CAVA

Cava is amazing first time trying it and I love it wish Temecula had this company too . The cucumber &mint drink was amazing employees are amazing too just need a little bit of cleaning around . I want to sit inside but most of the times had crumbs from other people plates before me so I decided to take it to my car overall is a good restaurant just the cleaning need a little more practice.

This place was filthy! I don’t normally post reviews—but the level of filth in this place motivated me to warn others. I’ve been to other CAVA restaurants that were just fine—but not so with this one! The food tasted fine, however, I couldn’t help but be concerned about the basic sanitation practices in the kitchen at this place when everything that I could see was a total mess. The basic condition of the restaurant was kind of run down, the tables were dirty, the drink area was dirty (and out of ice), the trash area was dirty—with piles of dirty “cleaning rags” laying around. The whole line where the team member was building my bowl was covered in food scraps. There was a health inspection “A” rating sign in the window. I’m thinking that if a health inspector showed up when I was there, the place may well have gotten shut down!

Food is amazing here. They have many great options and everything is good. There’s something for everyone. The staff at this location are great. The manager Charles is extremely nice and helpful as he helped my family and I to a great meal. Overall, fantastic atmosphere and food! If you’ve never had cava, you have to try it!

I came here today before the gym looking for a quick protein and healthy packed meal. This spot is definitely going to be my go to. I love the interior and the staff because they give good portion sizes and are always positive making it a welcoming environment.

We’ve been wanting to try cava for awhile and tonight was our first time. The food was very yummy, but the service and atmosphere were very poor. We came around 5pm to beat the rush and were the only ones in line. We waited nearly 5 min before someone behind the counter came to take our order. I understand if they were busy prepping, but the employees were slow moving and we could’ve been greeted and told that they would be with us shortly. Upon seating, we noticed that the dining room was very dirty, and frankly unsanitary. There was a spill that was not cleaned up, but had a caution sign next to it. Nearly every table was dirty and there was food and trash on the floor. It’s interesting that they have a QR code at the register asking for reviews, but it doesn’t seem like management is making any improvements. There are several other reviews like mine. They appear to be understaffed and under poor management. I truly never leave reviews, but it’s sad to see this at such a yummy place. I will be trying the Del Mar location next time.

First time here, not disappointed at all. Everyone working was super nice, especially the GM who greeted us after our meal with a smile on his face. We got our food within a minute flat. The food quality is exceptional, and I will for sure be returning to this location !!

(Encinitas location) Love this place the food is always so good and flavorful. Aaron helped us out and was SO kind, helpful, and sweet. He is absolutely amazing. We come here a lot and definitely will be constantly coming even more, especially because of Aaron. -Irene and Julia

Not only is the food amazing. The service is also top tier. The quality of the food is amazing. One massive shoutout to this guy named Charles. Not only is his personality amazing. He always makes sure that I’m happy and that the service was great. He is always smiling and happy and really makes my experience a whole lot better. Thank you!!!

Awesome workers, they put so much on my plate, love this cava and going EVERYTIME now.

Spicy Greens Bowl!!! So good. So thrilled for delicious healthy options!!! Love the drinks as well.

First time and not the last! Very impressed with the selection and even more impressed that the staff was so friendly. To top off the great experience the food was fresh and vibrant in flavor! Love love the meatballs Btw the manager I would hire again hard working making sure the tables are clean but kindly engaging with the customers. Very sweet guy! People like him need to be recognized.

Two extreme disappointments about CAVA's customer service, particularly at the Encinitas location: 1) When making a delivery order (e.g, DoorDash or Post-mates), CAVA does not seal their to-go bags like other reputable restaurants do. I have no idea why CAVA doesn't seal and secure their food for delivery. It's a bad practice in the world we live in. 2) Encinitas-CAVA has canceled my order several times now when the to-go order was made around 9:15/20pm on DoorDash and similar platforms - even though the time cut off clearly states 9:30pm. That shows a reluctance and laziness in their evening shift employees to prepare your order because it's near their online cut off (9:30pm), even though they close at 10pm. Imagine coming home tired from work and ordering way before the cut off time, and they decide to cancel your order - not at 9:15 when you ordered it, not at 9:30pm when it's the cut off, but at 10pm when your dasher walks in and they say "sorry, we canceled the order...." Honestly, the service at this location is below par and I don't have the confidence in ordering from them - and I know that I'm not alone in this.

