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Interesting second experience. I received a free meal for complaining to cava so I finally came back. The customer service was much better. But the food was worse? My first bowl Was really good even though the sauces were wrong but this one wasn't. I wish I just ordered last time cuz this was different but not much so I don't know how? Maybe cuz I tried different meat. The lamb and chicken shawarma weren't great and I also didn't love the honey harissa chicken. I did receive the correct order and the free pita so it seems like they have improved but I still probably won't be back again
I was excited to try this place out, the food was great and met my expectations. It's Mediterranean food that is fresh and tasty, and the portions were generous. I ordered the steak and harissa bowl, it was so good! The service was okay, the workers seemed to be training on the job, because they were scrambling around looking for ingredients and reading off instruction cards when making food. The server helping me rushed me when I was adding extras to my bow,l before I finished ordering he pushed my order over to the register...rude. Overall I did enjoy the food, and hopefully the staff will have better customer service and manners next time.
Updated review: food on point no question there. My usual falafel bowl sin cheese. But why does the food line counter always have to be visibly dirty. Sloppy drips etc. wet rag it. Not gonna lie it gave me the ick, so I'll just order and pick up so outta sight out of mind....
I remember seeing this place but I didn't expect it to be a Mediterranean place. This is located in the plaza that can be really packed (has In-N-Out, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A) or more. While there is a lot of parking spots, sometimes it can be a bit packed and some traffic with getting in the plaza, inside the plaza, or leaving out of the plaza. The inside is decently clean and there is sometimes a line (usually about 5-6 people) but it goes by super fast (as long as people know what they want). I will say when I'm telling them what I want (or trying to hear what they ask) can be a bit hard cause the music is a bit loud or just too much noise going on. But people are still friendly regardless so it's good with me. They give good decent amount of meat and veggies that you want so I'm happy with that. I always get the bowl and the flavor with the meat, grain, dressing, veggies, and more makes it so good! You can customize it or choose their premade one (if you feel overwhelmed). Everyone is friendly to help! I also do like the drinks that they have available, which is something I always grab now. And you can't forget about those pita chips - one of the best crispy pita chips I've ever had! They used to have their spicy pita chips as a limited time (or experimental) and it was so good that I hope they will someday bring it back as a permanent menu! Overall, I definitely would come here again and I'm just glad they have one in North County! Definitely stop by if you want some Mediterranean food.
His name was either Mario or Marcos, working the line on 10-2-25, but he was engaged with customers. So nice. When I told home the county I was from he guessed my hometown on the first time! I ordered a Greek salad, pita chips and a drink. Fits my first time there and will be back! Good was very good and customer service rocked! Seating outside and inside. Kudos to everyone behind the counter!
This my first time at this location but love it!!! This place gets busy but food well worth the wait but I think for the 40 minutes waiting they should have given free small drinks or 10% off for courtesy. This keeps your customers happy and supportive. The staff are hard working individuals that somehow manage to keep at when the line is at the door. Amazing food, polite service, and ambiance is chill. Great for lunch or dinner with friends and has patio dinning. Be sure to try the various sauces on your Bowls or pita and don't forget the drinks which are all natural and fresh. Love Cava and will be back but maybe not at 1:00pm
It's always busy, and always good. It's worth the wait, the ingredients are fresh and tasty. Love their drink options. Love how I customize my bowl to whatever I'm feeling like for the day!
First time here and everything was cool. I give them a 4.5. It took a minute to decide what I wanted since it was my first time. I can see that being a little of a wait at a busy time. I ordered some fried cinnamon pita chips that went with like a honey and those were cool (a little on the burnt or overly fried side) but a good balance from the savory. Now we just need one of these in Oceanside. People were friendly here in San Marcos. It is pricey and it takes a while to earn a reward on their APP. I may be back when I'm in the area. It was clean and spacious and had a lot of outside seating. I'm now using a walker and it is handicap accessible. There are vegan options an
My pick up order barely had any chicken, and looked like someone played soccer with it. $20 for this mess is a joke.
