California Pizza Kitchen

California Pizza Kitchen in Mexico City is a US based franchise operation. It’s been highly successful in the USA. The original concept was to put an American flare on an Italian classic by adding unique, non-Italian ingredients, to a thin-crust pizza. The concept worked. All the Americans, especially Californian’s, thought that goat cheese and mangos on pizza was a good idea.

As goes the restaurant chain industry in the USA, so goes the industry in Mexico. That seems to be the new business model for dining out in Mexico. Only problem is that with Mexican ownership and management, sometimes the concept loses a little in transation. And so it is with California Pizza Kitchen.

The Mexico City franchise has priced down the pizza to a price-point a bit for accommodating to slightly less affluent Mexican population. And they’ve made the CPK a little more family oriented.

Unfortunately, that sort of translates to inferior pizza too.

We ordered the “it has everything” pizza (it’s actually called “The Work Napolitana” on the menu). Uninspired, low quality ingredients. Boring crust. Boring sauce. Boring pizza.

The décor is pleasant enough. Has that soulless stamp of USA chain written all over it. Service was a bit hapless. Young, poorly trained waitress.

Bottom line. There are much better choices in Mexico City for tasty pizza. (By the way, Central de Pizzas does not fit in that category. It’s equally average or less.)