We came here the other night after seeing the movie, Argo. If you haven't seen the movie, we would highly recommend it. Since we only come on late Friday nights, we were surprise to read all the three star reviews. You see, at 7:30 or 8:30 the place is usually three quarters empty. We tend sit in the dining area next to the bar, while most of the wait staff is trying to keep busy by making busy. Our usual, is sharing a chopped salad (the best) and one of their pizzas. Sometimes we'll try one of their appetizers, as we did on our recent visit (see photos). And, we still haven't forgiven CPK for taking the Santa Fe (SW Chicken) off the menu! But, we've found some other menu items that fill us. I'll acknowledge that sometimes they'll forget the sourdough bread, or miss a refill on a drink, but we've never had problems at this restaurant. The food and service is good (at least at this hour). Enjoy!
(4)
Mark S.
First of all....a big fat thank you to CPK! We showed up with no reservations and a group of 9. They sat us almost immediately, and gave us great service. The BBQ chicken pizza was very good and the Cobb salad is one of the best salads in town. They could have a little better beer selection, but it is a restaurant and not a bar. We have eaten at just about every CPK location in the valley, and they all rock. If you have never eaten at one, do yourself a favor and try something new. PS, split a pizza and salad and you will be happy. Their garlic chicken pasta is also very good.
(4)
Jennifer Y.
CPK is one of my favorite restaurants and this location was by far the worst one I visited. First of all, the waitress never offered me any bread. No biggie. I ordered a soup, starter salad, and a pasta. The baked potato soup was so thick, it actually tasted pretty bad; the starter salad was a disappointment because the greens were kind of dried out, and the pasta (chicken tequila) sauce was watery. Overall, it was a pretty bad meal.
(2)
Dani D.
I have never had better guest service than my first visit to California pizza kitchens tonight. Drew, our server was very upbeat and made many suggestions to help us out. He also alerted Jennifer the floor manager when our white pizza was not to our taste and she comped it off our bill. I work in food and know how frustrating it can be to encounter guests who expect service like this just because they do not like how their food tastes, which is not the fault of the dish, cook, or servers, but simply an unfortunate menu choice, and to have it removed from our bill and accompanied by complimentary desert was a greatly appreciated gesture delivered by Drew and Jennifer tonight. Great food doesn't keep guests coming back like great hospitality and service does, both of which we had tonight. Thanks Drew and Jennifer. We'll be back.
(5)
Katelinh H.
The food here is always great, but today the service was extra amazing. Jana was our waitress and she was extremely pleasant and helpful from the beginning. When we didn't like our pizza she was so accommodating and was an amazing advocate for us, getting our pizza removed without question. She was an amazing start to the weekend and a great smiling face at our favorite pizza spot!
(5)
Megan R.
Food is usually on par, but service is not very good. Expect to wait a while for anything and never to get checked on. I am glad that they've added some healthier options, the Quinoa & Arugula salad is delicious!
(3)
Libby P.
Great food, helpful staff and an awesome private dining space for private dinners and/or parties, it can seat up to 60!! We booked them for a private party of 25, great room and the A/V equipment was easy to use.
(4)
Melissa S.
We live right near this CPK and we have used the curbside pick-up many times without a problem. I usually really enjoy their salads. Today we ordered 2 full sized salads (which were $33 with tax) and when my husband brought them home there was nothing on them! They must have been out of food. There was seriously 3 bites of chicken on each salad and one bite of avocado. They left off the dates and the squash. They were extremely small too. I am extremely bugged and I don't think we will be going back again. This was unacceptable and of course I wasn't going to drive all the way back so we just ate the tiny salads nothing salads.
(1)
Saurav C.
Liked it very much. The ambience was good and staff was extremely courteous and friendly.. Tried hummus and spicy chipotle pizza , and both were very good..
(5)
Stephanie K.
Stopped in for a quick salad and a mango mule at the bar. My service was excellent! The bartender was friendly and quick. She suggested the Mango Mule which was refreshing and delicious! My BBQ salad was tasty and fresh! Can't wait to come back in for more!!!
(5)
Julie B.
Was there a shortage of BBQ sauce today? Thanks for the non-barbecue chopped salad CPK!!!
(2)
Erin H.
You know, the older I get, the less and less I'm inclined to eat at chains. Even if they're pretty rock solid. Why you ask? Because I suppose it's bc mentally I know that if I fly to any other major, metro city, the same chain will be there and that's not fun to me. Sorta like eating vanilla ice cream every damn day. But, CPK does do it up just right. Salads are phenom here and service is pretty impeccable. Always, always a fan of patio seating as well. Clean and good quality go along way to me. Ok CPK, you're a chain - I ain't mad atcha I guess. XOXO!
(4)
Sarah B.
Thank you so much for the wonderful experience for my son Sam!!! Manager Chris was so helpful and kind to my son and the others who came from the special program to make pizzas!!! Due to all of my child's food allergies he has never gotten to eat at a traditional restaurant , but this will be a new fun thing for us to get to do now as a family!!! Allergies were taken very seriously, and that in itself is VERY appreciated..... And that the staff put up with my slightly noisy kiddo...:-)) I will definitely be coming again, and also with grandma, who has some of the same food allergies as Sam..... If he could speak, I am sure he as well would have said thank you so very much..:-)) Sarah
(5)
Richard R.
When half a restaurant's menu is available in the freezer section of the grocery store in the same shopping center (and tastes exactly the same), one probably should go for the cheaper option. CPK isn't bad, it's just not worth its exorbitant price. And God forbid you want something extra. There's an up charge for everything. $2.75 for a couple chunks of avocado in my salad. I know a restaurant has overhead costs, but how about I grab a whole one from said grocery store for less? As for the pizza; the quality is just okay and thanks to the millions of imitators that have improved on the concept of nontraditional toppings, the chain is not as unique as it seemed 20 years ago. Every place in the US now has a signature BBQ Chicken Pizza. So why does CPK get three stars? I'll give the chain credit for its easy online ordering, curbside pickup, and friendly staff. But, you can certainly find better within a couple miles of Desert Ridge.
(3)
Neeti S.
Awesome service and awesome pizza!!!!i love eating pizza in CPK because it's always fresh and yummy!!!!
(5)
Carly B.
Ate there on Jan 11th. We had a snowbird friend visiting. She wanted to sit outside on the patio. They turned the heaters on for us even though nobody else was out there. Our server was amazing. His name was Christian. He was very attentive and helpful. He brought out bread before dinner and some wine samples. My husband did order some wine. My skinny friend wanted the children's pizza and the waiter said ok. I want to be skinny so I ordered the Thai salad. It was actually really fresh. I'm a salad snob so I was pleasantly surprised. The food was good but I'm giving them 5 stars for service. I'll be returning.
(5)
Mark L.
This has to be the worst place I've eaten a long long time. The food was at best bland. The service. Oh did we have any? The price $$$$. Never again.
(1)
Av G.
Absolutely fantastic- especially the service! I went there for dinner with my family after graduation. The hostess set up a special sign saying "Congrats Grad!" behind my desk and actually refused to charge us! The appetizers were my favorite: Baja and thai tortilla rolls and the chicken tinga quesadilla. The guacamole and ranchitos sauce are delicious. We also had the jerk chicken pizza-- which is actually spicy for those of you who like are tired of 'hot' things not actually being hot. The kung pao spaghetti with chicken was very flavorful and the bread, as always, was just the right amount of crunchy and fluffy. Would highly recommend this place for celebrating any special occasion. We've never felt like such an appreciated guests! Will definitely come back soon.
(5)
Patricia B.
Stopped here again due to an Amex coupon, never mind that I had forgotten the card and ended up paying with 2 gift cards I had that I had gotten from my Amex rewards, I think. Anyway, we got there after a movie, Saturday night around 8:30pm. We got there and no one was by the door, but a young hostess quickly approached us and I promise she seemed honestly happy to see us : ) We asked for a booth and got one of the 2 person ones. We don't like those much because we like sitting next to each other, we stayed there but mainly what I didn't like is that there is no wall and there is no privacy if someone else is seating on the other side of the divider. Our server approached us and took our drink orders, we were not ready to order and she had to come back a couple of times. After that service was a little slow but she was nice and friendly. Hubby had water and I had the cranberry cooler (cranberry juice with seltzer water, free refills). She was very prompt with the refills. Appetizers - We had the lettuce wraps with chicken, they were really good, with shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts. Hubby had the garlic foccaccia bread and it was very good too. Then we decided to share a Jambalaya, with the shrimp on the side because hubby does not like shrimp. It sounded really good because it comes with chicken, shrimp, craw fish and Andouille sausage. Pasta was a little undercooked for my taste, and our server offered to order a new one, but we were in a little hurry and decided to just keep it. I thought the Jambalaya had an overwhelming spice, but I do not know what it was. IT was OK though, not awesome. The shrimp, on the other hand, was very tasty and I liked it a lot. We closed with a Key lime pie. Key lime pie has become our favorite lately and this one was fairly good.
