CAVA — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

I really want to keep loving CAVA, but this location makes it almost impossible. It’s not just the occasional hiccup—it’s every single visit. They’re always out of something basic. No drinks in the machine. No pita crisps. No chicken. At a place that basically builds its menu around chicken. It's like showing up to a coffee shop and being told they're out of coffee... and cups.

And when you ask about it? You’d think you just asked them to split the atom. There’s no explanation, no “we’re so sorry,” no “we expect it back soon”—just a mumbled “we’re out” as they move on like nothing happened. The energy from the staff is somewhere between “bare minimum” and “actively irritated.” You get the sense they’re daring you to care.

What’s worse is that once they run out of enough ingredients, they basically start shutting the place down in slow motion. I’ve never walked in and found it fully closed, but I’ve walked in during peak hours and watched them close off the line, turn off the drink machine, and start stacking chairs—like they're hoping customers will just take the hint and leave. No signage, no announcements, just… passive-aggressive closing energy.

And we need to talk about the bandanas. I don’t know who decided this was part of the uniform, but it’s giving "bandit-chic with a side of attitude.” I’m all for self-expression, but when half the menu is missing and no one wants to be there, the coordinated accessories feel less like a fun flair and more like a weird distraction from the chaos.

It’s genuinely baffling because CAVA as a brand is usually great. I’ve had amazing experiences at other locations—fresh food, friendly staff, smooth service. But this one? It feels like a completely different franchise. Disorganized, unprepared, and deeply uninterested in creating any kind of positive experience.

At this point, walking in feels like a gamble I know I’m going to lose. It shouldn’t be this hard to get a grain bowl with chicken and a working beverage machine. CAVA corporate, if you're reading this—please intervene. The brand deserves better. So do...

Ah yes finally chicago has a CAVA in town, this is long overdue. I have been a long time supporter of this chain since they replaced Zoës kitchen, as it’s one of the very limited quick options for refreshing, unique mediterranean food (although this place is slammed since it just opened, give it a bit of time). CAVA has a wide range of options of your typical spread of mediterranean food, in the forms of bowls, pita wraps, etc. I personally got a green / grain bowl with brown rice and spinach. I got crazy feta and red pepper humus. The crazy feta is to die for, as i would eat this in spoonfuls if i could. The red pepper humus was a first for me and I liked the bright flavor, the red pepper was a nice addition. I then got falafel as my protein, as this is my go to. Their falafel is pretty solid - i wouldn’t say it’s anything special but it’s reliable. Now if you like chicken, their harissa honey chicken absolutely hits. I would get it more if I wasn’t so obsessed with falafel. Their sides, well get what you want, this is up to taste, all their ingredients are fresh. If you wanna get my bowl, i got - pickled onions, tomato + onion, cabbage slaw and crumbled feta (i’d load up, no limit) For the dressings, i prefer the hot harissa honey but you really can’t go wrong here. I also enjoy the skhug and garlic dressing a lot. I’d also recommend the pita chips, they’re so tasty warm and go well with the bowls (warning, they contain SESAME if you are allergic) The bowl didn’t look huge but i was stuffed after and the price is good. (I will note, I also had to drive a long time before i was able to take a pic so the food shown is my girlfriends bowl, who i dropped the food off to at her work). Overall, I was impressed with this CAVA. The food was fresh and the staff was friendly, working hard on the long line of people there was. If you haven’t been to one before, definitely go check...

Yikes. Takes a it for me to leave a bad review somewhere as I work in the service industry but my trip today was truly hellish. Ordered at 5:45 with a 6:15 promise time. I arrived at 6:25 to be generous since it normally takes longer than the app says anyway. When I get there at least 10 people are waiting for mobile pickups, Cava app users and food delivery drivers. The shelves for mobile orders are completely empty, not being used at all. After 15 minutes of waiting in store, an employee says there are 80!!!!! mobile order tickets and we’re going to be waiting a while. I leave to run an errand, returning at 7:15, to an entirely different and equally annoyed crowd. Employees were not communicating to anyone, seems like they were actively avoiding us. I understand that it sucks and it’s stressful but you can’t have someone calling out names orders as they’re ready? Or using the online order cubbies? I made my way to the front of the crowd and saw my order sitting in a corner - it had been made 20 minutes after my call time. I’d asked an employee if my food was ready and he said he didn’t see anything with my name. I was already there! Left and came back and my food was just sitting. And the app didn’t update my order status. Huge bummer, I like the food but it’s kind of expensive and a huge pain to order on a normal day. This was too much. Could feel everyone’s anxiety. Won’t be back for a...