CAVA — Restaurant in Columbia

Two of the employees just stared at me when I came inside instead of speaking like they did to everyone else, the lady making the food was nice but did not understand all of my english. I asked if the pita bread was "WARM" and she did not understand warm. She asked for help and three people started to speak Spanish the whole time and it made me feel not welcomed. My total was higher than other locations in Maryland (I do understand other locations price differently with certain companies) I asked for Chicken and Extra meat but that was Braised lamb. They charged me for extra chicken which is double charging and said it was accurate so I left it alone. I was purchasing a drink only to get the blueberry lavender but that selection along with 2 others were not made so that left me with limited basic beverage selection. Once I ate my food, I instantly regretted even going to this location. The rice was refrigerator cold, the chicken was the same cold temperature as the rice and the lamb was awful, no taste and tough and chewy. Additionally, my pita bread was warm but it was hard all around the edges not crispy, HARD! White Marsh, MD and Columbia, MD locations are the worse experiences with the chain I have had. Also, why does the one in White Marsh decline my request for spoons? But Columbia gave me one? This region does not seem to take pride or consideration in quality food service and I will be reporting these events...

Pre-covid this place was really hurting, and I actually would only stick to the original Cava that's in my area, but recently, they seemed to have stepped their game up significantly.

Their staff are super friendly now, aren't acting as if portions are coming out of their paychecks if you ask for more than a scoop of a condiment, and have gotten really really good at balancing serving customers and handling multiple orders at a time. Literally I went in there and they had 6 bowls on the line with just greens, I looked back like 5 minutes later and they were already bagged up.

I hate to single people out because everyone there is so awesome and accommodating now, but the lanky caucasian guy with the piercings stands out so much to me because he is always SO nice, SO friendly when you come in, and ALWAYS willing to give you a good experience, and he's consistently been this way even before when I didn't want to come to this location. Whenever I see him there I get so happy because I know i'm going to come out with a guaranteed good experience with my food and I won't get a stink eye because I asked for a teensy bit more arugula.. haha

Anyway, i'm glad this Cava is doing much better now because if i'm in the area I can pop in, being my eating out options are pretty limited being a vegan

I've had everything here at least once, and it's all good, but I just stick to my regular and that's...

Overall great experience here at the Cava in Long Reach. Absolutely no complaints on the food here, portions were nice and large and everything tasted wonderful! I highly recommend the braised lamb👌. You can clearly see just how well they run the operation. Food coolers and prep stations are visible from behind the counter, and everything is clearly labeled and organized. Tremendous service as everything is prepared to order in a quick and efficient manner all while being served by friendly and dedicated staff. Main drawbacks here is the location and parking. Good luck finding a spot in this disaster of a parking lot. With competitors like Chipotle and Mod Market next door, the lunch and dinner rush is a nightmare remembered! CAVA is also located next to the Columbia Party City, Infamously known for causing problems and drawing bad crowds to the plaza. Some teenage delinquents on skateboards were yelling obscenities and selling drugs. The local high school is also known for its rough crowds. They were once featured in Worldstar Hip Hop, an online platform that promotes violence and drug use. Don’t let the nonsense scare you off though, CAVA is an absolute delight and I recommend this location to anyone in the community looking for a good meal and great service!

-Mugsy McDonald, contributor for the...