Not one but TWO bones in my chicken that were so hard I almost chipped my tooth. I love CAVA but this location is a mess. Trash all over the floor, the bathroom was out of paper towels and everywhere you looked it was dirty, trashcans overflowing. What a mess. Be careful what you eat here you may need to see a dentist afterwards.

Walked in when they were close to closing and the cashier was friendly and attentive. I ordered the Mediterranean bowl and loved it! I will definitely be back when I'm around town

This was a take out So cannot comment on the store it self The spicy green salad YUMMY If u like veggie and spicy this is for u Love it and will order it again

Cava is amazing first time trying it and I love it wish Temecula had this company too . The cucumber &mint drink was amazing employees are amazing too just need a little bit of cleaning around . I want to sit inside but most of the times had crumbs from other people plates before me so I decided to take it to my car overall is a good restaurant just the cleaning need a little more practice.

Generally I like cava. It tastes good and is a good portion of food. It's not cheap that's for sure--3 bowls for $50. At a recent visit though, I was definitely thrown off by the service and upkeep of the restaurant. There were approx. 8 people working, no line and 1 customer eating when I arrived. We were not acknowledged for nearly 5 minutes. Not the end of the world, just interesting. What I didn't love though was that the shop was a mess. There was stuff on the floors and every station was unclean. It's unappetizing. It was really hard for me not to say something when a meat scooper was used for the vegetables and meat ended up in my vegetarian bowl. If the stations were better cared for this wouldn't have happened. The staff really needs to be careful for those with dietary restrictions & especially those with allergies.

We love this cava! Generous servings and very friendly staff. Can get busy during lunch time but otherwise has the freshest and most delicious good. We live 20 mins away and try to stop by at least once a week

This is the first time l've tried Cava. They have a good quality and taste food. I like the chicken bowl it was amazing. Everything fresh, the stuff are helpful with a huge smile. I have to mention the manager Sam, he's a great person and helped me too much. I like his recommendations. Absolutely I'll be back always here. Thank you guys for everything.

I was starving and decided to stop in for some Cava. I got up to the counter and the staff greeted me right away. I ordered a grains and greens bowl with spicy lamb meatballs with saffron rice and arugula. The tzatziki and spicy feta are my favorite. It makes it so easy to add your toppings and be out of the restaurant in just a few minutes!

Love CAVA but this location has the worst service. Stood there for like 5 mins while 5 employees stood around the cashier chatting. Finally one of them helped me and just half assed everything. They don't give a F about the customer and are just doing bare minimum. Place was trashed too, clean up if you don't have a line. When I went to pay the cashier kept chatting and had his back turned to me the entire time. Pathetic.

after trying cava in Orange County i took my family here twice. The first time they messed up the order and the second time were just straight up out of ingredients for main meals and said they were not restocking despite the store being open for another 4 hours. Was really hoping this would be a repetitive spot but on top of the poor experience twice, the customer service from the staff here is terrible.

We love Cava for their healthy selections and hearty portions. last Thursday (8/15) we ordered a salad and a bowl. I have never seen a salad with literally 10 pieces if not less of lettuce. It barely covered the bottom. I asked for more lettuce and she added 4 more. My bowl was literally the same with the rice. Cava is not cheap to get a sprinkle of lettuce or rice for bowls. Hesitant to return. *and the usual always out of the popular drinks

Amazing food BUT longest lines ever during peak periods. Also messy working area. If they can fix all that then perfect!

The food tasted good but it was cold because of the poor service. Even my 15 year old told me they should have two chicken sections so the servers don't run out so quickly.

Victor is amazing! This cava is so clean and service is so friendly! I am proud to be a regular here

Best cava location! I've been to others and the service was horrible. Every time I come into the Encinitas location I'm greeted and the staff is so friendly ! The food, presentation and portions are great ! Cava has become one of my faves and this location will always be my go-to! My fave post workout meal!

Great experience at the Encinitas CAVA, Victor specifically was very hospitable and helpful :)

I've been waiting for the chance to go to Cava as soon as I saw it on social media. I was so excited to get the opportunity to go there last night and was a bit disappointed that on a Saturday night at 8pm they were out of so many options that they offer and when initially asked if was given eye rolls and blank stares. "Oh we are out of that" was the phrase of the night. That being said what Food i did receive was very good and flavorful. I will give Cava another chance but might end up going a little bit further to the Del Mar location for maybe better service and a full menu and not just what's lying around.

