Cava Mezze Grill

I was never a really big fan of cava but recently a switch turned on and now I am literally obsessed. The food here is sooooo good! This place also has that Chipotle style but for Mediterranean food. I always get the bowl with rice and either braised beef or the falafel. Not only am I not a fan of meat, but I’m extremely picky with how my meat is cooked and marinated. With that being said, the braised beef here is sooooo good! It’s cooked thoroughly but its still tender at the same time. I usually get all the different kinds of veggies (except olives) but what really gives your cava bowl that extra kick are the pickled cabbage. I don’t know what it is, but it really blends well with the food and adds a burst of flavor. At the very end I always get the white sauce which also enhances the flavor.

Are here recently while visiting my daughter. Wish you had a location in NY.
LOVED IT.
Had a grain bowl with spicy lamb meatballs. They were a bit too spicy, but delicious. The Greek tzatziki helped cool it down. I could eat here every day, and try different combos.

I’ve been to the Cava restaurants in 2 different locations: Tysons Corner and this store in Mosaic. This store totally deserves 5 stars. The food is better than other stores. The meatballs are always cooked perfectly, the customer service is great. Every employee is very nice, helpful and well trained. The restaurant is well maintained and clean. If you eat there, the manager is always checking if you are OK and if you need something else. I feel like they are always trying to make sure that you have a good experience at the restaurant. In short: if you stop by Mosaic in Merrifield, go to Cava, these guys are the best option around there.

If I came here enough times, I’d probably give this place more stars. But, for now, a solid three.
Let’s start with the ordering process. While I do like the whole concept of «build it yourself» meals, sometimes it can be too complicated. It’s not necessarily too complicated here, but unless you’ve been here and know what you like, it’s easy to go overboard. The first step is picking your base (salad, pita, rice, etc.). Then, you pick your dips/​spreads (Hummus, Harisa, Tzatziki, etc.). After that comes your protein (you can pick 2, but it’ll be half and half. Not 2x the meat). Step #4, you pick your toppings (tomato-​cucumber, cabbage slaw, California Quinoa Tabouleh, and Feta are just a few options. Many more on the list. You can pick as many as you want, but then the dish’s flavors get diluted real fast if you add too much. Which is what happened to me. Lastly, you pick your dressing. Kind of weird to get dressing with my rice dish, but I did.
As you can see, lots of options, and lots of ways to screw up your meal. It’s like they say sometimes, «less is more.» I believe if I ordered less items in my bowl, it would be better. More importantly, it would’ve been nice if someone «suggested» to not put too much in my bowl. Also, with other «build it yourself» restaurants, they should have some dishes that are pre-​selected. Not the case here. With that being said, I will say that all the items I got seemed to be really fresh!
Last thing to note is that the guys working at the counter seemed to be rushing me. Not only were they not helpful, they kept pushing our bowls to the next «station» after only telling them one thing in the areas that they allow you 2 or more options. I almost felt like the guy had a thick mustache and was about to yell, «no pita for you!»

Four stars for the food quality — fresh, well seasoned — overall delicious. One star for the ordering process. As mentioned in other reviews, this is clearly a place for regulars. Nothing is labeled, it’s hard to know what’s what and what items you’re actually getting in your bowl. When I visited, they were busy but not overly so as it was after the main lunch rush (around 2pm). The girl starting the assembly process asked me what I wanted while I was still three people away from the counter and had no eyesight of what I was ordering. The loud interior also made it necessary to shout my order across the people ahead of me. This trend continued throughout the ordering process. I left feeling overwhelmed, anxious and no longer hungry. I didn’t even know how much my meal cost until I checked my bank account because the cashier continued the cattle call feeling by just taking my card and swiping.
I may give Cava another shot, but I’d have to be starving and in Mosiac. Given the plethora of other options that won’t leave me feeling stressed out to even order, I’ll likely pick another place.

