California Pizza Kitchen

Don’t go here thinking traditional Italian pizza. I did and I found out that the pizza here is for people who are not used to good pizza here in Chicago. I gave never heard of pizza like this in my life time. It wasn’t bad, but it is just not for me. Bizzarre. Artsy Fartsy Pizza.

I absolutely LOVE this CPK! Coming here with my friends and family is always a great experience because no matter what, I always get friendly and fast service! The restaurant is always clean and the dishes are fantastic. (I highly recommend the garlic cream fettuccini or the jambalaya, it’s to die for!) oh and if u have room after that definitely get the key lime pie or red velvet! You can never go wrong with some red velvet and ice cream.

I’ve eaten at CPK since I was a kid, and their menu has dramatically changed over the years. This is a great place to bring kids, even for their birthday. I’ve always had great service here whether I’m sitting outside on the patio or inside. It’s in a good location downtown Arlington Heights, right next to the train tracks, which I personally like watching the trains go by as they are not noisy.
I recommend ordering their pizza, or if you’re in the mood for a lighter dish, a salad. I’ve found their entrees aren’t great. Another thing my family enjoys is the lettuce wraps (we get them with chicken and shrimp). Their pizza crust is delicious, and almost makes you want to get something fancier than a cheese or pepperoni. My favorite is the California, which has avocado on it (delish) and is less of a «traditional» tomato base with cheese pizza than you would think. I highly encourage ordering a cool pizza you couldn’t get at a local pizza shop!

Perfect place for a kid friendly meal. The food is good for adults and kids. We love to sit by the windows so the kids can be entertained by the trains as we eat. The staff is always attentive and friendly. Our grandkids love going to CPK and ask for it often!

I’m a regular at CPK and the food is always good, but the service is all over the board. Last night our party of 8 had to wait much too long for everything: the server, the water, the bread, the soup, the entrees, the bill. The place wasn’t full, and there were plenty of staff (many of whom weren’t doing much) but they just aren’t good at handling big parties. We walked in planning on starting with several appetizers for the table, but by the time we finally got some attention, we were basically forced to order our meals. If you are a couple with unlimited time, CPK is a great option. But if you are a big group you can find a better place.

Still waiting for my lunch and my family is finished eating. Three tables seated yet this is the slowest service I have had in years.

I’m giving them a five. Why? Because nothing was done wrong. I started out with the avacadoe egg roles and they were honestly amazing. At first glance I thought they would be gross and thought, «Who would even eat that?» CPK really showed me not to judge. I had the pizza (the specific kind starts with an S), and that was great as well. Even our server was extremely nice (cheers to you, Ann Marie)! Overall, once again, it was a great first experience.

Great service by a newer server, Ant. He had a great personality as was over the top friendly and helpful. Great experience! Thank you

Good service, good food! Depending on what kind of a night or holiday you go on will dictate the time you will have to wait to be seated.
On Valentines day there was a wait, but it was bearable! We waited about ²⁰⁄₂₅ minutes to be seated. However on a Thursday afternoon around 2o’clock, we were seated immediately!
Every time I come here the waitress is super nice, as well as the chef. Our waitress would check on us from time to time and the chef came our once as well! Very polite and good service
The garlic crème fettuccine with shrimp and mushrooms was very good and very filling, even difficult too finish! But again delicious. Portions are generous, especially the salads; you will not have to worry about leaving hungry if you do order one!
From the Lite Menu, the cedar plank salmon is SO good! Perfectly cooked and the corn side salad goes along perfectly. Squeeze a little lemon juice on and it is finger licking good!

The food here is mediocre at best. I’ve eaten at the one in Oakbrook several times and always had a positive experience. I’m ultimately giving this location 1 star because of the crappy service. It was 4:00 pm on a Saturday when we came in. We were sat without utensils to eat with. Our server didn’t bring out my soup before our meal. We had to ask for drink refills and our food took forever. There were 2 other tables in the restaurant. Worst part — we had to eat amongst a sea of dirty dishes. Our table wasn’t cleared once throughout our meal. Gross! And our waitress would just walk by. Every time she came to our table (2xs) she didn’t crack a smile and looked totally inconvenienced. Get a new job girl. The service industry is not for you. Needless to say we won’t be back. Ever.

It is not our first time at CPK or even at this location. We wanted to give it 3.5 stars but since half stars aren’t available, we gave it a 4 because of the service.
We were seated immediately upon arrival. It was around 6:30 on a Friday night with no wait. Our waitress was very nice and kept checking on us throughout our meal. When our order arrived, our server told us he had dropped one of the tortilla spring rolls and that another order had already be placed. One order of spring rolls comes split into 3 pieces. Only one of the pieces had dropped, but we were given a new full 3 piece roll.
We ordered the Baja Chicken and Thai Chicken Tortilla Rolls. Both were good, especially with the side dips: guac and peanut sauce, respectively. I would get the Baja Chicken again (because I liked the guac) and give the Mediterranean Veggie a try the next time we are at CPK. We also had the Shaved Mushroom and Spinach Flatbread (enjoyed/​would get again), and the Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage pizza (nothing too special about that one though). This was dinner for 2 and we had leftovers enough for a one person lunch.
There is ample free street parking and would like to try the outdoor seating sometime. This location is right next to the Metra tracks. However when a train did pass by during our dinner, we did not really hear it while seated inside the restaurant.