(4)
Cathy S.
I just had another terrible experience at this CPK. The server didn't even take our drink order for 20 min. He had his back to us helping an elderly couple. Although there were no other customers, no one else could be bothered to help us. He then went back to that older couple for another 20 min while our food got cold. I even gave him one last chance by telling him that we were unhappy. He sulked off and never returned. Food was good I think. It was hard for me to tell through the bitter taste in my mouth.
(1)
Colt L.
I haven't been to CPK in a long time. But it's almost exactly as I rememered. I kind of wanted to stay away from here for the longest time after I started seeing their pizzas in the frozen aisle at the grocery store. I figured they probably just had frozen pizzas in the back and they reheated it. Maybe that is the case. I'm not sure. But it still tastes good. I came here for lunch and was acknowledged pretty quickly and immediately sat down. The server was very attentive. I got the Sicilian pizza. Muy bueno. I should come back more often!
(4)
Judy L.
I have been to many different CPK locations. This is the worst of them. I do not know if it was an off night or what. But our server Dee, did his best with what he got to work with. 1. Ordered drinks, no problem. Just out of lemons for the ice tea. When our drinks came, the long island ice tea had a lemon on it but not the regular ice tea. After 1 min, our friend notice a hair stuck to the inside of her glass on the long island. She was freaked out. They replaced her drink and apologized. The replacement long island has a lemon. Hum, out of lemons? 2. Tried to order appetizers, they are out of the avocado club egg rolls, tortilla spring rolls, and Singapore shrimp rolls. We ordered the chicken pot stickers. The server was not sure if they had any left, he had to check. We were lucky, they had some pot stickers left. 3. We ordered our pizzas and was informed it is a 20 min wait. Not once a manager stopped by to check our visit. Especially with the hair issue. Food was good, service was good, managing the restaurant's supply for food sucks (out of food), and management for customer satisfaction was lacking. No coming back to this location again. The Biltmore location is my favorite.
(2)
Abhishek N.
Always love the food. Limited options for vegetarians if you happen to go there quite frequently. :)
(4)
Andre L.
I usually come to CPK with the kids. Most times the staff is right on the ball and brings out some bread right away, which helps a lot when you've got some starving kids with you. The kids menu is also good, and the brocollini option for $1 is a great deal. They have quite a few vegetarian options on the menu, which is good for the little lady, and I really dig the mushroom pizza.
(4)
Joe S.
CPK catered our playgroup event, and what a terrific job they did! Their people were charming and all the food was delicious, especially the linguine, the Thai chicken pizzas, and the wild field greens salad with candied nuts.
(5)
Louis M.
Good food and good service every time I eat here. It's all anyone wants when we dine out and this particular CPK gets it right.
(5)
Jenna W.
The server was so terrible I can hardly remember the food experience. She failed to return to give us water, or check on us at all. Failed to clean our table as we finished appetizers and our main course. The brownie dessert was a major fail, the brownie was too hard. My daughter had the apple crisp and the apples were all clumped together. We'd never go back again. The pizza was 'meh" for $13.50 each.
(1)
Jenn N.
After a morning of running errands, my girlfriend and I stopped into California Pizza for a quick lunch. We sat on the patio (so we could people watch) and ordered our pizzas (Hawaiian and Wild Mushroom, both thin crust). Although we got mediums, they were pretty big but since thin crust isn't so filling we managed to scarf down a few slices each. Both pizzas were tasty in their own way, the Hawaiian had the perfect amount of saltiness and sweetness from the ham and chucks of pineapple and the Wild Mushroom had a hearty serving of mushrooms with romano & mozzarella cheese drizzled with truffle oil. I like that you have an option for thin crust, I think pizza tastes better that way!
(3)
Jessica S.
Love the chopped chicken bbq salad, appetizers and even bought two of their cook books. Been going here for over 7 years now! We have learned of food restrictions since then and we can still enjoy for they have gluten free options. If you want the BBQ Chicken salad gluten free just ask for it without the tortilla strips. They have the best garlic ranch dressing ever. No MSG! The chicken in the salad never has any fat in it! Highly appreciated.
(4)
Derek J.
We get this place catered at our office like once a quarter and everyone looks forward to it. The various types of food available make it perfect to get an office catered so I recommend it for anyone thinking about it. Their salads and pasta are awesome noatter what kind you get. 1 thing I dont like is how small the pizzas are... You have to order like 30 to feed an entire office which is pretty disappointing. All in all- a great spot for a quality inexpensive meal
(4)
Yue Z.
Overall is good. The vegi pizza is fresh. The pasta is pretty good. They also offer extra saurce for it.
(4)
Sylvia S.
Ate here for my first time today and had the best service I've ever experienced. Josh was the server who was amazing and the manager came and greeted us after! Definitely coming back!!
(5)
Noosh R.
We eat here quite often because it is close to our home and they offer several dishes that do not contain milk products. They even list out every single item online with the most common food allergies such as gluten, eggs, milk, nuts etc. which is the main reason I go back. I prefer to go to the CPK on Scottsdale/Shea and here is why: I have ordered the Carmelized Peach Salad via take out and they forgot the peaches. Called up the manager who apologized and said he would refund me, well he never did. On 2 occasions I have felt a little sick after eating the Carnitos Tacos. The location on Shea makes them taste unbelievable but this location is slacking. I've been back to order salads, but after you see slimy-past it's expiration date-lettuce, it becomes quite a turn off. All in all, we really do like the food, but I definitely think it's hit or miss with the quality control.
(3)
Mariah M.
Everytime I go to California pizza kitchen, I have an average to above average experience. Maybe it's Because I love their food, but I've never had a bad wait staff. Almost always do I start with the avacado egg rolls, because they are to die for. There is all different styles of food that I really think can satisfy anyone's cravings.
(3)
Leah H.
I'd give it a 3 stars just because the bathrooms are kinda dirty and the stalls were claustrophobic, but their food was really good, especially the variety of soft drinks. Even the staff were really nice. Well, let's just say the red velvet bread pudding is actually a slice of the red velvet cake, not the actual bread pudding.
(3)
Sophia S.
Today me and my boyfriend ate at this location I had the jamaican chicken pizza with glaze it was very sweet I thot it could of used more marinara so our waiter ceil was very outgoing and polite she accommodated us both with free extra marinara sauce it made the pizza much better. My boyfriend on other hand originally ordered the toastada pizza with black bean chips lettice and much more. It didn't have alot of flavor or cheese. So we let Ceil know about the taste of the pizza. Ceil was very polite she let her manager know and they offered my boyfriend a new order for a new pizza that he would like. They didn't charge him for the old pizza he didn't like because they wanted him to be satisfied. I also ordered the tortilla soup it was spicy and thick very delicious. At the end of our meal the manager offered me the soup for free. I would highly recommend this location to others the workers and manager is very professional and polite they also serve the food quick.
(4)
Ryan C.
Solid, dependable, and good. What more do you want from a National Chain? Get the BBQ Chicken Pizza for a great choice. Their apps are pretty good too. Best part about this location though is the "curbside to go" Love not having to get out of the car!.
(4)
Paula L.
My opinion of CPK: Quinoa & arugula salad was outstanding. The fish tacos are skimpy. One taco had 2 pieces of fish that were roughly the size of fish sticks. The other taco had 2 teeny weeny pieces of fish. I don't like to complain about my food or send it back for fear of having someone spit in it, but the teeny pieces were unacceptable. Our server brought out lots of extra fish at no additional charge. CPK gets 3 stars for the salad.
(3)
Lisa C.
This is an easy place to pick for lunch with my work friends. They offer a nice selection of salads where even a half order is too much for one person - like other reviewers, the caramelized peach is my favorite. Artichoke and spinach dip is always tasty, pear / gorgonzola pizza is delicious, the new bianco flat bread is tasty, and my lunch companions always get different salads and pizzas and are always pleased. They did switch to sourdough bread for a start - not my favorite but theirs isn't too powerful. I liked the herb oil but that didn't get to our table with the last visit so it might be out already. Parking is easy, at least until they replace On the Border which is across the "street" and the best place to park when you visit. Service is mostly good but we have had a couple of bad experiences, not enough to change my opinion though. Ask for salad dressing on the side if you're concerned about getting too much, I'm not a fanatic but they load it at times and it will turn a nice salad into a drippy slaw. The guy that manages this place during the day does a great job and always looks tired, I would too if I had to deal with running a place like this. It's a chain and and a tad overpriced...that being said, it's a pretty good option when you can't figure out what else to do. A true 3.5 but I'll round it up for how hard they try.
(4)
Maria V.
