Cava Mezze Grill

If it’s gonna be your first time at Cava, pick-​up their mini fold out menu (you’ll see it on the wa as you line-​up). It lists out the order of the food ingredients so you can carefully craft your bowl of goodness.
My go-​to is the super greens salad because I like to eat kale and be hip. I also love their harissa sauce that gives it an extra spicy kick along with the cool and creamy tzaziki sauce.
Like someone mentioned below, their portions have gone down though. But with fresh ingredients, flavor, and quick service, I can’t complain.

Absolutely terrific! These restaurants should replace every mediocre fast food restaurant in America! Trump and Palin would hate this place!
«Make America Healthy Again»

The food is decent but you get like barely any food for the amount that they charge. Plus, they’re missing a number of my favorite middle eastern/​Mediterranean toppings like beets and pickled radishes and they call their kofta «meatballs» for some strange reason. Definitely not worth it to me.

Yes. the reviews are true… its fresh, its healthy, and the service is fast (cause there’s usually a line-you’ve been warned :))
I’ve been to several locations, but this is my 1^st review…
I was initially turned on to Cava a few years ago by a dear friend of mine, who swore this was the greatest place on «fast food» earth.
Only con to this establishment is that its a little pricey for what you get. so pick your battles.
Also, I usually enjoy the falafel, but my last time here, it prepared with way too much salt, that I actually had to throw it away. mind you, it cost an extra $ 3 – 4 as a la carte item (3 falafel mini balls).
But overall, the flavorful and spicy sauces as well as the savory, succulent meat options with endless veggie toppings are always worth the trip.
Enjoy!

The food is excellent and great value. My best friend is Greek and my brother in-​law is Persian and they both love the Mediterranean/​middle Eastern flavors here. I usually get a healthy super green salad bowl with lamb meatballs and add roasted vegetables. It gets really busy during lunch but they manage to get the line moving fast. Great for eating Paleo

I’m definitely a fan of this place. Fresh ingredients and a good mix of quick but healthy «fast food». Pretty pricey so make sure you got the dollas for it.

My boyfriend told me he wasn’t a big fan of this place, so when a co-​worker and I were trying to pick a place to go for lunch and she suggested this place, I was eager to try it out for myself.
I made my own bowl and noticed how much food fits into it – I could probably eat two meals out of this if I was diligent enough. Hummus was good, not too watery, and not spicy either, and no chunks of roasted red peppers or anything else (keep it simple, ya’ll). The bread was also delicious, and originally I had intended to decline a piece, but it being my first time here, I got a piece and it could probably fill dreams if you are a bread fan.
They also have the Maine Root sodas!!! I love Mexican Cola, and the root beer is pretty good too.
If you’re looking for a quick, healthy bite for lunch, stop in here. And divert your eyes when you exit because ColdStone is across the parking lot, so don’t be tempted.

Salad and rice is definitely my favorite here. I got chicken but after trying the lamb my boyfriend got, I definitely recommend lamb over chicken. Depending on your taste buds, the spreads can really prefect or ruin your meal so I usually get them on the side (mixing your bowl with all three spreads is also not a good idea lol). All in all, the food here is delish and super filling. Takes a few visits to really get your order perfected to your liking but it’s worth it!

The food here is really good. One way to think of this place is like a Mediterranean Chipotle (but with more options and better taste). You can get a bowl of brown (or white) rice, salad greens if you wish, lentils, then various dips such as harissa (a spicy sauce), hummus, tzatsiki (yogurt-​based w dill etc), something similar to baba ghannouj (eggplant) and others. Afterward, you can choose the protein you wish (chicken, pork, falafel or others), and then toppings such as diced tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, quinoa, mint leaves, lemon, crunchy sticks, and ultimately finish with a dressing if desired, of which they have a spicy harissa-​based dressing in their selection that I prefer.
One of the best things here not to pass up are the juices/​teas/​drinks that you can get to go along with your food. They change occasionally, and currently have a blueberry-​rosemary drink, a pineapple-​apple-​mint drink, a beet-​lemonade, and a kale-​apple-​cucumber-​ginger-​lemon among others. I also found some of them are good when mixed with another one, such as the blueberry-​rosemary and the pineapple-​apple-​mint mixed together. They are fresh and not from concentrate as well, and (although I’m not 100% certain, I don’t believe they have any added sugar).
Overall, I can eat one of their bowls here, have a good juice/​drink, and feel content that I ate something healthy that also tasted great!