We've been to CAVA in Encinitas and that's where our CAVA experience have been. However, we were so happy to see a San Marcos location open and excited to try. While the food and taste is the same (5 stars) for healthy but good tasting food! This location is really poorly ran and filthy! Immediately when we walked in, my first thought was wow, this place is dirrrrrtrryyy, food on the floor, none of the tables were cleaned and had food all over. It was disappointing as this is not the normal Cava and standards that I am used too. We almost left because of how dirty it was but we were also starving. It seems like there is no management here and ran by a bunch of college students. Hopefully the owners realize there's a problem here with cleanliness and operations as everything was out and really low on stock. It didn't look appealing to be getting the bottoms left of food scrapes. Let's do better Cava, this is a great location so please get the sanitary and operations together as we want to come back more often because we love Cava but will drive to Encinitas location for cleaner and better operations
DELICIOUS!! Heathy food that's Packed with Favor! It's Mediterranean food where you pick your meat and toppings. We got the custom bowl of chicken and lamb. Chicken is good but I HIGHLY recommend the lamb! It's cooked perfectly, tender & juicy! You'll pay a bit more than your typical fast food but it's worth it! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
We have frequented several Cava locations and this location multiple times. Everytime we come to this location the line is super long so today we placed a pickup order that was supposed to be ready at 5:45. We finally received our food 35 minutes late at 6:20. Since we were waiting for so long we had plenty of time to watch how the store was operated. First thing we noticed upon entering was the store was filthy. Almost every table was dirty and the floor had lots of food. Walking in the back door, I almost slipped and fell in what looked like vomit. Utensils were not stocked, and they were out of cucumber mint drink the entire time we were there. While a few workers seemed to be hustling, the majority seemed to have no sense of urgency (one girl seemed to just walk back and forth changing gloves) which makes me think management and training is part of their issue. They have a shelf where to go orders are supposed to be placed but instead of using it for orders, it stores random stuff and they just place orders around the cash register. Ten minutes after my scheduled pickup the worker went around and asked those congregating waiting for food what there names were and then went back to see their names and promised they were almost ready. 10 minutes after that I could see them preparing my food. But then it sat on the counter for another 15 minutes waiting for a single pita chip ensuring all of our food was cold. When we finally did receive our order there was no apology for the extended wait and we were missing several sauces. While Cava has decent food I don't see us returning to this poorly run location again.
I came around 1pm and it was packed. It was even more packed when I left around 1:30pm. Crazy! Long lines reminded me of what Chipotle used to be. Cava is chipotle style dining but Mediterranean. Cool concept and it makes sense. I got the steak and harissa because all their chicken was cooking and would take 15-20 minutes. That's a long time to wait, especially with that long line, not sure how they would handle that. So I opted for steak + harissa, with crazy feta, red pepper hummus, and basically they let me choose my toppings. I got corn, tomatoes & cucumbers, pickled onions, cucumbers, pickles and broccoli. The sauce I got was the lemon one. Which my friend said the garlic sauce is the best. For $20, the steak was bland, tasted absolutely no seasoning on it. It's supposed to have Mediterranean spices, but it just tasted bland, not even salt on the steak. I'm guessing. You have to just eat the meat with the dressing? Iono. It was okay. I still want to come back for the garlic chicken. Hopefully they don't run out next time, or maybe I'll just come earlier. And the garlic sauce. Everyone is right as well, they seem to run out of things often, and the staff definitely have no sense of urgency or care. Just a bunch of college students.
