CAVA

I’ve been coming to this CAVA off and on since it opened years ago. I always stop because of their abhorrent customer service but come back because I genuinely do love the food— I’ve had it in multiple cities and it’s always good but this location must have terrible training or could use a better hiring system because their employees are always rude (even in the parking lot wearing their shirts!!) and unwelcoming. Today I noticed the brown rice was in clumps and dry so I said “is there any more brown rice coming out? I’m happy to wait.” The lady assembling my bowl asked her coworker, who looked at the rice, then me, and said to her coworker, “I’m not making any” and walked away. The lady assembling my bowl said “sorry no.” I ask for white rice and she gives me a small dash of rice on top of my greens. I ask if she can put more rice and she huffs, scoops more in, THEN says “it’s $1.70” as she pushes my bowl away and speaks to the person behind me. As I continue down the line, the employees just seem pissed and I don’t know why. At the register, they try to charge me for the extra rice, I share what happened and she doesn’t argue with me, which I appreciate but she is also pissed and put my food in any which way. I planned to eat there today, I ended up leaving instead. And unfortunately after too many instances like this, from pissed employees, to terrible customer service, stale/old food, and cooks smoking outside in their aprons, I’m done with this location. Consistency over years tells me it’s a structural issue that isn’t being addressed and I don’t want to be treated like this anymore as a customer. I really hope they improve.

I have been comm g here now for the past 3 months at least 3 times a week. Every single time we are met with great customer service and energetic people that are excited to work there. The place is always clean and although the line is long it moves quickly and is worth the wait!!

Great food first time here so I tried the harissa avocado. Unfortunately it was too spicy for me luckily I got some yogurt dill to calm it down but other than that it was delicious. Shame I only got 1 pita and was rushed through my order

I have fallen in love with this place! I literally come about once a week at this point. Service is always quick and efficient and the food is delicious! I’m a saucy type of girl and I loveee how many options they have here. Their lemonade is also some of the best I’ve had in a while. It is a little pricey for the bowl but ingredients all taste fresh and are worth it! Definitely recommend if you haven’t tried it before!

We ordered two bowls via mobile order, and arrived a few minutes early for pickup. The amazing manager came and checked on us, then offered us a free drink while we awaited our order. A very classy move, and made a routine takeout pickup a nice experience. Outstanding service all around!

I received a delivery order from this store and it was AWFUL. I ordered a bowl and it was about half the size of a normal bowl from here. Barely anything in it. There was barely any steak and the steak was mushy and tasted so old and gross. Very disappointed.

Truly, the best Cava in San Diego. I come here about once a week and get the avocado bowl sometimes, chicken sometimes lamb. It’s always flavorful and good. In the early days, they did run out of a lot of ingredients. That was a bit frustrating. However, now it seems like they have the inventory under control with the projections of orders they would do in the week or however the ordering intervals/deliveries are done. So it doesn’t seem like they run out of ingredients often here lately.

Even when they're packed, the staff goes above and beyond—CAVA never disappoints! My wife and I come here regularly, and it’s always a great experience! No matter how busy they get, the servers do their best to make sure you leave happy. The staff is fast, friendly, and patient, even when there’s a line out the door. We love customizing our bowls, and our go-to is harissa honey chicken, roasted veggies, hummus, roasted eggplant, and all the toppings - except for feta, olives, broccoli, and pickles—a flavor explosion every time! I always go for the balsamic date vinaigrette, while my wife swears by the yogurt dill dressing, which ties everything together perfectly. Plus, the portion sizes are generous, and the price is super reasonable—especially with their military discount, which we really appreciate. CAVA has become our favorite spot for fresh, bold Mediterranean flavors. Whether it’s a quick lunch or date night, we always leave satisfied. Highly recommend!

Loooove CAVA. For $15 for this big hearty healthy bowl, I am satisfied and delighted. If you gave me $15 and asked me to come up with all the same ingredients to make the same thing, I wouldn't be able to. The line is starting to get ridiculous around that time when folks get out of work, school, and soccer practice etc. I highly recommend ordering ahead, then walking in to pick up your bowl to save time. The vegetables are always so fresh and flavorful. This is my favorite meal to reset, and it's filling enough too. Delicious aguas frescas too.

