Tonight we enjoyed dinner at a new chain to our area, Cava. It’s a Mediterranean take on assembly-line prep places like Subway, where you choose your base, protein, veggies, and toppings. The possibilities are nearly endless, and everything was fresh and flavorful. I chose the saffron basmati rice with spicy lamb meatballs and falafel, red pepper hummus, crazy feta dip, fresh avocado, lemon tahini dressing, crunchy pita strips, and probably a few other things I can’t remember. Hubby got the rice with black lentils [definitely getting those next time], braised lamb, hummus, olives, and all the pickled things that make me go “eww.” They also have handcrafted teas, lemonades, and sodas (the lavender blueberry was delish!) Since it’s National Peanut Butter Day, we stopped for cookies on the way home. We’ll definitely be back soon!
We returned for our Valentine date night (on the 13th, to avoid the crowds). I followed through with my vow to get the black lentils this time (half-and -half with the saffron rice), topped with romaine, harissa honey chicken + steak, roasted eggplant dip, tzatziki, roasted red pepper hummus, crumbled feta, and balsamic date vinaigrette and creamy garlic dressings (with pita chips and root beer). Hubby did a near-duplicate of his previous bowl, with grilled chicken instead of lamb, and a side of their famous bright green and fresh skhug sauce. We were both stuffed and satisfied again!
My 3rd time having Cava was delivery with Uber Eats. I didn’t get a photo, but my bowl was assembled with the same case, secured with a lid, and packaged with cutlery into a nice bag (unfortunately, my driver was an hour late due to a fender-bender. Luckily it wasn’t something that needed to be reheated!)
The Soup Diva 
I drive by Cava at least once a day, and always think, “Oh, I should go there after a long client day. I can hit the bank, eat at Cava, and go home with no food prep to do.” or “What a perfectly yummy place to grab a healthy lunch!”
You’re the first people I know who’ve actually eaten there, so your positive review is a good sign.
My only concern is that the items I’d want are all a real splurge, nutritionally, so I couldn’t do them for lunch. The Falafel Crunch (my first choice) is 860 calories, and the Crispy Falafel is 945 calories! (I wish they listed carbs on their menu, but oh, well!)
Also, since you say it’s assembly line, I guess they make everything fresh in front of you, so I wonder (and am hopeful) if you can substitute or remove things. I’d like the Harissa Avocado bowl, but without chicken. The menu makes it look like you can mix and match the greens and grains, but not the regular bowls. The Kids’ Pita looks like a build-your-own, so that may be my answer. I’m my mom’s kid, after all! 😉
Hmmmm. I guess your post is a good excuse for me to go and find these things out!
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You can choose every element of your bowl! The falafel is good, but not outstanding. You can get 1/2 one protein and 1/2 another, which would limit your falafel. The black lentils are AH-MAZ-ING!
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Since I don’t eat meat, I don’t think it’s a problem. It looks like my options are steak, two kinds of chicken, two kinds of lamb, or roasted veggies, so half falafel and half veggies is OK. And I agree, lentils are a better nutritional bet than rice, which is all carb. But I want ALL the dips and dressings! But, oh no, they’re out of avocado. (Gee, I know whose fault that is!) But I wish I weren’t thinking about this at almost 1 a.m. 😉
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