It’s obvious Chipotle has taken over the past couple of years. Their extreme success of being a BYOM—build your own meal—restaurant has started the trend in the whole food industry. It all began with the customizable sandwich shops like Subway, but now you can find many other build your own places with things such as pizza, salad, greek fro-yo, and sushi.
And it doesn’t stop there. I thought I had seen them all until I came across COVO, a Greek street food style BYOM restaurant. The set up and the vibe of it all is pretty similar to Chipotle; however, instead of Mexican food, it’s Greek food. It’s almost like Naf Naf Grill, which also started in the nearby neighborhood of Naperville, IL.
Their menu is even set up similar to Chipotle. Instead of tacos and burritos you can get a pita. The rest of the menu items are pretty much similar. You choose what style and protein you want. Then you continue down the line for all the extra fun add-ins. There was so much to choose from like hummus, tomatoes, feta, chickpeas, the list goes on and on.
I ended up getting a bowl because that is what I usually get at Chipotle. I still really wanted a pita since I’m pretty much obsessed with bread, so I got that extra for $1. Totally worth it.
After we found the only seat available in the place, we were able to eat. Yes, I’ll admit that I am a basic white girl who loves Chipotle a lot. But COVO, I swear, was better—gasps, I know.
Words cannot even describe how good it was. I think it came down to the freshness of the ingredients and quality of the chicken I had in my bowl. The colors just added to the greatness.
Another reason why COVO is the bomb is because they have Stubborn Soda. I tried this soda at a food show back last year—perks of being a nutrition major—but I never thought I’d actually see it out. Stubborn has thee coolest soda flavors out there. Black Cherry with Tarragon? Lemon Berry Açaí? Uhm, I’ll take five cups.
As of right now, COVO is only located in Bolingbrook, IL, a southwest suburb of Chicago. So maybe it’s a little too much to take a flight out, but if you are around the area, stopping by at COVO is a must. Maybe just like Naf Naf Grill, it’ll be nationwide in no time.