My family is Gluten free. This limits our selections. However at CPK we still have a great selection and the staff is very knowledgeable about what gluten free means. Thank you!!!
(5)
Marc T.
Going into this restaurant, I had really high hopes. I mean, I've had their personal pizzas on multiple occasions while waiting in the airport. So, I knew the food would be good. It only stands to reason that the actual restaurant would be nothing short of amazing, right? Sadly, no. My daughter and I decided to stop in after a nice long play date nearby. When we arrived, it was 2:00 in the afternoon. The restaurant was almost completely empty. We were immediately seated, which was nice. From there, however, things kind of went downhill. Once we were seated, we sat...and waited...and waited. In a restaurant where there were FAR more servers than there were patrons, you'd figure that the service would have been a little better. But, here's the kicker. Since the place was so empty, it made overhearing conversations among the servers pretty easy. As we sat and waited for someone to come and see us, I could overhear the servers arguing over who was going to help us. I know what you're thinking...maybe they were seeing whose turn it was for fairness' sake. No, these servers might as well have been drawing straws to see who got the short one. Nothing like feeling like a burden to set your dining mood. All of that time to sit and think ended up shedding some light on another negative thing. The plates they provided at the table still had some food caked on them. Had I not had all of that free time to sit and look around, I might not have noticed it as readily. As expected, the food was still fantastic. We went the safe route and got the margherita pizza. Thin crust, and delicious! Our pizza ended up being plenty for two of us to share, and only set us back about $16 with two drinks. I really wish I could rate this place higher, because I really do enjoy their pizza. But my experience with the service was downright unpleasant. I'll stick to picking up their personal pizzas from the airport. That way I know I'll be getting a good pizza, but I won't have to worry as much about unexpected shoddy service. I mean, it's almost to be expected when you order fast food...so at least it won't be a surprise.
(3)
Hannah C.
Love this place. Great service and always fast. Not super busy for the times I've been here and always quiet which is good. I've tried a bunch of their pizzas and they're always amazing! Their salads are good too. Wish they had a bigger desert choice though. The Chipotle Chicken Pizza is a little too spicy but it was very good. I'd definitely go here again and recommend it to people in town for a visit since it has very simple but a expansive choice of foods.
(5)
Cherry L.
They changed their bread! It's sourdough and as good as that can be, it seemed like they were being skimpy on the amount served. Server was good but seemed a bit too overambitious in her wanting to serve us. Got a bit annoying. Otherwise, standard CPK.
(3)
Marisa S.
I have been meaning to update my review for a while. The last few trips to this CPK have been very successful and for me that deserves an extra star. They are also very accommodating. I had to change a few items due to my diet (yes, back on it) and they were great. I noticed a few new items and I had one of the moms order it. It looked great and she said it was delicious. CPK also catered one of our Parenting Group's event. They did a fantastic job and the food was delicious.
(4)
Tina T.
Had a gift card and a hankerin' for a unique salad, this was the place! Chose the carmelized peach salad, ordered online and drove the 5 miles to pick it up and head home for a relaxing afternoon alone (had a movie all picked out). Friendly staff, quick service, all bagged up and I zoomed outta there. Got home, laid out my culinary treasure... salad, dressing, crunchy toppings, bread and butter, plate and utensils... what??? Where are my caramelized peaches? Huh, that was my whole purpose for going...!!! Aaargh! Now, do I head all the way back (salad's getting wilty -- the cold part, hot and the hot part, cold)?? Or... do I call them to let them know (what's that going to really do for the moment...)?? Do I sit and resentfully eat it because I'm hungry and it's here and I can?? So much uncertainty, angst and bitter resentment. I sat, I ate, I felt disappointed and angry. (I tipped hella good, too!) Later I emailed them, politely and in the "I just wanted you to be aware" way. They sent me a coupon for a free salad, that was nice. Still don't know how caramelized peaches taste...
(2)
Vicki D.
Tucked away in Desert Ridge, and near the kids play area, is CPK. You know what you are getting with CPK, they are all the same! This location had friendly staff and was clean. I loved my Sangria and carmelized peach salad. My husband had the Moroccan salad and loved it. My kids loved their pizzas and sundaes. This isn't the fanciest restaurant in Scottsdale but it gets the job done for families who are hungry!
(5)
Kat R.
Food here is mediocre and tastes super artificial. I ordered the turkey club thinking I couldn't go wrong but it was pretty gross. The meat tasted cheap and the bread had little flavor, pretty hard to do with herb cheese focaccia bread. Same goes for the tortilla soup, tasted like cornmeal. The decoration of CPK is okay but it kind of feels like an Ihop. Service was good, though. Won't be back.
(2)
Debbie S.
One thing about CPK is that they are consistent. I can say that I will be pleased with my meal no matter which location I go to. My favorites: Thai Chicken Pizza, Salmon, Thai crunch or miso salad. Yum.
(5)
Albert H.
Service has always been good, but I always sit at the bar. Food is always just right, reasonably priced, etc. Parking isn't so great because of restaurant location though. Wish they had better beer selection. Menu changes every so often with a few innovative ideas worth trying. Good chain.
(4)
Meg Z.
I love CPK. I have had great experiences at the CPK in Chandler and Scottsdale. However, this location scorned me twice. I always, always, always order the Tricolore Salad with the dressing on the side. It's so good! When I went to this location several weeks ago, I noticed that I was skimped on arugula, and a lot of it was wilted. The salad was mostly those thick red leaves I don't like. Last night, again, they skimped on arugula and it just didn't seem like a fresh salad. Keep in mind, between those two visits I had the same salad at the Chandler location and it was delicious. Lesson learned.
(2)
Julie N.
Been here multiple times over the past few years--most recently yesterday for lunch with my family. To start, I'm bummed that the foccacia bread with tomatoes are now off the menu--what?! that was the BEST. I do a low-carb diet, and when I knew we were going to CPK, I saved my carb calories just for that! Bummer. Hostess was nice--let me sit in our booth before the entire party arrived (crazy construction traffic on the 101--what?!). Booth and silverware was clean....food was great, as usual. We ordered a trio of salads---Miso, BBQ chicken, and Chinese Chicken Salad. Generous portions--I swear that half is almost the same size as the full! Our drinks never saw the bottom of the glasses---attentive waitress. Bummer #2--I KNEW I had left my cell phone/case at the booth as soon as I drove away, and I went to check and they took my name and number and said they'd call if they found it. I KNOW I left it there, so after an hour I called back. Whoever I spoke with was kinda testy and rude--that pissed me off. All ready to boycott this place for the rest of my being, at 904pm I got a phone call from a much-nicer manager, telling me they had scoured our booth finally and, voila, there appeared my belongings! I heart that nice man---and the boycott is now off.
(4)
Douglas B.
Pretty good local restaurant. Has a great Asian Plumb Martini! Expensive and they dont do specials... seriously?? a chain that doesn't do specials? come on
(3)
Tabatha R.
Desert Ridge is probably one of the ultimate locations for a CPK. Every time I have been here they are extremely busy, especially during the lunch hours. The pizza here is pretty decent, but my favorite item on the menu is the Waldorf Chicken salad with the dijon balsamic dressing. MMMMMM. I could eat this salad every day of my life. The apples and the grapes in it are so refreshing. The last time I visited I tried the Cherry Lime Sparkler, which is the adult version of a Cherry Limeade, I guess. It was also really great. Although they are known for their pizza, I have to say that there are many better things on the menu. It may just be a personal preference, though. Anywho, I love CPK and I will continue to go out of my way to dine here.
(4)
Edward D.
Since the weather was pretty rough and we were suppose to go fishing at night. And the daughter had a CPK urge. We decided to stop off here! First, you have to walk a little bit from the parking lot. CPK is located at the intersection. We were seated very quickly, but it took forever to get our order in! Seems like they were under staff! Daughter order the tortilla soup, first problem was the spoon was dirty, glad she noticed that. Soup was very good, had no problem with that. I had the Chicken Tequila Fettuccine! Sounded good. It was a little to sweet, pasta was good and the chicken had a lot of flavor. Glad I tried it, but will not have it again. Daughter had what I wanted in the first place! She had the Garlic Cream Fettuccine! I had a couple of bites! Love the garlic flavor, and the creamy sauce! Next time! Over all the server was very nice! Just the time to get our order in was bad.
(3)
Danddy J.
Good food but pricing to high for portions. My salmon was cooked too much for a cool salad.
(3)
Gabi M.