How amazing! My dad, sis, and I always go out for lunch, and we chose cava this time!
How fantastic! We agreed we liked it better than chipotle cuz the portion is bigger, quality was better, variety was wider, meat quality was better, freshness of ingredients was higher, and customer service was faster. However, price was $ 3 extra, per bowl. But we didn’t mind much cuz it was literally lunch and dinner.
Although eating the food was fun, the process of going thru the line and choosing the food wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, customer service wasn’t bad or anything. But, we just didn’t know the food. Although there were menus to look at, I wish like chipotle they had boards at the top of our viewing area, so we could weigh our options and choose the optimum meal for us. (That’s why I’m knocking off a star)
But it’s amazing! Absolutely get falafel; I’m not vegan but I loved it. My dad got spicy lamb meatballs and it’s literally lamb kabob balls. KABOB! Yes. It’s that high quality. Harrissa dip and dressing are amazing, as well as Tzatziki. I recommend banana peppers, and just get all the toppings !!! Get the bowl, half rice, half salad, cuz they put a lot of rice… I’m telling u I’m so full right now, I didn’t even have space in my stomach for my midnight fruit snack!
:))

The only way I’m ever willing to eat Brussels sprouts is when it’s slathered in tzaziki dip, crazy feta dip, and lemon tahini dressing.
Cava is always a treat whenever I manage to get here! I can’t get enough of it. 5 stars!

I must say, I am in love with Cava ever since someone special told me about this place! I’ve heard of it before but never get a chance to try. You just can’t miss out, highly recommend! I know I shouldn’t compare but I just have to say it, it’s way better than Chipotle. I think I can eat this everyday and I wouldn’t be tired of it. Moreover, When I have leftovers and several hours later, the taste is still so great! No joke. Their pita chips is so good, goes so well with Spicy Harissa sauce and also with Tzatziki.
I usually get the Brown rice bowl with super greens and mini pita on the side, with organic hummus, Tzatziki, spicy harissa on the side, half grilled chicken and half braised beef (extra charge but it’s so delicious), cucumber, cucumber&tomatoes, purple cabbage, extra pita crisp. As for the sauce, I’ll go with Spicy Harissa and Yogurt Dill on the side. Sometimes I would get their Falafel on the side. The way I describe this is savory, crunchy, fresh, light, healthy, original and so much more! I haven’t get a chance to try their drinks but definitely will. You just can’t go wrong with this! I am drooling even when I am describing it haha.

This Cava Grill location is out in Kentlands, and I wish it had been around when I was in the area regularly, as it’s better than the overpriced and often unhealthy options that abound in the area. This location also has pretty nice and substantial seating.
This assembly line Mediterranean place is a tad better than the competition. Their ingredients are consistently excellent, and I find getting them here to be more cost-​efficient then going to Whole Foods for a tub of their branded hummus. Their bowl options are numerous and varied. I find myself enamored with the greens and grains option, which lets you get some salad plus a grain and is perhaps the healthiest and most rounded build your own bowl out there. Moreover, lentils seem to have taken a regular spot as a «grain», and so much the better. Lentils are a decidedly underutilized foodstuff, and these black lentils here are excellent. Their falafel includes whole chickpeas; I got four falafel balls to a bowl which was quite sufficient. They also have a large selection of toppings to be added at the end; there’s a (reasonable) three-​item limit on the heavy dips like hummus earlier on, but unlimited toppings keep you from feeling nickeled and dimed. The only thing I really don’t like is that it’s just falafel or roasted vegetables as your main element (from a vegetarian perspective); I wish there were more beans (say some stewed white beans as Greek places often have), or green beans, carrots, potatoes, etc. Just add a bit more to that menu, and I might even give them five stars.
I also discovered on this visit that their fountain drink selection is enormous, including not only a barrage of house fruit and vegetable concoctions, but also, for the soda aficionado (which I am) a range of Maine Root beverages, which are excellent and which I have never seen on tap before. So, hail to that. If you get a fountain drink, you’ve getting a lot of value on it.

i came here for lunch with my friend who dubs this café the «mediterranean chipotle.» apparently, they have this chain all over the greater dc area!
the concept is simple:
1. pick your base: rice, salad or pita pocket
2. pick your dip & spread (up to 3): eggplant & red pepper, hummus, tzatziki, harissa, crazy feta, roasted red pepper hummus
3. pick your protein (choose 1): chicken, falafel, lamb meatballs, sirloin meatballs, braised beef, or braised lamb
4. pick your toppings (unlimited): lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, cabbage slaw, cauliflower quinoa, cucumber, pita crisps, mint, crumbled feta
put it all together in a bowl, and voila, there’s your meal!
i picked the salad + eggplant red pepper/​roasted red pepper hummus/​tzatziki dips + chicken + most of the veggies available. when he was done, the bowl was piled quite high as he was very generous in his scooping.
an hour later, it looked like i barely made a dent in my salad bowl, even though i ate most of the chicken and veggies! i definitely had enough for dinner that evening, and possibly lunch the next day! a great deal for under $ 10 and i definitely appreciate the healthy ingredients that make up their bowls.
conveniently located inside the kentlands marketplace with plentiful parking just outside the café.

