Cava is not your typical blue and white Greek taverna. The 4-month-old mezze restaurant, wine bar and martini lounge is a new breed, the dream-child of three twenty-something friends.

‘‘What’s different is the food and the ambiance,” says chef Dimitri Moshovitis. ‘‘What we tried to do is Greek food as they know it in Greece.”

Greeks eat out at 8, 9 or 10 o’clock and order a lot of small dishes or mezze, explains partner Ted Xenohristos.

Mezze (pronounced meh zay), Cava’s Web site notes, is ‘‘the pleasure of savoring little plates of food with wine.” These tapas-like dishes, served in portions slightly larger than their Spanish counterparts, are the showcase for Moshovitis’ self-described ‘‘Greek-infused, tavern-style Mediterranean flavors.” After graduating from Baltimore’s International Culinary College, he picked up his savvy at such places as D.C.’s Bistro Bis and Kinkead’s.

The accent is on seafood and grilled meats (pork more so than lamb) and the Greek triumvirate of lemon, oregano and olive oil. The chef lets his creative juices flow with opa opa shrimp, a cream-infused sauté with fresh dill and tomatoes. The opa opa, or wow factor, comes from flambéing with ouzo.

Shrimp loukoumades, named for the popular Greek doughnut dough that coats the shrimp, with harissa-spiced aioli, is another favorite. Baby lamb chops with lemon and oregano, served with golden olive oil-crisped fries and Italian baby octopus marinated in olive oil and vinegar, are grill standouts.

Some recipes, like crab cakes, are not Greek.

‘‘I wanted to cater to everybody,” Moshovitis admits. ‘‘That’s been the success so far.”

Quality is important. ‘‘Every product is the best product we can buy,” Xenohristos says, citing the buttery-textured, imported Dodonis feta and the Plomari ouzo.

‘‘The stuff we use, we use at our houses. [Customers] can taste the difference. We do a dessert, loukoumades (Greek doughnuts), that no one else does. They are hard to make, hard to maintain,” he adds.

The 74-seat Cava has an urban atmosphere, Xenohristos says. Dark wood, exposed red brick, subdued lighting, Greek music and friendly waiters contribute to the Greek taverna ambiance.

‘‘Your waiter becomes your friend for that hour — that’s the Greek way,” Moshovitis explains.

This camaraderie extends between patrons as well.

‘‘On weekends, half the people in the restaurant already know one another,” partner Ike Grigoropoulos observes.

With the restaurant’s name including wine bar and martini lounge, people think we cater to a young crowd, Xenohristos says, but ‘‘We cater to all ages.”

Cava’s two-dozen-plus martinis are half-price on Monday and wines, half of them Greek, are half-price on Tuesdays. ‘‘They are a great value,” Grigoropoulos says, touting the dry red Boutari while Xenohristos champions the dry white Gavala.

Photographs of the owners growing up adorn the walls. Graduates of Quince Orchard, Paint Branch and Gaithersburg high schools respectively, they played ball on the same church team. Xenohristos (whose mother is co-owner of Greek Islands Grill) and Grigoropoulos (whose uncle is a partner in Mamma Lucia) worked together as waiters for 10 years at Mamma Lucia and Olazzo while saving for their own place.

‘‘We’ve been talking about doing this for the last five years,” Grigoropoulos confesses.

With the help of their families, they put together the restaurant themselves.

‘‘We’d work tables, and come here and build. Everything in here is handmade and the food is homemade,” Xenohristos proclaims with pride.

‘‘Business is above and beyond expectation. Extraordinary is probably the best word to use. People in the area have supported us very well,” he acknowledges. ‘‘We’re like a family.”

Indeed. His brother and Moshovitis’ brother and their friends wait tables.

‘‘People can see everyone who works here is happy, the owners are happy.” That’s the Greek way!