CPK is a go-​to place if you eat gluten-​free. Over the years, they have worked hard to produce a menu of items that are up to their standards and also tasty. It took them several tries with the pizza, but now they’ve got it. You get three choices (in the GF world, that’s a lot!!). They clearly label their menu. This location I have visited many times. They have a typical indoor dining room for the chain, and some outdoor seating right next to the train tracks (can be fun if you have kids). There seems to be a new and very attentive manager working here. Maybe some of the service problems others have noted will get fixed. Although car parking is a short walk away, the bike parking is right out the front door.

I’ve been coming to this restaurant since I was in 8^th grade and have never been disappointed. Best pineapple Hawaiian pizza I’ve had in the area and you can’t beat the atmosphere of downtown arlington heights

My son wanted wheat crust for his kids cheese pizza. «We can’t do whole wheat dough for kids pizza.». Seriously? Why not?

My family came here for dinner the day before Thanksgiving to prepare ourselves for eating turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes for the next week. All our food came out correctly and in a relatively-​timely manner. To me, it just didn’t taste as good as it normally does. The crust was off. Obviously, I still ate half and had the second half for Thanksgiving breakfast. It was great reheated!
Our waitress was great. My dad made some awkward comment (not to or about said waitress) and she just went right along with it and kept the conversation flowing while I turned red and buried my face into my hands.
I love CPK, but from my experience the Deer Park location is slightly better. I also think the Deer Park location is a little cheaper, but don’t quote me on it.
Favorite items: sugar free peach lemonade, Mediterranean foccacia, SEDONA TORTILLA SOUP, spinach and artichoke dip, five cheese and tomato pizza, and BBQ chicken pizza. Get the honey-​wheat crust. Yum!

I’ve had take out a couple times and I’m not impressed with their GF menu. I had a cobb salad recently and it had a floral taste to it. I threw most of it away. I’ll be going to Panera for GF salads from now on.

California Pizza Kitchen is a good option for casual weeknight dining. They have a patio area for warmer days and nights. If you plan on sitting inside, you should bring a sweater because the air is on full blast making it chilly!
*Asparagus + Arugula Salad is one of my go-​to small plate starters. Chopped up asparagus mixed together with arugula, toasted almonds, and sun-​dried tomatoes. The salad is tossed with a lemon vinaigrette and then topped off with shaved Parmesan. A perfect light start.
*Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza is one of my faves. It now comes on the thin crust, but I usually ask for it to come on the original honey wheat crust. Slices of Bosc pears cover the crust with sweet caramelized onions and hazelnuts. They top the pizza off with field greens that have been tossed in a tasty Gorgonzola ranch dressing. It’s almost like a salad on your pizza. Give it a try!
When coming to the downtown Arlington Heights location, you have to go in knowing that this place is pretty much run by female servers under the age of 22. The service is always mediocre. The food is usually consistent… the service not so much.
They have recently switched up their crusts so pay attention when ordering. Many pizzas now come on a thin crust and others with a new hand tossed style. The past 3 times when ordering take out we’ve specifically asked for and described one crust just to receive another. Mama Mia! What’s a girl to do?!
Last week, we had a negative experience. I had ordered a salad for my dinner. While collecting my roasted vegetables and lettuce onto my fork, I noticed a long strand of BLACK hair intertwined within my fork and veggies. Our servers hair was a light brown and was pulled back in a braid so I didn’t think it was hers by any means, but it definitely belonged to someone else who had their hair dancing over my salad. I tried looking to the kitchen to see if I noticed anyone with long hair. The only one I could really see was another server with black hair prancing around the kitchen to help out. She had her hair half up, with tightly hair-​sprayed ringlets hanging on each side of her face. I brought the hair to my servers attention at the end of our meal (because that’s when she checked back with us). She agreed it was gross and said she would bring it to the managers attention. Minutes later she returned with to go boxes for us and our check. No mention of the hair again. Now, I’m never looking for a hand out, but you’d think the manager would come by to apologize or they would offer to re-​make my salad, rather than assuming I want to take it home and munch on some more hair of a stranger. Well, at least it wasn’t something worse like a booger or a finger nail.

They have gluten free salad options for my wife (did not see a gluten-​free pizza tho).
Would try again. Very busy on Fri night, but not more than 5 min wait throughout.
What can you say — It’s pizza and its good. Wife with celiac liked her gluten-​free salad.
Good sized Kids meals $ 5 with $ 1 optional desert (large brownie, sundae or fruit plate)

This place is solid. It’s a standard CPK, and you get the added bonus of it being right next to the Metra line in case you want to watch the trains.
The staff is friendly, bring food quickly, and the food is consistently good. I always get the same pizza (boring girl) and it’s always good.
Plus, for a carb lover, it’s awesome since they give you free bread and butter (though I think you have to ask for it) in addition to the crust you’re chowing down on. Yum-​o.

You know those guys that you work with that don’t technically say anything completely obnoxious, but it is their tone that makes you want to punch yourself (and them) in the face? Well, CPKs version was our server. It is unfortunate that such an intense guy works at, what is otherwise, a very nice CPK. We have had him as our server twice and both times it was the same: loud voice, too many words, highlighting that he wanted a big tip…
Outside of our server, it is very clean, the food comes quickly and is consistently good. Go, but brace yourself.