Review of California Pizza Kitchen (CPK)

California Pizza Kitchen is a national chain restaurant specializing in pizzas, pastas, and salads. I think its a great restaurant since it doesn't only have a wide variety of food, but also has a very friendly and warm atmosphere. I have been to CPK numerous times, at different locations and I noticed that one bad aspect of CPK's service is a long wait no matter when or where you go. The first time I ever visited this restaurant was in Long Island on Old Country Road with my parents and cousins, and there was a long wait. My cousins had been there before and loved CPK so they were ready to wait, but I personally thought this would be a mere waste of time. But after my experience there, considering the service and the food quality, I must say that it was worth the wait.

CPK has a wide variety of food items to choose from and appeals to all types of people. I can say this because I'm a vegetarian and I found a lot of options at CPK, unlike most other restaurants where I find very few truly-vegetarian dishes. The menu is divided into appetizers, soups, salads, pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and desserts. The appetizers are mainly Italian and Asian dishes; anything from Singapore shrimp rolls to Garlic cheese Focaccia to Mediterranean or Thai spring rolls. One of the salads that I've tasted and liked is the Caesar which is basically Crisp Romaine leaves, shaved Parmesan cheese and garlic-herb with Caesar dressing. In the pasta section, for people that love spicy food, is the Kung Pao Spaghetti which is classic Kung Pao sauce with garlic, green onions, peanuts and HOT red chilies.

The pizzas are obviously speciality of this restaurant, and CPK offers around 20 different types of pizzas. One speciality about the CPK pizzas is that no matter what kind of pizza you choose, you can select the special honey-wheat with whole grain crust for it. Their most famous pizza is the Original BBQ Chicken made with BBQ sauce, cheese, grilled chicken, cilantro, and red onions. Other types of pizzas include the Cheeseburger, Jamaican Jerk and Greek pizza. One pizza that I have tasted is the Italian Tomato and Basil pizza. Even though this is one of the more basic types of pizzas since it is topped with fresh tomatoes and basil, Mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, it is a great choice for vegetarians.

After eating all that food, you might not have room left for anything else. But for those who have a sweet-tooth, CPK offers some really nice deserts, such as the White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake, Tiramisu and Red Velvet Cake. One desert that I have tried is the Chocolate Banana Royale Cake. This is basically moist cake, layered with banana cream, topped with chocolate mousse, and served with banana cream sauce and CPK's hot fudge.

Overall if I had to rate CPK out of 5 stars I would give it 4 stars. Even though the food is unique, with a wide variety, and the service is fairly good, CPK can still improve its restaurant atmosphere in some locations and minimize the long wait. I think CPK is a great restaurant and is worthy of at least one visit if not more. It has a great variety of food and appeals to all kinds of people.