet, I don't get good service ever. I rather have a server who is nice compared to a server who knows what every ingredient is in a pasta.
Stopped in on a whim on a PACKED Saturday night. We were seated quickly in what were termed "the best seats in the house" (true), helped immediately by the General Manager (drinks), and had fantastic, efficient, and friendly service throughout the entire meal from several different staff members, all of whom -- from cooks to bus boys to waiters to hostesses -- were extremely knowledgeable about the menu and workings of the restaurant, personable (both with customers and each other), alert and on point despite the overwhelming crowd, and really had each others' backs: they all seemed to chip in to help one another out, regardless of whether or not the table was in their "section".
Food, of course, was fantastic. Since the service and atmosphere was so great from the get go, I ran the gamut -- drinks, appetizer, salad, entree, dessert -- and I stopped the General Manager on my way out to comment on what a tight ship they run there. He was awesome -- funny, humble, appreciative, and invited us back again soon. I'll be there.
I used to be a CPK fan but I'm starting to think that maybe it's a little overrated. I mean don't get me wrong, if you're in high school and want to feel fancy I guess this would be the place to go. At least that's what I seem to see every time I go here... high school kids acting like adults LOL...
I'm not a fan of commenting on restaurant chains, but this one stood out and not for the best of reasons. We went with a large group of people, but it could have been a slow or understaffed night since it took an extremely long time for the waiter to come back with a pitcher of water for our first request. The food was okay, but mostly the slow service brought down the overall mood for the evening. We tried to be as patient as possible since one person can only do so much, but hungry and thirsty patrons aren't the best of critics. The restaurant really should have had the place better staffed during peak dining hours.
My hs crew and I came here for dinner tonight. After debating over cpk, cheesecake or some other place, the bday girl decided on cpk. We had a newbie serve us. He forgot our bread, my friend had to ask for some. But whatever I dont eat their bread anyways. I decided to be boring and got the og bbq chicken pizza. Ya it was otay. Bday girl got the chicken madiera...she said it was horrible! Horrible i tell ya! Other gals got the garlic chicken pizza and salad. They said it was otay. For dessert we shared the chocolate brownie thing a la mode. That was ok too. So overall, service, food, blah blah was ok.
soo i was dying from hunger at 3rd street and was looking for a place to eat. I looked at the directory and noticed that there was a cpk nearby, so i decided to try it out. I'm used to going to the one in the santa anita mall.. and since its so close to my house i just kinda stopped going.
The service was weird this time. Usually they're pretty attentive but today the waitress didn't seem to know how or where to seat us. After we got seated though service was great and attentive. The guy went out of his way to ask us how they made the coconut mojito and was recommending drinks for us. Unfortunately the mojito was TINY for the price i paid.. even though it tasted great.
I got the food.. and was a bit disappointed. the food tasted good but the portions were small.. and they didn't give me any bread. We got a brownie a la mode and although it tasted ok (the brownie wasn't sweet enough) it was disappointing overall because the portion was really small for $6+.
I don't think i'll be coming back to the santa monica one. I would have given it 2 stars since its so overpriced, but the waiter was helpful and friendly so it gets a 3
This place is quite extraordinary. They consistently (and we are there almost every day) deliver a great meal and a reasonable price. And the service is consistently pretty good overall. They also do a great job on the take-out service.
I try to avoid tourist traps but a friend of mine was in town and had a craving for cpk. Showed around 8PM Saturday, March 22....and we wait for 20 minutes...no big deal. My first problem comes when I make my order and the waitress suggests another sauce...she swears this sauce is better and that a friend of hers loves it. So I went with it...said I could change it if I did not like it...good deal...We get our appetizers and not more than 5 min later our main courses comes out....fast! in fact way too fast for me...by the way did I mention I had ordered soup? where's my soup? it came out towards the end of my main course....geez...and a friend had ordered a drink and they had put the wrong syrup, the waitress had said the bottles are the same colored and they put the normal flavored instead of coconut flavored...I'm fine with waiting, I'm fine with messing with my food, but please don't mess up my drink. I'm going to stand up next time one of my friends wants to eat there, they'd have to drag me in.
This CPK or all CPKs overall are so over-rated. It is a family-friendly environment but come on, their dishes are boring, plain, over or under-cooked, and expansive. $12 to $15 for a mediocre salad or pizza for one person just not gonna work. You can spend that kind of money for a salad at any really good restaurant. Anyway, I am not a big fan of chain restaurants like chilli's, TGI or all that. I found them lack of characteristic and profit-oriented.
salads are amazing pizza is terrible
the irony of salad on pizza is enough to get me to come back here. the so called diet friendly greens on one of the most notorious fatyy foods, i just keep imaging a development meeting with an executive asking "how can we get girls to order the higher priced items" answer "well maybe if we take the stable of their diet, the salad and apply it to other dishes..." anyhow the main reason this place gets 4 stars is that its close to the promenade without being on it. that way you have the option to go further into the crowd infested area or just a quick visit to the arch/art bookstore next door. the staff is friendly, although many of them are highly skilled in rushing you. Wednesday nights are packed full (a lot of child custody settlement these days result in guys getting their kids on wed nights and sundays and well the place is kid friendly, bright and well light interior, and you can hear each other over the crowd) but i like quirky things like that.
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: American (New)
For the next 9 months our office is on the Santa…
