California Pizza Kitchen

We came here for dinner before a movie and tried a couple appetizers we'd never had before. The wait was about 10-20 minutes and we were able to walk around The Spectrum while waiting. It wasn't too long of a wait and we were seated at a booth with a view of the kitchen. Our waitress was very quick. To drink we both got iced teas with different added flavorings. I got the strawberry flavoring and it was sort of odd with the tea, but I didn't hate it. For our new appetizers we got the Szechwan Chicken Dumplings and White Corn Guacamole and Chips. Both appetizers were delicious and flavorful. The avocado in the guacamole could of been mashed and incorporated a little more, but otherwise it was tasty. For our entree we got our tried and true Carne Asada Pizza. I love that it comes with salsa for some extra flavor. I even tried some of the guacamole with it which actually kinda worked. Having dinner here before our movie was a great move and we had just enough food for two people.

Every time I come here, I am reminded of why I don't like coming here. The food subpar, the service is not good and that's me being polite, the price is exorbitantly high for the quality, or lack there of that you getThe pizza tastes like cardboard, the pasta taste old, and the service that we received, at least was obviously by a server that had no interest in doing her job.The orders were taken incorrectly. The food came out at wrong times one of our party order wasn't even taken, I had to remind her to finish, completing the order, not an apology, not a thank you, not a smile nothing. We were not checked on, and then the bill came. The people I was with are much more understanding than I, and still gave a pretty substantial tip to the server, if it was me, I would've left one dollar. One dollar is more than she deserved on this evening. I will not name her because she might've been having a bad night, but I don't think so. I think this is her personalityThough I think two stars is generous, the person that took our name at the front was very pleasant.

I came here a for a company lunch on a wednesday afternoon. There were 16 of us and we were instantly seated. I ordered a tomato spaghetti with grilled chicken add on. The order took nearly 40 minutes to arrive.The pasta was kind of plain. There was nothing special about spaghetti noodles and was a bit softer than I liked. The tomato sauce had some tomatoey taste but nothing that stood out in particular. The chicken was dry but still edible.Overall, food was average as expected. Service was ridiculously slow for a near empty spot on the slow day of the week. I would have not picked this place for lunch but I'll take any corporate paid meal for free.

It's been a very long time since I have been to a CPK. This is the one located at the Irvine spectrum center. The restaurant itself is very nice and clean with a nice outdoor and indoor area for seating. I didn't realize how extensive their menu had become with so many added entrees like pasta and many others. Although when coming to CPK, I'll always get a pizza not any other dish as that's what their speciality would be. I had ordered the Sicilian Pizza which comes with spicy marinara, sausage, basil and pepperoni. It tasted good but the dough gets very dry and hard soon somehow. So better eat it fast. Service was very friendly and attentive. A good average rating here would be fair for the food and experience.

I came here on a Friday night but the wait was less than 10 min for a party of two with no reservations. Although if the wait tine is too long, you can always opt for bar seating which offers the same menu. The restaurant is located right in front of the movie theater so it's hard to miss. I noticed quite a few high-school/ young college kids in the restaurant though but I don't know of that's normal or if they just had an event going on. Service can be a hit or miss depending on who you get and how busy it is. Overall, the restaurant was fairly clean and not too noisy. I absolutely love the chicken piccata pasta and the Thai chicken pizza. More than enough for two ppl with leftovers. Probably going to order it again for lunch during the work week. I also ordered the strawberry mango cooler. VERY sweet. Like a whole pack of sugar was dumped into it. But not too bad once I diluted it a bit. Overall a great experience and would come back again.

I got on the waiting list on Yelp. The wait time was 30-50 minutes . I checked in after 30 minutes and the hostess said it would be 40 minutes. I called 20 minutes later to check on status as the waitlist was wrong and the host said I could be sat right away. Walked back in and the restaurant had many tables open. Crystal was our server. When she came to greet us she said " I guess I'm not getting the table or 7 I get to serve you instead " our party was 3 adults and 2 kids. It appeared she was complaining. After we ordered she said we could have Bread if there was any left. She made it seem as if there was no bread or they were rationing it. It took over 15 minutes to be served water. My daughter was thirsty so I got it from the bar. When she returned she questioned where I got the water and said there was a line for her to get fountain drinks. My friend returned the sunshine drink it tasted strange had a terrible aftertaste . She served burnt bread when she put it down she said it was well done and laughed. I asked for new bread later, strange she didn't automatically offer it. Bbq chicken salad was great. The bathrooms were disgusting. Paper all over the seats stalls no seat covers and clearly neglected. Honestly shocked that CPK at spectrum is like this in 2025. Seems like the depression in there. Management seemed clueless , staff struggled a lot. Crystal was passive aggressive . Would not recommend would not return .

-Butter cake (5/5)- Yummy and worth the 1000 calories-Mushroom pepperoni pizza (4/5)- Really good!-Buffalo cauliflower (4/5)-Thai chicken pizza (3/5)- Wild mushroom pizza (3/5)-Chicken garlic cream fettuccine (3/5)-Tequila chicken fettuccine (2/5) - Not my thing, but my boyfriend loves it.-The original BBQ chicken pizza (2/5)Overall, the dishes are alright, but nothing really stands out for me. I usually come back because my boyfriend enjoys the food here. The pizzas on the kids' menu are a good option if you're not too hungry.

My boyfriend and I went out for dinner and a movie at the Irvine Spectrum. He wanted to sit down at a restaurant so we landed on California Pizza Kitchen. It's been way too long since we've both been there so I was excited to eat there. We had a lovely server who was very attentive during the entire meal. My boyfriend started with a Dr. Pepper and I got a Coke Zero which tasted great! The restaurant had a bowling competition on so I decided to sit on the same booth as my boyfriend. We both decided to order pizza's for dinner. He got a pepperoni and I got the bbq chicken pizza. Both were amazing and very filling. It was a lovely time spent with my boyfriend and we'll be back to try more of the menu!

Five stars because we were seated promptly after walking in, and our server was very pleasant, taking the time to offer thoughtful suggestions. The food was excellent--especially the Thai crunch salad, which was really satisfying. The pizza was also pretty good; as a fan of crust, this one checked all the boxes for me. Though the cheeseburger isn't pictured (my son devoured it), both my kids loved the mac and cheese. It's a family-friendly restaurant with a comfortable noise level and a menu that caters to even the pickiest eaters.

Good food and good service. When we came in the hostess let us know they were short staffed. The restaurant is nice and clean with low music being played. It's like all other California Pizza Chickens. I got the watermelon cooler and the berry salad with grilled chicken. With are seasonal and both are so good! Jake was our server and he was amazing!