A couple years ago, I went to Islands, which was right next door to this CPK, and I ended my…read moreIslands review by saying I was more likely to go to CPK than back to Islands on my next visit to The Pike Outlets.
Welp, time to flip the script. Now I'm more likely to go back to Islands than back to this CPK lol
This CPK (as well as Islands) is located on the east end of The Pike Outlets, just across from the Long Beach Convention Center.
This month, CPK is doing a promo where if you spend at least $10 on a visit, you get rewarded with a freebie on your next visit. What the emails didn't mention is that the freebie would come with strings attached: a purchase of at least $20. Actually, the ensuing email I got said $25, but my reward said $20. Either way, I was a little unhappy about this misleading promo because I thought I could have gotten the freebie without having to purchase anything else.
After my first visit earlier this month, I was granted the reward for a free appetizer/dessert with $20+ purchase, which was set to expire in August. Even though the Lakewood CPK is way closer to me, I wanted to try this CPK to see how it would compare.
I had just visited a nearby business at Pike Outlets, and I hopped onto the CPK app to place my order. A day or two before, I went on the app to decide what to get as my free starter and what to purchase for $20. For the starter, I was honed in on the Avocado Club Egg Rolls, their most expensive starter. For the $20 purchase, I went with a Chicken Club Sandwich, but needed to add at least $2.26 more to make $20. There was a side salad upgrade with upcharges of $1.75 and $2.25, but neither would have been enough. Instead, I went with a side of broccolini, which was $3.
If I had ordered ASAP, the app estimated an 18-minute wait, but I was willing to wait even longer so I could explore The Pike Outlets before my 2 hours of free parking (with retail validation) would expire. Unfortunately, I wasted about 10 precious minutes trying to place my order. That's because this CPK didn't actually have the Avocado Club Egg Rolls on their menu?! Inconceivable! And because of that, the app kept glitching on me and giving inaccurate totals. I got flustered and struggled to find a way to start a brand new order from scratch. I also had to choose a new starter: Dynamite Shrimp.
I finally placed my order about 25 minutes before my desired pickup time. I arrived about 15 minutes later since I elected to pay inside the restaurant. Without a host at the front desk, it took me a while to find the takeout counter in the rear of the restaurant by the kitchen. Natasha was the employee manning that station, and she needed to check on my order not once, but twice to see when it would be ready. I had about $18 left on my gift card and paid the majority of my balance with it, but she told me I owed $18?! When I asked her to check the balance again, she realized her error.
After completing my payment, she checked the kitchen again and returned on my scheduled pickup time to let me know it should be ready in 5 minutes. I patiently waited on a bar seat next to the takeout counter.
5 minutes went by, and still no sign of my order. With each revolution of the minute hand, I was starting to get a little nervous that they forgot about my order or they would have to remake it, which would have caused me to have to pay for parking.
Finally, 10 minutes after my scheduled pickup time, I received my takeout bag, but needed to race back to the parking structure, find my car, and get out before I'd get charged for parking.
I had Dynamite Shrimp before at the San Antonio location, which has since closed for good. This Dynamite Shrimp tasted no different; in other words, the Dynamite Shrimp here met my expectations on how bold the shrimp was, but also how dry the veggies were.
The broccolini was bland, though I can't say I was expecting there to be any flavor. At least it helped me achieve my recommended daily intake of greens lol.
For the sandwich, I requested for the mayo to be on the side, but for some reason, they read "on the side" as "omit" as I didn't see mayo in my sandwich at all! I had to use some of the dressings from my side BBQ Chicken Salad so it wouldn't have been so dry. Even that didn't help; the edges of the chicken were burnt that I couldn't help but wonder if that was the reason for the extra 10 minute wait.
The BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad wasn't too bad, but not as good when I saved it for the next day. It also didn't help I had used up a good portion of the dressings for the sandwich.
Lastly, the bread was quite disappointing! This was seriously the softest bread I had from CPK; the others usually had more of a crunch and hard crust, but this was so soft I think they took the bread out of the oven too early.
Considering how mostly vacant the interior was when I came to pick up my order, I'm surprised at how underwhelmed the food was. I'll still return to CPK, but not to this location.