By Sina D'Amico, Dietetic Intern With a Cava location so close to campus, it’s hard to resist treating yourself after a long day of classes and responsibilities. For some of you, Cava might be a brand-new restaurant that you’re just not sure how to navigate. This is how it was for me - there’s no Cava’s where I’m from, so moving here I was in for a delicious surprise. Although the bowls I would see my friends getting looked so good, I wasn’t sure to build my own bowl. The first time I went was a disaster to say the least. Not that it didn’t taste good, I just was not sure what combination of items paired well together. I stuck to the basics - chicken, brown rice, and so many veggies. But true Cava fans will know that the dips are what make or break the bowl, and that’s what I needed to learn. Now that I’ve been around Cava a time or two (not saying I’m anywhere close to an expert), I’d like to think that I can offer some bowl-building advice to any first time Cava goer. So here’s some steps and tips to consider when going to Cava for your first (or tenth) time. Step 1: Choose Your Base The first thing you have to do is choose your base. You can do greens, grains or a mixture of the two. My go-to order is grains & grains that mixes brown rice and the super greens. I find this to be the best of both worlds since I can never decide between one or the other. Step 2: Add Some Dips Now, if you’re like me and think that you only get to choose one, then you’re wrong. You can pick up to three dips to add some extra flavor to your bowl. My personal recommendations would be two crazy feta dips and one eggplant & red pepper dip, but the combinations are endless. There are also classic options like hummus and tzatziki if you’re not ready to venture out of your comfort zone quite yet. Step 3: Pick Your Protein While the grilled chicken might be the safest option, this is the place where you’ll need to get creative and try something new. Even though I don’t always practice what I preach, the falafel is the perfect vegetarian option and you'll never go wrong with the grilled veggies. If you can’t decide, then as for half and half! Step 4: Top It Off This is the part that I got confused during my first visit. At most restaurants like this, you get charged extra if you go over a certain number of toppings. But Cava is not that kind of place - you could get every topping if that’s what you wanted! My personal favorites are the pickled onions, cabbage slaw and crumbled feta. Step 5: Drizzle on the Dressing Just when you thought you were done making your bowl, you’re faced with a whole option of dressings. Even if you think you might not want one, just ask for one on the side. Whether you want something simple like Greek vinaigrette or something a little sweeter like lemon herb tzatziki, it’ll add that extra flavor to your bowl you didn’t know you wanted.
1 Comment
Nanci Fisher
4/27/2024 01:46:24 pm
Wish I had seen this BEFORE my first visit to CAVA!
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