California Pizza Kitchen at Monterey — Restaurant in Monterey

Our recent visit to California Pizza Kitchen in Monterey was a delightful experience for the entire family. The restaurant was bustling with activity, particularly with families enjoying their meals, which added to the lively atmosphere.

Kids’ Choices: My children were thrilled with their pepperoni pizza and the five cheese plus fresh tomatoes pizza. They also enjoyed the burgers and chicken with spaghetti, each dish arriving hot and flavorful.

My Dish: I opted for the salmon, which was cooked to perfection. The exterior had a perfect char, enhancing the natural flavors without overpowering them. The accompanying corn salad was refreshing and added a nice texture to the meal.

Drinks: Our server brought us strawberry lemonade drinks, which were a hit with everyone, especially the kids. Service: Our server was exceptionally professional and friendly. He ensured we were well taken care of, bringing bread and two bowls of olive oil for dipping while we waited for our food. His attentiveness and friendly demeanor made our dining experience even more enjoyable. We appreciated his excellent service and tipped him accordingly.

Ambiance: The restaurant was quite busy, with a lot of families present, which created a warm and welcoming environment. During our meal, a busload of tourists arrived and were seated outside under the shade. This large group added to the diverse and vibrant atmosphere of the place.

Overall Experience: We thoroughly enjoyed our time at California Pizza Kitchen. The combination of delicious food, excellent service, and a lively ambiance made for a memorable dining experience. We will definitely be returning for another...

We order takeout quite often from this CPK. Over time, the salad prices have climbed to around $20 for a full. Costs are up so we get it. But the toppings have been reduced by as much as a third to a half on some salads. You end up with basically a bag of shredded iceberg lettuce with nothing much else on the Original Italian Chopped Salad these days. Would it hurt the bottom line to throw another handful of garbanzos on the salad? It's no longer worth the money or gas to go pick it up.

On a cleanliness front, last night's container of dressing had a chunk of tomato and a piece of chicken in it (which has not happened in the past; it was pretty gross to see the lumps fall onto the salad as I poured the dressing over it). This means the staff person filling the dressing cups was scooping from a container where random food items, dust, air and things we probably do not want to ingest can fall in. Did you know an estimated 20-50% of dust inside is made up of dead skin cells?

On two positive notes, staff always are friendly, and CPK was open on a Tuesday night which can be painfully slow in our community this...

We've patronized CPK since their beginning, wonderful concept. Recently we went for lunch, food good, server awesome. What was the negative was the actions of a manager (MA). She spent quite a bit of time with us, (slow period). We assumed she was genuine, nice (she even brought up the topic of 'superficiality', ha, ha, ha, that's laugh out loud!). She wouldn't even return a call (later re: a matter....... said she would!) The only block to kindness, respect, integrity (our own level of honesty) is ego. This is a leader of customer service? Someone who can't show value?? She has a lot to learn. Disconnecting from Truth/Trust is a disconnect from God, the life of all form. We surround ourselves with constructive individuals, not destructive (same with employees). How sad to witness this world, intended for beauty and service to another, erode one person/place at a time (always unnecessary). I'm sure the ownership would never back destroying a relationship .

PBH, a former Head Pro/GM of PB MCH, former host for...