Stealing a quote from Thomas S on this one: "CPK. Creative. Pizzas. Kinda." When CPK was first introduced, it was so popular... I'd even go so far as to call it a chain that was worth a visit every now and then... Unfortunately, it's gone down hill since then. It now seems overpriced and service is shotty. Although the food is decent, there are so many other places to go... My most recent visit was to this location (the one at Desert Ridge). I met a friend for lunch and our waiter was nice but not very attentive. We could've used drink refills on several occasions and our food seemed to take forever to arrive. We both ordered the grilled veggie salad. I added shrimp to mine and Tom added salmon to his. He complained about the amount of salmon in his salad, but my shrimp was decent. We went with the full portion instead of the lunch portion - good thing because we both cleaned our plates. When it was time to pay, our waiter once again seemed to take forever! All in all, this is a consistent chain pizza place - most anyone will find something to enjoy on their large menu, but it is what it is... a chain. Nothing more, nothing less.
(3)
Terry E.
Who would win in a fight? The Desert Ridge CPK or its neighbor across the street Humble Pie (c'mon, I can't be the first to make the comparison) Probably 15 years ago I used to love the CPK chopped salad. Anymore it lacks flavor and looks to be skimping on ingredients. CPK's wine is pretty expensive ($9 for a glass of something I pay $10 for a bottle of at Costco?), and the place doesn't exactly exude local personality (only a recent transplant would have the A/C down to 70 the first week of April). So when a couple is given a choice to drop $50 at CPK or $40 at Humble Pie...
(2)
Susanna A.
Got the creamy pesto penne pasta i added some shrimp, absolutely delicious.
(4)
Tony S.
Stopped in with my son after a few hours of playing video games at Dave & Busters. I absolutely insisted that we not eat at Dave & Busters since their food is really bad sometimes. Anyways, we decided to order something to share since I cannot eat alot. We got the cheeseburger pizza and it came out as described although I thought the amount of protein on the pizza was really skimpy. It was really lacking in meat. After taking off the heaps of lettuce that was on the pizza (the Chesseburger pizza is like a big-mac in pizza form) it was clear that there just was not a lot of meat on the pizza. Overall- good service. My kid can sure drink the lemonades and the server was able to keep up with him. Would we go back? Eh...maybe. Not real compelling due to the food. Maybe we will try something different next time.
(2)
Cadence C.
I got the Sicilian thin crust pizza. Yum. 15.49 for a small sized pizza (radius about 5", so 10" diameter). My man says the strawberry limeade was good, + they give free refills. Cute holiday themed to-go box. Kind of on the pricy side.
(4)
Brad S.
Good food- but over priced! For the price, I expect more food to be on my plate. Can't go wrong with the pizzas and pastas.
(3)
Jennifer O.
So yesterday I went to the movies with my mom and my sister in law and after we decided to come here to have linner because my mom had some gift cards. I have been here before and it has always been pretty good, I usually get a half caesar salad and a cup of tortilla soup but have also tried the spring rolls, the caeser sandwich, pastas, and some pizzas. It has all been pretty good. But anyway, back to yesterday... First off, when you come here you have to request bread and the bread they give you is just kind of plain mediocre bread, nothing exciting. Then it is time to order and I decided to try something different and ordered the chicken tequila fettuccini. My mom got the fusilli pasta with veggies (her usual) and the sis got a shrimp salad of sorts. Everything was good, but, in my opinion, it was overpriced. My dish had a lot of flavor and I enjoyed it, but it cost around 13$. I would have no problem with this price at an independent restaurant, but I think this is too much for a chain. Everyone else seemed to like their food too. Also, the service was decent, our waitress was timely and friendly. So this is a good chain to go to when you just saw a movie or are shopping at dessert ridge, but it is still a chain and isn't anything mind blowing.
(3)
Betty R.
You can't miss going to a CPK. The food is always exactly as you would expect and consistent. The service was good. Lots of seating. However, first the hostess tried to seat us in this drafty room with little tables for four. We didn't want to sit there. It's 50 degrees outside! I also noticed that they put all the other groups with children at tables in the corners. This bad first impression was more than made up by our server. She brought our food quickly when we told her that we missed lunch. We may go there again during this vacation...
(4)
Dana S.
I recently went here for lunch. I was there during the week and was seated right away. The restauarnt was pretty busy, but I had great service. I enjoyed my chicken ceaser sandwich with a bowl of soup. My waiter was kind and attentive. My food came quick and the price was right for the amount of food I got.
(4)
Addie S.
This is one of my favorite restaurants. I just love the BLT PIZZA! Never have had a bad experience. Clean, busy and fun! My kids love it too. And the kids Mac and cheese is yummy too especially on the pizza!
(4)
Ann Marie K.
I agree with Shannon on this one nothing tastes bad, but it doesn't taste amazing either. I do think they were one of the pizzerias that started putting crazy things on their pizza though. They have some very interesting toppings! One time I was here with some friends, but I didn't want pizza. I don't feel like their menu if very accommodating towards that crowd. I got a wrap which I didn't like.
(3)
Christa B.
My son and I visited CPK Desert Ridge on May 12th after a movie at the AMC. I recall eating at a CPK at The Mirage in Las Vegas over 18 years ago and I remember it being good and kinda the latest trend. We were promptly greeted and seated. The host was great. HOWEVER, It was at least 15 mins. before any waiters acknowledged us. When one did, she wasn't our waiter but said she would give our drink order to our waiter. Probably 2 mins later our waiter came with our drinks FINALLY. We placed our order immediately in hopes of eating sometime in this decade. Since it had been so long since I'd eaten at a CPK, I asked the waiter if one pizza was enough for 2 people and he said no. So we ordered two, one kinda traditional pizza with pep, sausage etc and one chicken tostada pizza. I'd guess 10 mins passed by the time our food came, with which we were pleased. When I saw how big they were, I was kinda surprised. We would have been more than full on one pizza. But I can't fault the waiter for that. He had no way of knowing if we are big eaters or not. We dug in. I first had a slice of the chicken tostada. My son, the meat pizza. Mine was "okay" not a whole lot of flavor even with the salsa. My son's however was really yummy. I ended up having a slice of his since he was raving about it. He then had a slice of mine and he said the same thing, kinda boring and no taste. We ended up leaving with 2 half pizzas. I'm sure I would have given them a better score had it not been for the slowness of the waiter checking on us. Would I go back, yes, but I'd ask to be seated in the large dining room, not off to the side where we were seated, I'm sure that is why we were ignored for so long.
(2)
Chukki S.
This C.P.K. is in a strange location. Even though it's in Desert Ridge it's sort of tucked away and hidden. The dining room and bar area is pretty tiny. Other than that the food, service, prices, etc are like any other C.P.K.
(3)
Rob P.
Went here with my sister's this past weekend and we all enjoyed a different salad. I had my usual Original Chopped Salad, while one sister had the Mediterranean Salad and the other had a Caesar Salad. All salads were delicious, but the service left a little to be desired -- our waitress was very frazzled and wasn't very attentive. I will say the portions were bigger than what I was used to getting at CPK's in California and Nevada, though, so you might want to order a half salad here.
(3)
Jaimie B.
I ordered a very yummy salad and even with the restaurant being super busy at lunch, we didn't have to wait long at all.
(4)
Stew K.
Not too bad! I tried the "cheese burger" pizza today. very good! the crust is a little too much like bread though and less like pizza, which I think is a trademark of Cali Pizza. On the down side, WAYYYY to expensive for what you get. Competing pizza joints that serve up "the goods" have them beat hands down for price VS quantity and maybe even quality. Barrows is very good and so is Rosatti's, although they can be a bit pricey too.
(3)
Lisa F.
Dinner tonight was good. I had a Caesar salad that was great. It had a lot of shaved Parmesan cheese on it. The croutons were homemade. I ordered 4 cheese ravioli with sauteed mushrooms. It was fantastic. The only problem that we had was my son's order got messed up and they brought the wrong thing. They said they would get his order right out to him. Then they brought some macaroni and cheese, but he did not order that either. Then they brought him a pizza (he did order a pizza), but it was not the pizza that he ordered. Finally they brought him his pizza (after the rest of us had already finished our dinners). They did not even offer us a reduced bill because of it.
(4)
Georgia R.
When it comes to CPK, I'm impassive. The food is good, but it's not great. The flavors are okay, but just don't stand out. If you like pizza, I think you should spend your money elsewhere that serves up more authentic New York or Chicago style pizza pies.
(4)
Derek H.
I really like their thin crust pizzas. Parking at this location can be a pain.
(3)
Larry I.
it has been a while since i have been there - - went for lunch and had the chicken tequila - - it was as good as it used to be. great new menu choices and still good as ever.
(5)
Kansas G.
The long line at CPK for a weekend dinner is testament to the triumph of good location over mediocre food and not very good service by the frazzled staff.
(2)
Julienne F.
My son and I go to this cpk when we're shopping at Desert Ridge. I usually have a salad, and they're consistently good/fresh. My son usually has the kids pizza meal and a kids sundae (which he reluctantly shares with me). It's inexpensive and I've always received unexpectedly good service.
