California Pizza Kitchen is a known West Coast staple for those looking for casual California…read morecuisine. I hadn't been to a CPK in a long time, so I figured I would drop by the location in Chino Hills to try some of their food offerings. I came by on a Friday around 7PM with a party of four. But at the time, the hostess let us know that there was a wait and we'd be seated closer to 7:45PM. My party decided to wait and we were seated after shopping around the Shoppes at Chino Hills.
For this visit, I was looking to try their pasta variety and ordered the Garlic Cream Fettucine with added Chicken and Shrimp ($18.79 + $8.00) and an order of the Churro Swirl for dessert ($11.49). Looking at the pasta, it seemed visually appetizing from the start with rich yellows and golds on the dish. But to this, I was disappointed by the quantity of protein given. For an added 8 dollars, I would imagine the portion size to be bigger. However, there were only 5 pieces of added shrimp and 6-7 average-sized chunks of chicken breast. With a small serving plate and the limited meat, I found the dish to be hard to justify at a high price tag of $24.79. As for the Churro Swirl, this dish looked exactly like it did in the pictures and has a churro ring topped with ice cream and cinnamon sugar. The dish seemed large and definitely would make a single person full. But when you look at the price of a single churro, it typically costs much less at other places for the same quantity. Overall, price to portion here is quite steep for what you are getting.
Taste-wise, the food wasn't all that special either. While the shrimp tasted fresh, the chicken was only lightly seasoned and mostly dry. Giving the benefit of the doubt, the meats were only added sides, so I turned to the pasta in hopes it would save the rest of the dish. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The sauce, although thicker in texture, had very little flavor. And because the pasta noodles themselves did not have any taste, much salt and pepper was needed to make the dish tolerable. Trying the Churro Swirl, it was more hearty than a typical churro because of the vanilla ice cream with caramel drizzle on the top. It tasted good, but mostly because the ice cream did the heavy lifting.
California Pizza Kitchen is an American chain restaurant, so it's understandable that their food runs middle-of-the-pack. I would be open to returning to try different dishes on their menu. However, I wouldn't be as open to return to the Chino Hills location. While dining in this particular location, our server was close to non-existent the majority of our time there. There were a few moments were we wanted to have ketchup, water refills, and check-ins with the kitchen.....only to receive close to nonexistent service. And being close to 9PM, the restaurant was not full in the slightest. Furthermore, a person at our table was overcharged on one of the free, included items at the table. Our server did nothing to mitigate this problem until we found out after leaving the restaurant.
Is this going to be the best take on Italian food you're ever going to try? Certainly not. Is it a decent place to gather with family and friends and grab a bite to eat? Potentially. But with above average prices on their food, small portion sizes, mediocre flavors, and apathetic service, I'd only rate two stars at best. If you're at the Shoppes at Chino Hills and looking for a spot to eat, CPK is approachable and familiar, yet priced steeply and lacks soul.