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I Tried Every Single Pizza From California Pizza Kitchen And This Was The Best

Did your favorite take the No. 1 spot?

By
Dish, Food, Cuisine, Pizza, Junk food, Pizza cheese, Meal, Ingredient, Tarte flambée, Brunch,
Chelsea Lupkin

Hate to break it to you, but not all pizzas are created equal. I would know: I tried every single pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. That's right, 20 different pies. I also did you the good service of ranking said pizzas — and you might not agree with my No. 1 pick. Slide into my DMs and we can battle it out.

preview for Julia Tries All Of The Pizzas From California Pizza Kitchen

20. California Veggie Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Flatbread, Pizza, Produce, Meat, Comfort food, Staple food,
California Pizza Kitchen

Broccolini does not belong on pizza, yet, here it is. And for that, this pizza is unforgivable.

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19. Jamaican Jerk Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Pizza, Ingredient, California-style pizza, Flatbread, Italian food, Produce, Tarte flambée,
California Pizza Kitchen

I really went in with high hopes for this spicy meets sweet 'za, but all it left me was wanting more. I'd request more of the sticky sweet Jamaican sauce next time — and double up on that bacon.

18. Cheese Pizza

dish, food, cuisine, pizza cheese, ingredient, pizza, dessert, tarte flambée, recipe, khachapuri,
Chelsea Lupkin

Cheese pizza is always there for you. It's basic and it's basic, but it doesn't deserve to be any higher on this list. You'll always come back to this pizza, but that doesn't make it the best.

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17. Pepperoni Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Pizza, Ingredient, Pizza cheese, Sicilian pizza, California-style pizza, Italian food, Flatbread,
California Pizza Kitchen

Same goes with pepperoni pizza. It's dependable, it's loyal, it never lets you down — just like Tom Hanks in literally every movie he's ever made. But you're not always in the mood for Cast Away or Forrest Gump.

16. The Works Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Pizza, Ingredient, Flatbread, California-style pizza, Italian food, Tarte flambée, Produce,
California Pizza Kitchen

There's a lot going on here: spicy Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, red onions, green peppers, olives. When a pizza has this many bold flavors, it's hard to let just one shine.

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15. Shrimp Scampi Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Pizza, Ingredient, Flatbread, California-style pizza, Pizza cheese, Tarte flambée, Italian food,
California Pizza Kitchen

I desperately wanted to rank this one higher, but I can't lie to you: I wanted more shrimp! P.S. I tried this one on cauliflower crust, which is so crispy you wouldn't even realize it's made with veggies.

The lemon garlic shrimp are a perfect combo of sweet yet fresh flavors, but the mozz and Parm cheese makes it so rich, you can barely finish two slices before tapping out.

14. Thai Chicken Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Produce, Staple food, Recipe, Vegetarian food, Side dish, Comfort food,
California Pizza Kitchen

This was a fan favorite in an informal Instagram poll, but I wouldn't necessarily agree. To put it simply: Peanut sauce is a little unusual on pizza. I'm all for crazy flavors and bending the pizza rules, but this was a bit too out of my comfort zone.

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13. Margherita Pizza

Food, Cuisine, Pizza, Dish, Ingredient, Baked goods, Recipe, Pizza cheese, Plate, California-style pizza,
California Pizza Kitchen

There are a bunch of Margherita pizzas in this world, and CPK makes a great one. You can taste the fresh mozzarella and basil — and fresh seriously matters when it comes to Margherita pizza.

12. Wild Mushroom Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Pizza, Produce, Flatbread, Recipe, Italian food, Baked goods,
California Pizza Kitchen

There are four mushrooms on this pizza — shaved Cremini, Shiitake, Portobello, and white — and they all deserve gold medals. You'll definitely have to share this one because it's pretty damn rich.

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11. Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Pizza, California-style pizza, Flatbread, Ingredient, Italian food, Sun-dried tomato, Produce,
California Pizza Kitchen

This is a refined version of The Works Pizza: There are no onions, olives, or peppers to throw off your taste buds. Sometimes simpler is better.

