CAVA — Restaurant in Alexandria

This is my first time here at Cava and it was delicious. Cava is a fast casual Mediterranean restaurant serving up chipotle-style bowls where you can build your own bowls or try their own pre-made options. The atmosphere is open and inviting and the service was quick. They have plenty of healthy and gluten free options and no lack of vegetables. I'll be looking out for this location on the road as they have multiple locations across the country so if you haven't tried this place and need a healthy and fresh place to eat, come try Cava!

My wife had the Spring Lamb Feta bowl which was one of their seasonal bowls and it has Tender, slow-cooked Braised Lamb with Arugula, Brown Rice, Roasted Eggplant, Hummus, Lentil Tabbouleh, Feta, Pickled Onions and Cucumbers, and finished with drizzles of both Skhug and Garlic Dressing. It was fresh and delicious and they describe it as "springtime in a bowl" and I couldn't agree more. The braised lamb that comes with it was soooooo good and was packed with juicy flavor. I had the build your own bowl with the RightRice which is veggie based "rice" and supergreens which has kale, brussel sprouts, chicory, broccoli and cabbage. I got the roasted red pepper hummus, tzatziki, and roasted eggplant as my spreads. For protein I got falafel and braised lamb. I got all the toppings that they had and topped it off with hot Harrisa vinigarette. Each bowl you get comes with your choice of pita bread if you want it and it was good. The only gripe I have with my bowl is that the falafel could have been crispier and greener inside with more parsley and herbs. Wasn't my favorite falafel but wasn't bad either.

And my gripe with service was that the woman getting out bowls together spoke fast and was hard to understand and was kinda acting like we had been there before so we had no idea what she was asking of us but she was helping in getting what we wanted in our bowls.

We also had their specialty drinks that they had available. I tried almost all of them and my favorite was the jasmine tea mixed with their lemonade to make a very tasty Arnold Palmer. The wife had the strawberry citrus drink and said it was like drinking strawberry syrup and had to cut it with some water as it was really sweet. I tried the blueberry lavender drink and it was okay but I hardly tasted blueberry and it was watery. Not sure if it was supposed to be like a tea but after seeing how blue it was I was expecting more flavor from it.

All in all we spent about $35 for two bowls and two drinks and which all my add ons it was a fair price I suppose. Thanks for the meal though. We definitely will be back for more goodies.

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I'm from MD but work in VA. Once in a while my coworkers and I go out to eat together every couple weeks. Since everyone was busy, I took the opportunity to pick a cheap spot to eat. I used Yelp and searched for $ and $$ priced places with high reviews. I also searched on Google Maps as their review system is growing. After suggesting Cava Grill, a couple coworkers lit up, but I've never tried it. The line was moving quick, and it's a love/hate situation. I love a quick moving line, like at Chipotle, but I get a slight bit of anxiety (just slight) when I'm not familiar with the menu compiled with my indecisiveness on ingredients, etc. What can I say, I like variety. Anyway, I'm in the line behind my coworker who's raving about this place, and so I copy his strategy. I want to try as many ingredients as possible; I'm no food snob so I can't remember what half the ingredients are like or taste like in a meal I had just days ago, so I copy others. (Also to note, I went to the website before I got to Cava Grill, nice clear/elegant website). Here's what I ordered: SuperGreens (mixed greens) and Grain Bowl with half Basmati Rice (that's like 3 things, no extra $, Half Brown Basmati RIce (no extra $), 1 mini pita on the side (no extra $), for Dips/Spreads, I choose 3 or 4 and I think it was Tzatziki, Crazy Feta, and Hummus (again, no extra $ and I didn't know I could do it, just copying). When I got to the protein, my eyes dropped down to the Spicy Lamb Meatballs. They looked delicious! I paused a moment because it was an up charge of $1.75 but I then told myself "this is my first time here, I'm going for it". No regrets. I also had most of the toppings. I forget the rest of the sauces I tried toward the end of the line, looking at the online menu now, I think it was Lemon Herb Tahini, Green Harissa, and Yogurt Dill, all good. In summary, I really enjoyed the food and free cup of water (however I kinda wanted to try their cool looking drinks that some of my coworkers got). The atmosphere was great. A worker helped to clear the table for us when we were done eating. That was unexpected. Oh, that small pita bread on the side? Wouldn't have known unless the guy behind the counter offered it, exceeded expectations there too. TBH, I wouldn't mind going here maybe once a month or every other month. I took a picture but it doesn't do justice since I didn't mix the bowl up to show the sauces and protein. I was definitely FULL after eating. I'd say the price was about $, but goes up to $$ signs if you get a drink and higher cost protein, making a meal about $14 and change. Typical for decent cheap food in the...

Horrible customer service. My mom and I went for our first time. It was about 7:30 pm. Steady line but not busy at all. 2/3 women in the service line were beyond rude. The first lady rolled her eyes at a customer ahead of us. With this being our first time we were extremely hesitant because we knew we’d have questions and the eye roll let us know just how friendly the staff would be. Nevertheless, we tried to read up on the menu to see how to start our order.

When it was our turn we informed the lady that it was our first time. She offered us fresh greens to begin our order. My mom said she’d like to try to Greek salad. The lady looked for the card to make the salad and slammed ingredients in without an explanation. Next it was my turn and I told her I’ll take the same greens as my mom and brown rice. I didn’t know what the name of the greens were because she did not specify and I didn’t see a label. She then proceeded to throw everything else my mom had ordered in my bowl as well. Lol okay?

I was then ready to get my meat and the lady said it’s $2.69 but the paper on the glass said $1 and some change. Either way I was fine with the up charge.

When I approached the last lady, both my mom and I said it was our first time again, she had already rolled her eyes at my mom for a question she had asked. I then asked her a question for the most popular vinaigrette. She directed me to the sign on the glass that I had already read off to her. I was well aware of the options, but I wanted to know the customer’s favorite. I guess that was out of her job description because it seemed as if I was an inconvenience to her.

The poor service lead to my mom and I leaving the store without our food. $1, $10, or $50, we will not spend our money with a business who practices poor customer service.

Management please have a talk with your staff on better...