Ameya is half way asleep and the topping portions consist of two cucumber pieces and four seeds of corn. For the price point that's outrageous activity. It has never happened with other staff though - food and staff - great. Perhaps it's just a training opportunity and a reminder that a $25 bowl should resemble at least somewhere close to the value that even a child is able to eyeball better.

Do NOT come here if you want to pickup. They'll tell you, "Next time you can come help us too" as a response to their subpar service -Manager Victoria. I placed a pick up for 6:30. I didn't get my order until 7pm. I asked if they had my order in the at 6:29 and they confirmed. I wasn't rude or belligerent, I stood back and waited patiently. They gave me that response when I brought up how long I'd been waiting. The people who went in line at the same time as me to place their orders, received their orders and transactions much before me. Even people who came after me to pickup were serviced before me.

Quality lunch spot and I really like the Chipotle-esque serving style. I only started coming to Cava recently and it's really grown on me! This location gets SUPER busy around lunch time and line can be up to 30 minutes. Their online ordering platform could definitely also use some improvement- Orders are not always ready at expected pick up time. Regardless, really enjoy all the meat, sauce, and other topping options. Food is flavorful and fresh. Will return!

THE "CHIPOTLE" OF MEDITERRANEAN (4 stars) I needed to see what the hype is about because there always is a line. Order what you want and walk down the kitchen line selecting what you want to add in - like Chipotle. Seems to be putting Tender Greens out of business. - FOOD: good and fresh - PRICE: fair - SERVICE: good - AMBIANCE: nothing special :: ORDER :: BUILD YOUR BOWL - 1) BASE - went for both greens (romaine lettuce) and grain (rice) 2) DIP - you can choose three: traditional hummus, roasted eggplant (my fav of the tree), and Tzatziki 3) MAINS - Steak Mezze 4) TOPPINGS - fire roasted corn, Persian cucumbers, purple cabbage slaw, fiery broccoli 5) DRESSING - Lemon Herb Tahini. Okay, it tastes way better than it looks in the picture. An abundance of flavor and texture. It was really good that I didn't even need to add in the dressing - it would good without it. The steak was cooked nicely and cut into bite size pieces and that protein paired well with all the fresh greens and flavored veggies. I also had a slice of their pita and their pita was yums. Very fresh and soft. HIGHLY RECOMMEND STRAWBERRY CITRUS ($3.60) - self serve drinks. Do not pass up on their drink section! Their strawberry citrus was sweet with a little tart but refreshing! Very much a strawberry lemonade but their take on it. HIGHLY RECOMMEND :: SERVICE :: The service line moved fast and they aren't stingy filling the bowl. After that, everything else is self serve. Serve yourself a seat/table. Serve yourself your drink. And the tables... are indeed dirty and not wiped down so you can also expect yourself to serve your own cleaning. Until the next review...

I only order delivery. Comes fast and is delicious! My pita was freaking huge and overstuffed.

How have I never heard of CAVA before?! I Love their food! Plenty of options- our group ordered wraps and grains bowls for delivery. So fresh & delicious! I created my own grain bowl with dill dressing, we are definitely ordering from here again! Drinks are yummy too, I had the blueberry lavender! This place is a must try if you haven't been!

3 stars strictly due to wait times. Also wasn't of the hygiene of the place but the food 5 stars!

More on the service side of things! I am active duty military and I did ask if they do a discount because I have previously bought here and never had a problem getting it, however the cashier said we do not do that here. False advertisement for our military members and I found this very disrespectful as a service member.

We loved Cava. If you loved Mediterranean food this is the place to eat healthy food. You go to the counter and order it customized or whatever you want. It's like the Mediterranean version of chipotle. I like DIY or make your own thing - so I like in my bowl arugula salad and saffron rice then I picked my protein I like the harissa chicken its a little spicy. They have steak n lamb too. then add sides and flavorful dressings. I like the Hummus and I'll try d crispy falafel next time. And pitas Wraps. Lots of varieties options. This restaurant wins on value taste and freshness. The workers are cool. And friendly. There's also cava in La Jolla area. This location is by Nordstrom rack and bloomingdales outlet. Overall it's a fast casual dining. My family loves it and will keep on coming back. You can also order ahead from their app. And join their rewards program now. Eat fresh n rewarded. Yum !

