CAVA — Restaurant in Washington

While paying over $10 for many of the grain & green bowls seems a bit much, the amount of food you get is basically a meal and a filling snack.

The stated price is about $9.50, which does include one meat (or roasted veggie) option. However, half the selections are $1.50 more - even if one opts, say, for 1/2 lamb (extra) and half spicy veggie (included).

While Columbus OH has a Bibibop, which does a similar thing with Korean bibimap, I was fairly skeptical about doing such a thing with Mediterranean food. And whoever heard of mixing rice with lettuce? But, honestly, just as I was skeptical with Bibibop but became a true believer, so did CAVA convince me that not only can you mix lettuce (and lettuce-type) mixtures, but that they're darn good! All five people said it was really good (except hubby, who got the one I'd ordered for the kid, which had two harissas).

Ordering online was a pain, especially on my phone without the app. [And try putting 5 orders in, one which inexplicably wouldn't go in (I surmise it was missing one of the options, but it wouldn't tell me which one) and caused me to have to start over - only to have it force me to sign up - which was silly since I would rarely order not being from there.] And so I had to go through the line with each order. The only redeeming quality about this was that I learned you get three "dips," not just one. And three dips + dressing = delectable!

Can we petition CAVA to come to Columbus? And we'll happily...

Oh my heavenly goodness! This Cava is incredible Clean and the manager Kecia is phenomenal! From the moment I walked In I was greeted with such a friendly hello and her demeanor is incredibly kind, pleasant and sweet! She was very helpful, as this was my first time, as to what I should eat based on the preferences I told her. She is beautiful and radiantly shines ✨filling the place with goodness! As a leader this is an impeccable trait. The quality of her leadership is rare : she is an empath for sure and certainly she is a 💎 jewel. I’m addition I was marvelously helped by the beautiful Taionna! She too is sweet and friendly and knowledgeable about her work. Her presence is a gift and added benefit and asset! She is a true real life butterfly 🦋! Her helpfulness, kindness and humor I greatly appreciated! She knows how to make you feel comfortable and with her around you can just be yourself and enjoy the atmosphere. She keeps the drinking station clean and appealing! Come here and you won’t be disappointed both ladies are valuable and worth your visit. You will feel safe and welcome here and you’ll enjoy dining in . I only spoke to those two but , trust me the rest of the team are awesome as well. Simply because Kecia is in charge...

🥗 CAVA – M Street, Washington D.C.

Date Visited: July 2025

Ambiance: 3/5 The space itself was fine—clean, modern, what you’d expect from CAVA. But the vibe at the counter was terrible.

This is nowhere near an inexpensive meal!

Service: 1/5 Let me be clear: the woman working the front had no business being in a customer-facing role. As soon as I walked in, she hit me with, “Let me know what you want now or if not it doesn’t matter to me.” wild. I went ahead and placed my order, confused by her tone, but the police officer who came in after me was so put off, he refused to order and asked to speak with management.

She eventually apologized, but the damage was done. If someone’s attitude is that off-putting, they shouldn’t be the first face anyone sees. Honestly, she shouldn’t be interacting with customers at all.

Value: 3/5 Food was solid, but when the service makes you feel unwelcome, it’s hard to enjoy the meal.

TLDR: CAVA needs to reevaluate who they’ve got at the front. The employee’s attitude was inappropriate, and it wasn’t just me—an officer from the local precinct walked out and asked for her to be removed. If management doesn’t take this seriously, they’re going to...