CAVA — Restaurant in Charlotte

Oh boy, oh boy, I gotta tell you about this gem that just burst into my life. CAVA, my friends! CAVA! If you're still scrolling through Yelp reviews for the best pita wraps and bowls, it's time to drop your phone and rush to CAVA. Seriously, what are you even doing? Hit the road, Jack. Your taste buds will thank you.

Step into this joint and you're immediately hit with an atmosphere that's more vibrant than a salsa party on a Greek island. It’s a casual and cozy place that screams 'welcome home' with a Mediterranean accent. Picture this: the smell of warm, freshly baked pita filling the air, a colorful spread of toppings to customize your bowl or wrap, and an overall atmosphere that just makes you feel like breaking into a Zorba dance.

Now, let's talk food, shall we? 'Cause that's why we're here, right? The pita wraps and bowls at CAVA are no joke. They're so loaded with flavor that I’m convinced every bite gives me a direct line to Zeus himself. Yep, we're talking divine intervention level of deliciousness here. The chicken shawarma is a must-try, it's juicier than gossip at a family reunion. The falafel? Crispier than autumn leaves. Pair it with some tzatziki that's smoother than Sinatra on a good day, and you'll find yourself on cloud nine.

And let's not forget the cherry on top - or rather, the toppings on the pita. From crumbled feta that's as salty and creamy as a Mediterranean breeze to fresh tomatoes that are as plump and ripe as a Greek sunset, every topping has been precision-engineered to catapult your tastebuds straight to flavor town. Seriously, it's a grand tour of the Mediterranean packed in a wrap or bowl.

Now listen here, I'm not one to throw around the term "life-changing" lightly, but if these pitas aren't exactly that, then I'm a three-legged donkey named Dave. This place ain't just dishing out good food, it's serving up joy in the form of pitas and bowls.

The prices? Oh, they're reasonable enough to make your wallet want to do a happy dance. And the staff? They're friendlier than your grandma at Christmas. So, if you haven't stopped reading this review and rushed to CAVA yet, I'm a little worried about your priorities.

But hey, to each their own, right? All I'm saying is, if you haven't tasted the mouthwatering magnificence that is a CAVA pita wrap or bowl, you haven't truly lived. There, I said it. Now, go...

UPDATE, 5/19/22

This place is STILL AMAZING!!!!! Just got some more tonight and also put my brother on to it when he was just visiting this past weekend.. And he also loved!!!!!!

For a long while now, I've had a slightly different "go-to" dish than before -- still a green & grain bowl but to up the nutrition factor, instead of mixed greens for the "green", I get spinach and, for the "grain", I've nixed the rice altogether -- only lentils. For protein until recently, I was only ever getting the spicy lamb meatballs, but as of last week, I began trying to forgo any meat, and OMG!!! STILLL AMAZINNNNGGGG!!!!! Now trying to ween off of the dairy -- the feta cheese and feta-cheese dip (still have Tzatziki -- baby steps, lol). Will see how that goes.

Also, a few additional things I realize I didn't include in my last review: My two go-to dressings are the hot harissa (not that hot, lol, but omg, the FLAVOR!! 🤤🤤😋) and Tahini Caesar (although, it being dairy, trying to have this less, but if you don't care about that, MMM!!!! 😙👌🏾😙👌🏾 also perfection). And lastly, while I think their regular pita bread is OK -- I haven't gotten it since I first started visiting Cava some years ago -- and can be hit-or-miss for freshness, their fried pita CHIPS!!!! OMGGGG!!!! I try not to get this most times, but if I didn't care about my waistline, lol, I definitely would every. They are sooooo good and a great complement to the bowls!!

Ok! That's it. May be back to update in another few years. 😊

Freaking amazing. I have brought a few friends visiting from out-of-town to this place, and they not only also fell in love, but made sure they tracked down one of these near where they each live when they returned home!

For help with ordering: I usually get a grain bowl (brown rice) with spicy or braised lamb, chicken, lentils, spinach or mixed greens, and most of the veggie ingredients they offer, and one of the dressings on the side (which I always end up barely using, if I do at all -- the dishes are just that good without!). Freaking amazing. 😍 Would go here everyday if I had an endless...

I finally feel like I can give a just review for Cava now that I've tried their Pita for the 1st time yesterday.

I've been an avid Harissa Avocado Bowl lover of theirs for quite some time now, and I must say, it's been very hard to pull away and give anything else a try. However I finally gave in and purchased their Sweet and Spicy Chicken Pita yesterday (alongside the Bowl lol ... aye what can I say? Lunch? & Dinner am I right?)

I bet you're wondering why not 5 starts then right? Well...for starters, sometimes they forget my free Pita bread with my Bowl. I'd say roughly about 4 out of 9 visits I'd gotten home and it wasn't in my bag. It's always a surprise to me when it's not because I visit Cava spread out. Sprinkled throughout the year, and consecutively I've had my Pita. So the off chance that I don't have it, of course it wasn't on my mind to check the bag to see if it was missing.

Surely I didn't need the Pita bread anyways, so it wasn't a huge deal to me. Also, it's free, so I just assumed they could've been out of stock.

Last but not least, I always go for their SuperGreens Mix for my bowls. not only because it just sounds healthy, but also because it just tastes good! However, what's with the overload of sliced Brussel Sprouts?

I did a little digging to find out the SuperGreens Mix is mixed up of these particular ingredients: 1/4 c Broccoli 1/4 c Kale 1/4 c Brussels sprouts thinly sliced 1/4 c Chicory thinly sliced

Everything is mixed in so well, that I would've never been able to tell you what was in the SuperGreens Mix without looking it up...well all is mixed well except the overload of Brussel Sprouts.

It's not even that I don't like Brussel Sprouts, they are delicious! It's just they put wayyy too many in the bowl for anyone's liking in my opinion.

Otherwise, Cava is the most healthiest, mouthwatering and flavorful, Mediterranean, unique establishments that you're ever going to visit for a unique tasting Salad Bowl or Pita!

You know that saying, "Don't walk, run?"

Well in this case... "Don't run, DRIVE! Lol !" I hope you enjoy as...