Tried Cava today in Mission Valley. line was long so I ordered food to go pick up. Didn't take long at all. However, the chicken I got in my order was so dry and burnt there was only one piece that was huge and meaty the rest were like end of the pan type pieces. The salad itself tasted good. The first time I had Cava my partner ordered it for me from the location in UTC and it was fresher and he drove it to me. This was supposed to be fresh and it wasn't really. Their cucumber lime drink also needs more limes or they should have some on the side to add in. Will return, but they need to pay attention to more of what they're putting in the salads to go.

Amazing staff and amazing food ! I want to give Gilberto especially 5stars for his customer service .

CAVA never disappoints! Anytime we are in Mission Valley we always plan a trip to CAVA. The "build your own" style restaurant offers a variety of toppings and mains, all packed flavor. They offer warm, complimentary pita bread with all entrees, don't skip this one! I would rate this 5 stars if not for the line that usually wraps out the door, but in my option the crazy feta is worth the wait!

They burn their meat here VERY badly. They should really fix this. When I came here before I don't remember this as an issue but the last few times the meat is practically a cancer starter. I should've taken a photo of the grill. Everything was black and nobody tending to it. The line is here is like going to a Disney ride and my friend and I noticed they gave out smaller portions this time. Aside from that it is very tasty and everything is well seasoned and fresh. I really hope they fixed the burned meat. Ambiance and service is good. Just need more cleanup.

There's nothing actually "fast" about CAVA. The line is 30 min MINIMUM, for precooked food where they keep reducing the portions and upping the price. Ever since being bought out by private equity CAVA as a company is just alllll about the shareholders and stock price, which is a shame. While they are making bank they are forcing their sick employees to work. I don't want a lady coughing and sneezing all over my food! I swear I got sick after eating here. Severely understaffed, for a reason. They also always skip your free pita. It's frustrating because it's one of the only healthy places to get a big meal, I hope they clean up their act soon, until then PEACE!

I'm writing this update as a plea to CAVA: PLEASE open another location in San Diego!! The Mission Valley location is great but the lines are so long, and even ordering ahead on the app requires waiting after your arrival time. Plus I feel like the rushes affect the quality of the food. I think everyone would love another location! (please! i'm such a Cava girly and prefer it over Chipotle!!) Despite it being super busy, the employees were super nice! A group of us were waiting for app orders and they asked out names to make sure it was being made. I'm appreciative of them doing that. I think most of my previous review still applies, except a greens + grains bowl now starts at $12.05 and of course certain meats are extra. On my last visit, I got extra chicken and my bowl was about $17. bowl+topping recommendations - greens: super greens - grains: saffron basmati rice - protein: chicken (I like harissa honey chicken too but it's extra) - dips/spreads: tzatziki, red pepper hummus, crazy feta - toppings: pita crisps, tomato and cucumber, pickled red onion - sauces: my ultimate faves skhug (an underestimated spicy green sauce), and garlic (super strong and flavorful)!!! I get it on the side

Cava is great for a quick meal at a good price. I always "build my own bowl" and pretty much add all of the toppings that they offer. I typically do a salad base with chicken, red pepper hummus, fire feta, tzatziki, all the toppings, and the garlic sauce.

So first and foremost I got lentils and they scooped 2 huge scoops and the lentils were hard. I would not have ordered lentils if they didn't cook them.... 2nd in a loud atmosphere employees should be willing to speak up and not be rude when asked what something is a second time. 3rd the girl cleaning the overspill between different food items attempted to use the same gloves to put the lit on my bowl without changing gloves. These gloves were covered in random food particles.... She washed her hands and put new gloves then put the contaminated top on... I didn't even bother saying something because I could tell she washed annoyed. Throwing this full bowl in the trash, don't want to break a tooth on a lentil.

