CAVA

Heard multiple great things about Cava - and just checked it out recently. The place was nonstop busy and packed. The menu has a great selection that is easy to figure out. We ended up with a grilled chicken pita and a spicy greens bowl. With two drinks and a cookie - coming in at $37. The pita was delicious with plenty of items on it - and soft bread - however it was insanely messy with the pure liquid dressing. Almost a water consistency that made it impossible to sit down in the puddle.The greens were a good healthy choice - however we read the menu wrong and thought it'd be served with rice. The beverage choices were off brand - which I wish I would have known that before paying $3+ for a drink or else I wouldn't have gotten one.The cookie was good but small for the price. Over all it was tasty. However for the price for two people - I think we would rather spend it somewhere else.

We tried a new restaurant Sunday night. I've survived CAVA's customer service nightmare and am here to save others from a similar fate. When I picked up my order they couldn't find it, so I checked my phone. I get it -- sh*t happens. But my pending charge was there -- in fact it was there twice. When I mentioned that to the employee they told me "we don't have any control over that" in such a rehearsed way I could tell he'd repeated it many times. Despite that, I had to wait for the manager to get out of the bathroom (!!) to hear her repeat the same line and ask how to get in touch with someone who maybe COULD reverse the extra charge -- because when they finally found the order there was only one. I'll never get back the time I spent relaying this story through their web form (no phone numbers anywhere = no humans) , digging through my trash to find my order number (because date, time, location & charge amount wasn't enough info), or filing a fraud charge with my bank. But I can warn you, so you save your time, money & sanity by skipping CAVA. You're welcome :)

Fast food and friendly staff! went for a quick lunch! Clean dining room, clean restrooms! The cement floors and high ceilings make it alittle hard to have conversation when packed. Overall good food at a good price. Casual so no need to dress up

Order at the counter. Select from their specialty bowls or fix your own. Healthy fresh ingredients. Casual dine in atmosphere.

There are big windows that give you a good view of the outside and an industrial ceiling. Imagine you're going to Chipotle, but instead it is Mediterranean food, and they are charging you almost twice as much. If you can do that, you have a good handle on this place. The staff is friendly though and helpful, but I don't appreciate that they ask you if you want stuff with up charges... then tell you there is an up charge. My bowl felt very one dimensional in flavor. Perhaps I used too much sauce. Not a fan. If someone begs me to come here I'll go, but I'll never return on my own or suggest people try it. I'd put it above fast food but below Chipotle or Mr. Gyro as I don't think the value is there.

The story: Saturday errands turned into a spontaneous lunch outing. We had just heard our friends talking about how much they loved CAVA and since we had never tried it we decided it was time to see what the hype was about. Immediately upon parking, we could tell it was a popular spot in Overland Park. My order: I ordered the Harissa Avocado bowl on a bed of greens while my husband ordered the sweet and spicy chicken pita wrap! We also had a side of pita chips which would be a top recommendation from us now! The harissa chicken was extremely flavorful. Added with the hummus and tzatziki spread, it was a nice blend of spices. Service: servers were very quick and efficient. They were also extremely generous with their portions. Overall impression: I will definitely be back to try more on the menu. My husband, who is usually hesitant to trying new places, was even impressed with CAVA.

This CAVA especially, is just not good. They never will get your order correct, and if you have a food allergy, definitely don't eat here--nothing is safe. I've tried this location at least 4-5 times before. It's over priced, the food that is supposed to be hot, is cold. They're constantly out of everything. It's also just not great when there are better, local Mediterranean and Middle Eastern places around.

As far as bowl-style fast casual goes, Cava is a solid option that I feel has some advantages to other similar restaurants. First of all, I LOVE the option to do half and half on each layer of the bowl. I picked half arugula/half saffron rice for a base, and half chicken/half falafel for a protein. The sauces and toppings have multiple choices as well! If you're indecisive or want to try everything like me, this is a great option. Overall, the food was pretty solid. The toppings were fresh and everything was flavorful. I also loved the free pita to go with my bowl!Service was a little scattered, but it was a busy Saturday, so it's understandable. I'll definitely stop in again.

A friend suggested we go here for a yummy meal: This place is fantastic! They have options for seemingly everyone--Vegan and Gluten-free folks might appreciate the variety.Went there around 6 on a Saturday night and it wasn't crowded. About 10 minutes later, there was a line and then continued to get busy. Their menu offers Chef-curated Pitas and Bowls, or one can make their own, which is what I chose to do. I got the bowl and they offered a complimentary half or quarter pita.Bases: I had RightRice and Basmati Jasmine Rice--there's an up-charge for the RightRice ($1.25). Tastes delicious but don't know if it's really worth it.They did not have romaine lettuce, but they had everything else.For the dips, you choose three, and the three I picked were delicious! They let me sample the Roasted Eggplant (think baba ganoush--very similar but slightly chunkier). Nice smoky flavor. Crazy Feta--has a wee bit of spice with the jalapeño and I thought it was yummy. Tzatziki was the last one I chose--played well with the other flavors.Mains: I had their falafel--I was a bit skeptical because some restaurants add too much tarragon or some anise (licorice flavored something anyway), which I truly dislike. Theirs was a nice change to that, and I'd get it again. I'm not vegan, nor vegetarian, but they offer such a variety I appreciated it.Toppings: ALL THE TOPPINGS!! Yep! You won't be disappointed. At the advice of my friend who joined me and who had been prior to this visit, said definitely add the salt-brined pickles--they were so good--and I'm not usually a fan of pickles generally speaking, i.e. I wouldn't eat them as a side with a sandwich but they're fine on a burger or in something and deep fried! The only thing I didn't add was the avocado--yep, there's an up-charge for that; at $2.35 I didn't think it would add much to the rest of the meal and figured might as well save some cash. Dressings: Had them on the side. As it happened, didn't really need them anyway, since melange of deliciousness in the bowl were enough to satisfy my tastebuds. That said though, the ones I picked wouldn't/didn't ruin it either. Lemon Herb Tahini and Balsamic Date Vinaigrette.My friend got the Garlic Dressing--akin to toum if you've had that. Yes, I'd totally go again. The folks behind the counter putting it all together were super helpful (me being a newbie) and so nice, letting us try samples. If you didn't get a chef-curated pita or bowl it might behoove you to check out their menu of choices--it can be overwhelming. They have an app that you could place a to-go order as well as earn loyalty points. My friend used it for both of our meals for points.

Loved my spicy lamb meatball bowl! So flavorful, fresh, and delicious. I also got the cucumber mint lemonade and it was really good