If you want CAVA without a grains bowl, you have two clear routes: a pita or a salad. A pita puts the filling in pita bread, so it is easy to carry and eat. A salad keeps the ingredients in a bowl format, without the grains base of a grains bowl. This guide explains the verified pita and salad options, the dips and sides that go with them, and how to order each one without guessing.
Use this guide in three steps. First, choose pita or salad. Second, choose a named option or a build-your-own pita. Third, choose a dip or side, and check the calorie total for the option you chose, because totals vary widely.
Prices vary by location and change often. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any brand mentioned. Confirm in-store / on the official menu before ordering.
Pita Options and Their Verified Calories
The official menu lists three named pitas with a single verified calorie total each, plus a build-your-own pita with a calorie range. Those are the only pita options used in this guide.
Steak + Feta — 820 calories. This pita pairs grilled steak with feta. It is the middle option by calories among the three named pitas, and it is a good first choice if you want steak in a pita format.
Greek Chicken — 720 calories. This is the lowest-calorie named pita in this guide. It pairs grilled chicken with a Greek-style combination, and it is useful if you want a pita but you want the lowest named-pita total.
Spicy Chicken + Avocado — 930 calories. This is the highest-calorie named pita in this guide. It pairs spicy chicken with avocado, so it combines heat with a creamy topping. If you like spicy chicken, this is the named pita built around it, but check the total before you order, because it is 210 calories higher than Greek Chicken.
Build-your-own Pita — 485 to 1340 calories. This is the pita format for building your own combination. The range is wide, because the total depends on the main, toppings and dip or dressing you choose. A lighter combination will sit near the lower end, while a richer combination with a higher-calorie main and dip will sit near the higher end. If you want a more precise figure for your exact pita, ask in store or check the official menu builder for that combination, because this guide does not calculate a total from individual ingredients.
For a build-your-own pita, use the same building order as a bowl: start with the main, then add toppings, then finish with a dip or dressing. The mains seen in the CAVA descriptions include grilled chicken, grilled steak, glazed salmon, spicy lamb meatballs, falafel, and a half falafel and half roasted vegetables option. The toppings seen include tomato and onion, cucumber, pickled onions, feta, olives, pita crisps, sumac cabbage slaw, fiery broccoli, fire-roasted corn and avocado. The dressings seen include Greek goddess dressing, yogurt dill dressing, harissa vinaigrette and garlic dressing. Confirm in store which of those are available for a pita, because availability can vary by format.
How to Choose a Pita
Start with the main. If you want steak, start with Steak + Feta. If you want chicken, choose between Greek Chicken and Spicy Chicken + Avocado, depending on whether you want a Greek-style combination or a spicy combination with avocado. If you want a different main, such as salmon, lamb or falafel, start with a build-your-own pita and ask in store whether that main is available in a pita.
Next, think about whether you want a fixed total or a custom combination. A named pita gives you a single verified total, which makes comparison easy. A build-your-own pita gives you choice, but it also gives you a range rather than a single total, so you need to check your choices more carefully if calories matter to you.
Finally, think about the dip or dressing, because it can change the total. The side dip figures are given later in this guide, and they are worth checking before you add a dip to a pita, especially if you are comparing two pitas that are otherwise similar.
Salad Options and Their Verified Calories
The salad options verified on the official menu for this guide are listed below. They are useful if you want a lighter format than a grains bowl, but the totals still vary, so check each name rather than assuming all salads are similar.
Greek Salad — 580 calories. This is the standard salad-format option in this list. It is a good first choice if you want a salad without a specific main or dressing name in the title.
Greek Goddess Steak Salad — 470 calories. This is the lowest-calorie salad in this guide, and the lowest-calorie curated option across the CAVA bowls and salads guides. It pairs steak with Greek goddess dressing in a salad format.
Greek Goddess Salmon — 700 calories. This pairs salmon with Greek goddess dressing. It is listed as a salad-style option, and it is useful if you want salmon in a salad format rather than in a grains bowl.
Build-your-own Salad Bowl — 185 to 1055 calories. This is the salad format for building your own combination. The range is the widest starting point in the CAVA bowl formats, because a salad can be built very lightly or with richer mains, toppings and dips. Use the same five steps as a bowl: format, base, main, toppings, and dip or dressing, with Salad as your format. The greens stated on the official menu include arugula, baby spinach, romaine and Super Greens.