The cashier had an attitude high is very unusual as most people on CAVA are very nice. She was extremely rude
The other staff were fine to deal with but her attitude tends to kill my appetite.
9:29 pm
Monday, April 18

The healthier Chipotle, but is it better?
When I first tried their Mediterranean bowls, I wasn’t very impressed. Why? I ordered the wrong things! I had a beef rice bowl with barely any dips and awkward choices of toppings and dressings. The next time I came I had a rice bowl with lamb meatballs and I fell in love. The lamb meatballs tasted absolutely delicious compared to the beef or chicken. Now, I always make sure to have the spicy harissa/​tzatziki sauce. Pickled onions and the cucumber + tomato is a must! Always top it off with the Sriracha Greek yogurt. Their unique apple juice is really good too. I would say Cava has a slight edge over Chipotle.
I know a lot of people who didn’t enjoy Cava just because they didn’t know what to order. It really is a matter of trial & error to really know what you like.

When Chipotle meets Sweet Green, you get Cava Grill– Mediterranean style! Same concept. Came here during lunch time, at 12, on a weekday and it was packed! Inside, the line was looped around. I go to Sweet Green next door for lunch all the time and had never been to Cava.
For first timers, we were a little unsure at first of how to order things. They have it posted on the top back so you can kind of get an idea.
I got to the counter and kind of knew what I wanted to get. You pick a base such as rice, greens, pita etc; I picked green and grains and did half/​half of rice and lentils; pick your dip and sauces, you get to pick up to three, pick your protein, I did half/​half of braised lamb and chicken; and you get to pick other extra toppings; and salad dressing.
I didn’t notice prices listed anywhere, which would’ve been helpful.
We got it in a to go container because we weren’t going to have time to finish it there, sat and ate until we needed to head back.
I loved my salad bowl! I only ended up using very little of my salad dressing/​sauce that they give to you on the side because the three options of dip/​sauces in the salad was good enough.
When we were leaving the place around 1:00, the line had slowed down a lot and wasn’t looping around anymore.
I will definitely go back for weekeday lunch, maybe around peak lunch hour.

The food was good but the presentation was sloppy. The bowls can get very saucy if you decide to get all the hummus and sauce choices but I prefer my food to be on the saucier side so I didn’t mind. I’m a fan of the eggplant hummus!
During my most recent visit, the workers behind the counter weren’t the friendliest, grunting when we asked what all the ingredients and sauces were. We realized that the menu was actually on the side of the wall as you walk in toward the counter. STILL, y’all can work on your customer service!

I love this place with all my heart. Everything is always delicious and flavorful. I love the consistency, I love everyone who works there.
How do I say this place is amazing again??? I LOVE CAVA!

I am absolutely obsessed with Cava Mezze. I have visited about five times for a falafel pita and soup. Food is consistently fresh, healthy (depending on your choices) and delicious. They are assembly-​line-​style like Chipotle but have Mediterranean choices with grain bowls, salads, pitas and soup. The pita is soft and always served warmed.
My go-​to is a mini pita and soup. I choose falafel, harissa (super spicy), tzatziki, slaw, pickled onion, kalamata olives and tomato cucumber salad as toppings. For the soups, I have had roasted tomato and a vegetable (they usually offer just one choice per day and it’s always vegetarian).
The line is always long but moves pretty quickly. The employees aren’t very welcoming and don’t like smiles but the product is too great for me not to return time and time again. Cava Mezze, you have my heart and some of my money, too :)

If I had enough money in the bank to afford eating out on a daily basis without feeling guilty about it, I would eat at Cava at least 4 times weekly. Unfortunately, I work in social services, which means many of my meals are made and consumed at home with far, far less deliciousness.
We have been here a handful of times and they never disappoint.
–We usually get the greens + grains bowls with supergreens and brown basmati rice.
–Of the dips/​spreads, our favorites are the crazy feta, harissa, and eggplant red pepper.
–The meatballs are flavorful and juicy and delicious!
–I’d skip the falafel here– it is pretty dry and flavorless in comparison to your other options!
–As for the rest of the toppings, the more the better! We get most of them, but especially like the mint and pickled onions.
–We love the lemon herb tahini or spicy harissa dressings to top the bowls off!
Annd you cannot go wrong with any of their brightly colored unique juices either. Some of them are too sweet for our liking, but the apple jalapeño is SO yummy with the right amount of sweetness. Even the water here is delicious, infused with cucumber.
For less than $ 10 at Cava, you can get a huge bowl of colorful, fresh, flavorful, absolutely delicious Mediterranean food. There are plenty of other fast casual dining experiences out there that cannot even hold a candle to Cava’s taste and quality, so the next time you are making plans to go to, say Chipotle, veer yourself this direction instead.

