California Pizza Kitchen

What's it like?

I've eaten at CPK before—once in Seattle, and once at the location here in Fresno—and I've had pleasant experiences, though I can't recall what I've had (other than the BBQ chicken pizza, but maybe that was from the frozen food aisle). Today I took a co-worker and two colleagues to lunch to discuss potential partnerships between our organizations.

The dining room is open, and quite large. That said, it wasn't near full, and we were seated along the far wall, but the acoustics did not facilitate conversation (it was quite loud).

Our server started by warning us that we were in a "no soda zone" for a while, as the restaurant was having "serious problems" with the equipment. Not to worry, those problems were fixed before we received our meals, though we all stuck with water.

All four of us had salad, and all were quite pleased. One had the grilled vegetable salad; another had the grilled chicken salad (can't remember the specifics, but it's basically the same as the first salad, with chicken); one had the Mediterranean salad, which came on a bed of hummus and with pita bread; and I had the Thai peanut salad (not the right name, but it's hard to miss on the menu). The spicy peanut dressing was delicious, and the salad had a great blend of textures, including whole peanuts and wonton noodles.

A quick note for those considering a similar lunch: the half-salad is more than enough for one meal; it's about the same portion and price as a large salad elsewhere.