Cava Wine Bar and Restaurant

The only thing worth going back for, is the main dish, the chicken and the scallop dishes were amazing and worth having again. The dessert was subpar; the crème brûlée was a goopy soup of condensed milk! For a wine bar, I was surprised that there were only 10 red wines on the menu served by the glass, no option for bottles. Also, their service was not impressive; we had to ask for the bread, he brought a full martini glass without a tray and spilled half of it before it came to us, basically everyone was just too nonchalant and you expect better for a new canaan wine bar. The ambience is cool though, does remind you of a cave!

Another drop in to Cava, but this time with a girl friend. From start to finish we were happy! We sat down for a leisurely catch up dinner beginning at 6:30, and never intended to stay until 11pm, but funny enough thats exactly what we did. Not once were we made to feel we were overstaying our welcome… instead it was just the opposite. A truly delightful evening. We enjoyed everything from the incredibly delicious Brussels sprout fontina salad, artichoke salad, minestrone soup to the profiteroles dessert and everything in between… Wine, Bass for my friend and the hanger steak with chimchurri sauce for me… I guess you could say we’re foodies and we were hungry! Haha Cava did not disappoint on any level. From the attentive smiling wait staff, to the spot on wine recommendation, to the delicious food, and ambiance, this restaurant is a keeper!

Hidden Jewel in New Canaan. Finally, an adorable restaurant with a chef who knows how to create and execute to perfection. Not an easy task, especially with me doing the taste testing. The food was divine! Honestly, I did not feel for a single second I had to get into the kitchen myself to correct a meal, as I often do in most places. Fortunately/​unfortunately I am a person who can out-​cook many people, making it awkward going into a restaurant. I have a hard time enjoying most meals because the perfectionist in me has many opinions as to how a dish should be prepared. What a truly refreshing experience for me at Cava. I was able to gloriously sit back and enjoy every single morsel. My fork visited my husband’s selections upon his urging. He was in heaven and after my fork hit my mouth, indeed, so was I. Each dish was exquisitely seasoned, textures mastered and artistically presented. Restaurants brag about homemade pasta. Well, just because it’s homemade doesn’t mean that restaurant got it right. At Cava Cava they got it right! Yes for taste and yes for correct texture! We shall definitely return for Cava Cava specifically, not just because we happen to be in New Canaan. Make it a point to go. You will walk away a happy camper.

I enjoyed a good meal here once before but this past weekend was an awesome surprise and superb. Nice atmosphere, service just a wee slow but really ok overall.
Now then: Brussel sprouts app, trust me, this is an absolutely new way to present the oft maligned sprout and it was exceptional! Presentation and flavor 10 STARS!
1) Brussels Sprouts Salad — Fontina risotto cake, hazelnuts, parmesan, truffle vinaigrette
My wife had a nice fish special while a friend and I shared: Spaghetti & veal meatballs and veal Milanese. The spaghetti was al dente, home made a among the best I’ve ever had. Meatballs were excellent. The Milanese was pounded to perfection, flavored exactly right and served along with the arugula salad from heaven.
2) Veal Milanese* — Lemon aioli, baby arugula salad, plum tomatoes, garlic, basil, shaved parmesan
3) Spaghetti & Meatballs
Desert topped off with a crêpe with rasberry sauce and a Chocalate Lava cake, both were light, not too rich at all and nice toppers to a superb meal
1) Chocolate Lava — Chocolate molten cake, vanilla gelato and berry glaze
Strong recommend, their chef is hitting on all cylinders right now.

Cava is a great little find in New Canaan. I am not sure if they named it Cava because it’s a bit like a cave when you go in, but it works.
There is a bar in the back which is a bit dark, but it’s a good place to get a glass of wine while waiting for your table. The service is very attentive, and I loved the touch of using a fancy wine decanter for the wine for the table.
We started with the antipasto, which was a good spread of meat and cheese that was enough to feed the four of us.
We each had a salad course — and the mista with the goat cheese was a nice touch with a light dressing and the cheese to offer a bit of protein and offset the bite of the dressing.
For my meal, I had the tagliatelle, which was a bit more like linguini, with sausage and broccoli. There was so much sausage and it was the crumbly kind of sausage. Yum.
Too full for dessert, but there were lots of options. Definitely on the New Canaan list to return to.

This place is amazing. I came for lunch one day and it was delicious. It’s a two course fix menu for $ 17. I had the Salmon Tartare which was excellent. The salad that came with it had a delicious like dressing. Then the parpadelle which was phenomenal! It had black truffle infused cheese sauce with some fresh grated cheese on top. To top it all off I had the Albariño to drink which paired perfectly with both dishes! I highly recommend coming here.

Cava has become one of my family’s favorite dining options in New Canaan. Located on Forest Street, the restaurant is confined within the walls of a small basement. Despite it’s small size, I do think the seating arrangements are comfortable, but can certainly understand where others may feel congested. The ambiance of the restaurant is nice, but does feel too dark at times. They do also have a small wine bar, that I would guess seats six to ten people comfortably.
Regarding the menu, Cava offers various Italian dishes, ranging between pastas, pizzas and fish. Cava’s gnocchi still remains the best I have ever had, even after recently visiting Italy. Their personal margherita pizza is also a favorite of mine, prepared in their wood-​burning brick oven.
The staff at Cava is top-​notch, always both friendly and attentive. Out of the countless times I have dined here, I can not remember ever being disappointed with the service. The prices are expensive, but I believe the food and service justifies them.
My one complaint with Cava is the consistency of their menu and specials. After having dined here for a number of years, I wish Cava would add/​substitute menu items more frequently. While they do offer specials, the specials tend to be the same.
Overall, I think Cava is a great dining option when looking for some Italian food in New Canaan.