(4)
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Address :21001 N. Tatum Blvd,Ste 40-1370
Phoenix, AZ, 85050
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
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Georgie M.
We came here the other night after seeing the movie, Argo. If you haven't seen the movie, we would highly recommend it. Since we only come on late Friday nights, we were surprise to read all the three star reviews. You see, at 7:30 or 8:30 the place is usually three quarters empty. We tend sit in the dining area next to the bar, while most of the wait staff is trying to keep busy by making busy. Our usual, is sharing a chopped salad (the best) and one of their pizzas. Sometimes we'll try one of their appetizers, as we did on our recent visit (see photos). And, we still haven't forgiven CPK for taking the Santa Fe (SW Chicken) off the menu! But, we've found some other menu items that fill us. I'll acknowledge that sometimes they'll forget the sourdough bread, or miss a refill on a drink, but we've never had problems at this restaurant. The food and service is good (at least at this hour). Enjoy!
(4)Mark S.
First of all....a big fat thank you to CPK! We showed up with no reservations and a group of 9. They sat us almost immediately, and gave us great service. The BBQ chicken pizza was very good and the Cobb salad is one of the best salads in town. They could have a little better beer selection, but it is a restaurant and not a bar. We have eaten at just about every CPK location in the valley, and they all rock. If you have never eaten at one, do yourself a favor and try something new. PS, split a pizza and salad and you will be happy. Their garlic chicken pasta is also very good.
(4)Jennifer Y.
CPK is one of my favorite restaurants and this location was by far the worst one I visited. First of all, the waitress never offered me any bread. No biggie. I ordered a soup, starter salad, and a pasta. The baked potato soup was so thick, it actually tasted pretty bad; the starter salad was a disappointment because the greens were kind of dried out, and the pasta (chicken tequila) sauce was watery. Overall, it was a pretty bad meal.
(2)Dani D.
I have never had better guest service than my first visit to California pizza kitchens tonight. Drew, our server was very upbeat and made many suggestions to help us out. He also alerted Jennifer the floor manager when our white pizza was not to our taste and she comped it off our bill. I work in food and know how frustrating it can be to encounter guests who expect service like this just because they do not like how their food tastes, which is not the fault of the dish, cook, or servers, but simply an unfortunate menu choice, and to have it removed from our bill and accompanied by complimentary desert was a greatly appreciated gesture delivered by Drew and Jennifer tonight. Great food doesn't keep guests coming back like great hospitality and service does, both of which we had tonight. Thanks Drew and Jennifer. We'll be back.
(5)Katelinh H.
The food here is always great, but today the service was extra amazing. Jana was our waitress and she was extremely pleasant and helpful from the beginning. When we didn't like our pizza she was so accommodating and was an amazing advocate for us, getting our pizza removed without question. She was an amazing start to the weekend and a great smiling face at our favorite pizza spot!
(5)Megan R.
Food is usually on par, but service is not very good. Expect to wait a while for anything and never to get checked on. I am glad that they've added some healthier options, the Quinoa & Arugula salad is delicious!
(3)Libby P.
Great food, helpful staff and an awesome private dining space for private dinners and/or parties, it can seat up to 60!! We booked them for a private party of 25, great room and the A/V equipment was easy to use.
(4)Melissa S.
We live right near this CPK and we have used the curbside pick-up many times without a problem. I usually really enjoy their salads. Today we ordered 2 full sized salads (which were $33 with tax) and when my husband brought them home there was nothing on them! They must have been out of food. There was seriously 3 bites of chicken on each salad and one bite of avocado. They left off the dates and the squash. They were extremely small too. I am extremely bugged and I don't think we will be going back again. This was unacceptable and of course I wasn't going to drive all the way back so we just ate the tiny salads nothing salads.
(1)Saurav C.
Liked it very much. The ambience was good and staff was extremely courteous and friendly.. Tried hummus and spicy chipotle pizza , and both were very good..
(5)Stephanie K.
Stopped in for a quick salad and a mango mule at the bar. My service was excellent! The bartender was friendly and quick. She suggested the Mango Mule which was refreshing and delicious! My BBQ salad was tasty and fresh! Can't wait to come back in for more!!!
(5)Julie B.
Was there a shortage of BBQ sauce today? Thanks for the non-barbecue chopped salad CPK!!!
(2)Erin H.
You know, the older I get, the less and less I'm inclined to eat at chains. Even if they're pretty rock solid. Why you ask? Because I suppose it's bc mentally I know that if I fly to any other major, metro city, the same chain will be there and that's not fun to me. Sorta like eating vanilla ice cream every damn day. But, CPK does do it up just right. Salads are phenom here and service is pretty impeccable. Always, always a fan of patio seating as well. Clean and good quality go along way to me. Ok CPK, you're a chain - I ain't mad atcha I guess. XOXO!
(4)Sarah B.
Thank you so much for the wonderful experience for my son Sam!!! Manager Chris was so helpful and kind to my son and the others who came from the special program to make pizzas!!! Due to all of my child's food allergies he has never gotten to eat at a traditional restaurant , but this will be a new fun thing for us to get to do now as a family!!! Allergies were taken very seriously, and that in itself is VERY appreciated..... And that the staff put up with my slightly noisy kiddo...:-)) I will definitely be coming again, and also with grandma, who has some of the same food allergies as Sam..... If he could speak, I am sure he as well would have said thank you so very much..:-)) Sarah
(5)Richard R.
When half a restaurant's menu is available in the freezer section of the grocery store in the same shopping center (and tastes exactly the same), one probably should go for the cheaper option. CPK isn't bad, it's just not worth its exorbitant price. And God forbid you want something extra. There's an up charge for everything. $2.75 for a couple chunks of avocado in my salad. I know a restaurant has overhead costs, but how about I grab a whole one from said grocery store for less? As for the pizza; the quality is just okay and thanks to the millions of imitators that have improved on the concept of nontraditional toppings, the chain is not as unique as it seemed 20 years ago. Every place in the US now has a signature BBQ Chicken Pizza. So why does CPK get three stars? I'll give the chain credit for its easy online ordering, curbside pickup, and friendly staff. But, you can certainly find better within a couple miles of Desert Ridge.
(3)Neeti S.
Awesome service and awesome pizza!!!!i love eating pizza in CPK because it's always fresh and yummy!!!!
(5)Carly B.
Ate there on Jan 11th. We had a snowbird friend visiting. She wanted to sit outside on the patio. They turned the heaters on for us even though nobody else was out there. Our server was amazing. His name was Christian. He was very attentive and helpful. He brought out bread before dinner and some wine samples. My husband did order some wine. My skinny friend wanted the children's pizza and the waiter said ok. I want to be skinny so I ordered the Thai salad. It was actually really fresh. I'm a salad snob so I was pleasantly surprised. The food was good but I'm giving them 5 stars for service. I'll be returning.
(5)Mark L.
This has to be the worst place I've eaten a long long time. The food was at best bland. The service. Oh did we have any? The price $$$$. Never again.
(1)Av G.
Absolutely fantastic- especially the service! I went there for dinner with my family after graduation. The hostess set up a special sign saying "Congrats Grad!" behind my desk and actually refused to charge us! The appetizers were my favorite: Baja and thai tortilla rolls and the chicken tinga quesadilla. The guacamole and ranchitos sauce are delicious. We also had the jerk chicken pizza-- which is actually spicy for those of you who like are tired of 'hot' things not actually being hot. The kung pao spaghetti with chicken was very flavorful and the bread, as always, was just the right amount of crunchy and fluffy. Would highly recommend this place for celebrating any special occasion. We've never felt like such an appreciated guests! Will definitely come back soon.
(5)Patricia B.
Stopped here again due to an Amex coupon, never mind that I had forgotten the card and ended up paying with 2 gift cards I had that I had gotten from my Amex rewards, I think. Anyway, we got there after a movie, Saturday night around 8:30pm. We got there and no one was by the door, but a young hostess quickly approached us and I promise she seemed honestly happy to see us : ) We asked for a booth and got one of the 2 person ones. We don't like those much because we like sitting next to each other, we stayed there but mainly what I didn't like is that there is no wall and there is no privacy if someone else is seating on the other side of the divider. Our server approached us and took our drink orders, we were not ready to order and she had to come back a couple of times. After that service was a little slow but she was nice and friendly. Hubby had water and I had the cranberry cooler (cranberry juice with seltzer water, free refills). She was very prompt with the refills. Appetizers - We had the lettuce wraps with chicken, they were really good, with shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts. Hubby had the garlic foccaccia bread and it was very good too. Then we decided to share a Jambalaya, with the shrimp on the side because hubby does not like shrimp. It sounded really good because it comes with chicken, shrimp, craw fish and Andouille sausage. Pasta was a little undercooked for my taste, and our server offered to order a new one, but we were in a little hurry and decided to just keep it. I thought the Jambalaya had an overwhelming spice, but I do not know what it was. IT was OK though, not awesome. The shrimp, on the other hand, was very tasty and I liked it a lot. We closed with a Key lime pie. Key lime pie has become our favorite lately and this one was fairly good.
(4)Cathy S.
I just had another terrible experience at this CPK. The server didn't even take our drink order for 20 min. He had his back to us helping an elderly couple. Although there were no other customers, no one else could be bothered to help us. He then went back to that older couple for another 20 min while our food got cold. I even gave him one last chance by telling him that we were unhappy. He sulked off and never returned. Food was good I think. It was hard for me to tell through the bitter taste in my mouth.
(1)Colt L.
I haven't been to CPK in a long time. But it's almost exactly as I rememered. I kind of wanted to stay away from here for the longest time after I started seeing their pizzas in the frozen aisle at the grocery store. I figured they probably just had frozen pizzas in the back and they reheated it. Maybe that is the case. I'm not sure. But it still tastes good. I came here for lunch and was acknowledged pretty quickly and immediately sat down. The server was very attentive. I got the Sicilian pizza. Muy bueno. I should come back more often!
(4)Judy L.
I have been to many different CPK locations. This is the worst of them. I do not know if it was an off night or what. But our server Dee, did his best with what he got to work with. 1. Ordered drinks, no problem. Just out of lemons for the ice tea. When our drinks came, the long island ice tea had a lemon on it but not the regular ice tea. After 1 min, our friend notice a hair stuck to the inside of her glass on the long island. She was freaked out. They replaced her drink and apologized. The replacement long island has a lemon. Hum, out of lemons? 2. Tried to order appetizers, they are out of the avocado club egg rolls, tortilla spring rolls, and Singapore shrimp rolls. We ordered the chicken pot stickers. The server was not sure if they had any left, he had to check. We were lucky, they had some pot stickers left. 3. We ordered our pizzas and was informed it is a 20 min wait. Not once a manager stopped by to check our visit. Especially with the hair issue. Food was good, service was good, managing the restaurant's supply for food sucks (out of food), and management for customer satisfaction was lacking. No coming back to this location again. The Biltmore location is my favorite.
(2)Abhishek N.
Always love the food. Limited options for vegetarians if you happen to go there quite frequently. :)
(4)Andre L.
I usually come to CPK with the kids. Most times the staff is right on the ball and brings out some bread right away, which helps a lot when you've got some starving kids with you. The kids menu is also good, and the brocollini option for $1 is a great deal. They have quite a few vegetarian options on the menu, which is good for the little lady, and I really dig the mushroom pizza.
(4)Joe S.
CPK catered our playgroup event, and what a terrific job they did! Their people were charming and all the food was delicious, especially the linguine, the Thai chicken pizzas, and the wild field greens salad with candied nuts.
(5)Louis M.
Good food and good service every time I eat here. It's all anyone wants when we dine out and this particular CPK gets it right.
(5)Jenna W.
The server was so terrible I can hardly remember the food experience. She failed to return to give us water, or check on us at all. Failed to clean our table as we finished appetizers and our main course. The brownie dessert was a major fail, the brownie was too hard. My daughter had the apple crisp and the apples were all clumped together. We'd never go back again. The pizza was 'meh" for $13.50 each.
(1)Jenn N.
After a morning of running errands, my girlfriend and I stopped into California Pizza for a quick lunch. We sat on the patio (so we could people watch) and ordered our pizzas (Hawaiian and Wild Mushroom, both thin crust). Although we got mediums, they were pretty big but since thin crust isn't so filling we managed to scarf down a few slices each. Both pizzas were tasty in their own way, the Hawaiian had the perfect amount of saltiness and sweetness from the ham and chucks of pineapple and the Wild Mushroom had a hearty serving of mushrooms with romano & mozzarella cheese drizzled with truffle oil. I like that you have an option for thin crust, I think pizza tastes better that way!
(3)Jessica S.
Love the chopped chicken bbq salad, appetizers and even bought two of their cook books. Been going here for over 7 years now! We have learned of food restrictions since then and we can still enjoy for they have gluten free options. If you want the BBQ Chicken salad gluten free just ask for it without the tortilla strips. They have the best garlic ranch dressing ever. No MSG! The chicken in the salad never has any fat in it! Highly appreciated.
(4)Derek J.
We get this place catered at our office like once a quarter and everyone looks forward to it. The various types of food available make it perfect to get an office catered so I recommend it for anyone thinking about it. Their salads and pasta are awesome noatter what kind you get. 1 thing I dont like is how small the pizzas are... You have to order like 30 to feed an entire office which is pretty disappointing. All in all- a great spot for a quality inexpensive meal
(4)Yue Z.
Overall is good. The vegi pizza is fresh. The pasta is pretty good. They also offer extra saurce for it.
(4)Sylvia S.
Ate here for my first time today and had the best service I've ever experienced. Josh was the server who was amazing and the manager came and greeted us after! Definitely coming back!!
(5)Noosh R.
We eat here quite often because it is close to our home and they offer several dishes that do not contain milk products. They even list out every single item online with the most common food allergies such as gluten, eggs, milk, nuts etc. which is the main reason I go back. I prefer to go to the CPK on Scottsdale/Shea and here is why: I have ordered the Carmelized Peach Salad via take out and they forgot the peaches. Called up the manager who apologized and said he would refund me, well he never did. On 2 occasions I have felt a little sick after eating the Carnitos Tacos. The location on Shea makes them taste unbelievable but this location is slacking. I've been back to order salads, but after you see slimy-past it's expiration date-lettuce, it becomes quite a turn off. All in all, we really do like the food, but I definitely think it's hit or miss with the quality control.
(3)Mariah M.
Everytime I go to California pizza kitchen, I have an average to above average experience. Maybe it's Because I love their food, but I've never had a bad wait staff. Almost always do I start with the avacado egg rolls, because they are to die for. There is all different styles of food that I really think can satisfy anyone's cravings.
(3)Leah H.
I'd give it a 3 stars just because the bathrooms are kinda dirty and the stalls were claustrophobic, but their food was really good, especially the variety of soft drinks. Even the staff were really nice. Well, let's just say the red velvet bread pudding is actually a slice of the red velvet cake, not the actual bread pudding.
(3)Sophia S.
Today me and my boyfriend ate at this location I had the jamaican chicken pizza with glaze it was very sweet I thot it could of used more marinara so our waiter ceil was very outgoing and polite she accommodated us both with free extra marinara sauce it made the pizza much better. My boyfriend on other hand originally ordered the toastada pizza with black bean chips lettice and much more. It didn't have alot of flavor or cheese. So we let Ceil know about the taste of the pizza. Ceil was very polite she let her manager know and they offered my boyfriend a new order for a new pizza that he would like. They didn't charge him for the old pizza he didn't like because they wanted him to be satisfied. I also ordered the tortilla soup it was spicy and thick very delicious. At the end of our meal the manager offered me the soup for free. I would highly recommend this location to others the workers and manager is very professional and polite they also serve the food quick.
(4)Ryan C.
Solid, dependable, and good. What more do you want from a National Chain? Get the BBQ Chicken Pizza for a great choice. Their apps are pretty good too. Best part about this location though is the "curbside to go" Love not having to get out of the car!.
(4)Paula L.
My opinion of CPK: Quinoa & arugula salad was outstanding. The fish tacos are skimpy. One taco had 2 pieces of fish that were roughly the size of fish sticks. The other taco had 2 teeny weeny pieces of fish. I don't like to complain about my food or send it back for fear of having someone spit in it, but the teeny pieces were unacceptable. Our server brought out lots of extra fish at no additional charge. CPK gets 3 stars for the salad.
(3)Lisa C.
This is an easy place to pick for lunch with my work friends. They offer a nice selection of salads where even a half order is too much for one person - like other reviewers, the caramelized peach is my favorite. Artichoke and spinach dip is always tasty, pear / gorgonzola pizza is delicious, the new bianco flat bread is tasty, and my lunch companions always get different salads and pizzas and are always pleased. They did switch to sourdough bread for a start - not my favorite but theirs isn't too powerful. I liked the herb oil but that didn't get to our table with the last visit so it might be out already. Parking is easy, at least until they replace On the Border which is across the "street" and the best place to park when you visit. Service is mostly good but we have had a couple of bad experiences, not enough to change my opinion though. Ask for salad dressing on the side if you're concerned about getting too much, I'm not a fanatic but they load it at times and it will turn a nice salad into a drippy slaw. The guy that manages this place during the day does a great job and always looks tired, I would too if I had to deal with running a place like this. It's a chain and and a tad overpriced...that being said, it's a pretty good option when you can't figure out what else to do. A true 3.5 but I'll round it up for how hard they try.