Cava. Never. Disappoints. Like out the door on a Saturday afternoon. Took about 15 minutes to get through and pay. Place was messy but the team was quick & helpful. Food looked beautiful and tasted delicious.

First time coming and there was a line out but it gone down pretty quick. I love how this place is just the Mediterranean version of Chipotle. Custom make your bowls or order what's on the menu. I preferred to custom make mine. Since it was my first time too, they were kind enough to give me a small sample of the meat just to see how the flavor is. I do like how they have many choices of greens to add on as well. My bowl had a mix of greens and rice, two diff. Meat which cost extra since I did get the steak and lamb. I like how there are extra sauces to add on as well. I really liked that hot harissa one too! Should've got extra of that. And I liked the many choices of their fountain drinks and juices. I really see myself coming back because whatever else I put on the bowl was just amazing.

I love cava! This location tends to be very busy so I always mobile order unless it is early in the day. The portions are great and it always taste amazing. The staff is very polite and helpful. The location on the restaurant is right in the front of the mall which is great!

I'm really impressed with the food at Cava. So far I've tried the chicken salad and honey chicken pita and have not been disappointed. I also like that you can swap out toppings on your food.

This place is bomb. You can tell just by the freaking line that goes out the door. For that reason - I order directly from the app, do some wandering in the mall, and by the time my shopping is done - I got my food ready. Get the falafel - just amazing for a chain - with whole garbanzo beans inside. Their humus is also worth a shoutout - it makes the Spicy Greek salad pop. But you can't go wrong with any of their salads. Staff is fast, efficient, and friendly. Even though the line gets long - they take the time to explain all the choices to the 'less observant'.....

Delicious as always! Pro tip: order ahead in the app to skip the lines. Try to give them like 15-30min to complete your order!

My boyfriend and I wanted to end our day at Sunset Cliffs. We thought it would be nice to grab some food while admiring the gorgeous views and have a a cute picnic! We decided on grabbing Cava! This was our first time trying out Cava and we fell absolutely in love! We customized our bowls and they tasted so fresh and flavorful. It was insanely delicious and I'm so sad we do not have a location back home! This was the perfect meal to end our day with. It wasn't too heavy on the stomach but was very filling! We will definitely get Cava again the next time we're in SD!

I like cava a lot and this one was no exception, but it was definitely a little unclean and needed some TLC in terms of tidying up the line. I ordered a bowl with chicken and got all the fixings, with the exception of the tomato/cucumber mix because it looked kinda watery and gross. The bowl was good and as usual it's a solidly filling meal for $12. They have a good amount of seating but no wifi and the bathroom is locked behind a code (123456 you're welcome). Garbage can was totally overflowing when we were leaving. Overall not a bad lunch but def needs some love

Well, if you have 3 1/2 stars probably tells you why you shouldn't go there such an embarrassment. All managers over there should be fired. Let's start with the food. We order food today for our company party. Everything was a mess half full bulls no labels what food is what . Also We live in a cave age because there is no utensils. They don't know what that is so we have to use our hands to eat. Food should be ashamed of running that place. I have been to other locations where it was top notch if I can give you a zero I would definitely would give you a zero your food was disgusting. I should go back there and get my refund as much as you charge me forgot the sauces half full bowl no utensils just a shame a big fat zero I will make sure that my friends and family do not step foot in that place

This cava is located at mission valley mall. During lunch there is always a line. Parking also sucks. I suggest parking around the corner near Jerome's furniture. Despite the busy location the taste and quality is the same. You can customize your own bowl or pita wrap. Must get is the harissa hummus!! You get to pick up to 3 dips and the toppings are unlimited. The lemonades are refreshing.

If you want a healthy and quick meal this is your place! There are so many great options (even for vegan/vegetarian people like me!) I built my own bowl with half speed greens and half safaron rice, added tzatziki devil feta and baba ganoush. For protein I got falafel and roasted veggies (these are a must). Then you can choose all the toppings you want and 1 to 2 dressings. The quantity is huge so you might have leftovers for another meal. This location was crowded so ordering online might save you time. Service was nice but they could have extra people to make the line move faster.

