A new restaurant with Mediterranean flavors has opened in this busy Columbia neighborhood
A former coffee shop spot in the heart of Columbia now has a new tenant.
Cava, the fast-casual Mediterranean chain that has locations in nearly two dozen states, as well as several stores in the Midlands, recently opened a new location at 831 Gervais St., in the Vista shopping and dining district. The new Cava is near the intersection of Gervais and Lincoln streets, not far from the Blue Marlin restaurant.
The storefront at 831 Gervais was the former longtime home of a Starbucks coffee shop, but that closed in late 2021.
Cava’s menu allows diners to customize bowls, starting with a base such as salad, grains or pita, and then add on various dips, spreads, meats, and vegetables. It also offers a host of pitas and other items. The company has locations in more than 20 states, according to a locator tool on its website.
There are several other Cava locations in the Midlands, including spots in Lexington, Forest Acres and Irmo, as well as a location on Two Notch Road in Columbia. Most of those locations were previously Zoes Kitchen restaurants but later changed over to Cava. According to industry publication QSR Magazine, the company behind Cava purchased the Zoës chain in a $300 million deal several years ago.
