I normally love Cava, but my last trip was something. I had placed an order online and it was supposed to be ready at around 12:45. By the time I was able to find parking, it was close to 1. So I thought surely, my order would be ready. Unfortunately, that was not the case. When I went in , it was not very crowded. But I didn't see my order in the pickup station. So I had to get in line to ask about it. Apparently, they hadn't even started. The first worker that I approached appeared to be working on something else and didn't acknowledge anyone. So I went to the cashier and she was very helpful and told me that they hadn't started on the order. So she let them know that I was here to pick up my order. She told me to have a seat and she'd call me up when it was ready. 10-15 minutes passed by. I saw people coming through the line getting their food and nothing. So then more people started to come in for their pick up orders. It seems like none of the pickup orders had been started. So then when they finally started the pickup orders, we had been waiting and everyone started to get theirs first, despite the fact that we had been waiting and their pickup times were later than ours. So again, I got up to ask about our order and after 30 minutes, I told them that I would just like for it to be refunded. But I had placed the order on the app, so that's how I would have to be refunded. So I got ready to walk out and the cashier stopped me and asked if I would just please give them a few more minutes. She was very apologetic and they ended up making the order. The food was very good. But I knew that I would not be returning to this specific location, because the service was terrible. It was not the cashier, as she was very eager to resolve the issue. But it seems that they just couldn't handle pick up orders that day. I had previously been to this location for dine in and it was no issue. But it was my first and last time doing a pick up. I could've just came in and went through the line and got faster service. We saw someone come through the line, eat their food and they had already left by the time we got our food. As far as the food, the pita chips and the harissa chicken bowl are my faves. The portion size is also good. But I just encourage you to go in and order it rather than trying to do a pickup online. read more

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The CAVA in Birmingham is a fast casual place that I frequent every two weeks. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I usually choose to pick up my orders and not dine in, however, there is quite enough space inside to sit and enjoy your meal.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I picked the order up with my boyfriend who enjoys CAVA as much as I do. I chose to order my usual which is usually a bowl. My usual is just the green and grains bowl with half harissa chicken and lamb meatballs with some of the greek dressings and toppings they have to offer. Their house drinks are also particularly enjoyable and easy to mix to create a drink of your own choice (The Blueberry Lavender is my favorite). From what I know, most of the to go order bowl are packed in a biodegradable bowl with the lid and utensils being recyclable. Overall, the CAVA in Birmingham is one to check out if you are willing to splurge some of your money on Greek food. read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

OMG this is my new favorite spot. The food is so fresh and the serving size is so worth it. If you are looking for something new this is it. I do recommend going in and not Door Dash so you can see all the fresh options that are available. read more

CAVA - Build your own Greens + Grains Bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Ordered through DD, I got the steak + harissa, classic pita chips and Blueberry lavender drink. I tried the Blonde. It's super tiny and I didn't like it but it's a super healthy version of a blonde. I topped my bowl with: tomato+cucumber, fire roasted corn, crumbled feta, pickled red onions and cabbage slaw. Red pepper hummus and crazy feta hummus. Dressing was hot harissa vinaigrette and lemon herb tahini! My bag was sealed but no protection on lid of drink. I'm not complaining about the drink because at least I got my drink. It's usually forgotten. read more

Waiting over an hour past your online pickup time for a bowl is crazy and this is the second (and last) time I'll do it. Food is fine but its not worth risking your job because you'll NEVER be back on time. read more

When it comes to setup, Cava is like the Mediterranean version of Chipotle. There's an assembly line of meats, vegetables, sides, abd sauces to choose from ass you build your own bowl, salad, or pita. My fav dish is the chicken pita and creamy feta dip. I'm also a fan of their frity teas and lemondades! A friend of mine suggested trying a kids meal and it's been the perfect portion size to cut down on over eating and it makes Cava an easy choice when I don't have time to take leftovers home. The Homewood location has a couple of tables outside so you can enjoy the weather. The inside dining area has been pretty clean outside of rush hours. Sometimes the pita chips are a bit greasy but I've just asked if they could be replaced with fresher ones and it was no problem read more

CAVA - Chicken pita, Jasmine rice, pita chips - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Cava is my new Chipotle!!! Will definitely be going there more often. A healthy selection to choose from.

