Cava is one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the US. The meals are fast-casual and are branded as healthy, similar to Chipotle.
But is Cava actually healthy or is the company just great at marketing? Are there any questionable additive ingredients used? What do medical professionals think about the healthiness or unhealthiness of Cava? And how do real Cava customers rate the taste?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in some of Cava’s most popular meals based on medical studies to give our take on whether the brand is healthy or not. We’ll build a sample Cava meal that we believe is the healthiest option.
We’ll also feature some videos of medical experts discussing Cava, and share real customer reviews that touch on the taste.
Ingredient Analysis
Cava primarily sells bowls, and as shown in the image above from the brand’s website, these bowls are rich in fruits and vegetables.
High intake of fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer, according to a medical review published in the British Journal of Nutrition. A diet rich in fruits and veggies is also clinically shown to reduce inflammation.
The ingredients in Cava’s Lemon Chicken are shown below:
As would be expected from the image, all of the ingredients are whole foods.
Our only complaint is that the meat and cheese may be sourced from conventionally-raised animals.
As we discussed in our Bistro MD reviews article, animal products from pastured animals are clinically shown to be richer in nutrients and have a more optimal omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio.
However, this is a relatively minor concern. This meal is extremely nutrient-dense and we consider it to be vastly healthier than the average American meal.
Our only other concern is that the brand fails to publish the full ingredient breakdown on their website. Broadly-described ingredients like “Ceasar dressing” may have ingredients that consumers are allergic to (like wheat or soy) so we believe it would be better for consumers if the brand clearly published every single ingredient in their meals.
Overall, we consider Cava to be healthy.
We Tried Cava Ourselves
As the author of this article, I wanted to try Cava myself to share my thoughts on its healthiness and taste.
I tried Cava for the first time on a business trip in Boston.
I got the Steak Mezze Salad and it was probably the tastiest and healthiest to-go food I've gotten on the road in a year. Legitimately the best thing I'd eaten all week.
The steak was juicy, well-seasoned and fresh and the blend of sauces and spices was excellent.
The price was around $15 per bowl which seemed fair.
I'd typically order at Chipotle to get something relatively health and satiating when I'm on the road, but I will definitely choose Cava over similar options in the future.
Service was also excellent: I was in-and-out in around 10 minutes even though there was a huge line, and the workers were polite.
Overall, I'd rate Cava 10/10 and I plan on returning.
I don't really eat out at all when I'm at home, but this might become my go-to restaurant when I'm traveling for business.
What’s the Healthiest Meal at Cava?
If we were to put together a healthy meal plan at Cava based on the options that are currently on the brand’s website, we’d go with Market Spice for the main course, roasted eggplant as a side and jasmine tea to drink.
Market Spice is a plant-based bowl that contains broccoli (which is clinically shown to reduce cancer risk) and romaine lettuce (which is clinically shown to support healthy blood sugar levels), along with other whole plants.
This bowl is meat-free, so it avoids the potential sourcing issues we discussed in the previous section.
Roasted eggplant has “significant nutritive benefits” according to a medical review published in the Food Chemistry journal, and should taste great with the added parsley, onion and garlic.
Jasmine tea is the only calorie-free tea currently sold by Cava. Since it’s unclear to us whether the other teas are sweetened only with fruit or with added sugar as well, we think this is the healthiest choice.
Jasmine tea was shown in a 2022 animal study to have stress-relieving effects.
Medical Professionals Try Cava
A dietitian who goes by “THE ATX DIETITIAN” on TikTok discusses her healthy sample meal plan at Cava:
@nourished_by_anne @CAVA is an awesome healthy lunch option on the go. this is a way to order for balance and optimal nutrition. 🔥 #healthylunchideasforwork #lowcalorie #easylunches #healthyrecipes #fitnessmotivation #atxdietitian #nourishedbyanne #austintexas ♬ Smiles & Sunsets - ultmt. & Hz.
A dietitian named Hailey Gorski shared her recommended Cava order for weight loss:
@thetipsykale_dietitian dietitian’s @CAVA order for weight loss / maintenance when i order takeout, i follow the PP rule — Make the foundation of most meals a produce and a protein 👉🏼 Produce: fill up your stomach with foods that have a low calorie density but high nutrient density (ie. greens mix, romaine, picked onion, tomato, cucumber) 👉🏼 Protein: is the most satiating macronutrient, so it will keep you fuller for longer, making it easier to make a sensible decision & stick to your nutrition goals (ie. chicken) 👉🏼 Portion (the notorious 3rd P): practice portion control for others! (ie. oil based salad dressings, pita) d(eats): 🧆 cava bowl 🧆 1/2 splendid greens, 1/2 romaine 🧆 picked onion 🧆 tomato + cucumber 🧆 kalamata olives (technically a fruit) 🧆 tzatziki 🧆 red pepper hummus nutrition tips(ys): 🌈 variety of color = variety of nutrients! aim to include 3+ different colors of produce at most meals 🥗 dips like hummus and tzatziki can also serve as a salad dressing 🍗 aim to eat ~1g protein / lb (goal) body weight per day! (ie. 150 lbs ~150 g protein) nutrition: 👉🏼 495 cal 👉🏼 30+ g protein HOPE YOU ENJOY 🥰🫶🏼 tag the fast food chain i should do next in the comments !! 👇🏼 #cava #dietitian #losangelesdietitian #fastfood #weightlosstips ♬ original sound - Hailey Gorski | LA Dietitian
Is Cava Healthier Than Chipotle?
Chipotle is another famous fast-casual brand with a focus on whole foods and health, so many consumers are curious about whether Cava or Chipotle is a healthier option.
We reviewed the entire menu of both companies, and we consider Cava to be slightly healthier than Chipotle due to the sides and drinks.
As mentioned in the ingredient analysis section, Cava offers whole food sides like roasted eggplant with garlic and harissa (chili powder paste with parsley and tomatoes). Chipotle does offer guacamole as a side, but most of their sides are less nutritious such as flour tortillas and chips.
Cava has a zero-calorie tea as a drink option as well as Spindrift drinks (which are just carbonated water and fruit juice).
Chipotle’s drinks other than water all appear to contain added sugar at the time of publishing this article.
For the most part, what you decide to order at either restaurant will determine the healthiness, but we do give the slight edge to Cava.
But how do real people rate the taste of Cava meals? We’ll discuss that in the next section.
Real People Try Cava
A YouTube creator named “CHRISSY DICARA” tried Emma Chamberlain’s Cava bowl for the first time in an unsponsored video:
A YouTube creator named Kylie Madisen has a video trying Cava for the first time that includes the in-restaurant experience:
