NAYA vs CAVA: Which Is Healthier? (Calories & Protein Compared)

NAYA and CAVA run the same format: greens or grain base, protein, unlimited toppings, Mediterranean sauces. The differences come down to a few items. NAYA's rotisserie chicken and vermicelli rice are lighter than anything comparable at CAVA, CAVA's black lentils give it a protein base NAYA can't match, and NAYA's two dressings are the heaviest sauces on either menu.

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. Check any of these against the full NAYA nutrition facts or our CAVA Macro Calculator.

Proteins: NAYA Runs Leaner, CAVA Runs Bigger

NAYA's rotisserie chicken is 120 calories for 25g of protein, the leanest protein on either menu by a distance. The leanest at CAVA, grilled steak, is 170 for 23g. CAVA's grilled chicken at 28g is the most protein in a single serving at either chain.

The falafel numbers are far apart. NAYA's six falafel are 300 calories with 13g of protein. CAVA's falafel is 350 calories with 6g. If that's your protein, NAYA wins.

CAVA has proteins NAYA doesn't: harissa honey chicken, braised lamb, grilled steak, lamb meatballs and salmon. NAYA has rotisserie chicken, braised beef shawarma and kafta lamb kebab that CAVA doesn't carry. Where both overlap (chicken, falafel), NAYA is the lower calorie option.

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 higher depending on how heavy you go on dips.

Bases: NAYA's Rice Is Lighter, CAVA Has the Lentils

CAVA's black lentils are 270 calories with 18g of protein before you've picked anything else. NAYA has nothing close. Its highest-protein base, tri-color quinoa, is 200 calories for 6g.

On greens, the two are effectively the same: NAYA's seasonal greens are 30 calories with 2g of protein, CAVA's SuperGreens 35 with 3g. NAYA's romaine is lighter still at 15.

On rice, NAYA's vermicelli rice at 150 calories is the lightest grain on either menu. CAVA's lightest grain is saffron basmati at 290. If you want rice and you're watching calories, NAYA is the only one of the two where it's under 200. Even NAYA's heaviest base, tri-color quinoa at 200, is lighter than any grain or lentil base at CAVA.

Dips and Sauces: NAYA's Dressings Are the Trap

NAYA's Greek dressing and pomegranate vinaigrette are 270 calories each with 29g of fat, the heaviest sauces on either menu and 90 calories more than CAVA's garlic dressing. Lemon tahini does the same job at both chains for 70.

Hummus is the other gap. As a NAYA bowl topping it's 150 calories. At CAVA, hummus is a dip at 50. Swapping NAYA's hummus for cucumber yogurt saves 115 calories on its own.

CAVA has two creamy sauces at 30 calories, yogurt dill and tzatziki. NAYA's lightest is cucumber yogurt at 35. Close, but CAVA gives you more options at the light end.

Calorie Traps at Each

At NAYA: Greek dressing and pomegranate vinaigrette (270 cal, 29g fat each) are the biggest single traps. Hummus as a topping (150 cal) is next, then tahini Caesar (140) and zesty jalapeño sauce (110), which people tend to 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 heaviest protein, and it carries only 6g of protein. 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 more than twice the calories (680 vs 285). Most of the gap is the 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

NAYA's bowl is 65 calories lighter, and CAVA's delivers 9 more grams of protein. The NAYA hummus topping (150 cal) is doing a lot of the work that CAVA's 50-calorie hummus dip doesn't. Drop it and the NAYA bowl is 480 calories with 29g of protein.

Lowest Calorie Bowl

NAYA takes the low-calorie category, 235 calories against 295, for 2g less protein. The rotisserie chicken does it: 120 calories for 25g, against 170 for 23g for CAVA's grilled steak.

The Bottom Line

Pick CAVA if: You want the lentil protein base (18g before you add anything), more protein per serving, or more low-calorie dressing options. The 53g protein greens build has no NAYA equivalent.

Pick NAYA if: You want the lightest possible calorie count, Lebanese proteins like rotisserie chicken or kafta lamb that CAVA doesn't have, or 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.

If protein per portion is all you care about: Luna Grill's chicken kabob is 280 calories for 44g of protein, more in one serving than any protein at NAYA or CAVA. It comes as a plate rather than a bowl, so the sides decide the total, and the Luna Grill calorie calculator adds them up.

Build either order: NAYA Macro Calculator | CAVA Macro Calculator

Nutrition from NAYA's June 2026 nutrition guide and CAVA's nutrition information. Values may vary by location.