Get ready to trade your fries for harissa-spiced pita chips. According to a recently filed building permit, Cava is planning its first Columbus location. And it’s setting up shop where the Polaris Shake Shack once stood.
While the brand hasn’t made anything official yet (no announcement, no date, just vibes and construction permits), the signs are clear: Central Ohio is about to get its first taste of Cava’s fast-casual Mediterranean magic.
What is Cava?
For the uninitiated, Cava is like if a grain bowl and a gyro had a very stylish, health-conscious baby. The menu is full of delicious goodies, like toasty warm rice, spicy lamb meatballs, creamy hummus, and those dangerously good Hot Harissa Chips — all customizable, all fresh, and all very Instagrammable.
Cava, crowned “Best Healthy Chain” by USA Today readers, got its start in Rockville, Maryland back in 2006, and it’s been expanding like a well-fed sourdough starter ever since. Today, Cava has hundreds of locations across nearly 30 states, but this Polaris spot will be its first-ever in Central Ohio.
No official word yet on when the doors will open, but we’re already dreaming of tahini dressing and garlic sauce. Stay tuned. We’ll keep you updated faster than a pita pocket disappears during lunch rush.