I have been here twice now and my general feeling is it is more geared toward regulars. Both times I have visited it has been difficult to ask questions and even harder to get answers. I think the designer of the food assembly area should make a visit to &pizza. At &pizza they have the assembly options on the wall like at Cava but they also provide the information on the glass of the assembly area. When you are picking dips & spreads if you don’t know them already you are just pointing and hoping. Same with the proteins (I did learn you can mix two if you want) and dressings.
I really hope someone connected with this brand is reading this — please use some lettering on the glass with the dips & spreads names, proteins, & dressings, PLEASE. I understand that once (if) I were to become a regular I would know this but after a long day which wrapped up with a blood donation I really wasn’t up for ordering my dinner to be so complicated. How well received and welcomed I feel as a newer customer really makes a difference, at least to me and I can’t think I am alone on this (I know my friend felt similarly). PLEASE visit &pizza. I appreciate that it will involve needing to clean the outside of the glass more often because folks will touch it when pointing but that fact also validates how much it will be used and the importance of it. I am certain folks will use and appreciate the information and an extra whip down or two will be worth it. I have been to multiple places that use this style of casual dining assembly and some do it much better than others. When you do it well folks feel welcomed when you don’t there is a deer in the headlights feeling and folks are more likely to make rash decisions. Here is why that matters, one’s first visit (s) impact if they will return and feeling welcomed vs feeling rushed & devalued when making selections plays a roll.
My friend and I liked what we had. We split my bread. Neither one of knows why I got one and she did not although I did do a greens base. Oh, there are multiple greens options, which is great, but you know what would be greater? You guessed it, if they labeled them, luckily they are in large clear containers behind glass doors which could use some lettering so folks know their selection options. I realize I am harping on the labeling but I bet good labeling could make the process move more efficiently and during prime times this could make a real impact.
It was a nice place to munch a good meal and chat with a friend.
While I could become a fan I still don’t know if I have tried a good combination for my taste buds.

If you don’t necessarily want something fancy, but still want good food at a reasonable price, Cava is the place to go. I call it the Mediterranean version of Chipotle and I love it! I’ve been to several locations, but Chinatown and Mosaic District are my favorite. The employees at those two are very polite and patient, as opposed to the Tysons location where they are rude and in a rush to get a rid of you messing up your order (managed to give me the wrong thing every single time I was there even though I was pointing at what I wanted, just because they’re in a «rush»).
They have 2 different types of rice, beans, a good variety of meats and sauces, and extra yummy additions. Their pitas are pretty tasty too :)
Whenever I don’t feel like cooking, I get a bowl from Cava :) I definitely recommend it!

Yum! Cava Mezze Grill is a perfect alternative to Chipotle for vegans/​vegetarians. Ordering can be super confusing, but luckily I found the portable menu while in line. Within the menu, you can find instructions for ordering, prices, other menu items like extras & drinks, & a super convenient dietary chart. After perusing the chart, I knew exactly what I wanted, which was the brown rice grain bowl with hummus & eggplant + red pepper dip/​spread, falafel, basically all the vegan toppings, and lemon herb tahini. It didn’t look like the server put a lot of rice in my bowl, but it ended up being a lot of food, which I thoroughly enjoyed for a full & satisfying meal.
Side note: My friend got the pita, and she had a lot less food than me, so don’t get the pita if you want a large quantity of food.

