NAYA vs CAVA Nutrition: Calories, Protein & Macros Compared

NAYA and CAVA run the same format — greens or grain base, protein, unlimited toppings, Mediterranean sauces — but the numbers are more different than the menus suggest. Calorie gaps of 200+ show up on comparable builds depending on what you order and where.

One thing to know upfront: NAYA is NYC only, a handful of locations. CAVA has 300+ nationwide. Outside New York, CAVA is your only option between the two. In NYC, people who know both tend to split — NAYA for flavor and lighter builds, CAVA for variety and Crazy Feta.

All data is from official published nutrition information for both restaurants. Build and verify any of these in our NAYA Macro Calculator or CAVA Macro Calculator.

Proteins: NAYA Runs Leaner, CAVA Has More Options

NAYA's Chicken Kebab is 150 calories for 20g of protein — the leanest option on either menu. CAVA's Grilled Steak at 170 calories for 23g is close. NAYA's Beef Shawarma at 259 calories for 31g is the highest raw protein across both chains.

The falafel numbers are far apart. NAYA falafel: 220 calories, 12g protein. CAVA falafel: 350 calories, 6g protein. If that's your protein, NAYA wins by a wide margin.

CAVA has proteins NAYA doesn't — Harissa Honey Chicken and Braised Lamb. NAYA has Beef Shawarma and Kafta Lamb Kebab that CAVA doesn't carry. Where both overlap (chicken, falafel), NAYA is the lower calorie option.

NAYA's two most popular proteins are chicken shawarma and chicken kebab. NAYA sources its beef shawarma and kafta lamb from Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, worth knowing if sourcing matters to you.

One thing the tables don't show: NAYA offers unlimited toppings and makes it a selling point. In practice, most people stack 4-6 dips and toppings — hummus, feta, baba ghannouj, sumac onions, cucumbers, tomatoes. The builds below are optimized. Your real-world NAYA bowl will likely run 50-150 calories higher depending on how heavy you go on dips.

Bases: Very Different Calorie Profiles

CAVA's black lentils are 270 calories with 18g of protein before you've picked anything else. NAYA has nothing close. NAYA's Brown Rice with Lentils is 450 calories for 11g of protein — more calories, less protein.

On greens, both are effectively the same. NAYA Seasonal Greens: 35 cal, 4g protein. CAVA SuperGreens: 35 cal, 3g protein.

On rice, NAYA's Vermicelli Rice at 150 calories is the lightest base on either menu. CAVA's lowest grain option is Saffron Basmati at 290 calories. If you want rice and you're watching calories, NAYA is the only place to get it under 200 calories.

The trap: NAYA's Brown Rice with Lentils at 450 calories and 94g carbs is the heaviest base on either menu. It's filling, but know what you're starting with.

Dips and Sauces: The Hummus Gap

The biggest trap at NAYA is hummus. As a bowl topping it's 230 calories. At CAVA, hummus is a dip at 50 calories. Same ingredient, different portion. Swapping NAYA hummus for cucumber yogurt saves 195 calories on its own.

CAVA has two finishing sauces under 35 calories — Yogurt Dill (30 cal) and Tzatziki (30 cal). NAYA's lightest is Cucumber Yogurt at 35 calories. Close, but CAVA gives you more low-calorie options in the creamy sauce category.

Tahini is the same at both — 70 calories.

Calorie Traps at Each

At NAYA: Hummus as a topping (230 cal) is the biggest single trap. Brown Rice with Lentils (450 cal) is the heaviest base option on either menu. Pomegranate Vinaigrette (270 cal, 29g fat) is a dressing that can quietly wreck a low-calorie build. Zesty Jalapeño Sauce at 110 calories is another one people miss.

At CAVA: Garlic Dressing (180 cal, 20g fat) and Greek Vinaigrette (130 cal, 14g fat) are the dressing traps. Falafel at 350 calories is the worst protein choice if you're watching calories. Crazy Feta (70 cal) is CAVA's most talked-about topping and it's moderate on its own, but people tend to add it on top of an already-heavy dip selection. Avocado (110 cal) stacks fast alongside any of the creamy dips.

On price: NAYA generally runs slightly cheaper than CAVA per bowl. Both are in the $13-17 range depending on location, but if cost is a factor in the decision it tends to tilt toward NAYA.

Head-to-Head Builds

High Protein Greens Bowl

CAVA wins on protein (53g vs 30g) but costs nearly double the calories (680 vs 370). The gap is entirely from lentils — 18g of protein and 270 calories in one ingredient. Go NAYA if calories are the constraint, CAVA if protein is the target.

Grain Bowl

Nearly identical calories (695 vs 710) but CAVA delivers 7 more grams of protein. The NAYA build's hummus topping (230 cal) is doing heavy lifting on calories that CAVA's hummus dip (50 cal) doesn't. If you order NAYA and swap hummus topping for cucumber yogurt, the bowl drops to roughly 530 calories — much closer to what you'd expect from a grain bowl.

Lowest Calorie Bowl

CAVA takes the low-calorie category. 295 calories versus 320 — both are genuinely light builds. CAVA edges it because Grilled Steak at 170 calories is the most calorie-efficient protein on either menu.

The Bottom Line

Pick CAVA if: You want the lentil protein base (18g before you add anything), you want more low-calorie dressing options, or you're going high-protein on a grain bowl. The 53g protein greens build is hard to replicate anywhere in fast casual.

Pick NAYA if: You want the lightest possible calorie count, you want Lebanese proteins like Beef Shawarma or Kafta Lamb that CAVA doesn't have, or you want rice under 200 calories. NAYA builds on greens or vermicelli rice consistently come in lighter than comparable CAVA builds.

If you're in NYC with access to both: NAYA for greens-based low-calorie builds, CAVA for high-protein grain bowls with lentils.

Build either order: NAYA Macro Calculator | CAVA Macro Calculator

All nutrition data from official published nutrition information for both restaurants. Values may vary by location.