Joe G.E.M if you get him as your server get ready to be starved. He gave me nothing worth of food. Just so you know this is what double beef 4 scoops of corn and 4 of cucumber look like. Joe needs to be fired just overall a rude person too, I tried to have some small talk with him and he obviously ignored me. 0/10

Awesome food!!! Will come back . Great service!!! Always soo fresh and friendly workers

Base - white Rice, Lentils, Super Greens Dip - Harissa, Taziki, Hummus Protein - Chicken, Brasied Lamb 1/2 & 1/2 Topping - Get everything Sauces - Harissa, Dill yogurt, little bit of the Green Get this and you will be loving this place. This place is good eats and will keep or get you lean without the mean. Love this place and the drink selection is a fun combination of good and interestingly weird.

Always tasty! I got the steam bowl and it was delicious! The GM is very friendly, and the team works hard to keep things moving.

This place gets two stars because of service, and what there was of food, was not that great. it was good, but not good enough to put up with someone being obnoxious to me. The young man that was working at 7 PM this evening and serving the rice/greens and protein was incredibly rude. He gave me attitude, and did not want to explain or share the options that came with a 'build your own bowl. And it was not easy to build a bowl since a lot of the options were empty containers. This was my first time at cava and because of the service by server, it will be my last time at cava. When I asked the young man to explain the build your own bowl, he pointed to the sign. So when I asked for feta sauce, his ice cream scooper is hitting metal because the bin is empty, and he scrapes a partial scoop. When I said, I wanted a full scoop, he had the nerve to say he was going to charge extra if I wanted more. I asked how can you charge extra when you haven't served a full portion? Additionally, some of the protein bins were also empty. There was only chicken, vegetables and falafel. So I asked him, so more bins are empty and that's it, and he said yes, that's it. And when the next customer asked for steak, the kid told him there was no more. Fortunately, another employee doing something else leaned over and said, if he wants steak, it'll be ready in a few minutes. The man said yes, he would wait. I don't understand how someone could put this kid behind the counter. I opt to spend my money where food and service are enjoyable. Sorry Cava, you get a thumbs down.

Great ambiance, the line was quick and efficient! The portions this time around were pretty hefty, which is great! The general manager is really sweet and kind!

Cava is very delicious! The food is very fresh and the braised lamb is my favorite! I would love if Cava would open a location in OCEANsIDE, CALIFORNIA. Also, if cava made the change to ORGANIC GREENS that would make it even better. Thank you!

I've ordered a salad bowl via DoorDash twice and both times my salad had maybe 10 pieces of lettuce. I am sad because I do like the food but sorry to say I won't be ordering takeout again. Cava please stop being cheap and putting one handful of lettuce in your "salad" bowls.

The food is always amazing. Payten took care of us...she must be your best employee. Definitely coming back!

My first time here was amazing, for sure I'll be back. The food is really good and also the workers are super friendly, I strongly recommend.

I ordered three Greek salads with chicken and the beef salad w/spinach. From what I was told from others dining with me, chicken salads were very good. Beef salad was flavorful but really chewy/tough and I did not eat most of it. Everything else in salad was very good. I really like the portion size and freshness of ingredients. The employees were super and listened to and answered my questions in a very positive manner (this was my first time there). Will I return? Absolutely yes and try different options.

Food was okay but the serving trays looked so messy. Steak was overcooked. More than anything the workers move at a glacial speed oh my gosh. It seemed like everyone took a hit before their shift and had zero sense of urgency or quality customer service.

We had no way of paying for the food. I had no wallet or card. We tried to pay for it by plugging in the card manually via photo on my phone. Nothing worked, didn't have Apple Pay. It didn't work and so they just let me take the food. Incredible staff and amazing customer first service. Very grateful and dinner will taste a little different with such a kind gesture. thank you Cava staff!

Food is outstanding, I got the Greek chicken pita and it was amazing. The person who took my order had great energy and made me feel very welcome. My experience was awesome. I highly recommend to anyone.

Very good food. Great service. Everyone is helpful with a big smile. The vibe of the place is great. I would recommend it to try.

Food is tasty. But, I got here 30 minutes after opening, at 11:15 AM. The tables were sticky and dirty, the utensils were sparse. Some of the cups holding forks were filled with liquid. They could be short-staffed. I hope this is not a sign of things to come for Cava.

