CAVA — Restaurant in Charlottesville

My first ever visit at a CAVA restaurant ! I went tonight around 7 pm. I will definitely be coming back ! Let me start by saying that the restaurant was very clean, that was the first thing I noticed. The food was also delicious and fresh and had a great variety of choices . Most of all though the customer service was amazing, I always get nervous going into a new restaurant that I am not familiar with but the girl that helped me was amazing. She helped me through the whole process with a smile on her face the whole time. She noticed how I was uncomfortable and made me feel at home, she offered a sample on everything I was curious about and truly dedicated her time to help me out. She was also the one that took my money at the end and I told her how much I appreciated her patience and kindness. I offered her a tip but she said she couldn’t accept it then proceeded to thank me and then told me that if I found the time to write a review that it would be very appreciated - I of course didn’t mind at all and I hope she sees this ! Her name is Soraya (I hope I spelled it write).. I apologize if not. Overall everything was amazing, I will definitely be...

Following the recent surge of trendy make-your-bowl style restaurants around the Charlottesville area (see Roots, Mezeh, etc.), a newcomer has arrived to the Barracks Rd. area! For those of you familiar with the Northern Virginia area, this is the same CAVA that you may have seen popping up in various cities. For those unfamiliar, what sets CAVA apart from the classic, well known Chipotle-style of bowls is the Mediterranean flair, featuring ingredients and flavors that might sound slightly familiar like falafel, tzatziki, spicy lamb, tahini, feta, among other things.

I had my first taste of CAVA at this restaurant roughly a week after its grand opening and was delightfully surprised to see that it wasn't too busy. Service here was fast and the people behind the glass were friendly and helpful, especially to a first timer like me. I anticipate that this place will become more popular once the school year starts, but don't expect this to get as busy as the Chipotle down the road -- it's not quite as accessible to a student bus stop.

Enjoy this place while it's...

.I very much enjoyed this Cava, which is a relatively new addition to the Barracks Road Shopping Center neighborhood. It is right across the street from the edge of Barracks Road Shopping Center and has a fresh, clean, spacious facility. Parking is really hit or miss - sometimes it seems there are tons of spots available but given the sheer amount of traffic that comes through the intersection it's on, easily one of the busiest in Charlottesville, one time I came by and the lot was jam packed and extremely dense.

The place itself has a lot of staff there who were friendly and knowledgeable. There were a lot of tables and I found the food to be plentiful, fresh, and tasty. I particularly think it's excellent that Barracks Road Shopping Center now has a healthy fast food option like Cava in its immediate area as the rest of the stores around definitely tilt heavily towards the unhealthy side. During busy lunch hours for those in the immediate vicinity it can be very tough therefore to get anywhere with decent healthy food and which is why this Cava seems so...