"How many Mediterranean restaurants do we need in Evans?" That comment was posted in the Let's Talk Augusta community and quoted by Augusta Business Daily in September. It came right after the news that YABA Mediterranean Grill was coming to Washington Road. Another commenter put it more plainly: "There will literally be 3 Mediterranean restaurants within a mile of each other."
CAVA, Laziza and YABA are in three separate shopping centers, and each center is turning into a different kind of stop. CAVA's pad pairs a drive-thru with a new bakery next door. Laziza has been the Mediterranean tenant at the Publix center since before 2018, and breakfast and dessert businesses are now arriving around it. YABA will share its center with a barbecue counter and a butcher shop. In Evans, the shopping center you're already headed to will usually decide which Mediterranean spot you pick, more than the menu will.
Mullins Colony: The Drive-Thru Pad That Now Has a Bakery
CAVA opened at 560 Mullins Colony Dr. on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. The Augusta Press reported that on opening day the parking lot was mostly full, the drive-thru was busy and the dining room had a line. The opening came a day after a community event that collected donations for Golden Harvest Food Bank. Eleven months later, it's the Mediterranean option you can get without leaving the car.
The pad changed this month. Paris Baguette opened its Evans store next to CAVA, which Augusta Business Daily reported on Oct. 15. It's a grab-and-go bakery café, and the opening prices give a sense of the counter:
- Macarons for $3
- Sticky Milk Buns for $4.59
- A mini Caramel Apple Streusel Tart for $5.99
- Stuffed Croissants for $5 to $6
- A slice of Ganache Cream Cake for $8
- Whole cakes around $50
It also carries fresh bread, grab-and-go sandwiches, roasted coffee and lattes. The Evans store is the first of two the company planned for the area. The second is going into an end-cap unit at Aiken Towne Park, on the site of the former Aiken mall.
One practical detail affects how you'll use this pad. Augusta Business Daily noted that parking can be tight with two busy restaurants sharing the space in front of the shopping center, and some customers may need to park in the center and walk over. That suits a quick drive-thru order or a box of pastries. For a sit-down lunch, it's harder.
News coverage hasn't settled on the center's name. The Augusta Press calls it Mullins Crossing and Augusta Business Daily calls it Mullins Colony. Search 560 Mullins Colony Dr. and you'll find it.
4272 Washington Road: The Publix Center Is Becoming a Morning Stop
This is the center where the change shows most, and it has the longest history.
Laziza opened in Evans in 2011. By 2018 the owners had moved to a larger space at the Publix center, according to an Augusta University profile of local restaurants. Its address is 4272 Washington Road, Suite 8A. The menu has platters of roasted meats with rice, pita, hummus and a side; meat or falafel wraps; and salads and bowls. It has since added locations in downtown Augusta and Aiken, which makes it the only one of the three Evans Mediterranean spots that started here.
What's new at this center is the time of day it serves. WJBF reported in September that Biscuit Belly was set to open on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 4274 Washington Road, Suite 2, with a grand opening celebration planned for Friday, Oct. 9. It's a brunch-only restaurant, and these were the hours announced ahead of the opening:
| Days | Announced hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Friday to Sunday | 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Biscuit Belly is a Kentucky-based chain, and Evans is its third Georgia location. The founders, Chad and Lauren Coulter, are originally from Georgia. "There's something extra special about bringing Biscuit Belly back to our Georgia roots, and we can't think of a better place to do it than Evans," Lauren Coulter told WJBF. WJBF placed the restaurant in "Evans Town Centre," but the address puts it next door to Laziza.
Dessert is coming too. WJBF reported in August that The Peach Cobbler Factory plans a franchise at 4272 Washington Road, Unit 4, selling cobblers, cookies, brownies and cheesecakes. As of that report, no opening date had been announced and the company website listed Evans as "coming soon." The Evans store has its own Facebook page, which is the best place to check for an opening date.
Once the cobbler shop opens, one parking lot will cover a full day of food: biscuits in the morning, a Laziza platter at lunch or dinner, and cobbler afterward. Laziza has been the steady tenant here for years, and the businesses opening around it are filling in the hours before and after its meals.
4446 Washington Road: YABA Joins a Barbecue and Butcher Center
The third Mediterranean spot is the newest and still on its way. Augusta Business Daily reported on Sept. 22 that YABA Mediterranean Grill will replace Rally Point Grille in the center shared with Shane's BBQ and NY Butcher Shoppe. Its menu will include made-to-order shawarma, falafel, gyros and bowls. Both neighbors list 4446 Washington Road as the center's address.
Evans will be YABA's third location. The other two are in North Carolina, including the Raleigh restaurant at 9424 Falls of Neuse Road. When the September report came out, the banner had been up for a few months and the report gave no opening date. Treat it as coming soon, and check before you drive over.
YABA's neighbors set it apart from the other two. CAVA's pad is built for a fast stop and Laziza's center is turning into a breakfast-to-dessert row. At 4446, the other tenants sell smoked meat and fresh cuts. Shawarma there serves a different kind of trip.
Picking One by Errand, Not by Menu
Treat the three as a menu comparison and they do look redundant. Sort them by where you'll already be, and each has its own place:
- Drive-thru at CAVA, 560 Mullins Colony Dr. Order without getting out of the car, and add Paris Baguette pastries next door if you can find parking.
- Linger at Laziza, 4272 Washington Road. This is the long-running local option, and it now shares a lot with Biscuit Belly's brunch and, eventually, The Peach Cobbler Factory.
- Combine an errand with YABA at 4446 Washington Road once it opens, alongside the barbecue counter and the butcher shop.
Making a November Saturday Out of It
November gives the corridor a weekend schedule. Columbia County's calendar lists the Evans Market at The Market, 1005 Market Street, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on four Saturdays: Nov. 7, 14, 21 and 28. Biscuit Belly's announced Saturday hours run from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., which leaves room for breakfast before the market or a late brunch after it closes.
The evenings are busy that month too. Jackson Dean plays Evans Towne Center Park on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. At the Columbia County Performing Arts Center, Mannheim Steamroller is on Thursday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. The next night, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m., is Blackberry Smoke's 25th Anniversary Tour. Jersey Boys plays Tuesday, Nov. 24. On a concert night, a takeout bag from CAVA's drive-thru or a Laziza platter is an easy dinner before the show.
The new tenants on Washington Road are moving into centers that already draw a crowd, and they're adding hours and occasions those centers didn't cover before. If you're thinking about how your own Evans home would show to buyers who want to be close to this corridor, The Moss Group can walk you through it. Request a complimentary home valuation or schedule a consultation with Lisa.