PLEASE OPEN IN VIRGINIA BEACH!!!
We are tired of driving to NoVa for Cava!!!
Excellent «fast», fresh Mediterranean food! Cava grill offers an amazingly delicious meal for a very reasonable price. Choose from a salad, rice, lentil or pita base and then add a selection of middle eastern sauces (tahini, hummus, babaganoush, peppered feta etc), meats (lamb, chicken, meatballs or falafel) and dressings. A unique taste experience and extremely addictive — BEYOND YUMMY! I had the spiced meatballs, saganaki, and fried cauliflower.
Where else can a girl eat Brussel Sprouts, kale and lentils with tzatzitki!!! And the cold fresh pressed juices?!! The blackberry sage was beyond delicious.

One of several mediterranean fast casual places to pop up in the last few years, Cava Grill is the winner in my eyes now that I’ve finally tried it. They offer a nice variety of bases; I went for the grains and greens which is a very nice and healthy balance. Their various toppings and sauces are great; I didn’t like all the options but there were plenty of good ones, with enough of them fresh and not pickled and such to suit my needs.
A large display on the wall outlines a variety of dietary concern and allergy information for their regular ingredients. These ingredients also have the benefit of being part of the well-​established brand. I already liked Cava’s sit-​down restaurant, and their dips are available in some local grocery stores. Their various iterations of hummus and feta are always excellent. The main drawback is that there only non-​meat protein is falafel, which is good, but not the best falafel I’ve ever had. Still, if you’re in the mood for falafel, this place will do well for you.
The location here in Mosaic was nice with plenty of seating, and is in the middle of plenty of other happenings and plenty of free parking. I was the first one in the door but plenty of other people came shortly after, and it maintained respectable attendance both before and after I finished my movie across the street.

I really liked this place. It’s like chipotle fused with Greek/​Mediterranean food. U have a choice of 5 – 6 different types of meats –chicken, falafel, meatball, lamb on either pitas, rice, brown rice or salad with toppings dressing in a chipotle setting environment.
Top this with a mint cucumber drink and its a great spot for a quick lunch where u can either eat indoors or out.

Cava is customizable. Cava is affordable. Cava makes you feel healthy. Cava is great. Enough said.
In all honesty, at whichever location of Cava I visit, I know that my craving for delicious, wallet-​friendly, hearty food will be satisfied. That’s what is truly outstanding about this company. Many others have explained the simple, fast casual ordering process, so I will focus on some of the highlights.
(1) If you’re going for a bowl, get the greens + grains! For nothing extra, you add color, crunch, and nutrition to your meal.
(2) Spicy harissa dip is the best. A little goes a long way.
(3) Protein-​wise, you can never go wrong with chicken. Cava also doesn’t skimp at all. Thank you, Cava!
(4) Choosing between the toppings? Don’t. Get all of them at no extra cost. Who doesn’t love the crunch of pickled salads of all kinds?
(5) Use the complimentary pita that comes with the bowl option to make your own mini wraps or pockets. Save a piece at the end to mop up all of the last bits in your bowl for that final, fulfilling bite.
In this day and age of ubiquitous fast casual, Cava also stands out from its peers by offering not only quick and affordable meals, but a dining experience that is also environmentally conscious. The cutlery are compostable, and Cava makes it a point to serve organic, naturally-​raised foods. Thanks for looking out, Cava!
I feel like Cava and I have become great friends through this process. And doesn’t everyone in life just want that one friend to look out for you (and your hunger pangs)? Go visit your nearest Cava. Make a friend. You’ll be doing yourself a huge favor.

Simply amazing. The Holy Grail of Mediterranean food!!!
After less than favorable experiences with Mediterranean food, I was ready to dismiss the thought of ever treading the same waters… Until I was told by a friend that Cava is better than Chipotle (different kind of food, I know, but it’s a favorite), and I had to put it to the test. And yes, it passed with flying colors.
It’s just so good… Naturally raised meats? I’m a fan. I essentially let the employee making my bowl put together my dish for me since I didn’t know what to get, but I had the spicy lamb meatballs with it and it was bomb. Regarding drinks: make sure you try the vanilla bean limeade. Whoever decided to put vanilla in limeade deserves a medal.
While in Northern VA, do yourself a favor and try Cava Mezze. I wish there was one in Columbia, MD. If you’re reading this Cava directors, please get on that. I’ll be your most loyal customer!