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CAVA

3.4 (212 reviews)
ModerateSalad, Mediterranean
Closed 10:30 am - 10:30 pm
Updated 1 month ago

Order CAVA Takeout or Delivery

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CAVA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Dogs allowed
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - CAVA

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Reviews With Photos

$20 disaster
Julie C.

My pick up order barely had any chicken, and looked like someone played soccer with it. $20 for this mess is a joke.

Customized Grains Bowl
Jessica C.

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!

Crystal F.

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.

Falafel crunch bowl with a side of pita bread
Thea M.

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....

Bowl + Drink
Jessica P.

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.

Jan L.

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!

Wynesha K.

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

Marinated lamb, super green, black lentil and brown rice, with avocado, fire roasted corn, olives, tzatziki
K C.

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

Thuy C.

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

Homemade drinks
Erick M.

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!

Unused to go shelf
Jolene M.

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.

Mains option
Lisa W.

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.

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1 month ago

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5 months ago

Excellent food! Very fresh & healthy with a lot choices. Large selection of unique beverages too!

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11 months ago

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3 months ago

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6 months ago

Delicious, fresh, tons of choices for all. We loved our lunches. And to top it off, no tipping!!

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4 months ago

Ashley and the staff were super sweet and provided excellent customer service! Food was delicious as always.

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8 months ago

LOVE this cava!!! The location is perfect and the GM , Michael is so nice and helpful!!! My food was delicious, thank you!!!

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Ask the Community - CAVA

Review Highlights - CAVA

The staff were friendly and a nice employee named Shira was extremely helpful helping me get signed up for the app.

Mentioned in 9 reviews

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Urbane Cafe

Urbane Cafe

4.5(51 reviews)
0.0 mi

Came by to give it another try for lunch and had a great experience. Starting off with the food,…read morethe pesto and sun-dried tomato sandwich was so yummy! I wish it was bigger I wanted more. The cilantro chicken salad was served exceptionally well, my mom and I were able to share the salad and were very satisfied. When we walked in we were able to place our order on the self service counter, it was nice to have time to look through the menu and decide what we wanted. While placing our order, one of the workers came up to us and asked if we had any questions. I appreciate the check in. After you place your order you grab your table number and find a table. We found a table outside and the staff brings out the food for you when it's ready. Overall, glad I came back to give it another try!

Happy that they opened a location closer to home, because I usually had to go to Encinitas or…read moreClairemont. This gives me more options, especially since I'm not in Encinitas as often now. I really love the options to customize your protein, if the one that is normally included isn't to your taste. I love their tri-tip, and they have it as pastrami in a sandwich now. I also love the tri-tip as bbq sandwich. My Mom loves their salads, especially the Cobb. The focaccia comes with the salad, and is also the base for the sandwiches. You can tell it's baked fresh, as it's most and delicious. They also bake awesome cookies, if you're not full enough! I order on the app so I can just pick it up, especially if there's an offer in the rewards. It makes it more convenient than ordering in-store.

Photos
Urbane Cafe
Urbane Cafe - Salmon Bowl (lid off). Overall pretty decent, though I think there were a few too many sweet potatoes in there

Salmon Bowl (lid off). Overall pretty decent, though I think there were a few too many sweet potatoes in there

Urbane Cafe - Chocolate Chip Cookie

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Chocolate Chip Cookie

The Pita Guys - Chicken kebab salad - 2/5 expensive, barely any sauce and the cardinal sin was the dry chicken kebab

The Pita Guys

4.3(1.2k reviews)
0.8 mi
$$

I love this place! Food is delicious. Would recommend to…read moreanyone, it's a little loud inside but if you're not eating there it doesn't matter. Staff is friendly. I did however have a bit a negative experience, picked up lunch couple days ago and got a chicken kabob bowl and as I bit into it noticed the chicken was undercooked. Didn't have time to go back and share with staff.

Why did I come here?…read more With a hunger for mediterranean and the worry that nearby Aria may be a bit too pricey for a quick meal, I brought my son out to The Pita Guys for some gyro or shawarma. What we found were limited options, higher than expected prices, less than helpful staff, and not the best of food. Being my first time, I had questions about the menu. The young pair behind the counter didn't seem to know what they were serving, as they kept looking at one another for guidance with little ability to give me much relevant info on anything other than what types or protein they had. Once I finally ordered, they started to taking and filling the orders of people behind me. It wasn't until a much older woman came in from the back before my own dinner started being prepared. Seriously, it was a pretty weird setup. The food was served Subway style, where they go down the line asking what you wanted added to your wrap. Shawarma meat is minced, staying warm in a tub, and scooped to order by a spoon resting in a bin of cloudy water. Not only did it feel a bit gross, but it also seemed that the bulk of the juice in the meat came from that watery spoon, as the shawarma I ate was very dry. When it came to my son's Shawarma Plate, the menu stated that it came with two sides. What they don't tell you is that the only choices on the 'sides' menu open to you are Hummus and a Salad. The much more desired sides of Falafel, Baba Ghanoush, or even kid friendly Fries, were not offered. Needless to say, my son ate his chicken and rice, but wouldn't touch his hummus. So, a Shawarma Plate and a Shawarma wrap ... dinner for two, not a ton of food, neither of us were all that impressed ... and it cost us over $40. Needless to say, with how everything tasted and what it took to get ... we won't be coming back. For the price it cost us, I think we'll stick with the far superior Aria up the street. Or, at the very least, try the Kebab Shop down the block.