Flavor 10/10. Dips 10/10. went for the white sweet potato now that it's back and it was wayyyy undercooked. Massive cabbage that should have been cut up. Was cold when picked it up. Otherwise will come back, but needs some adjustment. Still give this 4/5 stars for an 11$ meal! read more

CAVA - White sweet potato half chicken - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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I was ready to give this place a glowing review. I loved the food. The portion size was great. I was really ready to make this place a staple. It was a hit. Sadly, we had a few issues, one of which was not getting our order correct - they gave us the spicy chicken, without telling us, and it was almost too much for me - and I love spice. So that should tell you something. The main issue though was that my wife and I ended up severe food poisoning. It hit us a few hours after our meal and we called the restaurant to let them know, as well as the health department. We never heard back from a manager. We may try them out again, but it's going to be a while after such a bad experience. read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Alright y'all. It pains me (literally I'm in pain while I type this out) writing this review. I was sooooo looking forward to trying CAVA. I've heard so much about it from my northeastern friends and we've been talking about the location opening for weeks! And last night I got the opportunity to try it. I ordered online, but what you don't know until you visit, is that online orders are prepped in a separate assembly line from walk-in orders. Red flag: how fresh are those ingredients in the back area? I picked up our order (it was 10 minutes after the promised ready time), but I didn't care. I took our meals home to enjoy and experience CAVA together for the first time. Upon opening the bag at home, 20 mins away, I noticed that some items I requested for my order were missing. My husband also didn't get his dressing. No biggie. #growing pains The food was good and plentiful, but A few hours later, I woke up writhing in extreme pain from what I could only deduce was food poisoning. An hour later, my husband was in the same situation. No one else in our house was sick. I called the health department to report our symptoms and what we ate. The health department called me back a few hours later to check on us and to ensure they would be investigating. I called the restaurant and the manager never apologized and said she would let the manager who was over the shift last night know what happened. She was just passing the buck. No one has called us back from the restaurant. We are still sick and I would caution others from eating here until they figure out what made us so sick. read more

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They hire terrible staff that are very rude. They also need training on how to put in some effort into actually caring at least 10% for their job. Not worth your time. read more

What can I say but good things to eat at Cava! I love eating clean(highly recommended by my doctor). When I go my daughters are with me and I have a seat while they alway select some delicious vegetables and chicken meat. I love their garlic sauce to put on top, and I especially love their drinks. My favorite drink is cucumber mint or black tea. Friendly staff and good vibes in every Cava we dined in for sure. I'm embarrassed that we wolfed our food down before taking pics. read more

CAVA - Day waS very nice and patient with me! - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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I want to give this 5 stars. Been here 3 times and each time, the staff was very rude. Acted like I was bothering them. How dare I ask a question about the menu! And it wasn't even busy and there were 4 employees standing around not helping me. They were out of several ingredients and each time I order the falafel bowl, it comes out different. How can that be? [[HIGHLIGHT]]There was no soap in the restroom despite them having just opened.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Just terrible experience. I won't be coming back to this location. read more

Food gave me and my fiancé awful food poisoning. Beware! Service was below average when we went and several things were out of place. Half the soda fountain was out, they were out of napkins, etc...... read more

Food was good, service terrible!! How you treat patrons makes a difference. There was obvious tension between staff members and it was projected onto the customers. I get it, it's busy dinner rush and you want nothing more than for things to slow down for the night. But I would make sure no one comes to this location. Even overheard other guests state "this is the bad location". They were out of several ingredients, but the food was still good. Experience overshadowed by poor customer service. read more