When choosing a salad, start with the dressing, because it shapes the flavour more than any single topping. Greek goddess dressing is the dressing in two of the three named salads above, so if you like that dressing, those are the natural first choices. If you do not like it, a build-your-own salad lets you choose a different dressing, such as yogurt dill, harissa vinaigrette or garlic dressing, subject to store availability.
Dips and Sides
Dips and sides are the same for pitas, salads and bowls, so the verified figures below apply across all three formats. The official menu lists these side calories: Side Crazy Feta, 210 calories; Side Hummus, 140 calories; Side Tzatziki, 100 calories; Side Red Pepper Hummus, 110 calories; Side Roasted Eggplant, 150 calories; and Side Harissa, 220 calories.
For a pita or salad, compare the dip figure with the main total before you add it. For example, adding Side Harissa at 220 calories to Greek Chicken at 720 calories gives a combined 940 calories for those two items together, before any other toppings or sides. Adding Side Tzatziki at 100 calories instead gives a combined 820 calories for those two items. That comparison is useful, but it is not a total for a complete pita, because toppings and any other sides are not included in that simple addition.
Other sides on the official menu include Harissa BBQ Pita Chips at 280 calories, Classic Pita Chips at 280 calories, and Side Pita at 320 calories. Side Pita is a useful extra if you want more pita with a salad or bowl, while pita chips are a crunchy side. Neither figure should be added to a pita total unless you actually order that side.
Pita, Salad or Bowl: How to Decide
Choose a pita if you want a handheld option that is easy to carry. Choose a salad if you want a bowl format without grains. Choose a grains bowl if you want rice or lentils as the base; the grains bowl guide explains those options in detail. The main, toppings and dressing choices overlap across all three formats, so the format is often the easiest decision, and it should come first.
For ordering, give the full name for a named pita or salad, and confirm the format. For a build-your-own pita or salad, give the format, then the main, then the toppings, then the dip or dressing. Repeat the order back before you pay, especially the main and the dip, because those change the flavour and the total most.
Price varies by location — check in store/app. This guide does not print a price for any pita, salad, dip or side, because the official menu page checked for this guide does not publish national prices. Individual ingredient calories are Not published by the brand in this guide, because no separate verified figure for each ingredient was available in the official menu check for this guide. Only the named totals, the build-your-own ranges and the side figures in this guide are verified.
Related Guides
For the full CAVA menu, see the Cava Menu With Prices guide. For bowls, see the CAVA Bowls Guide. For lower-calorie ordering ideas across several brands, see the Low-Calorie and Keto Drinks Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the named CAVA pitas? Steak + Feta at 820 calories, Greek Chicken at 720 calories, and Spicy Chicken + Avocado at 930 calories. There is also a build-your-own Pita at 485 to 1340 calories.
Which named pita has the fewest calories? Greek Chicken at 720 calories, compared with Steak + Feta at 820 calories and Spicy Chicken + Avocado at 930 calories.
What are the salad options? Greek Salad at 580 calories, Greek Goddess Steak Salad at 470 calories, and Greek Goddess Salmon at 700 calories, plus a build-your-own Salad Bowl at 185 to 1055 calories.
Should I choose a pita or a salad? Choose a pita if you want a handheld option in pita bread. Choose a salad if you want a bowl format without grains. The bowls guide explains the grains bowl format in detail.
What dips go with pitas and salads? The verified side dips are Crazy Feta at 210 calories, Hummus at 140 calories, Tzatziki at 100 calories, Red Pepper Hummus at 110 calories, Roasted Eggplant at 150 calories, and Harissa at 220 calories.
How much does a CAVA pita or salad cost? Price varies by location — check in store/app. This guide does not print a price, because the official menu page checked for this guide does not publish national prices.
Are individual ingredient calories published? Individual ingredient calories are Not published by the brand in this guide. Only the named totals, the build-your-own ranges and the side figures in this guide are verified.
Can I add pita chips or extra pita? Yes, as sides: Harissa BBQ Pita Chips at 280 calories, Classic Pita Chips at 280 calories, and Side Pita at 320 calories. Those figures are for the sides themselves, not part of a named pita or salad total unless you order them.
Last checked: 27 October 2026.