(4)Maria V.
My family is Gluten free. This limits our selections. However at CPK we still have a great selection and the staff is very knowledgeable about what gluten free means. Thank you!!!
(5)Marc T.
Going into this restaurant, I had really high hopes. I mean, I've had their personal pizzas on multiple occasions while waiting in the airport. So, I knew the food would be good. It only stands to reason that the actual restaurant would be nothing short of amazing, right? Sadly, no. My daughter and I decided to stop in after a nice long play date nearby. When we arrived, it was 2:00 in the afternoon. The restaurant was almost completely empty. We were immediately seated, which was nice. From there, however, things kind of went downhill. Once we were seated, we sat...and waited...and waited. In a restaurant where there were FAR more servers than there were patrons, you'd figure that the service would have been a little better. But, here's the kicker. Since the place was so empty, it made overhearing conversations among the servers pretty easy. As we sat and waited for someone to come and see us, I could overhear the servers arguing over who was going to help us. I know what you're thinking...maybe they were seeing whose turn it was for fairness' sake. No, these servers might as well have been drawing straws to see who got the short one. Nothing like feeling like a burden to set your dining mood. All of that time to sit and think ended up shedding some light on another negative thing. The plates they provided at the table still had some food caked on them. Had I not had all of that free time to sit and look around, I might not have noticed it as readily. As expected, the food was still fantastic. We went the safe route and got the margherita pizza. Thin crust, and delicious! Our pizza ended up being plenty for two of us to share, and only set us back about $16 with two drinks. I really wish I could rate this place higher, because I really do enjoy their pizza. But my experience with the service was downright unpleasant. I'll stick to picking up their personal pizzas from the airport. That way I know I'll be getting a good pizza, but I won't have to worry as much about unexpected shoddy service. I mean, it's almost to be expected when you order fast food...so at least it won't be a surprise.
(3)Hannah C.
Love this place. Great service and always fast. Not super busy for the times I've been here and always quiet which is good. I've tried a bunch of their pizzas and they're always amazing! Their salads are good too. Wish they had a bigger desert choice though. The Chipotle Chicken Pizza is a little too spicy but it was very good. I'd definitely go here again and recommend it to people in town for a visit since it has very simple but a expansive choice of foods.
(5)Cherry L.
They changed their bread! It's sourdough and as good as that can be, it seemed like they were being skimpy on the amount served. Server was good but seemed a bit too overambitious in her wanting to serve us. Got a bit annoying. Otherwise, standard CPK.
(3)Marisa S.
I have been meaning to update my review for a while. The last few trips to this CPK have been very successful and for me that deserves an extra star. They are also very accommodating. I had to change a few items due to my diet (yes, back on it) and they were great. I noticed a few new items and I had one of the moms order it. It looked great and she said it was delicious. CPK also catered one of our Parenting Group's event. They did a fantastic job and the food was delicious.
(4)Tina T.
Had a gift card and a hankerin' for a unique salad, this was the place! Chose the carmelized peach salad, ordered online and drove the 5 miles to pick it up and head home for a relaxing afternoon alone (had a movie all picked out). Friendly staff, quick service, all bagged up and I zoomed outta there. Got home, laid out my culinary treasure... salad, dressing, crunchy toppings, bread and butter, plate and utensils... what??? Where are my caramelized peaches? Huh, that was my whole purpose for going...!!! Aaargh! Now, do I head all the way back (salad's getting wilty -- the cold part, hot and the hot part, cold)?? Or... do I call them to let them know (what's that going to really do for the moment...)?? Do I sit and resentfully eat it because I'm hungry and it's here and I can?? So much uncertainty, angst and bitter resentment. I sat, I ate, I felt disappointed and angry. (I tipped hella good, too!) Later I emailed them, politely and in the "I just wanted you to be aware" way. They sent me a coupon for a free salad, that was nice. Still don't know how caramelized peaches taste...
(2)Vicki D.
Tucked away in Desert Ridge, and near the kids play area, is CPK. You know what you are getting with CPK, they are all the same! This location had friendly staff and was clean. I loved my Sangria and carmelized peach salad. My husband had the Moroccan salad and loved it. My kids loved their pizzas and sundaes. This isn't the fanciest restaurant in Scottsdale but it gets the job done for families who are hungry!
(5)Kat R.
Food here is mediocre and tastes super artificial. I ordered the turkey club thinking I couldn't go wrong but it was pretty gross. The meat tasted cheap and the bread had little flavor, pretty hard to do with herb cheese focaccia bread. Same goes for the tortilla soup, tasted like cornmeal. The decoration of CPK is okay but it kind of feels like an Ihop. Service was good, though. Won't be back.
(2)Debbie S.
One thing about CPK is that they are consistent. I can say that I will be pleased with my meal no matter which location I go to. My favorites: Thai Chicken Pizza, Salmon, Thai crunch or miso salad. Yum.
(5)Albert H.
Service has always been good, but I always sit at the bar. Food is always just right, reasonably priced, etc. Parking isn't so great because of restaurant location though. Wish they had better beer selection. Menu changes every so often with a few innovative ideas worth trying. Good chain.
(4)Meg Z.
I love CPK. I have had great experiences at the CPK in Chandler and Scottsdale. However, this location scorned me twice. I always, always, always order the Tricolore Salad with the dressing on the side. It's so good! When I went to this location several weeks ago, I noticed that I was skimped on arugula, and a lot of it was wilted. The salad was mostly those thick red leaves I don't like. Last night, again, they skimped on arugula and it just didn't seem like a fresh salad. Keep in mind, between those two visits I had the same salad at the Chandler location and it was delicious. Lesson learned.
(2)Julie N.
Been here multiple times over the past few years--most recently yesterday for lunch with my family. To start, I'm bummed that the foccacia bread with tomatoes are now off the menu--what?! that was the BEST. I do a low-carb diet, and when I knew we were going to CPK, I saved my carb calories just for that! Bummer. Hostess was nice--let me sit in our booth before the entire party arrived (crazy construction traffic on the 101--what?!). Booth and silverware was clean....food was great, as usual. We ordered a trio of salads---Miso, BBQ chicken, and Chinese Chicken Salad. Generous portions--I swear that half is almost the same size as the full! Our drinks never saw the bottom of the glasses---attentive waitress. Bummer #2--I KNEW I had left my cell phone/case at the booth as soon as I drove away, and I went to check and they took my name and number and said they'd call if they found it. I KNOW I left it there, so after an hour I called back. Whoever I spoke with was kinda testy and rude--that pissed me off. All ready to boycott this place for the rest of my being, at 904pm I got a phone call from a much-nicer manager, telling me they had scoured our booth finally and, voila, there appeared my belongings! I heart that nice man---and the boycott is now off.
(4)Douglas B.
Pretty good local restaurant. Has a great Asian Plumb Martini! Expensive and they dont do specials... seriously?? a chain that doesn't do specials? come on
(3)Tabatha R.
Desert Ridge is probably one of the ultimate locations for a CPK. Every time I have been here they are extremely busy, especially during the lunch hours. The pizza here is pretty decent, but my favorite item on the menu is the Waldorf Chicken salad with the dijon balsamic dressing. MMMMMM. I could eat this salad every day of my life. The apples and the grapes in it are so refreshing. The last time I visited I tried the Cherry Lime Sparkler, which is the adult version of a Cherry Limeade, I guess. It was also really great. Although they are known for their pizza, I have to say that there are many better things on the menu. It may just be a personal preference, though. Anywho, I love CPK and I will continue to go out of my way to dine here.
(4)Edward D.
Since the weather was pretty rough and we were suppose to go fishing at night. And the daughter had a CPK urge. We decided to stop off here! First, you have to walk a little bit from the parking lot. CPK is located at the intersection. We were seated very quickly, but it took forever to get our order in! Seems like they were under staff! Daughter order the tortilla soup, first problem was the spoon was dirty, glad she noticed that. Soup was very good, had no problem with that. I had the Chicken Tequila Fettuccine! Sounded good. It was a little to sweet, pasta was good and the chicken had a lot of flavor. Glad I tried it, but will not have it again. Daughter had what I wanted in the first place! She had the Garlic Cream Fettuccine! I had a couple of bites! Love the garlic flavor, and the creamy sauce! Next time! Over all the server was very nice! Just the time to get our order in was bad.
(3)Danddy J.
Good food but pricing to high for portions. My salmon was cooked too much for a cool salad.
(3)Gabi M.
