Cava

If I’m being honest, I was expecting Cava Mezze Grill to be a glorified Chipotle.

Was I right? Yes.

Am I complaining?

No.

Cava reminded me of Chipotle, I couldn’t help but think the fact that I had my parents drive me all the way to Tysons merely to order something similar to what I’d find at Chipotle. It felt like Chipotle, but nicer and more upscale (solely due to location and presentation of food). The underlying process of ordering was the same, one restaurant was just arguably nicer than the other.

Both restaurants had the same goal: they wanted to transport their customer to the place of the food they served.

Both restaurants also ended up doing the same thing: they were close to achieving their goal, but to me, it just felt like going to “Cava Mezze Medeterranian Grill” was set up to be an attempt at casual-Mediterranean, but it ended up being an upscale-Chipotle.

Located in the Tysons Corner mall, I walked into Cava expecting it to have good eats. It was my first time going, and I remember all my friends raving about how refreshing and delicious every item was on the menu. Trusting my friends, I stepped through the doors, anticipating a wide range of aromas which reflected said “refreshing” taste my friends mentioned, but honestly, it felt… boring. Looking around, the mustard-brown theme with the orange-white lights didn’t seem too special. On the bright side, it matched the bland brown barstools and tables. Nothing too different, just another restaurant.

Not at all to my surprise, Cava was crowded. The hype around this place was high. The hungry shoppers were packed together like a school of salmon- which was appropriate due to the Mediterranean-style food they said they were serving. And if I’m being honest, I thought the restaurant looked plain, but at the same time, nice. The amount of light coming in from the mall and the large windows looking out to the parking garage really lit up the room. But the look of Cava isn’t what we drove all the way to Tysons for, I wanted to eat.

The assembly-line ordering style continued to remind me of a Chipotle or Subway. Once again, not that special. You chose a base like a salad, soup, or grain bowl, picked meats and toppings, and there you have it; a Cava menu item.

The Grain Bowl lived up to the expectations my friends had set in my mind, it tasted as if the ingredients were picked right off the plant, and the grilled chicken was, in my mind, perfect. The cucumber cubes which felt like miniature cubes of water and freshness, were probably the single best experience I’ve had eating cucumber. The topping “White Bean Salad” was a highly because of how fresh the basil flavored, although I might be biased-I’m a sucker for basil. Adding crumbled feta cheese, which Cava insisted adding to the “Mediterranean experience,” was more on the neutral side, as I didn’t mind it being in my meal due to its taste, but the texture of literally grainy cheese wasn’t necessarily something I looked forward to putting in my mouth every bite I took. The

The Grain Bowl really was a delicious dish. I didn’t feel like I was in the Mediterranean, but I also didn’t feel like I was in Northern Virginia. If I’m being honest, it felt more like California.

A cold California.

Next up, I tasted the Mini Pita, which at first was just warm bread which was . Much to my delight, with the addition of roasted red pepper hummus spread was like a one-way trip to flavortown. It was like eating Not sure who was responsible for this Pita bread, but it is apparent that they really knew what they were doing which creating this large Ritz cracker.

A special shoutout must be given to the Gratis Lemon Mint Water. The drink selection seemed relatively basic, much like every other franchise-style restaurant. But I’ve never heard of a “Gratis Lemon Mint Water.” At first glance, I anticipated it to taste like minty Sprite, and I was wrong. It tasted like water. Slightly carbonated water with the slightly tint of one or two shreds of lemon zest. The mint water was, while slightly underwhelming, really added to the refreshing vibe of the meal.

The real star of the show was the chocolate chip cookie. Now, this desert isn’t anything special to Cava, but whoever baked these cookies did an excellent job. They felt like the store-bought equivalent of grandma’s cookies, which is interesting because nothing tastes like grandma’s cookies. Each cookie ended up dissolving the instant it touched my mouth, which only made me want more. Unfortunately, that isn’t the point of this review.

One of the things about Cava that I feel is worth talking about is the prices. All in all honesty, I didn’t pay for my meal and I tend to not pay attention to the prices of the items I consume. The Grain Bowl was around $10, which was perfectly acceptable for the portion given and quality of the dish. I didn’t feel as if they had robbed me of my money but at the same time if I were coming to the mall with my friends, lunch at Cava would cost a decent amount of money. I wouldn’t protest the prices nor complain because all that really matters is was the food is worth it.

As much as I’d want to take a dig at the service there, I won’t because in a way I kind of understood the workers. Service varied from eager beaver to tired teenager/young adult. The person taking care of my order seemed normal enough, they smiled occasionally and leaned closer to the window separating her and I whenever she couldn’t hear me. To me, I felt like she wanted to be anywhere but Cava, but she’s at Cava because she’s getting paid. Service wasn’t anything out of the ordinary: no one was too nice and no one was rude either.

Cava’s location, to me, definitely added to the ambiance overall. Located on the side of the up-scale Tysons Corner Mall, a little off from the even higher scale Tysons Galleria, Cava gave off the impression that it was the perfect place to settle down with all of the shopping bags and enjoy a large-but-light meal. In the springtime, sitting outside in the garden of charcoal-black chairs seemed like the perfect place to laugh with friends, which is exactly what I did.

I realize that some might be led to believe that Cava is its own restaurant and bears no resemblance to Chiptole, or that it’s something completely unique. To that I say, not really. The way you order to food is the same and both of the restaurants have the word “Bowl” in their main dish. They’re pretty similar, it's the ambiance that elevates Cava to a level different from that of good ol’ Chipotle.

As for recommending Cava, yeah. I definitely recommend Cava to anyone who likes Chipotle or anyone who wants to grab something to eat that’s actually flavorful. The casualness of the area and large range of options made it a place for anyone to grab a bite, whether it be a small snack or a large Grain Bowl. In a nutshell, Cava was capable of taking me elsewhere. Was it where I expected to be? No. But I had no issue with it.

CAVA Mezze

A, 8048 Tysons Corner Center Entrance near Fletcher Street, by Garage,

McLean, VA , 22102