Cafe Layal

This restaurant is mediocre compared to other Arabic restaurants in Houston. The food is good, but the menu is not diverse. They only offer a limited variety of common Arabic and Middle Eastern food. I prefer Layal at Hilcroft to this one. They have much more beautiful atmosphere and a menu with a very good variety of options.

an absolute delight—it immediately brought back the vibrant sights, sounds, and flavors of my past trips to Dubai and the Middle East. From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was simply captivating. The decor and ambiance truly captured that distinct, elegant, yet warm Middle Eastern hospitality. ​The food was the true star, of course. Every dish, from the fragrant , mixed grilled kebabs was authentic and prepared with incredible care. The flavors were so rich and layered; they tasted just as I remember them from the bustling souks and fine dining spots in Dubai. The mixture was the perfect sweet finish. ​The service was impeccable—attentive, gracious, and welcoming, perfectly mirroring the exceptional hospitality you find in the region. ​If you're looking for an unforgettable meal that offers a genuine culinary escape, look no further. It's more than just a dinner; it's a nostalgic journey. Highly recommended!

My first time in this establishment after years of passing it by happened to be on a Saturday afternoon around 3pm. The place had a very low occupancy, nice music at a reasonable volume, lots of space and staff members to assist. If you ever thought this was a restaurant, it is more of a co-working space with tasty food. Oh, there's also smoothies, a fee for BYOB or you can grab a drink from next door and enjoy it here. Pretty cool I thought. I had the pleasure of staying over 6 hours eating Shrimp Kabobs, rice, grilled veggies, and fries that I chose over the hummus. The garlic sauce is delicious!! Their smoothies are very sugarless in taste but watery which is good for hydration, maybe. No complaints other than the $7 price tag. Our servers were attentiveness and pleasant. Lastly, Hookah is a service here, there's an outdoor covered patio with what I believe were heated lamps. Overall, I enjoyed my time here. I felt comfortable enough to return for work purposes. Thanks Cafe Layal

Layal Middle Eastern Restaurant is a gem in Houston. The food is absolutely delicious, fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with care. Everything we ordered was well-seasoned and authentic, and the portions were generous. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming, perfect for a relaxed meal, and the staff was friendly and attentive without being overbearing. You can really feel the love for the cuisine here, home made breads and all. Highly recommend if you’re craving quality Middle Eastern food. We’ll definitely be back!

One day in a week We have to go there and seat. Its very much welcoming with special services always. Always reserved table for us. They take care of our choice and taste. Highly recommend. Owner to employees- very much welcoming.

Cafe Layal in Midtown Houston is one of our favorite spots to bring clients. Great Middle Eastern food, excellent coffee, and a laid-back atmosphere. As a Houston limo and black car service, we highly recommend it.

Don’t come here for the food or the hookah. It’s a waste of time and money. Expect reheated frozen food, a broken hookah, and a $4 charge for the hose (they don’t mention that when you order). I ended up taking mine home. The only decent part was the sweet server.

Great place to chill. They have pretty decent Mediterranean food, but not the top notch and price reflects that. My friend likes to go here for hookah all the time, but i cant speak for it since i dont smoke. Staff is very nice and friendly!

My buddy and fellow Yelper Victor H. introduced me to this spot recently and I really enjoyed it. It was our birthday week and we wanted a chill hangout before our birthday celebration the next day. Cafe Layal has been here for awhile, located in Midtown. Parking sucks in this area. If you are lucky, you might be able to snag a spot on the street or in one of the lots, otherwise you can use a nearby garage or a pay to park lot. Customer service is great here. We did hookah and they kept up with it frequently and there was always someone hovering around to make sure everyone was ok. I am in no means a hookah expert, but have dabbled in it from time to time, mostly at friend's houses. Here though, you just show up, pick your flavor and enjoy. They have quite a few flavors to choose from. We went with a watermelon mint that was very smooth and enjoyable. Each person gets their own mouth piece so no cooties are shared (unless you're into that). The staff is also very good about changing the coals often so you can hookah without it burning out. It is also BYOB here. Bring whatever you want as they don't serve alcohol here. They will set you up with whatever you need. As far as food goes, I went with the Beef Shawarma. This dish was delicious. The meat was tender and perfectly seasoned. The tahini and all the other accompaniments rounded it out nicely as well. I did find it hard to eat as they cut it into multiple sections then top it with a sauce. Two sections and sauce on the side would've made it alot easier to handle. The fries it came with were cooked to perfection and tasty as well. If you are looking for a chill spot to hang with friends, read a book or get some work done, this is a really cool spot. I will definitely come back!

