Detroit’s 2025 Best New Restaurants & Dining Experiences
We count down the Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Top 10 New Restaurants and Dining Experiences for 2025.
A summer opening is planned for Cava, a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant, in downtown Detroit, near Campus Martius Park.The menu at Cava at focuses on healthy, nutrient rich options, bowls including proteins like spicy lamb meatballs and falafel.
A nationwide Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant is entering Michigan, opening its first location in downtown Detroit this summer.
Cava, known for its customizable bowls, pitas and sides of dips and specialty hummus, announced a new location at 636 Woodward Ave., next to Shake Shack and steps from Campus Martius Park.
Ike Grigoropoulos, Dimitri Moshovitis, and Ted Xenohristos — sons of first-generations Greek immigrants — founded Cava. The trio along with co-founder Brett Schulman opened Cava in 2010 with a mission to “share the food they loved in an accessible fast-casual format,” its website says.
Since its founding, Cava has opened hundreds of restaurants nationwide.
“Their commitment to bold, healthy food and vibrant community experiences aligns perfectly with the energy that defines Detroit. We’re delighted to introduce high-quality brands like CAVA to the heart of the city,” Naumann Idrees, Bedrock’s Senior Vice President of Leasing, said in a news release.
Cava’s menu pays homage to Mediterranean fare and traditions such as big Sunday lunches the friends grew up with that included “slow-roasted lamb, lemony potatoes, lots of olives and bowls of tzatziki.”
With Cava’s customizable bowls, you can choose from greens like arugula, spinach and super greens or grains like saffron basmati rice paired with proteins, a wide variety of vegetables, sauces and dressings. Proteins to choose from include chicken, steak, falafel and its spicy lamb meatballs.
The restaurant’s spicy lamb and avocado bowl features its lamb meatballs with a spicy kick from harissa and its signature crazy feta that’s paired with avocado, red pepper hummus, cucumber, pickled onions, tomato and onion, black lentils, super greens and lemon herb tahini. Cava’s signature crazy feta is a dip made with whipped feta mixed with jalapeño, onions and olive oil.
The pita sandwiches offerings include selections of crispy falafel, steak, Greek and garlic chicken. Its menu also features sides of pita, dips and spreads like tzatziki and red pepper hummus.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.