Earlier this month I shared the great news that California Pizza Kitchen re-released their gluten-free pizza, but this time, the right way, with the guidance and blessing of the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG). When I had to go to the mall over the weekend to pick up a book at Barnes & Noble for a book report, I planned a stop at CPK since it is located at the other end of the same mall. Since this was going to be the first time ordering the new gluten-free pizza, I wanted to do so in person to get a feel for how well the restaurant employees were trained.
Location Finder: Find a California Pizza Kitchen Location Near You
This is the sign placed right out in front of the restaurant to lure people inside. I was thrilled to see this! To me it was definitely a good sign, pun intended, that the staff had been educated about the gluten-free pizza and procedures. I made my way over to the “To-Go” order counter and saw another good sign.
The tabletop sign talked about the strict procedures approved by the GIG and listed the four varieties of gluten-free pizzas offered:
- Margherita
- The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage
- Pepperoni
I ordered the Margherita for me and the Pepperoni for my son. The pizzas only took 15 minutes to prepare and were presented to us like this:
Another indication that CPK got it right this time. Only one question remains…how does it taste? The gentleman that was working the “To-Go” counter said he liked the new version better than the old. He went on to tell me the base ingredients, which really impressed me!
The pizza was a little overcooked at the edges but didn’t taste burnt, so it didn’t bother me at all. The texture of the crust and the overall taste of the pizza were outstanding, so much so that I forgot about the edges until I looked at the pictures before sharing them here with you guys. The pizzas are roughly 10 inches in diameter. I stretched mine out into 2 meals by adding an arugula salad when I got home.
If you haven’t figured it out already, I am beyond ecstatic with the new gluten-free pizza at CPK. I definitely see it being added to our “safe” list of restaurants in the Columbus area. To see where the closest CPK restaurant to you is, visit the website store locator.
Well done California Pizza Kitchen, well done.
As always, when dining out gluten-free, do your due diligence and make sure the staff understands your needs. There are very few restaurants that are 100% gluten-free, so cross-contamination is always a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are hearing from the staff, perhaps it is best to dine elsewhere.
For information about other gluten-free restaurants menus, check out our gluten-free restaurants page.
Yes, I agree. I brought my Celiac/diabetic son to the one in MI and was very impressed with how they handled it (sent the manager to do it all) and my son loved it more than Buddy’s even.
Yes, I agree. I brought my Celiac/diabetic son to the one in MI and was very impressed with how they handled it (sent the manager to do it all) and my son loved it more than Buddy’s even.
Well don’t buy their frozen pizzas because they are processed in the same lines as all their gluten containing foods. But they don’t take out disease seriously enough to put the warning on the box. So I wouldn’t trust their food in the restaurant either. And I’m starting to not trust these organizations that are supposed to be keeping of safe like the GIG and other certifying bodies as I’m seeing their stamp of approval on numerous products that have the wheat allergy warning on the packaging as well. So I’ll be taking about a month to recover for CPK so called gluten-free BBQ pizza.