Worst customer service. I stood there for 5 minutes without any acknowledgement while Briana wiped down the counters slower than my toddler cleans up cheerios. Food is great but the employees are rude and oblivious.

I love CAVA so much-- but this location unfortunately will not receive my business ever again. I have had the best experiences at the Carmel Mountain and Del Mar location, but today when I came to the Encinitas location I was severely disappointed. The customer service here was truly so sad... that is the best way to put it without just being mean. The employees looked absolutely miserable to be working there, from the way they greeted you to the way they made your bowl. The bowl I received was quite pathetic-- it was smaller than any bowl I've received before, so that combined with the bad customer service? I'll drive farther next time and get the usual Cava experience I look for!

I LOVE Cava. Been to many different locations and the food is always delicious. Although, this cava is always slow, the stations are messy, they don't give as much toppings, and the employees look miserable.

My fav Cava! Ive been to many but this one has been the cleanest and always has the items im looking for!! Staff is always very friendly!

The crew here does a great job making their bowls. I'm a pretty frequent visitor and will confidently say that the bowls are made much better at this location compared to other locations. Great job to Victor and his Cava crew members.

Came here right before heading to the San Diego Botanic Gardens' Lightscape show as it was not that far down the road. Neither my partner nor I had been to Cava before and we had always been interested in trying out, so we felt this was a pretty good opportunity. When we arrived, we weren't sure upon walking toward it whether it was going to be open for long. This was because the majority of the seats were all turned upside down onto their tables, what it normally looks like when a place is closing down soon for the night. We checked the hours and they had several hours to go. I am guessing maybe they were short staffed and didn't have enough people to clear that many tables and wanted to just have people sit in the few tables that were open? Not sure. I decided to build my own CAVA bowl. I can't remember all the elements - but I remember getting most of the toppings - tomato+cucumber, fire roasted corn, pickled onions, crumbled feta, pita crisps, cabbage slaw, with base of basmati rice and braised lam and arugula. I chose tzatziki and yogurt dill as my dips and dressings. It was DELICIOUS. I wish I had made an exact note of what I got because I would most absolutely eat it again. This place is very much like a Subway/Chipotle/Poke style where you walk down the options and watch them build what you request as they build your bowl with all the ingredients you have chosen. I would not hesitate at all to come here again. I will say I was absolutely STUFFED after eating it - the braised lamb was flavorful and tender and the one thing I would say is I might have preferred having the dressing on the side as I might have waited to finish it had it not had all that dressing (as it would keep better and microwave better without it on the side). It would probably also make it slightly healthier. One thing it definitely does is leave you full for a long time, so that's a win! This specific CAVA location is a bit out of my way but as there are so many locations now I'd be happy to drop by any time I need a quick eat and I am starving. For the amount you get for the price you have to pay, it is definitely fair especially given inflation. Very reasonable. If you are like me and have been waiting to check it out - just GO :)

I love CAVA! There are so many options to build a healthy bowl. The location and team is great. Olin was super helpful helping me choose!

This food wildly exceeded my expectations. Yes, it's a chain restaurant in a mall. I don't care. The food is crazy fresh and delicious. Is it healthy? It seems very healthy. I'm not sure it's low in calories, though. You basically have two options: a pita sandwich or a bowl. They have suggested ingredient combinations or you can pick your own. I suggest making your own creation. If you get a pita, it's freshly made and it's amazing. Whatever you get, make sure you get the braised lamb. You have to pay a little extra but it is off the charts delicious. There are a ton of different sauces you can add (or get on the side). Experiment. Go crazy. Your dish will have a ton of flavor. But don't use too many sauces--the flavors will muddle together. This place has been bookmarked forever and I've passed it a thousand times. That's my loss. It's very good.

Love this place for healthy and easy. Prices are affordable at apx 12 a bowl. I love the little pita and use the spicy eggplant spread on it and it's incredible!! I've been twice and will be signing up for the rewards system. Looking for healthy FRESH ingredients come here!!

Victoria is amazing! Great people, great food! Thank you so much for making my day! Will be back 100%!

I just love everything here. The staff is so kind and the food is so fresh. Would highly recommend. Thanks Austin!!

Quality and freshness of the ingredients are great! Harissa honey chicken is addicting and all those veggies make it a nice lightweight meal. Some of the add ins have some hidden spice so ask before just in case. Charles and Austin were friendly and helpful in making our selections! The crispy pita chips had an interesting texture and definitely worth a try.