Chi Chi’s Pizza holds a special place in my heart for many reasons. Not only do I love the food, sounds, smells, and service, it just has so many memories for me and our family.
When my husband and I were dating 26+ years ago, he lived in the San Fernando Valley and I lived in Santa Clarita so Chi Chi’s became our meet-up place during the week. We would meet after work and were always seated in this one area to the left with small booths and tables for 2. It was so cozy and the perfect place to talk and enjoy an amazing meal.
After dating for a while, I was getting impatient about how long it was taking for him to decide if he wanted to get married. We were at one of those little 2 toppers when we discussed what the future held for us. I later found out that he had the ring in his pocket that evening! Thankfully, the engagement came a few weeks later and here we are 26 years later!
Once our family grew, Chi Chi’s remained a favorite dining place. It was easy to go to with kids. We no longer were seated in the area with the small tables and now were seated in the big booths. Chi Chi’s was always one of the first choices for most of our birthday celebrations when the kids were growing up. We could fit the 5 of us plus my parents in one of their big booths. It was perfect!
Now, as the “kids” (now young adults) have moved away, it’s always one of the first restaurants the kids ask to go to when they are home. We have had the best conversations there and of course, always the best food with our familiar order: pizza, large antipasta salad with extra Italian dressing, shells with meat sauce, ½ carafe room temperature burgundy, and waters with lemon. The Best!
I should add that we do have a favorite way to order the pizza. Scot swears the proportions are the best when you order a medium pizza. So, we get medium pizzas with either just cheese or pepperoni, onion, and mushroom on it but we always order them “slightly easy cheese and crispy”. That’s the secret! We also love their sausage (yummy fennel flavor) and of course I love their black olives. I’m not a fan of the way they have their green peppers though.
We’ve taken people who don’t love pizza there and apparently the fried chicken and fries are to die for. I’ve fooled myself in to thinking I’m being healthy by eating their whole wheat rigatoni and it truly is delish!
I’m sure this is no surprise to most Santa Claritans as it’s a very popular restaurant. I’d love to hear what your favorites are there and how you order!
