Cava Park Ave - New York City

I really wanted to love this place but the experience was subpar. While the menu is attractive and the food is tasty, the employees leave much to be desired. They seemed annoyed to be there and didn 't bother to refill whatever ingredient was missing, they just resorted to saying we 're out . I had a wrap that was basically falling apart because they didn 't drain the braised lamb before putting it in. I guess I could have been better. Definitely room for improvement.

Location was not clean. The staff was standing around talking and the food area really needed to be cleaned. I wish I had been able to take a picture. I recommend visiting during the early hours of the day, because my visit was after 6 pm on a Saturday. It's possible no supervisor or manager was on site. Fortunately I didn't get sick and I had my concerns to be honest.

I normally would never take the time to review a fast casual place but something needs to be said. I’ve been here twice. The first time, was the first time I had ever been to Cava and based on reviews of the concept, I expected good things. After arriving at about 1:30 on a Friday to get my bowl, I literally got 1/4 of a bowl of food. It was absurd. I decided maybe it was an off day so I headed back today. Placed my order in advance to skip on the insane lunch rush at this location and ordered earlier with the hopes of getting more food…still didn’t happen. The staff missed ingredients and didn’t even make a note of it. They give you 1/2 a scoop of rice (especially in comparison to a chipotle, sweetgreen warm bowl, etc). At 12:30 in the afternoon they had NO utensils left other than knives. Two stars because the food itself tastes good. I just wish they would actually give you a real portion of it.

Don’t get fooled by the pic! It may look like a bowl of mush but I promise you it is so delicious! The portions are very generous (as they should given the price). So much flavor and very nutrient-dense meal.

One word: YUM. You literally cannot go wrong here, every thing in the lineup is good. I especially love the sweet potatoes for the protein option (vegetarian option, of course). Wonderful healthy option for lunch OR dinner and service is always quick!