Well the students are back at UF, and that causes all sorts of havoc (in a good way, of course) for the local restaurants. I went to CAVA today to get my regular order (don't really need to talk about the food, it's always fresh, tasty, and poppin!) and saw an employee named Andrea just working her little tail off getting all the call in orders done while trying to keep the in-person line moving along. I told her I appreciated how hard she was working, it was obvious! Even though she was incredibly busy, she still took my order with a nice smile and pleasant attitude (which is not the case any time I ever went to Chipotle, which is why I don't go there anymore). Because it's such a heavily populated student location, it would benefit from extra attention to have the place look a little more spiffy, like the Archer Road location, but overall the staff here are great! read more

I always enjoy getting Cava as it is a quick, healthy option that leave me satisfied. This particular location is located right across from campus and is super convenient for students. While this is a great spot for people without cars, parking could be a challenge for those who drive to this location. The service here is usually pretty good as well. I have never had a problems with my orders or anything. I often order online and pickup, but ordering in person is efficient too (most of the time). The interior is kept fairly clean, especially considering the amount of people who come through here on the daily. I really like the outdoor patio space too. The portion sizes are hit or miss...depending on who makes your bowl, you will either receive generous portions of things or you won't receive much. Some of the items aren't always the most consistent either. For instance, I've had numerous occasions where the rice is undercooked. This location definitely receives more traffic than the one in Butler Plaza, so take that into consideration when ordering here. Expect more "limited options", longer lines, more frugal portions, and sometimes even less fresh options. Your experience here is truly predicated on who is working and what they have available. read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Ethan and Julie were AMAZING!! Great energy and customer service skills!! Can't wait to be their regular

Love cava but WOW they are rationing at this one. I have never seen such minimal food in a bowl. I asked for extra romaine topping I swear to god he put three pieces of lettuce. Got the scraps of everything. Very last few pitas, chicken, and avocado was black. Don't come here, go to another cava. Harrisa pita chips and salted cookie very good. read more

Great lunch walking distance from UF's campus. I created my own bowl & really enjoyed it. The staff was nice & helpful, as it was my first time. As other reviews mentioned, it's similar to a chipotle in ordering/style - but with a fresh, Mediterranean twist! There is no parking though, so you'll have to find a paid spot nearby or walk. They have a mix of indoor and outdoor seating, and it may be busy depending on the time. Additionally a bowl starts at $11 and prices go up from there. It can be a pricier lunch spot depending on what you order and especially if you add a side of pita or a drink. In my bowl I added tzatziki, hummus, and crazy feta spread & their yogurt dill dressing. My favorite topping they had was the fiery broccoli. I loved it! read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

eat here at least three times a week. Food is always very fresh, the portions are also very large for what you spend. Highly recommend their cane sugar sodas also. read more

The service and atmosphere is really good here. It is definitely a good choice for healthy food, my main complaint is that the portion sizes are kind of small and not that filling in my opinion. I liked the grilled chicken bowl, my favorite part was the hummus and they include a big scoop of it. It's kind of overpriced for the amount of food you get in my opinion Update: would recommend going to the other Cava on archer. Went here again recently and it smells horrible like an overwhelming mildew smell. It also took 30+ mins to receive food and the line wasn't very long. Also, the soda machines weren't working at all. Lastly, the pita chips which are usually amazing were completely stale and lacking flavor. Really disappointing compared to the other cava read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

This place totally took me by surprise. My son kept telling me how great Cava was and I just thought it was another one of those bowl places. I was wrong and this is one of the best with a healthy Mediterranean twist. You can find most cava locations near a university. The concept is fast, casual dining, where you can make a custom bowl or a pita sandwich. Start by choosing a base, either greens, or pita then add protein options like grilled chicken, falafel, lamb meatballs or you can go vegetarian with roasted vegies. Then you customize your meal with different toppings, such as hummus, tzatziki, harissa or a vegetable dip, next in line you choose toppings such as broccoli, roasted corn, tomatoes, pickles, feta, cabbage and top everything with a Mediterranean style dressing. As you move through the line, everything is labeled and calorie count is shown. I started with super greens Which was a combination of leafy greens, kale, spinach, arugula, and shaved brussels sprouts. Next I added black lentils, and as I was moving through the line, I got to add three dips so I chose tzatziki hummus and roasted eggplant. Then I topped it with pickles, tomato & cucumber, broccoli and a little feta and for the dressing I chose the lemon herb tahini. It even came with a pice of pita. Everything was fresh and so good. Falafel was excellent. We ordered it in a pita and that comes with the same choices of grains, hummus, toppings and dressings. Prices are reasonable. They start at 10.95. Some items are extra but everythings labeled so there are no surprises. This is a great place for lunch or a light dinner. I hope they put one in Boca soon. read more

CAVA - Cava Bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I went here with my college age daughter. I was very pleased with the food though I got a kids order because K didn't want such a huge amount. Mine had super greens, chicken, tzatziki, pita (which I ga e my sighted), carrot sticks, broccoli, cucumbers and tomatoes and more! It was very good! She got the regular air with chicken and loved it- just didn't love the pickled onions because they were too big .I also had a weird experience with the lock o t he bathroom- it apparently didn't lock and a man opened the door. Fortunately, I was dressed but it would have been terrible! J told the employee they needed to get that lock fixed - I had my fighter stand by the door. I also found the area where the empty plates go to be quite a mess - the stuff was overflowing. That wa short acceptable! Please do better. We like your food a lot! read more

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Service and food is amazing! Juliana helped us get our order and was SO helpful - 5 stars! Highly recommend

While I typically love CAVA, this location was extremely disappointing. How, at noon, merely an hour after opening, do you not have half of your menu items? Placed an order online for pickup, yet when I arrived it was missing 90% of the ingredients: they were out of tomatoes, lettuce, pita crisps, etc. core ingredients that customers expect. Perhaps if it was later in the day I could understand, but to come here at 12 in the afternoon and pay full price for a far from full menu was extremely disappointing. As a new, college town spot in a prime location, I hope this CAVA is able to pull their weight and meet demand. Hope to come back for a better experience! read more

The workers have the worst attitudes and will ignore you and clean or completely do something else we just left because their attitudes were so bad. Normally the food is good. read more

I really appreciate being able to access satisfying, delicious food within walking distance of my workplace. There are lots of raw and pickled vegetable topping options which is an automatic win for me, plus I like several of the protein options (lamb meatballs is my usual go-to but the grilled chicken is also good and I've enjoyed the steak.) Bella and the other servers always take good care of me and even when it's crowded the line moves quickly. Plus there's a "carrot sticks" option as a side for the kids' meal which I wish was more of a thing elsewhere. read more

This location isn't very consistent; they are always out of ingredients and not reliable on portion sizes. I recommend going during times where they're not busy and not ordering pickup online. Most of the times the tables are dirty and sticky but they do have outdoors tables. read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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Cava? More like Caca! Went into the Univ Ave location and it smelled like straight farts. I'm pretty sure something was rotting near the checkout area. Also it seemed like everyone working there was either new or angry. Took a very long time to get the bowls down the line and check out. The two juice flavors I tried were watery/tasted off. I've been to a Cava in Winter Park and it was 5X better than this service and product. read more

CAVA - Subpar food - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

One guy helped us while the rest of staff stood in front of registers yapping. Eventually helped guy and we were able to check out.

I finally got a chance to try Cava and I was blown away by how delicious it was. Everything on the menu just seemed so fresh and healthy. I ordered the crispy falafel wrap with hummus, roasted eggplant, pickles, cabbage slaw, tomatoes, onions, garlic dressing, and skhug (a flavorful condiment of blended cilantro, garlic, green chilis, parsley, olive oil, and spices that is found in many Middle Eastern and Israeli dishes). The flavors packed a punch and I was dripping fingers-to-elbows in the sauces but it was glorious. I'd do it again in a second. In addition to pitas they have signature bowls and a variety of interesting home-brewed teas. read more

I totally forgot to get pictures but the food was delicious. The customer service was wonderful. First time here she allowed my girls to try the different sauces and meat so they could choose. Many options to choose from as well. I chose a green mixture with black lentils, corn, vegetables, with chili hummus and feta oh and eggplant. I didn't even use my dressing and it was still delicious. I also chose the cucumber mint drink which was very refreshing. Definitely will be looking for one closer to Jacksonville. Plenty of seating. read more

This restaurant didn't even try to send me the right food. Had to get a refund for DoorDash. The sticker attached to the food was the on,y thing correct about my 2 bowl $30 dinner. I will never order here again. We cannot eat the food sent. read more

Carl is the sweetest man alive and always gives the best service. He's super friendly and service is great. read more

CAVA - kids meal with braised lamb - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Yummy Mediterranean food, fast/friendly service, and convenient location across the Heavener School of Business. read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

CAVA has such a nice vibe to it with the service and food. The food is amazing as always with the Mediterranean dips and styles. The service is amazing, especially Carl who works the night shifts. He really makes you comfortable and greets you all the time for small talk. Other than that, the chicken is amazing with the tzatziki. 10/10 would recommend to my family and friends! read more

The food is so good! Customer service is great and they were so accommodating! Shoutout to Carl for the amazing service!

