CAVA
Mediterranean restaurant · Belmont ·
Mediterranean bowls with customizable greens, grains, proteins, and dips
Mediterranean bowls with customizable greens, grains, proteins, and dips
"A Mediterranean-inspired bowl chain celebrated by staff voters as the winner for being healthful, flexible and generous: reviewers praised its braised lamb, abundant toppings like cucumber, tomato and mint, and the inclusion of tzatziki. It’s valued for strong vegetarian and healthy options, the ability to choose multiple dips/spreads, many toppings and dressings at no extra cost, and generally tasty mix-and-match combinations. At the same time it was described as messy and over-abundant—'goop-y' in a positive sense for some, yet for others its excess of choices can produce unsettling ennui or odd flavor overloads—still, many considered it the quintessential modern bowl." - Madeleine Davies
"A persevering fast-casual bowl chain built around DIY salads and bowls, it leans heavily on spreads like hummus, harissa, and tzatziki to build flavor; that approach yields a vaguely Middle Eastern/Mediterranean profile that some find comforting and others describe as overly 'goop-y' or bland. Praised for being a concrete, repeatable option in the bracket, it advanced by beating a poke-bowl competitor and was favored by at least one judge for its reliable, specific offerings compared with an idealized version of bibimbap." - Madeleine Davies
"A Mediterranean-ish fast-casual chain that invites maximal customization, it’s the place to pile in a wide array of ingredients—lentils, hybrid greens like “SuperGreens,” creamy falafel, lamb meatballs—and finish with multiple dips; the abundance of compelling, mix-and-match options makes it appealing for those who enjoy building complex, hearty bowls." - Erin DeJesus
"A Mediterranean-inspired fast-casual chain with a sizable footprint, it builds bowls on bases like rice or lentils and tops them with mezze-style spreads (hummus, tzatziki, eggplant and red pepper spreads), falafel, roasted vegetables and proteins such as chicken. The offerings have a coherent flavor sensibility that translates well to workday lunches, the company runs its own locations rather than franchising for tighter quality control, and it provides many vegetarian-friendly, health-oriented choices." - Jaya Saxena
"Both physical (sold only in brick-and-mortar stores) and electronic gift cards are offered." - Jenny G. Zhang
