Chi-Chi's Pizza - Northridge, California

M X

For a family-friendly budget Italian place, old school classics, you can't beat the prices or the quality here.

I came in here for lunch today, and was impressed with the value I was getting for the price that I was paying. Service was on point, and you can tell the staff has a smile because they like working here.

This place is built more around that 1980s to maybe mid-2000s Homestyle, classic Italian spaghetti and meatball type dishes. Simple, two or three ingredients, straightforward.

If you're looking for some fancy schmancy Italian place, with California skyrocketed prices, and that California Italian Fusion menu, this isn't the spot for you.

Instead, what you will get here is good quality food, served in a reasonable amount of time, tasty, filling and satisfying, and also at a very affordable price.

Service: five stars to our waiter. I made sure and gave him an extra couple bucks on top of 20% just because he was very accommodating. There was a female waitress that was serving tables behind us that was on it as well. I felt like the entire staff here likes working and doing what they do.
We were here around 2:30 p.m. for lunch on a weekday.

Bread: delicious! It has that fresh baked quality to it, very tasty, with a little bit of tanginess almost like sourdough.

Pizza: I will always be an anchovy fan! I got sausage mushroom and anchovy, individual size, which is around 10 inches in diameter, 1/2" thick crust, and it's very good! You can get whatever toppings you like. In my specific case with the pizza I got today, I felt like the dough was tasty and had flavor, I felt like it was cooked to perfection, toasty crust, delicious beautiful tomato flavor, and the right amount of cheesiness. What I love is that the sauce is a perfect balance of good tomato taste and tangy seasonings. It's not over inundated with that gnarly fake oregano you find at other Italian spots.

Fettuccine alfredo with chicken. Very tasty indeed! It wasn't salty at all, I felt like it had good savory flavor, it has that creaminess factor and also a little bit of tanginess. It's that smooth, silky texture on the fettuccine that gets better as it cools down, and the sauce tightens up a bit.
I can tell the chicken pieces were grilled, and they use real cheese in the sauce. Quality!

The person I was with had the linguine with clams and red sauce. I was delighted to see that there were four large clams on the plate, but also a good amount of smaller clams mixed into the sauce here and there without the shell. This pasta dish had a very fresh seafood flavor about it, and you could isolate the Tomato from the garlic from the clams. If you ask me, just the right amount of spices. Another happy note, was that they don't put oregano in their pasta! Thank god!
Side note, typically authentic Italian cuisine only uses oregano in the pizza sauce, or in meat dishes.

Dessert, who doesn't love it? We had a spumoni, priced very reasonably. It's basically three scoops of napolitan ice cream, strawberry, pistachio and chocolate. It's very tasty, reminded me of like a Thrifty's Spumoni texture and flavor. Nothing fancy, just good old classic ice cream you would get at an Italian dance hall back in the '80s.

I think the wine was also well priced. A glass of rose we ordered was exceptionally tasty.

Parking is plentiful in the huge shopping center all around the restaurant. Recently, they added some 10 to 15 Tesla charging stations.

I'll say this much, for the food that you're getting, the portion sizes, the quality, the flavor and taste, you just can't beat this place. I also like their sister restaurant called Lido Pizza over by Sepulveda and victory.

If you're a family, or on a inexpensive date, this is definitely a spot that can easily become a once a week, or two or three times a month type place for you. The locals love it! It's also a good destination if you're visiting from out of town, and just want a good meal at an affordable price.

If you made it this far, one of the biggest secrets is Chi-Chi's happy hour. Same food, better prices. Mon-Fri.

laura torres

My daughter relocated to Texas, and whenever she visits California, Chi-Chi's Pizza is her preferred dining establishment. Over the years, this restaurant has consistently maintained its reputation for providing exceptional pizza and fresh pasta. The quality of service and food is unwavering, ensuring a consistently positive dining experience.

John Horn

Best pizza and pasta in the San Fernando Valley. Been going to Northridge Chi Chi’s pizza since the 1970’s and love it every time. Love dining there with the pizza at it’s finest when it is right out of the oven. The spaghetti with traditional tomato sauce is spot on. Thank you!

Sam Enriquez

Oct 14 was my birthday and I kept saying it was my birthday to the waitress but it seemed like she didn't care. She wasn't very attentive and didn't really give good service. I love the food it was just that day I wanted to feel special for my birthday.

Peter Xaymountry

My friends and I stopped by here over the weekend to grab lunch to catch up. Finding parking here can be tricky depending on when you come because it can get busy and the parking spots is not that wide. The place is kind of old school so it doesn't look modern inside. We got seated right away when we walked in and they brought out the hot bread for us. I got the combo wings, I asked our waiter which one was popular and he told me the traditional and golden wings. So I both to try it out and I would day the traditional is way better. I thought the wings were just like the Costco hot wings so if I was to come back, I wouldn't order it again. My friends got their pepperoni pizza and caesar salad. They put a lot of chesse on their pizza but they enjoyed it. The customer service we rexsived here was amazing, out waiter was attentive and always check up on us. I also got my wife her linguine with clams and they give you a big portion.

Bob Hall

We had another great Sunday meal at Chi-Chi’s today. We always start sharing the incredible antipasto salad. Lots of cheese, lettuces, various meats and salami, tomatoes, onions and several peperoncini.
Service was great, Bertie took great care of us. All for a reasonable price.

Carole Riedinger

This restaurant is a regular favorite of my extended family. They can accommodate large groups at tables. They also have booths. The large pizza is large enough to share, as are the large salads. We often get a pasta dinner, which is also large enough to share. Another favorite is the chicken or eggplant Parmigian. They also do catering.

Marcos R

The food was alright, the pizza was good. I recommend ordering the pizza over their pastas.

The salad is quite surprising with the portions they provide. The pasta was a bit flavorless and could’ve used some salt. It’s a nice area and you he vibe is very family oriented.