The parking is terrible but I ordered from the app and found a quick spot to run in for my order. I ordered the lamb balls and mixed vegetables it's was an awesome deal that made up for the parking issues definitely a great place to eat leave your car home and take the bus. read more

CAVA - Lamb balls and mixed vegetables sauce on the side - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Ordered online. Got there and they were out of EVERYTHIBG. They should have called me so I wouldn't have wasted a trip there. But I needed food so I had them just fill the bowls which what was left- lentils, rice, hummus, tomatoes. The LENTIKS WERE NOT COOKED! Crunchy lentils? Seriously? Not t impressed. read more

I love Cava's food but the service at this location needs work. The employees either need additional training or additional help. My bowl was sitting on the "assembly line" for 15 minutes before it was my turn to get toppings, so my protein and rice were completely cold by the time I got to eat. This is also the second time my brown rice was hard and undercooked. Management - please look into this! read more

I enjoy their balsamic chicken . It's very good and comes with a pita. Service was quick. Will definitely come back and try there other food options read more

I freaking LOVE cava. Went two days ago and now it's one of my top favorites. The food is amazing, service is relatively quick, but I wouldn't stay in the restaurant for too long as the music is quite loud. read more

This is my everyday Cava. What used to be one of my favorite restaurants has turned into a hell for me. Lack of workers has led to extremely long wait times ranging from 25-35 minutes at non-peak times. read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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Did not have a single protein option. I'm not saying meat, they literally had nothing. I'm pretty sure it was just because everything was already put away 25 minutes prior to closing. All the chairs were up on the tables and the employees were laughing about something in the back/kitchen area for a solid 2 minutes before anyone noticed I was there and came to the front. The only photo I took is of me leaving the store because this was the largest waste of time. read more

CAVA - Me leaving the store after wasting my time - Mediterranean Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I know this is for the students. But the team works as if this is for a suburban community. They continuously exceed expectations.

Cava is amazing! Especially when bella is working, she is super sweet and always very fast. She is always in a good mood too which goes a long way in the fast food industry. The food is also very yummy and the environment is great. Keep in mind that these workers are understaffed at this location when you visit! read more

If you love Mediterranean food served chipotle style/vibe, this is the place. Everything we have had is fresh & delicious. We love the garlic sauce, hummus, falafel and lamb meat balls. Quick and friendly service. A little pricey but well worth it. When we are in town a few times a month, we eat Cava daily. read more

The quality is consistent, and the food is fresh and flavorful! I especially enjoyed the interaction I had with Henry, who was prompt, helpful, and pleasant. He made my dining experience especially pleasant. This is the second day in a row I have eaten here, and for good reason. Additionally, the lines move quick, thankfully, so this place is ideal if you're passing through Gainesville! Highly recommend! read more

Went here for the first time tonight and although they were out of quite a few options (we went an hour 1/2 before close) the options we did try were delicious fresh and super flavorful! Will definitely be back read more

Carl was the nicest employee and he was so sweet! Such great customer service. I would recommend and the food was amazing! Jaliyah was also super sweet! Please go see them! read more

Carl was the best employee I have had. He was very kind and accommodating. definitely recommend going when he's working. 10/10

We were staying at the AC hotel and tried to get some food right as the hotel restaurant was closing - ran across to Cava hoping for late night food rescue and received the friendliest, most courteous, and most attentive assistance for my patience-challenging order (fam includes vegan, gluten free, and dedicated carnivore :) - Thank you, Brandon and Charles. Your personal touch and good humor meant a lot. On a graduation weekend with many high points, you gave my family another! read more

My new favorite place to show people! The food is amazing. A nice fresh take on Mediterranean food that I can't get enough of. The staff is very friendly and always helpful if you have questions. Also the area and ambiance are nice. I will say that it is a little pricey and sometimes parking can be annoying, but still an amazing place for food. I highly recommend. read more

don't bother ordering ahead- even with no patrons in line they won't start your order until 15 minutes after you arrive. this has happened consistently, so definitely if you on a lunch break this isn't for you. this review is coming from some who has previously worked for service for years and really hates giving bad reviews read more