3 months ago
Alice, Ron, Anna, Katie, Angel !! (I hope I got those right :) Thanks so much for your amazing service & close to closing also !! I called Anna before coming in. Out of most proteins but made fresh salmon for us. Bowls look delicious & I would come back for their kindness alone! read more
4 months ago
I tried CAVA in San Marcos for the first time this past Sunday. It's a newer location and was pretty packed, which I took as a good sign. Parking was easy, although the shopping center itself is very busy. The restaurant was clean, bright, and open with plenty of seating (inside and outside). The staff was friendly, and the line moved fairly quickly. The setup reminded me of a Mediterranean version of Chipotle where you move down the line and customize your bowl. My favorite part was definitely the sauces and dips. The Crazy Feta was so good that I would honestly buy a jar of it if I could. I also liked having black lentils as an option since that's not something I've seen anywhere else. Overall, I thought the flavors were good, but there were a few things that missed the mark for me. The falafel had great flavor, but the texture was very doughy and not my favorite. The lamb meatballs were also on the dry side. I also found myself wishing they offered gyro meat. I'm glad I tried it and can see why it's popular. While I'm not rushing back, I'd definitely give it another chance and try some different menu items next time. read more
6 months ago
Interesting second experience. I received a free meal for complaining to cava so I finally came back. The customer service was much better. But the food was worse? My first bowl Was really good even though the sauces were wrong but this one wasn't. I wish I just ordered last time cuz this was different but not much so I don't know how? Maybe cuz I tried different meat. The lamb and chicken shawarma weren't great and I also didn't love the honey harissa chicken. I did receive the correct order and the free pita so it seems like they have improved but I still probably won't be back again read more
10 months ago
I was excited to try this place out, the food was great and met my expectations. It's Mediterranean food that is fresh and tasty, and the portions were generous. I ordered the steak and harissa bowl, it was so good! The service was okay, the workers seemed to be training on the job, because they were scrambling around looking for ingredients and reading off instruction cards when making food. The server helping me rushed me when I was adding extras to my bow,l before I finished ordering he pushed my order over to the register...rude. Overall I did enjoy the food, and hopefully the staff will have better customer service and manners next time. read more
Updated review: food on point no question there. My usual falafel bowl sin cheese. But why does the food line counter always have to be visibly dirty. Sloppy drips etc. wet rag it. Not gonna lie it gave me the ick, so I'll just order and pick up so outta sight out of mind.... read more
15 days ago
11 months ago
I remember seeing this place but I didn't expect it to be a Mediterranean place. This is located in the plaza that can be really packed (has In-N-Out, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A) or more. While there is a lot of parking spots, sometimes it can be a bit packed and some traffic with getting in the plaza, inside the plaza, or leaving out of the plaza. The inside is decently clean and there is sometimes a line (usually about 5-6 people) but it goes by super fast (as long as people know what they want). I will say when I'm telling them what I want (or trying to hear what they ask) can be a bit hard cause the music is a bit loud or just too much noise going on. But people are still friendly regardless so it's good with me. They give good decent amount of meat and veggies that you want so I'm happy with that. I always get the bowl and the flavor with the meat, grain, dressing, veggies, and more makes it so good! You can customize it or choose their premade one (if you feel overwhelmed). Everyone is friendly to help! I also do like the drinks that they have available, which is something I always grab now. And you can't forget about those pita chips - one of the best crispy pita chips I've ever had! They used to have their spicy pita chips as a limited time (or experimental) and it was so good that I hope they will someday bring it back as a permanent menu! Overall, I definitely would come here again and I'm just glad they have one in North County! Definitely stop by if you want some Mediterranean food. read more
His name was either Mario or Marcos, working the line on 10-2-25, but he was engaged with customers. So nice. When I told home the county I was from he guessed my hometown on the first time! I ordered a Greek salad, pita chips and a drink. Fits my first time there and will be back! Good was very good and customer service rocked! Seating outside and inside. Kudos to everyone behind the counter! read more
1 year ago
This my first time at this location but love it!!! This place gets busy but food well worth the wait but I think for the 40 minutes waiting they should have given free small drinks or 10% off for courtesy. This keeps your customers happy and supportive. The staff are hard working individuals that somehow manage to keep at when the line is at the door. Amazing food, polite service, and ambiance is chill. Great for lunch or dinner with friends and has patio dinning. Be sure to try the various sauces on your Bowls or pita and don't forget the drinks which are all natural and fresh. Love Cava and will be back but maybe not at 1:00pm read more
7 months ago
7 months ago
