California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) has gone out of its way to serve the celiac and gluten-intolerant community. CPK carries the distinction of being validated as a Gluten-Free Safe Spot by the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG), demonstrating that it meets the GIG's strict standards for knowledge, training, and processes to serve safe gluten-free meals.
Specifically, CPK has safe gluten-free pizza, which is a rare treat in the world of gluten-free dining out.
Validated Gluten-Free Menu
The gluten-free pizzas at CPK are served on a validated gluten-free cauliflower crust. After a glove change, your pizza will be prepared with separate safe toppings and using dedicated pans, cutting boards, and utensils. All pizza dough, including wheat flour pizzas (which are not made in-house) are rolled out using rice flour to avoid airborne flour in the kitchen. The final product is delivered to your table with a "gluten-free" pick, letting you know the strict procedures were followed.
The items on the Validated Gluten-Free Menu have met GIG's standards for gluten-free. As a celiac, I have confidently ordered each of the pizzas on this list for me and my daughter, who also has celiac disease.
- Gluten-Free Original BBQ Chicken Pizza: chicken, BBQ sauce, smoked Gouda, red onions, and fresh cilantro.
- Gluten-Free Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage Pizza: cremini mushrooms, rustic pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage, basil, mozzarella, and oregano.
- Gluten-Free Margherita Pizza: tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and parmesan.
- Gluten-Free Pepperoni Pizza: spicy pepperoni, mozzarella, and oregano.
- Gluten-Free Traditional Cheese Pizza: tomato sauce and mozzarella.
My personal favorite is the Gluten-Free Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage Pizza.
Kid-friendly Gluten-Free Options! You can order any of the above gluten-free pizzas on a kids' gluten-free cauliflower crust.
Tips for Ordering Validated Gluten-Free Pizzas at CPK
- Let the server know you will be ordering a validated gluten-free pizza. I typically also use the words, "celiac disease, severe gluten-allergy" when placing my order, as allergies mean something in the restaurant world.
- You can always ask to place your order with a manager for extra safety. This is generally my protocol when dining at non-dedicated restaurants. However, I have found the servers at CPK well-trained, and they automatically loop in the manager for allergy orders.
- Stick to the 5 gluten-free pizza options. The toppings for only those 5 pizzas are validated gluten-free and kept in a separate prep area to prevent cross-contamination. You can certainly omit items (mushrooms, for example). However, if you add toppings that are not on the gluten-free menu, CPK does not guarantee there is no cross-contact.
- Look for the "gluten-free" pick, when your pizza is brought to the table.
Menu Items with No Gluten Ingredients
The following items have no gluten ingredients, but they are prepared in a shared cooking and preparation environment and may be subject to cross-contact with gluten.
With validated pizzas as a very safe option, I personally choose not to risk ordering from the "no gluten ingredients" menu. If you do not have celiac disease or another reason to be concerned about gluten-cross contact, feel free to indulge!
For the most up-to-date information, CPK offers an online interactive allergen menu and an allergen chart.
Starter
- Olive Oil with Mediterranean Herbs (CPK does not have gluten-free bread, but you can bring your own from home.)
- The Wedge: iceberg lettuce wedge salad with bleu cheese dressing, nueske's applewood smoked bacon, chopped egg, and Roma tomatoes
Salads
- Italian Chopped Salad: turkey breast, salami, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil tossed and mustard herb vinaigrette
- California Cobb: smoked bacon, avocado, chicken, tomatoes, chopped egg, basil, and gorgonzola with herb ranch or bleu cheese dressing
- Banh Mi Power Bowl: quinoa, spinach, cilantro, mint, grilled chicken, red cabbage, fresh avocado, cucumbers, carrots, bean sprouts, scallions, and sesame seeds with chili lime vinaigrette and serrano peppers.
- Thai Crunch, modified (with no Thai peanut dressing, no roasted peanuts, no wontons, request herb ranch dressing): veggies, cilantro, grilled chicken, and fresh lime.
- Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad, modified (with no fried tortilla strips, no lime cilantro, request herb ranch dressing): black beans, corn, jicama, cilantro, basil, Monterey Jack, tomatoes, scallions, and herb ranch dressing.
*Thai peanut dressing and lime cilantro dressing contain gluten.
Optional Salad Add-Ins with No Gluten Ingredients:
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Grilled Shrimp
- Sautéed Salmon
- Fresh Avocado
- Grilled Chili Lime Avocado (New!)
Main Plate
- Cedar Plank Salmon: roasted salmon with smoked paprika and lime, served with white corn & spinach succotash topped with feta.
CPKids
- CPK Salad: romaine lettuce and herb ranch dressing.
- Grilled Chicken Breast: chicken breast
- Fresh Fruit: fresh seasonal fruit
A Little History of Gluten-Free at CPK
Initially, CPK rolled out gluten-free pizzas prepared using its normal kitchen operations. In other words, not celiac-safe.
CPK then did something amazing. It listened to the customer feedback, paused serving gluten-free pizzas, and worked with the Gluten Intolerance Group to develop processing methods that would make the final product truly gluten-free.
In 2013, validated gluten-free pizza crusts, toppings verified by ingredient suppliers, and GIG protocols were introduced at all locations. Finally, gluten-free pizza for celiacs! And at a chain restaurant, so we can enjoy safe pizza, whether at home or on the road.
In 2018, California Pizza Kitchen started offering a gluten-free cauliflower crust pizza that became more popular than the regular gluten-free crust, which it eventually replaced. The cauliflower crust is also validated gluten-free.
Over the years, the physical menu has changed. At one point, there was a separate gluten-free pizza menu. More recently, gf pizzas are clearly noted on the regular menu. The online, interactive, allergen menu. also provides additional information regarding gluten-free pizzas, "no gluten ingredients" menu items, food allergies, and other special dietary needs.
CPK has also introduced a couple of at-home options for gluten-free pizzas:
Take and Bake Pizzas
For the same price as ordering a pizza in-house (and occasionally for a nice discount), you can pick up a validated gluten-free pizza and bake it at home.
The crust is parbaked (partially baked) and the toppings are fresh. Simply finish the baking at home. The end result is delicious.
All 5 Validated Gluten-Free Pizzas are available as Take & Bake Pizzas.
Frozen Pizza
CPK offers 3 options for gluten-free frozen pizzas on a cauliflower crust:
- Gluten-Free BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Gluten-Free Uncured Pepperoni, Mushroom & Sausage Pizza
- Gluten-Free Artisanal Style Cheese Pizza
The ingredients for the frozen gluten-free cauliflower crusts are cauliflower, low moisture mozzarella cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), rice flour, tapioca starch, water, egg whites, rice starch, modified rice starch, cane sugar, yeast, salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, basil, rosemary), xanthan gum.
Dining Out with Celiac Disease
California Pizza Kitchen has long been one of my favorite casual dining restaurants. Over the past two decades, one of my good friends and I have spent countless hours at CPK, our regular meeting spot. It's where we have discussed politics, our love lives, families, career changes, the hard stuff of life, and dreams. I am so thankful that GIG and CPK have teamed up to serve the gluten-free community. When celiac disease came into the picture, we didn't have to miss a beat. We still meet at this restaurant full of memories.
I wish the same for you. Some of your favorite restaurants will be local gems. Others will be chains, like California Pizza Kitchen. You can dine out with celiac disease. Here's a little more inspiration:
