All 20 California Pizza Kitchen Pizzas Ranked, From So-So to Most Delicious

If you're ever in a pinch and need quality pizza while you're out and about, you can always rely on California Pizza Kitchen to deliver quality 'za no matter where you are. Is it New York pizza? No. Is it Chicago deep dish? It's not that either. But at the end of the day, CPK delivers fresh personal pies that are reliable and feature unique toppings, making it a great choice for a restaurant-chain slice.

Below, we're ranking all the CPK pizzas from worst to best.

What Is California Pizza Kitchen Known For?

California Pizza Kitchen is known for pairing unexpected toppings together. They make non-traditional, thin crust pies with all kinds of unique ingredients you wouldn't normally put together. The restaurant chain's concept started with the idea of California-style pizza, spearheaded by Californian chef Ed LaDou, who developed the barbecue chicken pizza as well.

In other news, #JusticeForTheCheeseburgerPizza. Bring it back, CPK!

What does California-style pizza have on it?

California-style pizza references a cross between New York-style thin crust with toppings most commonly used in California cuisine. It usually contains fixin's like chicken, peanut sauce, artichoke hearts, and goat cheese.

California Pizza Kitchen pizzas, ranked

20. Pepperoni Pizza

While pepperoni pizza may be a big deal elsewhere, California Pizza Kitchen simply is just not the place to go for this kind of slice. It's edible, for sure, and the pepperoni doesn't taste like it was frozen or anything, but it just barely gets the job done.

19. Mushroom Pepperoni Pizza

What's the venn diagram of taste buds that enjoy both mushroom and pepperoni? We're not sure, but CPK must have a reason for debuting this blend of flavors. Not only is it a confusing mix, but it tastes like a pizza that's confused, too.

18. Hawaiian Pizza

Controversial as it is, there are plenty of other pizzerias where you can grab some a good Hawaiian slice—if you like that sort of thing. However, even though CPK does unique toppings well, this one just isn't it.

17. Shrimp Scampi Pizza

With its big bites of arugula and small shrimps, CPK should probably keep their shrimp scampi to the pasta portion of the menu. If they wanted to go all in and really lean into the shrimp scampi of it all, CPK should have added a healthier dose of shrimp because as is, it just leaves something to be desired.

16. Wild Mushroom Pizza

You really have to like mushrooms to even choke this one down. If you don't, skip it, but if you do, this pizza is a mushroom-lover's flavor, rich with Cremini, Shiitake, Portobello, and white mushrooms.

15. Roasted Garlic Chicken

Normally garlic adds a bit of kick to any dish, but the Roasted Garlic Chicken pizza is hardly our favorite. It's definitely garlicky, but the other flavors get lost in it.

14. Jamaican Jerk Pizza

Plenty of people go to CPK exclusively for the Jamaican Jerk pizza. In fact, last year, fans were petrified that CPK was taking this jerk-seasoned chicken pie off the menu, but the restaurant chain actually took to Instagram to assuage customers that it wasn't the case. Each slice is also topped with roasted red peppers, onions, bacon, and a spicy Jerk sauce.

13. Cheese Pizza

While CPK's cheese pizza is pretty dull in comparison to all the chain's other choices, it's still one of the top orders. Great for kids and perfect for those that are topping-adverse, this is a relatively good pizza that's better than most other restaurant chains out there that serve grease on bread.

12. Californian Veggie Pizza

Stemming from the original Californian-style pizza, Californian Veggie has broccolini, eggplant, Cremini mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted corn, red onions, and mozzarella—AKA everything a vegetarian could ever dream of.

11. Thai Chicken Pizza

Covered in bean sprouts, shredded carrot, roasted peanuts, and fresh cilantro, it sure doesn't look like a pizza at all. Still, underneath the flavors of rice wine vinegar, ground ginger, sesame oil, and oyster sauce, there's a crust alright. It might be one of CPK's more innovative flavors, but it's tasty.

10. Carne Asada

Consider this the "meat lovers" of CPK. It has marinated steak, fire-roasted poblanos, cilantro pesto, yellow onions, cilantro, mozzarella, Monterey Jack cheese, and salsa verde. It's not our favorite, but it's an experience you need to try at least once.

9. Margherita Pizza

Another one that's pretty uninspired compared to other fantastical creations on this list, CPK's Margherita pizza is an oldie but goodie that's easy enough to come back to.

8. The Works

As the name suggests, this pizza contains everything but the kitchen sink: pepperoni, Italian pork sausage, green bell peppers, caramelized onions, mushrooms, black olives, mozzarella, Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano cheeses, and tomato sauce. While you may worry that The Works has too many ingredients and flavors for it to—no pun intended—work, it does a surprisingly good job at blending them all together.

7. Sicilian Pizza

Unlike any other Sicilian slice you'll find at authentic, New York-style pizzerias, CPK's Sicilian features Italian sausage, spicy ham, Genoa salami, basil, mozzarella and fontina cheese, and a zesty marinara sauce with herbs. It's heavy and Sicilian purists may find it sacrilegious, but if you're open to it, you'll find yourself ordering it again and again.

6. Spicy Chipotle Chicken

With Chipotle adobo sauce, shaved poblanos, roasted corn and black bean salsa, cilantro, and Monterey Jack cheese, the Spicy Chipotle Chicken is a whirlwind of flavor. It's made even better by CPK's tangy lime crema, which is nearly impossible to recreate at home (speaking from experience).

5. Five Cheese and Fresh Tomato Pizza

Every pizzeria has a four-cheese slice, but you'll love how CPK makes theirs unique. It steps it up with five cheeses—mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano—and also features tomato slices over a tomato basil sauce made from extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt. It's another primo choice for vegetarians, but really, anyone who tries it will love it.

4. Tostada Pizza

Essentially a Mexican pizza, the Tostada pizza screams taco flavor. It's got taco seasoning, of course, as well as Colby Jack cheese, mozzarella, shredded Romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado, tortilla strips, cilantro, and cilantro lime dressing that's out of this world. Somehow, the fact that it's just a tostado salad served on pizza dough makes it even better.

3. California Club Pizza

Think: Club sandwich, but pizza. On top you'll find chicken, bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce, sliced avocados, and strangely, mayo. But even as we write it out, the mayo doesn't taste as strange as you may think. In fact, it made it to our #3 for a reason—it's that delicious. Most importantly though, it's completely unexpected, so if you're craving the California Club, you're only going to find it at CPK.

2. Roasted Artichoke and Spinach Pizza

Served on a crispy thin crust, this pizza is full to the brim with spinach, artichokes, garlic, and mozzarella, Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano cheeses. It's creamy and garlicky, and it's unparalleled in flavor.

1. The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza

The pizza that CPK is most famous for unequivocally deserves to be in #1 spot. So, what's its secret to being one of the best Californian-style pizzas of all time? You can thank boneless, skinless chicken breast, sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, hickory smoked gouda cheese, mozzarella cheese, red onion, and cilantro for this perfection.

Next up, these are the best Wingstop flavors, sauces and all.