It's always busy, and always good. It's worth the wait, the ingredients are fresh and tasty. Love their drink options. Love how I customize my bowl to whatever I'm feeling like for the day! read more
First time here and everything was cool. I give them a 4.5. It took a minute to decide what I wanted since it was my first time. I can see that being a little of a wait at a busy time. I ordered some fried cinnamon pita chips that went with like a honey and those were cool (a little on the burnt or overly fried side) but a good balance from the savory. Now we just need one of these in Oceanside. People were friendly here in San Marcos. It is pricey and it takes a while to earn a reward on their APP. I may be back when I'm in the area. It was clean and spacious and had a lot of outside seating. I'm now using a walker and it is handicap accessible. There are vegan options an read more
5 months ago
My pick up order barely had any chicken, and looked like someone played soccer with it. $20 for this mess is a joke. read more
We've been to CAVA in Encinitas and that's where our CAVA experience have been. However, we were so happy to see a San Marcos location open and excited to try. While the food and taste is the same (5 stars) for healthy but good tasting food! This location is really poorly ran and filthy! Immediately when we walked in, my first thought was wow, this place is dirrrrrtrryyy, food on the floor, none of the tables were cleaned and had food all over. It was disappointing as this is not the normal Cava and standards that I am used too. We almost left because of how dirty it was but we were also starving. It seems like there is no management here and ran by a bunch of college students. Hopefully the owners realize there's a problem here with cleanliness and operations as everything was out and really low on stock. It didn't look appealing to be getting the bottoms left of food scrapes. Let's do better Cava, this is a great location so please get the sanitary and operations together as we want to come back more often because we love Cava but will drive to Encinitas location for cleaner and better operations read more
DELICIOUS!! Heathy food that's Packed with Favor! It's Mediterranean food where you pick your meat and toppings. We got the custom bowl of chicken and lamb. Chicken is good but I HIGHLY recommend the lamb! It's cooked perfectly, tender & juicy! You'll pay a bit more than your typical fast food but it's worth it! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more
We have frequented several Cava locations and this location multiple times. Everytime we come to this location the line is super long so today we placed a pickup order that was supposed to be ready at 5:45. We finally received our food 35 minutes late at 6:20. Since we were waiting for so long we had plenty of time to watch how the store was operated. First thing we noticed upon entering was the store was filthy. Almost every table was dirty and the floor had lots of food. Walking in the back door, I almost slipped and fell in what looked like vomit. Utensils were not stocked, and they were out of cucumber mint drink the entire time we were there. While a few workers seemed to be hustling, the majority seemed to have no sense of urgency (one girl seemed to just walk back and forth changing gloves) which makes me think management and training is part of their issue. They have a shelf where to go orders are supposed to be placed but instead of using it for orders, it stores random stuff and they just place orders around the cash register. Ten minutes after my scheduled pickup the worker went around and asked those congregating waiting for food what there names were and then went back to see their names and promised they were almost ready. 10 minutes after that I could see them preparing my food. But then it sat on the counter for another 15 minutes waiting for a single pita chip ensuring all of our food was cold. When we finally did receive our order there was no apology for the extended wait and we were missing several sauces. While Cava has decent food I don't see us returning to this poorly run location again. read more
I came around 1pm and it was packed. It was even more packed when I left around 1:30pm. Crazy! Long lines reminded me of what Chipotle used to be. Cava is chipotle style dining but Mediterranean. Cool concept and it makes sense. I got the steak and harissa because all their chicken was cooking and would take 15-20 minutes. That's a long time to wait, especially with that long line, not sure how they would handle that. So I opted for steak + harissa, with crazy feta, red pepper hummus, and basically they let me choose my toppings. I got corn, tomatoes & cucumbers, pickled onions, cucumbers, pickles and broccoli. The sauce I got was the lemon one. Which my friend said the garlic sauce is the best. For $20, the steak was bland, tasted absolutely no seasoning on it. It's supposed to have Mediterranean spices, but it just tasted bland, not even salt on the steak. I'm guessing. You have to just eat the meat with the dressing? Iono. It was okay. I still want to come back for the garlic chicken. Hopefully they don't run out next time, or maybe I'll just come earlier. And the garlic sauce. Everyone is right as well, they seem to run out of things often, and the staff definitely have no sense of urgency or care. Just a bunch of college students. read more
Everyone told me it's like a Mediterranean chipotle- YUP it is. A bit pricey but the food is fresh and healthy. Great patio and lots of options. My brother made a comment that his gyro was messy but I would expect some sauciness. I enjoyed my bowl for sure! read more
2 months ago
2 months ago
Business owner information
Kim N.