I love the ambiance, love the food & love the wine list! They hand make all of their own pastas and it’s so amazing! I’ve been here with my mom a few times and I’ve brought friends here on a few occasions, each time has been great, love this place– especially in the spring/​summer!

I believe there was a change in the chef. Years ago the food here was good. (and the dessert!)
Visit in May one dish had to be returned. The other wasn’t too edible either.
If you go, stick to the vino.

Excellent food, service, atmosphere and wine menu.

Just not a fan.
The restaurant is cramped, hot and lacking.
Visited with 3 girlfriends on a busy Saturday night. Tables feel like they’re stacked on top of one another and the heat the pizza oven throws off is unreal. We went through water after water trying to cool off… on a freezing night in February!
I think the wine list is pretty nice, with some nice Italian choices.
Menu was comprehensive. Others were pleased with their choices of a simple salad and pizza. I though my scallop dish had entirely too much pepper, giving the dish a one-​note, forgettable flavor. I pushed the scallops to the side and ate the risotto cakes and beets the dish was served with. I though that was a random pairing but I liked them well enough. Another friend ordered seafood risotto and she thought the rice was too gloppy but the seafood was prepared nicely.
For desert we split a chocolate lava cake and tiramisu. The presentation of the tiramisu was pretty but the lava cake arrived deflated and melting all over the plate. Our waiter scurried away after he dropped that mess on the table.
Service was okay. Nothing special. Would not return.

I visited this restaurant recently with a large group of family and was extremely impressed with both the décor and the wait staff. However, for an Italian restaurant I thought the updates on some classic flavors were a little too crazy for me. However, I would go back to try some other dishes. I recommend this place for a group of adults, adventurous eaters, and couples looking for a romantic spot to dine.
Décor: Slightly subterranean with lots of exposed rock. Felt a little bit like I was eating in a cave. Tables weren’t too close though, which was great, and the dining room had excellent romantic lighting.
Service: Attentive and unobtrusive. Everything came out on time and piping hot, so no complaints.
Food: Not a fan of some of the crazier combinations. I started out with the grilled octopus — it was cooked perfectly but I though pairing it with a lentil salad, avocado, and cherry tomatoes wasn’t quite right. Plus the dish was more about the lentils than the octopus. My dad had these great flash fried artichoke hearts, but the sliced raw jalapeño they came with again was very strange. I thought a great pepperoncini would have been much better. For my main, I had pasta with chicken and wild mushrooms which was just ok. I thought it was a little bland and the «wild» mushrooms looked pretty ordinary. For the price, I would have loved to eat a couple delicious morels.
However, my boyfriend had one of the best duck dishes to ever touch my lips. It was perfectly roasted and absolutely succulent. It came with a side of butternut squash with some kind of vinegar (?) mixed in that gave it the perfect acidic note. This is what I would definitely order the next time I go. My aunt and uncle also swear by the butternut squash soup, though I didn’t get to have a taste.
So, all in all I had to give this restaurant just three stars for some weird pairings that I don’t think worked very well. But, everything we ate was cooked perfectly. My advice is to peruse the menu carefully and be open to untraditional Italian.

Cava is a great choice for a delicious meal. The pastas and pizzas are fantastic. My favorite pastas are the papardelle and cavatelli with chicken and the sausage and broccoli rabe. For pizza, I highly recommend the chicken and mushroon, which is a delightful combination full of flavor (plenty of garlic). For entrees, the specials are normally the highlight and consider these on your visit.

Not so good. The meatballs were hard (seemed like they were microwaved)…pasta was mealy… I won’t be going back anytime soon

I’ve had two meals at Cava recently while visiting family. We enjoyed lunch there so much that we went back for dinner another day. Both times we came at off peak hours and had no issue with noise or crowds. I have eaten in many fine Italian restaurants and found that Cava’s menu contained many winning dishes, including fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with ricotta, a great tri-​colore salad with gorgonzola and pine nuts, simple but elegant grilled salmon, lobster and scallops with sweet corn and mushrooms, and a great coconut cake served with chocolate sauce and a scoop of gelato. The wine list is extensive with interesting Italian finds. The dinner menu had extensive seafood offerings. I have to go back to try some pasta!

My parents really like this place for some reason. Maybe it’s because there are only two real options for Italian food in New Canaan.
I personally, think it’s declined in recent years. Back in the day of Prezzo’s, this place had a Motorcycle on the wall. I swear once they removed that timeless piece of American muscle it’s been all down hill.
Last time I was there my Salad was unwashed [covered in sand or something] and my main course was «meh.»

Cava has been a favorite of ours for the past couple of years. Great environment and the food is great. We take the kids if we go for a 530 dinner but after 7 we go with are adult friends. Great time…

Good array of choices on the menu, nice prep and presentation and even more gracious and attentive owners/​hosts. Despite the din in the dining room crammed with the local Polo clad gentry, this is a solid standard… but turn down your hearing aid.

Excellent pasta dishes, nice ambiance, but can be VERY loud when busy.
Great wine selection with lot’s of non-​American choices. Good service and good food at a fair price.

Cava is a cool little grotto of deliciousness, tucked into the corner of Forest street in downtown New Canaan, next to the perennial Lily Pulitzer faves Gates and Tequila Mockingbird. The difference here (and great surprise!) is the new Italian fare is REALLY worth the designated driver! Coming out to the burbs from NYC can be jilting for the foodie, but I was at home with the gourmet menu and fresh seafood fare.
Its not 5 stars, despite the grotto ambiance and great service, because I think they made a mis-​step on the tables and chairs. I couldn’t help thinking they were elft over from a school dining hall– I think they should have gone the extra mile and made it feel more rustic inside.