I love Cava. The fresh Mediterranian flavors fit my taste profile better than Chipotle's BUT...... HUGE BUT...... the rice is always cold and hard. It's never light and fluffy. And it's not just this location. It's every CAVA. The rice is the weakest part of the chain. It is more expensive than Chipotle by $3-$5 depending on the protein you get. I love the pickled veggies from the cucumbers to the onions. I love olives so that's a plus. I feel healthier and fuller when I add a lot of the fresh Mediterranian toppings vs. Chipotle. There is a hint more sourness which breaks up the flavors and brightens it. I wish the rice and proteins would be hotter to get the hot and cold flavor contrast. The staff here is always friendly. The music upbeat over the loudspeakers but there is also different staff music playing in kitchen area. So I get weird vibes with 2 different songs playing at the same time. Again, I wouldn't eat here all the time but if I wanted that Mediterranian flavor for lunch or dinner, Cava is a good choice. Just disappointed in the rice. read more

CAVA - My own Harissa Chicken Bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

Soooo good! One of my favorite fast casual places! Food is fresh and usually the servings are pretty good. You must get the garlic dip! Its a little thick but man oh man! I cant get enough. The pita chips are also a great side that are super crunchy. They are best fresh and warm. read more

Excellent customer service, specially from the young lady that greeted me when i first got there i think her name was Yasmin. I would definitely be visiting this store in the future. read more

First off solid employees here. Cava definitely does well with their hiring process. They are friendly, welcoming, and also able to explain the ingredients. Yet there's a new player in town. While this is still good, I'm more likely to go to Mezeh. They are direct competitors, but don't worry as I still like Cava. The hummus here is still delicious. Also lots of healthy vegetables. I'm a bowl type of fellow. They offer a decent amount, and again as a fitness fanatic, I do endorse this as good for you. It'll be interesting to see how Mezeh's new "pick your greens and proteins work." I did like their actual meals by selection better. This is a solid backup, and if you haven't experienced this, I hope you'll give them a chance. It is clean, organized, and reasonably priced. read more

Cava always hits. I think the best option is the green and grain bowl which is the perfect combination of rice and lettuce (arugula is my favorite). The honey chicken is my favorite protein to order. And the tzatziki, feta, and hummus are easily the three best dips to include in a bowl. In terms of portion I am always pleased with the size. I think they switched up the pita. You used to get one pita slice that was warm and soft. Now you get 5-6 large pita crisp like chips to dip in the bowl. They were extra salty but good. Not sure if they are extra cost, it did seem a bit pricier than usual. Nonetheless, a solid lunch option. read more

CAVA - Greens and grain bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

Sometimes fast casual is the only realistic option for dinner. For that reason I'm overjoyed that McLean has CAVA now! My husband and I both indulged in chicken grain bowls and both devoured them. I love the Mediterranean concept, the spreads and various toppings are delicious and really enhance the dish. We had a great experience, the staff were friendly and the restaurant was very clean. P.S. Don't forget to ask for complimentary pita bread to accompany your bowl! read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

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UPDATE. Completely forgot any dips. Very frustrating at the sloppiness of this location. Also, no human being needs that much arugula. You can make three bowls over what they put and I love arugula, but no one needs that much and it's a massive amount of vitamin And K. This is an expensive ingredient. read more

Somehow this location has been instructed to fill cava bowls about half way for a 15 or 16 dollar salad. Meaning they are instructed to deliver almost half a portion for the full price. The management stated that we have been instructed to do this and if you ask we will add to it and make it whole. At this stage that doesn't make sense to me, mainly because many people feel uncomfortable asking for that, especially when you are around a lot of strangers. So I will be finding new places to go. read more

Ynette and the staff at this Cava are amazing. They are knowledgeable about the menu, patient and extremely friendly. I truly appreciate their customer service and I highly recommend going there. read more

My wife and I went to CAVA in McLean for dinner. We were immediately greeted by a young lady asking to take our order. We both ordered bowls, mine was a made to order bowl and my wife ordered a curated bowl. The young lady who made our bowls was so accommodating; my wife asked for an additional topping to her curated bowl and that was no problem. As we were checking out, the young lady asked if we were interested in a cookie but we passed. The entire staff was cheerful and it was obvious a well managed store. We'll definitely return because we love the food but the service makes us feel very welcome. read more

This store is my personal favorite. The staff is always fun and nice. The food cooked well. 10/10 recommend this store.

The food and service was amazing. Kat was super helpful and patient. The entire team is amazing

I simply love Cava bowls and have been frequently coming to their Chainbridge, Mclean location for many years. Never had any complaint - except today. Since I was taking the bowls to go, I requested them to give the crispies separately as they get soggy by the time I get home, due to the dressing. I've been doing this regularly. Today I was informed that I'll be charged extra if I ask for the crispies on the side. As long as they're physically put inside the bowl they will be considered a part of the bowl - however, outside, they will be charged as an additional extra. I requested to speak to the manager and tried to understand the rationale behind this policy. She wasn't able to give any logical reason for this seemingly irrational rule, and was quite curt about it. Feeling very sad that one of my favourite, go-to restaurants has lost its allure. Wish food businesses were more open and receptive to customer feedback... read more

Never had an issue here! I went occasionally before covid as well as after, and cava has never failed to deliver.

I came to this location for the very first time tonight right around 6:30pm. My guess is that there were about four other groups of people already seated and enjoying their meal. I decided to maintain my healthy decorum today, so I went for the Greek salad with grilled chicken. This thing included all kinds of wonderful ingredients like humus, kalomato olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. It took literally seconds for the three employees behind the counter eto prepare a the salad, and soon enough I was seated and eating the way that I should! It tasted wonderful. My only complaint about my visit here tonight was that the air conditioner was blasting freezing cold air, on a day when it wasn't even that cold at all! It was definitely frigid! read more

CAVA - a view of a restaurant kitchen - Mediterranean Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

just all around bad. For starters the place is dirty, the back of the kitchen looks like 20 years of dust has built up on the ceiling. The service is more or less acceptable. The portions of the food are just completely off. they give you 2 minute scoops.This cava has some problems and it's clear. They need to start by sending a health inspector in the back! read more

Food was Cava but service was terrible. Everyone working was not nice and had an attitude when I order multiple bowls trying to get the order straight like I would at chipotle. The would assume what each order would have. When I went to pay with my Apple Pay I was rudely halted to let her key in the order. I explained to Quetzl I believer her name was that. It was rude to talk to someone like that. She then turned and spoke Spanish under her breathe to the people behind her in the kitchen area. Place needs an attitude adjustment when working with people that come in a good mood. Won't go back to this location again. Sad as I live 3 minutes away. read more

We found 3 long black hairs in our grain bowl. 1 on the roasted vegetable and 2 on the pita chips. Decide for yourself if you would eat here. read more

I love love love CAVA! The best way for me to describe CAVA is the chipotle of Mediterranean food. My go to order is a grain bowl (ask for pita on the side too) with half chicken/half braised lamb and toppings galore. With your bowl you get your choice of three dips and then additional toppings/dressings. You should definitely go for the traditional tzatziki sauce, crazy feta, and eggplant + red pepper for your dips. For dressings my top two are the yogurt dill and Sriracha Greek yogurt. I'm not big on spice but the Sriracha Greek yogurt is a milder dressing that goes great in almost everything! I really love CAVA and get excited with each new storefront they open up! If you're like me and plan on frequenting CAVA be sure to download their app as you get $ back/rewards after you spend a certain amount paying through the app! read more

CAVA - Chicken and braised lamb grain bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

All in all, pretty good location. My second time getting Cava and got one of the premade bowls and it was delicious. There wasn't a line at lunchtime and the food was made very fast. The actual ingredients seemed fresh as well. When I was there, they were currently cooking a ton of meat on the grill and it seemed delicious. If you wanted to try Cava for the first time, this location won't disappoint. read more

So bad it's just so bad. Awful service and everyone seems to be in a bad mood. Falafel was cold when I had it and I just hated it. Also the toppings have very little selection like get some more selection like somewhere I know, CHOPT. GO TO CHOPT NOW YES read more

I've been coming to this cava place in mclean for very long time and never had problems with food or service.. I also wanted to point out some of the employees like Kayla and Kay always take good care of my order professionally fast, so thank you Kayla/Kay for taking good care of my order read more

Brand new Cava in a much help needed strip mall. Their interior offers a free space that isn't condensed despite the crowd compared to other Cavas. Food is decent. Like the other Cavas, you get an Americanized fast-casual Mediterranean meal when you do a create your own. All ingredients were fresh and customer service was friendly. No complaints. I think this location will Thrive, and as a welcome to the area. read more

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Oy veh. I'm sad to report that this location has gone downhill over the last few months. Cava probably has a case of growing too big too fast, but the food is not fresh anymore and is usually soggy and tasteless. I'm still rooting for Cava though, it's the only such option in McLean since Sweetgreen shut their location. read more

This is Chipotle for Mediterranean food. The ingredients are fresh, the process is the same (get in line, pick from bowls of stuff, add more stuff, get extras, order a drink, pay). I was very impressed with the quality of the goods. And they had real silverware for eating in! I'll be back. read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

Great food. Great service. I appreciate this cava and the workers there very much. I go to this location several times a week

Got a bowl of rice with braised lamb. There's a lot of veggies and dressing to choose from but I got help from the server, Caitlyn and recommended a good combination. Paired with some Pita bread too. It's kinda pricey after the manager, Kayla, ringed my total. Blame it on inflation read more

Love this Cava! Service is always great with welcoming workers. I've never been disappointed eating here. The manager is just the best. Plus, the location is great--between a hardware store and an ABC store. read more

I love eating at cava so much. Not only is the food delicious, but there is a worker there that is so kind and wonderful. Most of the time when I come there, Iman is one of the people working the front and making the bowls. She always smiles and is patient with me when I can't decide what to order and also gives me the best suggestions on what to get. Additionally, she is always reminding me to scan my cava qr code to get those reward points because I always forget. Anyway, Iman is such a sweet soul and never fails to make my day. read more

Morning ladies always so helpful! All the things always looking so fresh! Totally coming back soon !!!

Consistently good; so much food, you can eat the other half the next day. Also one of the places I go to when I want to eat takeout but not feel guilty bc of how vegetable-centric the menu is. The right rice - a proprietary way they've managed to rice chickpeas (a good source of protein) - helps make the meal satisfying. read more

This was my first visit to this Cava Grill location. I didn't know that it was there until I went to another store in the same shopping center. It was typical of their other sites that I have visited. I was there around lunchtime. They were busy but not nearly as busy as their Tysons Mall location is at lunchtime. Their seating area seemed larger than the one at the mall. I had a grain bowl. They have an assembly line operation where you select various ingredients as you move down the line. I like Cava's concept and menu and will likely return. read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

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Food is good (3.5 to 4 stars), though if you are a first-timer ask for some guidance through the menu's steps. The associates are generally helpful save for one skinny guy with a beard who seemed far out of it and oblivious to customer service. Do not forget to ask for the mini pita that comes with your order for a bowl. The associates are unlikely to ask you. The food "build" system is basically "Mediterranean" (Lebanese, Greek, Turkish, Syrian, North African) poke bowl or sandwich with choice of starch/salad/bread, vegetables, sauces (including a nice, spicy harissa), toppings, protein (including tasty beef or lamb kofta style meatballs), and dressing. Nice all natural drinks including Maine Root sodas on fountain tap. Rice bowl with small fountain drink will set you back just under $14 including tax. read more

CAVA - White rice bowl with beef kofta meatballs (4), cucumber, yogurt dressing, harissa, lemon, & crunchy pita chip crisps. - Mediterranean Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

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We order take out from here. Food is pretty good and on the healthier side. I like the right rice option they have now. Love the pita.

Go here all the time!! This Cava is in my neck of the woods and I eat here all the time. I eat here solo, with hubby, with family, with friends, dine in, and bring home. Cava is real food, house-made, fresh and seasonal. This is a fast casual concept. The food choice layout is akin to Chipotle. Choose bowl, or wrap, etc. Choose your greens, rice, lentils. Choose you hummus, tzadiki, etc. Choose your protein, or go all veggie. Choose your toppings and your dressing. Just the way you like it! The drinks are also seasonal, house-made and delish! Sodas are made with...SUGAR! Not high fructose corn syrup! Yay! Staff and management are on point. They have a complete allergen list, including SULFITES! Yay! I highly recommend Cava and will be eating here again and again. read more

I like Cava, but what makes me like this particular Cava is that they were really nice about my wife and I bringing our infant daughter to eat to the point where when she knocked her lunch everywhere, they helped us clean it up AND gave us a new kids meal without asking and without charging us for another meal. They more than earned me as a customer and I will definitely be back. read more

I love the Cava in Sterling so I stopped in this one. I found the customer service of this McLean one so disappointing that I left halfway through getting my bowl prepared. The workers had a very bad attitude, I felt like I was a cow on an assembly line. Went across the street to an Indian restaurant instead. read more

I have frequently this restaurant after a long day of work the service was so good. But today I was different (at 9:00 pm) I was there for a good meal but the ladie at from it doesn't care to much she didn't ask if I want pita bread or what I like for my meal she was in the cell all the time. I hope next time is a different experience.. read more

This is my favorite CAVA location in the DMV! The staff here works very hard and cares about all of their customers. Like all of the other CAVA locations the food is delicious, fresh, and you can make it as heavy or as light as you want (and spicy too). I always ask for extra lettuce and the staff is very accommodating of my needs. The drinks are very good too. I would say that the presence of CAVA has really boosted up the foot traffic in a shopping center that didn't get much before. Looking forward to my next visit! read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Mclean, Virginia

We like the food here, but this review pertains to their online ordering process. We've tried it twice, and both times I arrived to find the order sitting on the register unstarted. They've offered me a drink while I wait both times, but they've got to get that together. If they do, I'll give them a higher rating. Right now I'm just super annoyed, and that offsets the quality of the food. UPDATE: The order was wrong and we only got one pita. Sorry guys, there are other choices in McLean (e.g., Moby Dick) for carry out. read more