Hi Keanna, thank you for being a loyal CAVA guest and for taking the…
2 years ago
Came to this newer location with a friend for lunch! Since they were new, they are still learning, but some of the staff weren't the most helpful or kind. There were a select few that were pleasant to order with. The portions of meat did seem light and the sauce/dressings a bit heavy, but overall it was still a good experience! I created my own bowl and did a lettuce and grain mixed base with chicken and falafel. It was great to choose my own toppings. I absolutely love their lemon tahini dressing on top as well. The quality of food was fantastic. Will absolutely go back when in the area since it's easy to park, find seating indoors or outside, and the line moves quite quickly. read more
4 months ago
4 months ago
They have started skimping on amount of food, My husband brought home my bowl and it's basically half empty to the normal... I asked for Half rice half greens and there's maybe 1 leaf of lettuce. The inconsistency with the staff is insane. Especially for the price... If it wasn't a total inconvenience I'd go back and show the manager this is literally half the amount we normally are served. The photos won't post read more
2 years ago
Went to check out the hype in San Marcos and I was impressed! I've never heard of CAVA before. Their opening hours are interesting. They open at 10:45 am daily so it's very memorable. I'm glad I came after 11am as the line was already getting busy and mind you, schools and some offices are not in session yet due to Winter Break. Since it was my first time, the staff were very helpful. I did the half and half of the base and mains. It was very delicious and I thought I could finish it since it was my first meal of the day. I actually ended up finishing it mid afternoon after doing laundry. I was excited to see they have the Mexican style Coca-Cola. I usually get water but needed to try their drinks. Definitely will come back as it's close to my work. Time yourselves when you come here as it's in the plaza that gets packed due to the other eateries and stores nearby. Also, download their app to earn rewards. read more
5 months ago
Business owner information
Kim N.
We truly appreciate the love! Our team takes great pride in serving…
5 months ago
My first Cava experience anywhere. It was on a weekday at around 3:00. No line. The place and all the tables were clean when I was there. No ingredients were missing. The servers were helpful. The food was full of flavor and texture. So many more ingredients and toppings than Chipotle, and I don't have to burn my mouth with random spiciness! The chicken was notably juicy and tender. Very generous portion. I felt I became full with healthy and flavorful food. Definitely going back. read more
My first time at this location. There was a line but it moved fairly quickly. I decided to build my own bowl. I got half chicken and half steak but wished I had gotten all steak. I really enjoyed the pickled onions and cucumbers. They have indoor and outdoor seating. There is a large parking lot but it gets full because there are a lot of other eatery options all around. Service here was really good. Staff were all friendly and helpful. read more
11 months ago
5 months ago
Business owner information
Kim N.
Thank you for showing us some love! We take a lot of pride in our…
Not the best Cava establishment I've been to, but its convenience by San Marcos is great! When I went they unfortunately ran out of the garlic sauce (arguably the best) which was a bummer. Not their fault, I definitely get it that they're busy during the day. Cava is always a bit pricey but to me it's worth it and it's delicious. read more
1 year ago
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More info about CAVA
573 Grand Ave
San Marcos, CA 92078
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(442) 385-6081
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http://www.cava.com
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12 reviews that are not currently recommended
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