Stealing a quote from Thomas S on this one: "CPK. Creative. Pizzas. Kinda." When CPK was first introduced, it was so popular... I'd even go so far as to call it a chain that was worth a visit every now and then... Unfortunately, it's gone down hill since then. It now seems overpriced and service is shotty. Although the food is decent, there are so many other places to go... My most recent visit was to this location (the one at Desert Ridge). I met a friend for lunch and our waiter was nice but not very attentive. We could've used drink refills on several occasions and our food seemed to take forever to arrive. We both ordered the grilled veggie salad. I added shrimp to mine and Tom added salmon to his. He complained about the amount of salmon in his salad, but my shrimp was decent. We went with the full portion instead of the lunch portion - good thing because we both cleaned our plates. When it was time to pay, our waiter once again seemed to take forever! All in all, this is a consistent chain pizza place - most anyone will find something to enjoy on their large menu, but it is what it is... a chain. Nothing more, nothing less.
(3)Terry E.
Who would win in a fight? The Desert Ridge CPK or its neighbor across the street Humble Pie (c'mon, I can't be the first to make the comparison) Probably 15 years ago I used to love the CPK chopped salad. Anymore it lacks flavor and looks to be skimping on ingredients. CPK's wine is pretty expensive ($9 for a glass of something I pay $10 for a bottle of at Costco?), and the place doesn't exactly exude local personality (only a recent transplant would have the A/C down to 70 the first week of April). So when a couple is given a choice to drop $50 at CPK or $40 at Humble Pie...
(2)Susanna A.
Got the creamy pesto penne pasta i added some shrimp, absolutely delicious.
(4)Tony S.
Stopped in with my son after a few hours of playing video games at Dave & Busters. I absolutely insisted that we not eat at Dave & Busters since their food is really bad sometimes. Anyways, we decided to order something to share since I cannot eat alot. We got the cheeseburger pizza and it came out as described although I thought the amount of protein on the pizza was really skimpy. It was really lacking in meat. After taking off the heaps of lettuce that was on the pizza (the Chesseburger pizza is like a big-mac in pizza form) it was clear that there just was not a lot of meat on the pizza. Overall- good service. My kid can sure drink the lemonades and the server was able to keep up with him. Would we go back? Eh...maybe. Not real compelling due to the food. Maybe we will try something different next time.
(2)Cadence C.
I got the Sicilian thin crust pizza. Yum. 15.49 for a small sized pizza (radius about 5", so 10" diameter). My man says the strawberry limeade was good, + they give free refills. Cute holiday themed to-go box. Kind of on the pricy side.
(4)Brad S.
Good food- but over priced! For the price, I expect more food to be on my plate. Can't go wrong with the pizzas and pastas.
(3)Jennifer O.
So yesterday I went to the movies with my mom and my sister in law and after we decided to come here to have linner because my mom had some gift cards. I have been here before and it has always been pretty good, I usually get a half caesar salad and a cup of tortilla soup but have also tried the spring rolls, the caeser sandwich, pastas, and some pizzas. It has all been pretty good. But anyway, back to yesterday... First off, when you come here you have to request bread and the bread they give you is just kind of plain mediocre bread, nothing exciting. Then it is time to order and I decided to try something different and ordered the chicken tequila fettuccini. My mom got the fusilli pasta with veggies (her usual) and the sis got a shrimp salad of sorts. Everything was good, but, in my opinion, it was overpriced. My dish had a lot of flavor and I enjoyed it, but it cost around 13$. I would have no problem with this price at an independent restaurant, but I think this is too much for a chain. Everyone else seemed to like their food too. Also, the service was decent, our waitress was timely and friendly. So this is a good chain to go to when you just saw a movie or are shopping at dessert ridge, but it is still a chain and isn't anything mind blowing.
(3)Betty R.
You can't miss going to a CPK. The food is always exactly as you would expect and consistent. The service was good. Lots of seating. However, first the hostess tried to seat us in this drafty room with little tables for four. We didn't want to sit there. It's 50 degrees outside! I also noticed that they put all the other groups with children at tables in the corners. This bad first impression was more than made up by our server. She brought our food quickly when we told her that we missed lunch. We may go there again during this vacation...
(4)Dana S.
I recently went here for lunch. I was there during the week and was seated right away. The restauarnt was pretty busy, but I had great service. I enjoyed my chicken ceaser sandwich with a bowl of soup. My waiter was kind and attentive. My food came quick and the price was right for the amount of food I got.
(4)Addie S.
This is one of my favorite restaurants. I just love the BLT PIZZA! Never have had a bad experience. Clean, busy and fun! My kids love it too. And the kids Mac and cheese is yummy too especially on the pizza!
(4)Ann Marie K.
I agree with Shannon on this one nothing tastes bad, but it doesn't taste amazing either. I do think they were one of the pizzerias that started putting crazy things on their pizza though. They have some very interesting toppings! One time I was here with some friends, but I didn't want pizza. I don't feel like their menu if very accommodating towards that crowd. I got a wrap which I didn't like.
(3)Christa B.
My son and I visited CPK Desert Ridge on May 12th after a movie at the AMC. I recall eating at a CPK at The Mirage in Las Vegas over 18 years ago and I remember it being good and kinda the latest trend. We were promptly greeted and seated. The host was great. HOWEVER, It was at least 15 mins. before any waiters acknowledged us. When one did, she wasn't our waiter but said she would give our drink order to our waiter. Probably 2 mins later our waiter came with our drinks FINALLY. We placed our order immediately in hopes of eating sometime in this decade. Since it had been so long since I'd eaten at a CPK, I asked the waiter if one pizza was enough for 2 people and he said no. So we ordered two, one kinda traditional pizza with pep, sausage etc and one chicken tostada pizza. I'd guess 10 mins passed by the time our food came, with which we were pleased. When I saw how big they were, I was kinda surprised. We would have been more than full on one pizza. But I can't fault the waiter for that. He had no way of knowing if we are big eaters or not. We dug in. I first had a slice of the chicken tostada. My son, the meat pizza. Mine was "okay" not a whole lot of flavor even with the salsa. My son's however was really yummy. I ended up having a slice of his since he was raving about it. He then had a slice of mine and he said the same thing, kinda boring and no taste. We ended up leaving with 2 half pizzas. I'm sure I would have given them a better score had it not been for the slowness of the waiter checking on us. Would I go back, yes, but I'd ask to be seated in the large dining room, not off to the side where we were seated, I'm sure that is why we were ignored for so long.
(2)Chukki S.
This C.P.K. is in a strange location. Even though it's in Desert Ridge it's sort of tucked away and hidden. The dining room and bar area is pretty tiny. Other than that the food, service, prices, etc are like any other C.P.K.
(3)Rob P.
Went here with my sister's this past weekend and we all enjoyed a different salad. I had my usual Original Chopped Salad, while one sister had the Mediterranean Salad and the other had a Caesar Salad. All salads were delicious, but the service left a little to be desired -- our waitress was very frazzled and wasn't very attentive. I will say the portions were bigger than what I was used to getting at CPK's in California and Nevada, though, so you might want to order a half salad here.
(3)Jaimie B.
I ordered a very yummy salad and even with the restaurant being super busy at lunch, we didn't have to wait long at all.
(4)Stew K.
Not too bad! I tried the "cheese burger" pizza today. very good! the crust is a little too much like bread though and less like pizza, which I think is a trademark of Cali Pizza. On the down side, WAYYYY to expensive for what you get. Competing pizza joints that serve up "the goods" have them beat hands down for price VS quantity and maybe even quality. Barrows is very good and so is Rosatti's, although they can be a bit pricey too.
(3)Lisa F.
Dinner tonight was good. I had a Caesar salad that was great. It had a lot of shaved Parmesan cheese on it. The croutons were homemade. I ordered 4 cheese ravioli with sauteed mushrooms. It was fantastic. The only problem that we had was my son's order got messed up and they brought the wrong thing. They said they would get his order right out to him. Then they brought some macaroni and cheese, but he did not order that either. Then they brought him a pizza (he did order a pizza), but it was not the pizza that he ordered. Finally they brought him his pizza (after the rest of us had already finished our dinners). They did not even offer us a reduced bill because of it.
(4)Georgia R.
When it comes to CPK, I'm impassive. The food is good, but it's not great. The flavors are okay, but just don't stand out. If you like pizza, I think you should spend your money elsewhere that serves up more authentic New York or Chicago style pizza pies.
(4)Derek H.
I really like their thin crust pizzas. Parking at this location can be a pain.
(3)Larry I.
it has been a while since i have been there - - went for lunch and had the chicken tequila - - it was as good as it used to be. great new menu choices and still good as ever.
(5)Kansas G.
The long line at CPK for a weekend dinner is testament to the triumph of good location over mediocre food and not very good service by the frazzled staff.
(2)Julienne F.
My son and I go to this cpk when we're shopping at Desert Ridge. I usually have a salad, and they're consistently good/fresh. My son usually has the kids pizza meal and a kids sundae (which he reluctantly shares with me). It's inexpensive and I've always received unexpectedly good service.
(4)