CAVA! Try Cava! When you go ask for exactly this, you won't be disappointed! Is what I have heard from a few TikTok(ers) that are on the healthy train like me. Welp! I was back in the Birmingham area and realized I would past a Cava on my way to my destination. I visited the downtown (241 20th St S) location. By that being said, there's limited street-side parking with a parking garage for pickup. I have no clue how that works in particular because I received luck with a street side parking space. Before entering in, I resurfaced the video that I wanted to recreate as it had all the ingredients listed on the side in white wording. I approached the door with lofty expectations and that's where I went wrong! The main issue with my experience is I didn't feel the welcomeness. No one acknowledged my presence. *Disclaimer* I don't expect any employee who's busy with another customer, or in the middle of something pertaining to the store to STOP what they're doing to attend to me. But what I do expect is acknowledgment such as "Hi, welcome in, I or someone else will be with you shortly." All and all, the employees weren't rude just dry demeanor. The layout of the franchise is like Chipotle, Subway Papa Murphy's and Pyro's to name a few. I made sure I didn't come in close to closing. As a former girlie who use to work in the restaurant business knows that feeling far too well. Downtown Cava closed at 10pm on Saturday and I arrived between (7:45pm-8pm) on January 27, 2024. Once I walked up to the counter, showed my video with the listed ingredients, I was told it will be considered a "create your own" but that location didn't serve all the ingredients. At this point I'm letting the people behind me go ahead of me because I didn't want to hold up the line due to the inconvenience I just discovered. While people that are now in front of me being attended to, I'm doing excessive research on what's the most rated items on the menu. Should I be doing this? Maybe yes and maybe not. I do understand it's a place per preference or more so what do you have a taste for. I did explained that it was my first time. I didn't know what to get and preferred knowledge on what's a best seller item to order. I decided on the Chicken + RightRice and I was immensely nervous! It wasn't like I was staying there to dine in, I was dinning out. I arrived to my final destination and the choice I decided on was actually good. The Chicken + RightRice is built on a base of high protein with low carbs. They weren't stingy with the Greek vinaigrette which was appreciated! I did receive everything that came with it except tomatoes which was my choice. I would try it again with low expectations and be "bold" to create my own bowl. read more

Food order was completely wrong. Ordered online and it took 30 minutes. My order was supposed to be ready at 5:30 and I didn't get it until 6:"3. Staff ignored all 6 people waiting on online orders. They were also all out of the "sauces" so a dry salad is what I had for dinner. Never will I ever order from this place again and suggest you don't either. read more

Great food and friendly service. Who could ask for anything more. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance was a little loud but that's the location downtown.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

The service was fine but one of the employees giving me my food was rude and when i politely asked for pita chips she charged me but didn't add the food to the bag. Other than that she was rude, the food was hard and cold. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant was dirty and unclean as well.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Overall a horrible experience at this location and I'd never try again. read more

Finally had the chance to try Cava. I ordered through doordash. It was- fine. The portions were much smaller than Zoe's. I built a bowl with chicken, falafel, rice, cucumbers, feta, tomatoes, and the spicy green sauce. Everything tasty fine. Food was hot but it was just ok. I will try again in the store but I'm not in any hurry. read more

Ordered the Falafel pita. Made perfectly and delivered to me at the end of the line by Doc. She was friendly and helpful and i appreciate her getting my food out timely. Thank you and her for a great experience. read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Great service and food, overall looked very clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Employees were nice and tentative.

Without fail the worst service. One employee behind the counter while others aren't working in the kitchen.

The food was amazing and light on the stomach. I was full quickly and had quite a bit left over. The workers were the best and so easy going. This was my first time and I had so many questions that the workers took their time to answer. We did sit down to eat in the restaurant which was nice and relaxing. We will definitely come back! read more

CAVA - Spicy falafel bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Food is very good but filling to go orders doesn't give me confidence that they are focused. Ordered 2 sides of hummus and was told that you need to specify that, which my wife did. I found that out after I left their restaurant and I had to go back with the actual email order receipt a second time to get the hummus. How I was told this was dismissive. We all make mistakes and their staff should take ownership when they do va blaming the customer. read more