10. Roasted Artichoke + Spinach

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Quiche, Frittata, Strata, Produce, Baked goods, Bobotie,
California Pizza Kitchen

If you love spinach and artichoke dip, you'll freak over this because there's literally a layer of said dip on this pizza. Just trust me on this one.

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9. Hawaiian Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Quiche, Pizza, Baked goods, Recipe, Italian food, Produce,
California Pizza Kitchen

Before you take your phone and throw it out the window, hear me out. As someone who lived in Hawaii for eight years and never had Hawaiian pizza while living there, I, too, was skeptical. But the applewood smoked ham on this pizza is sliced thin like prosciutto, and it's the perfect balance to pineapple. It was salty and sweet, and I don't regret going back for seconds.

8. Spicy Chipotle Chicken

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Flatbread, Produce, Recipe, Staple food, Finger food, Baked goods,
California Pizza Kitchen

Between the adobo sauce, cilantro, poblanos, and roasted corn, it's impossible to name the best part of this pizza. But if I had to, it would be the perfect tangy crema dipping sauce. It seriously made me question my love for ranch.

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7. Roasted Garlic Chicken

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Flatbread, Pizza, Baked goods, Produce, Staple food, Recipe,
California Pizza Kitchen

You'll smell this pizza before it gets to your table thanks to the roasted garlic. This pie tastes like comfort in the best of ways; it's literally like a pizza is giving you a hug. Plus, you can never, ever go wrong with caramelized onions.

6. Tostada Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Karedok, Produce, Nachos, Chinese chicken salad, Chaat, Recipe,
California Pizza Kitchen

Tostada pizza was literally made for CPK's crispy thin crust. TBH, the thin crust is better than a hard taco shell. Sometimes wild flavor combos can go terribly awry, but the layers of beans, cheese, lettuce, and ranch make so much sense. (Pro tip: take two slices of the tostada pizza and fold them over, toppings side in, then dip in the salsa. You won't be disappointed.)

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5. Sicilian Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Pizza, Flatbread, California-style pizza, Italian food, Produce, Tarte flambée,
California Pizza Kitchen

The Sicilian pizza is the hotter, cooler version of The Works and Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage Pizzas. It's got three meats that work perfectly together: Italian sausage, spicy Capicola ham, and salami. Top that with mozzarella and Parmesan, plus spicy marinara, and you're practically in Sicily.

4. Five Cheese + Fresh Tomato Pizza​​​​

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Pizza, Ingredient, California-style pizza, Flatbread, Tarte flambée, Pizza cheese, Baked goods,
California Pizza Kitchen

I know what you're thinking: Why TF is this basic pizza almost in the number one spot? I'll tell you why. Because it has not the standard four but five cheeses that work in harmony. (Maybe this is what Fifth Harmony was named after?) If you love classic cheese pizza, you need to bring the Five Cheese + Fresh Tomato Pizza into your life, STAT.

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3. The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Tarte flambée, Flatbread, Pizza, Baked goods, Produce, Comfort food,
California Pizza Kitchen

Behold, the pizza that started it all for CPK: The OG BBQ Chicken Pizza. If you've ever stepped foot in a CPK, you know about this beauty. It's unexpected, it's tangy, and it's iconic as heck. Some may say it's the BBQ sauce that makes it so addicting, but I'm declaring that it's the smoked gouda. How many times have you had gouda on a pizza? There's a reason it's been a fan favorite since 1985.

2. California Club Pizza

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Pizza, Ingredient, Flatbread, Produce, Italian food, Recipe, Vegetarian food,
California Pizza Kitchen

If the Cheeseburger Pizza, were still on the menu, it'd be number two — but it's discontinued, and this mayo-topped 'za is a decent substitute. That's right: Mayonnaise on pizza is amazing, and it might even be better than ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce. Don't even try to @ me on this one. The smoked bacon, avocado, grilled chicken, arugula, tomatoes, and lemon-pepper mayo make this pizza a true gem.

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