How to Order at CAVA.

Image courtesy of Tasting Table

CAVA is one of the easiest places to build a Balanced Meal because you choose your base, Quality Protein, dips, vegetables and toppings separately. The thing to watch is how quickly rice, lentils, hummus, sweet potato, corn and pita can all end up in the same bowl.

Start with greens and Quality Protein, choose the Complex Carb you actually want, then add your Healthy Fats and plenty of vegetables.

Build Your Meal

Quality Protein
Grilled chicken
Grilled steak
Spicy lamb meatballs
Glazed salmon
Falafel for a plant-based option
Larger appetite or higher protein needs: add extra protein

Non-Starchy Veggies
Power Greens
Romaine
Spinach
Broccoli
Persian cucumber
Tomato + onion
Sumac slaw
Pickled onions

Healthy Fats, pick two
Avocado
Tzatziki
Crazy Feta®
Feta
Tahini-based dressing
Skhug

Complex Carbs (Optional), choose one
Brown rice
Saffron basmati rice
Black lentils
White sweet potato
Hummus or roasted red pepper hummus
Fire-roasted corn
Pita or pita chips

Skipping the Complex Carb?
Build your base around greens, add extra vegetables and choose an additional Healthy Fat if you want one.

Make It Your Own

Build Your Own Greens Bowl
This is my first choice at CAVA. Start with Power Greens or another greens base. Add grilled chicken, steak, lamb meatballs or salmon for your Quality Protein, then load up on cucumbers, tomato + onion, broccoli and slaw. Choose one Complex Carb if having one, then finish with your Healthy Fats and dressing.

Harissa Chicken Power Bowl
Harissa honey chicken, white sweet potato, Power Greens, Crazy Feta®, hummus, sumac slaw, tomato + onion, broccoli, cucumber, avocado, skhug and yogurt dill dressing. There is a lot going on here. Keep the white sweet potato as your Complex Carb and skip the hummus if you want to simplify the bowl. You already have several Healthy Fat choices, so pick the ones you actually want. 

Spicy Lamb + Sweet Potato Bowl
Spicy lamb meatballs, white sweet potato, Power Greens, brown rice, tzatziki, roasted red pepper hummus, sumac slaw, pickled onions, feta, cucumber and tomatoes with tahini Caesar. Choose the white sweet potato or brown rice as your main Complex Carb rather than automatically keeping both. You can also simplify the hummus depending on what you choose. 

Salmon + Strawberry Sesame Bowl
Glazed salmon over brown rice and spinach with tzatziki, roasted red pepper hummus, Persian cucumber, feta, tomato + onion, sumac slaw and strawberry sesame dressing. Keep the brown rice as your Complex Carb, load up on the vegetables and choose the Healthy Fats you actually want. The salmon is made with a pomegranate glaze, so this is a sweetened protein rather than the simplest protein choice. 

Salmon + Yogurt Dill Bowl
Glazed salmon over arugula and saffron basmati rice with hummus, Crazy Feta®, fire-roasted corn, tomato + onion, Persian cucumber and yogurt dill dressing. This one stacks rice, hummus and corn. Keep the rice as your Complex Carb and simplify the hummus and corn, or choose whichever one you actually want. 

Build Your Own Vegetarian Bowl
Start with greens and falafel, then add plenty of Non-Starchy Veggies. Choose lentils, hummus, rice or sweet potato as your Complex Carb rather than automatically stacking several of them, then add your Healthy Fats.

Watch Out For

• The carb stack. Rice + lentils + hummus + sweet potato + corn + pita can all make their way into one bowl. You do not need to avoid carbs. Choose the one you actually want.

• Pita on autopilot. If you want pita, have it. Just make it your Complex Carb rather than automatically adding it to a bowl that already contains rice, lentils or sweet potato.

• Pita chips. Same principle. They are part of the meal, not an invisible topping.

• Sweetened proteins. Harissa Honey Chicken and the current Glazed Salmon both contain sweet components. They can still fit. For a simpler everyday Quality Protein, choose an unsweetened option.

• Dip and dressing stacking. Hummus + Crazy Feta® + tzatziki + avocado + tahini dressing can turn into a lot of extras. Choose the ones you actually love.

Notes

• For the general rules, see how to order at a restaurant for weight loss.

• Build Your Own is my first choice at CAVA because you have complete control over the proportions of your meal.

• You do not automatically need extra protein. Choose the portion that fits your appetite and needs.

• Skipping your Complex Carb? Build around greens and vegetables and choose an additional Healthy Fat if you want one.

• Lentils and hummus contain both protein and carbohydrate. In the Eat Shed Glow® Method, count them as your Complex Carb rather than relying on them as your primary Quality Protein.

• CAVA brought white sweet potatoes back in January 2026 along with Power Greens and Sumac Slaw. 

• Glazed Salmon launched nationwide in April 2026 and can be added to Build Your Own bowls as well as the salmon Chef Curations. 

• CAVA changes seasonal Chef Curations and menu items, so check the current menu when ordering.

• If you have celiac disease or a food allergy, check CAVA’s current allergen information. CAVA says its kitchens use shared preparation areas and cannot guarantee that an item is allergen-free. 

• This is your Protein Bowl, built at a counter.