Worst location. Super slow and staff looks always upset. My online order was missing half of the toppings I ordered. Stay away from this location, really bad.

Decided to give Cava a try! Good taste & great portions. The staff were welcoming & the inside and outdoor area were well kept. I would definitely come back & try a new item!

Poor service. I placed an order ahead they asked what time would you like it and 30 minutes later, I was told by a staff member it is what it is I have to wait. This lunch that I order was for a very important meeting and now I will be late. Makes me really angry! I will never place an order on-line again!

The food was tasteless, the proteins they offered were hard and didnt taste good. The veggies were soggy and not fresh. This place is just an overpriced Chipotle. For the prices they were charging, you think the meat and veggies would ve premium, nope. Save your money and go to Tender greens next door or Chipotle if you like that style of food.

Dude where's the meat?? Paid extra for the braised lamb and only got 2 bites maybe 2 oz in total. Ordered 4 bowls all checked the box for add pita and nobody got any. Cava is one of my favorite places but today you all failed to deliver! Thanks I'm still hungry

I kept hearing about the CAVA hype through social media and friends and I am pleased to say that the hype for CAVA is worth a visit. I came to cava around 6:30 with some coworkers and the parking lot was very busy so just a tip you are planning on visiting during the week at that hour, try to park in the back of the lot as soon as you turn in. The line was out the door and there were many people outside enjoying their meal and only a bit of indoor seating left. The staff here is friendly and clearly working fast to keep the line moving quickly. The ambiance here is welcoming. After a short wait, maybe 10 minutes, it was our turn to order and I got a custom bowl. I got rice as my base, the harissa honey chicken for my protein, humus, and some veggies. I got their pita chips on the side and a lemonade. I was super excited to try my bowl and upon the first bite I was obsessed. The flavors in the bowl are there and after a good mix everything becomes even more flavorful and delicous. The pita chips were the star. I am not sure how they make them but they are so crispy and have a delicous flavor. Definitely get this over the regular pita. I am so happy with my visit and can't wait to return again. 10/10

Such a great spot if you're looking for a healthy alternative! They offer Mediterranean food but you can choose what to put in your bowl. They also offer their own version of different bowls if you don't want to put any thought into it! The service is great here and although lines can get long, the workers always go through the lines fairly quickly. One of my favorite spots to eat when I'm in the area!

I loveeee Cava. I always crave it from time to time. I always create my own bowl, recommend doing that if you're picky with toppings! It's always such a healthy and filling meal, I'll never get sick of it. The only thing though is that the Mission Valley location can have a pretty long line. But I personally don't mind too much because I am the most indecisive person so I need that time to read the menu and decide between all the yummy toppings. The parking SEEMS bad but you'll definitely find a spot. I kind of wish I didn't know how Cava tasted because now I can never go back to Chipotle. Cava is so refreshing and the hummus tastes so good I could drink it like water.

While the line moves pretty fast there seems to always be a line. I love all of the choices and combinations I can make. The pickled onions are great! I took a friend yesterday and she loved it too. Wish there was a cava in Chula Vista.

Visited here after trying CAVA once during our trip and we are addicted it is SO good and worth the price we were like we gotta have it again before we leave. I'm upset this doesn't exist in the bay area!

I have been hearing my friends rave about CAVA and didn't realize there was one at mission valley mall! Saw the restaurant and knew I had to stop by and grab a bite for lunch. The prices for the bowls are a good deal about $13-18 depending on what you decide to opt for. I ended up getting a DIY bowl and chose the sides / salads / grains / protein and sauces I wanted for my bowl. The line was out the door and took me about 10 - 15 minutes to make it to front and order. I chose the mixed power greens and black lentils for my base and then I got the option of 3 scoops for spread and of course I chose the spicy hummus and tzatziki sauce. For my protein I chose grilled chicken and grilled mixed veggies. For the veggies I added cucumbers, pickled onions, and corn. Since the mixed grilled veggies were enough for me I didn't focus so much on adding on more. Then I added garlic sauce on the whole thang. The amount you get is so much I had to take a break then finish up the whole bowl.. their pickled radish is def on the sweeter side and like how their Persian cucumbers were seasoned. The chicken was good, it was a bit too grilled for me where I felt like it tasted kind of burnt. The bowl was very filling and definitely kept me full afterwards. They also have bottled / can drinks you could select from while you're in line. I bought sparkling water but if I knew they had some house juices, I would have just grabbed a cup up front and purchased a reg size drink to try out some of their juices, it looked good and will have to try next time. There is plenty of seating as well from inside of the restaurant and also outside - def a nice outside seating area on a sunny day. While I was there enjoying my food, the line continued to be out the door - peeps just kept coming in.

Understood the hype as I tried CAVA for the first time ever. I love the idea of customizing your own Mediterranean bowls and how they offer many toppings to choose from. I would highly suggest placing your order online as it reduces the wait time as this location gets busy. I made my own grains bowl using Right Rice and I love their tzatziki sauce! They are a bit skimpy on the dressings, however, as each sauce cup was only filled halfway and max per bowl is 2 sauces. The bowl itself is huge and enough for 2 people, however, I was able to finish mine. It was delicious and mostly healthy. The ingredients were fresh and there were so many toppings to choose from. I would prefer this over a lot of restaurants here in the shopping plaza!

We ordered pick up from this location and I wish we didn't first and last time we buy food. There was a giant blonde hair that got stuck in between my husbands teeth on his bowl. Disguisting.

This is the best Cava. Most of the time the portions are fantastic, food tastes fresh, and service is great! Also one of the only place in San Diego that has a killer military discount. Having a last minute healthy meal is really great

Finally got to try Cava and I'm obsessed...just like everyone told me I would be. That Harissa chicken is so packed full of flavor. The blueberry lavender drink goes perfectly. Also had to get a side of Skhug to try and I want to put that on everything.

If it were not so insanely delicious I would never return. This place needs better management and would benefit from the insight of a mystery shopping company. The tables are always dirty and I have never seen anyone wipe them down. The trash cans are overflowing and the station where the cans are kept looks like it has never been cleaned. The floor is filthy. Don't get me started on the drink station. Spills galore. The staff is marginally friendly and not outgoing at all. None of them smile. The line is always long and takes forever. I am never given a receipt. They don't give you a tray so you're trying to balance your bowl, pita, and drink while you grab silverware and a straw. I've been there multiple times and it's always the same. The food keeps me coming back. It's that good.

I love Cava and was happy to see they open this location which is more convenient to me. The food was great but lacked customer service. There was a lot of workers but most of them cared more about their conversation with their coworkers more than helping the customers. The cashier seemed lost as he rang me up. Anyways... My usual order is the grain + green bowl. Saffron basmati rice + super greens. Harissa honey chicken. Harissa, crazy feta and tzatziki and all the toppings. Lemon herb tahini and yogurt dill dressing on the side!

Super easy mobile ordering process, food was prepared quickly despite there being a long line out the door. Food tasted great

I want to thank one of your employees at the San Marco location whose name is Melinda. She is very nice and extremely helpful and went beyond her duty to make sure that we were satisfied. While she making rounds checking on the customers seating on the outside patio, I mentioned to her that my Falafel Crunch bowl did not contained all the ingredients that were supposed to be there. She was very nice, she apologized several times and she personally made another bowl for us to take home. I also saw how she brought water for the dog of the couple sitting close to us and how she was checking on all the other customers. Excellent customer service. Kudos to Melinda!

Huge cava fan over here!! I can barely finish this in one sitting, so I usually eat half for lunch and the rest for dinner #girldinner or wutevaaa hahah. So $12.55 (plus tax) for 2 meals is amazing. Do yourself a favor and get ALL the toppings. It's unlimited so why not! Not a single topping is bad. My favorites are the crispy pita chips, cherry tomatoes, and pickled purple onions. You also get a choice of sauce to drizzle over and they're all pretty good. I got the yogurt dill. This location is a bit crowded but we were still in and out super fast.