California Pizza Kitchen Is Having Its 'Swicy' Moment
Aug 23, 2024 11:21PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
(California Pizza Kitchen new and classic menu items, clockwise from top left: Nashville-Style Hot Honey Pizza, Summer Fruit Sangria, Dynamite Shrimp, Neapolitan Burrata Pizza, Shaking Beef Pasta, West Coast Burger.)
Quick fun fact: Did you know that of all of the California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) restaurants in the world, the Manhattan Beach location is the second busiest?
That's right - Our local Manhattan Beach CPK sells an incredible 48,000 pizzas and 22,000 mac & cheese entrees in a year.
For those of us in Manhattan Beach, that's probably no surprise. Manhattan Beach is a great destination, and its CPK location - rebuilt from the ground up in a modern-cool that matches the new Manhattan Village design - is a hot spot for happy hour, families, and singles.
(California Pizza Kitchen in Manhattan Beach)
But across the board, CPK is having a moment. And by that we mean they are on the cutting edge with their new menu options, and they are killing it on social media.
Case in point: A young woman complained in a widely viewed TikTok last month about having ordered CPK's mac & cheese for delivery, and she received only... the cheese.
CPK immediately jumped into action, following up with their own viral TikTok (currently at 12 million-plus views and counting) with Chef Paul Pszybylski, CPK's VP of culinary innovation, humorously explaining how mac & cheese is supposed to be cooked. ("Step One: Cook the cheese. Step Two: Cook the mac. Step Three: Add the mac to the cheese.")
As penance for the error, CPK then offered everyone half off mac & cheese for the rest of July using the playfully named code "cheeseANDmac."
"Swicy" Mike's Hot Honey Collab
CPK has also jumped on some of the latest food trends, including the hot-honey trend. (For those who are wondering, sweet and spicy = "swicy.")
In a new collaboration with Mike's Hot Honey, CPK is now offering a Nashville-Style Hot Honey Pizza that features crispy chicken, ranchito sauce, and mozzarella baked together; then topped with cayenne seasoning, dill pickles and Mike's Hot Honey (extra-hot, in this case).
"We're long-time fans of Mike's Hot Honey, which is why we set out to give our guests an unexpected pizza collaboration like no other," said Pszybylski. "Since we love fusing flavors and cuisines together, we knew hot chicken and hot honey should come together to make the next great pizza."
Mike Kurtz of Mike's Hot Honey apparently thinks so too. "California Pizza Kitchen is known for its innovative approach to pizza and pushing boundaries, and we're thrilled to add a unique sweet kick to their latest creation," he said in a statement. "We're excited that our Extra Hot is the star of the pizza, marking the first time it's been featured in a collaboration."
New Menu Items - and Old Favorites
If you're heading in to CPK, you'll notice a tempting lineup of other new menu items for the season, including:
Tostada Pizza: Lettuce, tortilla
strips, scallions, housemade herb ranch, and roasted tomato salsa top
this crispy thin crust with layers of black beans, Queso Quesadilla and
Monterey Jack cheeses.
Neapolitan Burrata Pizza: Neapolitan pizza sauce, slow-roasted cherry tomatoes, and Parmesan with
creamy burrata, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh basil.
(Neapolitan Burrata Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen)
Shaking Beef Pasta: Beef filet bites tossed in garlic-sesame soy sauce and served over spaghetti
with sliced onions and scallions; topped with serrano peppers and a
fresh herb salad of cilantro, basil, and mint.
(Shaking Beef Pasta from California Pizza Kitchen)
Summer Fruit Sangria: Belleruche Rosé, fresh
lemonade, strawberries, and Grey Goose Vodka. Served chilled and
garnished with fresh watermelon and a sprig of mint.
(Summer Fruit Sangria from California Pizza Kitchen)
Not ready to branch out and try something new just yet? Maybe you'll stick with the classic Mac & Cheese... and bring the annual number up to 22,001 served per year in Manhattan Beach.
California Pizza Kitchen's Creative California Cuisine
California Pizza Kitchen was created in Beverly Hills in 1985 by former federal prosecutors Rick
Rosenfield and Larry Flax. They first introduced innovative California-style pizza with the
invention of The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza. Nearly 40 years later, CPK continues to
reimagine California creativity, pushing culinary boundaries with a long
list of industry-firsts including gluten-free crust and cauliflower crust options for its pizzas.
The Manhattan Beach CPK is located in Manhattan Village (street address: 3320 Sepulveda Blvd. in Manhattan Beach). Dine-in is available from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily. Phone: 310-796-1233.