This is as good as it gets! This is a review for all Cava Mezze Grills — what is better than a Mediterranean version of chipotle?! It’s basically an assembly line where you pick your grains or greens, dip spreads, proteins, toppings, and dressings. You create your own bowl and there are spicy options for proteins, spreads, and dressings as well. I tend to like the mixed grains and greens base, along with the crazy feta, tzatziki, and roasted red pepper hummus spreads, and yogurt dill dressing with my protein and toppings, depending on my liking and taste buds that day. Along with their bowls, their fountain juices are so refreshing! There are usually six different flavors to choose. I personally like to mix the juices, such as strawberry mint lime with limeade. My favorite juice alone is the hibiscus green tea. Mix your drinks. Create your bowls. Have a little fun here!

How can you NOT love Cava Grill?! Mediterranean food, YESSSS!
This particular location is usually the one I go to. Parking is never a problem since it’s located in a huge lot. It’s super clean, all the ingredients are always fresh, and everyone is friendly! I always get the bowl with half supergreens and brown rice. All of their dips and dressings are amazing and flavorful, so you can’t go wrong with any of them.
It’s definitely not cheap, but compared to the portion size, I think it’s worth it. Plus, it’s healthy so you don’t need to feel too guilty afterwards :). I always purchase my food using the LevelUp app on my phone. I highly recommend this app! It keeps track of how much you’ve spent, plus you can earn free credit you can use towards your next meal once you reach a certain goal. You just simply scan your phone at the register, and you’re out of there in no time!

Another Cava grill.
For those of you who don’t know; Cava Grill (Not to be confused with just Cava Mezze) is a «Chipotle-​ified» Mediterranean place. The food is good, reasonably healthy and reasonably priced.
There are several options here, a bowl of salad or rice, giant pitas, mini pitas, or mini pita with soup. You can customize your meal to your liking.
Caveats: mini pitas are terribly difficult to eat.
Staff isn’t always uniform in what they «can» do. For example, some staff will let me do half chicken half meatballs and not blink an eye, others will question if they’re «allowed» to do that. Sometimes I’ll get charged for extra meat when I do that, sometimes I won’t. Just depends on who is working I suppose.
It’s usually pretty quick, clean and friendly though. Food is fresh and pretty tasty. Drinks are hit or miss, though they always have craft sodas on tap. Meat is slightly over spiced, especially heavy on salt, but when you have all of the toppings and other stuff combined, it evens out.
Always a solid choice for casual dining.

Absolutely love this place! As many of my fellow Unilocalers said, this is really Mediterranean fare served in a Chipotle style.
I opted for the Greens + Grains bowl with the saffron basmati rice and the super greens, and topped it with the crazy feta, roasted red pepper hummus, and tzatziki dips & spreads, and then picked half falafel and half chicken for my meat. They have toppings galore and I love the pita chips and quinoa! And for the dressing I love the lemon tahini, but for those who like a spicy kick, I’ve heard the spicy harissa is the to-​go option!
Love the amount of food that you get for about $ 8, and the side pita, and the food is always consistently fresh!

Pros: great staff. very patient and helpful when ordering. clean place with great décor. the food was fresh and well presented. I had many options when making my bowl with brown rice, greens, and chicken. i felt like I was eating healthy and indulging at the same time. the drink selection was pretty neat. I had the lemon mint water and also the raspberry ginger.
Con: the pita was dry and poor in taste. i feel like i could have bought a better pita from the nearest grocery store.

This is a great place to grab a quick lunch or dinner. It’s practically a Mediterranean Chipotle. You first start with a choice of base (pita, salad, rice bowl), then 3 types of dips and/​or spreads (you can double or triple up on a dip or spread), choose a protein, and finally add as many toppings as you want. I always get greens and grains as my base. However, I wouldn’t recommend getting the pickled onions as a topping, because it’s extremely pickle-​y. I made that mistake and it made my meal taste funny. No matter what combination you decide to make, your meal will be very flavorful.
Overall, I would recommend this place! The line can get pretty long during lunch and dinner time, so be prepared to wait for a while during those times.