California Pizza Kitchen at Schaumburg — Restaurant in Schaumburg Township

The family and I enjoy a visit to CPK every now and then when we crave for some original and unique pizza flavors and pastas.

CPK had an awesome Valentine's dinner for two this week and I heard it was back from prior year. You can choose form 2 options of $40 or $50 and it comes with an appetizer, 2 entrees and a dessert for just $40. We had fresh white corn guacamole, BBQ Chicken pizza, a surprisingly delicious Chicken Tequila Fettuccine (that was as good as its name which we devoured before I remember to take any foodie photos), and ended with savory Butter cake.

The Chicken Tequila Fettuccine is one that was new to us and it was SO delicious! The lime/lemon flavor mixed in with a special cream sauce they had really made the dish. It had such a unique flavor for a pasta dish and my husband and I shared it and scooped up every bite. It dominated the pizza and we only wish the portion was bigger. Since we tried it as a special package it was a a great deal since normally it is $20+ so I'm not sure if then the sizes would be bigger or not. Next time we are back, we would definitely order this pasta again.

The white corn guacamole was freshly made and good but could have use a bit of salt so we asked for some. The butter cake was good but a bit plain and seem to flop in the middle as you can see from the photo. It was still a decent & moist cake and we finished it all. We got my favorite go-to BBQ Chicken Pizza which was good on a thin crust. It could use a but more chicken and onions, I felt like the ingredients on it was a bit on the slim side. However, given the deal of $40 special, this was a value meal.

On its own, I would say these meals are a bit overpriced for the portions. You can sign up to be a rewards member and earn points when you dine which I think is a nice perk as they seem to have specials or promos often.

Tip: they don't take reservations here so you want to account for that when you come and arrive ahead with your party. On this Valentine's night we were quoted 45 minutes but was taken in after 25 minutes which was great. A lot of tables were available but we could tell they were a bit short on staff. Still, overall a good experience and...

Horrible experience yesterday at this location. The air conditioning was not working while the outside temperature was over 93°. There was no signage letting people know that the AC was not working. They waited until we ordered to address the lack of AC.

The food was overpriced and terrible. The spinach artichoke appetizer was watery and tasted "off". I ordered the $19 Burger which was horrendous. I couldn't even finish it and I was starving. It was a thin, hard patty no more than 1/4lb. I had asked for a cheese other than American and the waitress said she would ask the kitchen what other cheeses they had. She only came back with the food and the burger was slathered with American cheese. Worst burger I've ever had. I don't know how they could charge $19 for this garbage. I also had horrible stomach and bowel issues throughout the night. While I don't know if it was caused by this food, it's a pretty good assumption given the cooling and other issues at this establishment.

My wife had a salad which was soggy with cold hard chicken. The bacon in the salad was all fat and undercooked. My daughter got chicken nuggets which were hard and dry. My other daughter had plain noodles which were decent but we asked for marinara on the side which they gave in a tiny cup, no more than an ounce. Not the biggest deal but still disappointing.

The waitress was friendly and nice and was apologetic about the air conditioning (only after we mentioned it). She said that it was also like that the night before which was "way worse". How can you open an establishment for 2+ days (that I know of) with no AC during the hottest days of the summer? I'm assuming the AC issue was temporary and will eventually get fixed but the horrible food will keep us...

We have been going to this restaurant for years. Overall our experience was average this last time.p

Lets start with things to know about the restaurant

This place gets very busy and they do not make any reservations. On weekend plan to wait. Staff was friendly but seemed slow. Would be good if they were more efficient. Covid protocols were followed. Staff were wearing masks but did not notice them sanitizing tables between guests. Menu were available on phone as well as hard copies.

Now let's talk about the food:

We always get their BBQ chicken pizza which is good for one person. BBQ chicken pizza is their specialty and is always good. You can get it on standard crust or on cauliflower crust. Standard crust is not too thick. Our pizza had burned edges which could be good or bad based on your liking. We have had their lettuce wraps and those are good with good amount of chicken. Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower is our favorite. It comes with Sriracha buffalo sauce and blue cheese. Thai crunch salad is normally good but this time their avocado went bad so it did not taste right. The manager had to take it back.

Overall, not the same experience as past. Hoping it will be...