I would highly suggest to avoid this location, I have been a couple of times now and without fail they "forget" the protein in a bowl and add in random things you didn't ask for, and I know this happens to others because...well just read the reviews. Today, I online ordered a bowl and when I got home it was half empty, no falafel, and half of the things I asked for (printed on the receipt) were not in it. When I tried to call their support, nobody answered, and when I went in person to ask for falafel they threw out the first bowl and went to remake it, only to come back and tell me they were out of half of the things I requested so the bowl was going to be different. No refund. Don't come here read more

The balance of flavors in this bowl was incredible. The roasted vegetables were well-seasoned, slightly charred, and added a hearty bite. The falafel was crisp on the outside, soft inside, and packed with warm spices. The combination of dips created a rich and creamy contrast--the smokiness of the roasted red pepper hummus, the heat from the harissa, and the cooling effect of the tzatziki blended beautifully. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]When entering the establishment it's a clean inviting area loaded with healthy food and drinks you actually control what you desire to eat and drink from herbs spices leafy greens fruits etc....[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The servers are helpful with explaining the contents and drink selections just an overall friendly atmosphere. read more

Ordered online, and they "forgot" yet again to give us falafel in our falafel bowls. Every time we go, we order falafel, and if you aren't watching them closely they will give you fewer falafel pieces than come in the order. One time they asked us if they could just give us one piece so they didn't have to make anymore, during the middle of a weekday. When I went into the store to retrieve my missing falafel, they knew exactly what I was talking about, leading me to believe they did it on purpose hoping they wouldn't have to make more. Again, this is the middle of the day. They will not give you the food you pay for. Very disappointing. read more

Jay was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! She was very knowledgeable of the menu and gave me the BEST customer service experience I have in a long time.

Always a great fresh choice! Consistent products along with a professional staff. Great job Cava...I come in 2-3 times a week read more

Service is something to be desired. Waited 15 mins for them to make a salad. Also, gave them cash and they stood and looked at me like I had three heads. Manager and employee argued in front of us about making change. Then shorted us. I've been to Cava in DC and NYC. All Cavas are not the same. Small menu, even smaller portion size, and huge problems. Go somewhere else. read more

Another lunch from CaVA today. Bowl seemed MUCH smaller than last time Employees had issue giving a refund to person in front of me bc drink machine wasn't working. Not sure I'll go back. But for $13 it should have filled the bowl Up like last time. read more

Ordered online. Pita chips spilled everywhere. Salads half full. Not entree size as expected. Had to return the entire meal. Very disappointing. Will not be going back. read more

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Everything on the menu is so good! My favorite thing about CAVA was the sauces and honey chicken! read more

CAVA - Honey chicken Salad bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Tried to eat here tonight only to be told at 9:21PM they were out of chicken and wouldn't make anymore! Terrible customer service! read more

CAVA - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

My friend has been going on and on about how good this restaurant is so I gave it a try and it did not disappoint. My first time eating here was on Monday and I had one of the best salads in my life. I didn't know what to order so I stuck with something basic but my friend recommended I also try their chicken bowl which was better than I expected. The service was okay the servers were nice and they allowed me to take my time with my order. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant was nice as well I liked the vibe of it but we decided against dining in.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Overall I enjoyed my experience and I will be back again. read more

I absolutely love Cava and all of the vegan/vegetarian-friendly options they offer! I have never actually been inside of the restaurant, but I frequently order food from it on Doordash. There has never been anything wrong with my orders, and it always tastes fresh. I typically get the lemon chicken bowl and the blueberry lavender drink, which I highly suggest. I've wanted to try the pita for a while, so I'll have to try it next time as I've heard really good things. It's a great option if you're looking to get fast food on the healthier side, I definitely recommend! read more

I've always had great experiences at this CAVA since it was opened. It is always clean, the staff is friendly, and food is hot and generous portions. Don and Yonna specifically have always made my experience here exceptional. They're both incredibly warm and have always made the effort to come by the table when I dine-in and check on how the food is. This is highly unusual for a QSR! CAVA has great food but I come back so often because of the employees and management! read more

The location is convenient, the food is great, but the people make all the difference. Mika and Ms. Dot made up and served a great Greek Salad bowl but their welcoming hospitality is what made it feel like home. read more