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The Pita Guys - Menu

Menu

The Pita Guys - This is a "large" bowl for $17. Pretty sad considering you can buy an entire rotisserie chicken at any grocery store for like $6-10.

This is a "large" bowl for $17. Pretty sad considering you can buy an entire rotisserie chicken at any grocery store for like $6-10.

The Pita Guys - Storefront exterior

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Storefront exterior

Draft Republic San Marcos - bar

Draft Republic San Marcos

4.3(662 reviews)
1.0 mi
$$

Just wanted to write this review to say a BIG THANK YOU to Draft Republic in SM for having a…read morespeakeasy pop-up for the movie, Wicked. I'm a huge Wicked fan and was excited to see this event advertised on Yelp. This restaurant was the only one in North County I can think of that acknowledged the movie when it was about to be in theaters. First of all, it was easy to get to based on my GPS but kind of challenging to find their parking lot. I ended up finding a 2-hour parking on N. City Drive which was in walking distance. All I was thinking of while walking up to Draft Republic is that this place is massive. Inside, the hostesses verbally instructed me where to go...came across bowling...arcade games...sports on tvs on my way. Behind the curtains, I entered the room in awe. Draft Republic really went ALL OUT!! The Wicked witchy vibe was sooo magical. I loved the beautifuuul Elphaba/Glinda decorations, cleverly creative themed menu option names, actual movie playing in the background, and the take-home momentos. Nick and staff were super wickedly friendly too. The Wicked Bites, Grimmerie Shots and Wickedest Cocktails were all FANTASTIC!!! I definitely tasted Draft Republic's wickedness. I appreciated everything about this experience....well well done. What a WICKED TIME! I hope there are more speakeasy pop-ups in the near future :-)

I want to start by saying that for whatever my opinion matters (and it should matter very little),…read morethis is just how I came away feeling about this place. Because Draft Republic is a rough place to quantify. The food is pretty good; if going off that alone, this place would easily be four stars in my eyes. But, it's not ... Draft Republic is trying to be a bit closer to like a mini Dave & Buster's (a place I have come pretty close to loathing). With an arcade, a bowling alley, a golfing simulator, a full bar, pretty extensive menu, good music, and a fantastic staff, they really have a lot going for them with a little something to make anyone happy. My own issue deals solely with the cost. Came here with my son, all we did was eat two entrees and an appetizer between us, and did nothing else. With drink and after tax and tip, the cost was well over $90. No games, no play, just burgers (plus fries and poke tacos) for two, costs as much as many Californian's net after a full day of work. When you're used to feeding the whole family for about half as much when going out (or a little more when eating sushi), that price was a bit rough. Still, the food is very good. My son and I each ate The Draft Republic Burger. It was perfectly cooked, juicy, very flavorful, and the toppings were high quality. The fries were crisp and salted well. And the side salad wasn't too bad. Both of us ate our entrees and gave it high marks. We had started with the Tres Poke Tacos, where the Tuna was very tasty, steeped in a flavorful marinade, and felt nice and fresh. Definitely a good starter. And the restaurant itself is gorgeous. A lot of space, beautifully furnished, kind of industrial meets art deco with some new age greenery architecture thrown in. I like it a lot. But, as an aging Gen-X'er, who used to go to arcades back in the day, and hates what new arcades have become, the amenities are under appreciated by me. All of that pads the price tag a bit out of what I am willing to pay just for dinner. Which may not be fair to Draft Republic, but that's where it left me.

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Draft Republic San Marcos - 8 lane bowling alley

8 lane bowling alley

Draft Republic San Marcos - Full Swing Golf Simulator

Full Swing Golf Simulator

Draft Republic San Marcos - Arcade

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Arcade

Amalfi Cucina Italiana - Amatriciana Bucatini

Amalfi Cucina Italiana

4.3(1.4k reviews)
2.1 mi
$$$

È squisito! Era delizioso!…read more Had an amazing time celebrating a birthday at Almafi along lake San Marcos. Great valet parking and wonderful views of the lake as you're seated in the dining room. Everything was flavorful but the lasagna and spaccanapoli pizza were the best I've ever had. Mike our waiter was also informative,attentive and a top tier waiter. ALL of us cannot wait to visit again.

I booked a table here through OpenTable on a Friday evening, and the place was packed. They have…read morevalet parking for $7, street parking, and an additional parking lot across the street. We were quickly seated, and our server was phenomenal. She gave great recommendations, checked in on us often, and made the whole experience even better. We ordered: * Focaccia: Huge serving, perfectly crisp, and absolutely delicious. * Caprese: This was phenomenal. It came with fresh organic tomatoes and prosciutto. * Polpette All'Italiana: These meatballs are to die for. It comes with four meatballs and two pieces of toast that are perfect for dipping into the marinara sauce. * Ragu Napoletano: We chose the rigatoni pasta with this dish. It was very flavorful and perfectly cooked. * Tiramisu: They brought out a tiramisu cake for my birthday with a candle, and it was absolutely beautiful. It tasted delicious and even had sprinkles on top, which was such a fun touch. Overall, the food was amazing, the service was outstanding, and the atmosphere is beautiful. I always love coming here and will definitely keep coming back.

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Amalfi Cucina Italiana - Draft Beers

Draft Beers

Amalfi Cucina Italiana - Salad w shrimp

Salad w shrimp

Amalfi Cucina Italiana - Adult beverages

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Adult beverages

CAVA - salad - Updated May 2026

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