I'm just so grateful this place had ordering until 2:30am via delivery apps (I forget which one exactly). While everything else was closed, this one came through, and it wasn't just late night trash food. As always with 3rd party apps, the food was overly expensive, but it was quite tasty. GLOWS: - chicken Kabob platter came with hummus and pita bread -The grape leaves were meatless (they had a deal of buy one get one free at the time) GROWS: -The pita bread was just okay. It could have had a little more flavor to it with herbs.

Took a whole 12 minutes to be overlooked and finally served. We do have a darker hue and maybe that was the reason or maybe not. Overall though not impressed and definitely won't be back. Service is absurdly terrible. Visiting from out of town.

You get the feeling a lot of the staff would rather be at home than working. In over half a dozen stops not once has my order been ready.. expect to wait another 20 minutes after you arrive even when the restaurant is slow.

Not a bad place for hookah, haven't had the food in quite sometime so not going to give rating. Though what is this $5 corking fee for a hookah. They asked me if I wanted ice for hookah, never had it before and tried, but seen no difference so just another way to add $3.50 for nothing.

This place has severely declined in quality, service, and integrity over the years. Watch out for hidden automatic gratuity and miscellaneous charges on your tabs. You'll only find out when you see your itemized receipt which they don't provide until AFTER payment. The last two times we've come they added on charges for food and condiments that we never asked for or received. Automatic 18% gratuity added for only two people and not informed by the server or given a receipt, just to be prompted for another tip at checkout. Hookah packing is subpar and coals are served that are not lit. They get a star for the food.

gaslit & tricked first off, the online entrance picture totally threw me off--it's not even the right place! Then, they wanted to charge $40 for valet when there's an $8 garage nearby? No way. we get there and it's loud with a not so classy crowd. a table with drunks who brought their own beer and another table w a dog who almost ran up on me. food was okay. overall 1/10.

Cool Spot. Get work done, pretty quiet and perfect ambiance for people trying to work or relax and lightly socialize. Food is Mediterranean.

This place is comfortable and casual. The restrooms could definitely use some cleaning and the inside of the restaurant looks a bit outdated. The hookah and food was alright, nothing special. The service was good and the staff was friendly.

Baby pass me the hookah I came for a good time and left with a good time thanks in advance

would overall recommend. reasonable prices. nice location & outdoor seating. decent selection.

My roommate brought me here to try to get some similar dishes and shisha from her hometown in Egypt. We order some great food and the watermelon shisha and the aerobics was great. Some of the appetizers were a bit wrong, but tasted great regardless. The waiter gentlemen fixed it as soon as we asked about it. We were a bit swindled into paying extra for the hookah, but everything tasted great. I will say they refill the hookah without asking (an extra $7) but we're were going to be there for a while so no complaints. Overall, great food, relaxed and good service, and good vibes all around. My roommate and I will absolutely be coming back!

It's a hole in the wall spot that's BYOB with hookah and middle eastern eats. Always enjoy coming here with friends and dates to smoke hookah, drink beer/wine, and occasionally munch on food. There's also TVs here where they'll put on a big game or event and they play a nice selection of music. Hookah flavors include exotic fruits (mango, watermelon, kiwi) which I recommend. As for food, they have great schwarma, fries, and veggie greek pizza. While they don't serve alcohol, you can bring your own six-pack or bottle to consume for yourself. The store is across the street for convenience. A very chill spot where you can relax and enjoy yourself.

One of my favorite hookah spots in midtown! I didn't try the food - we mostly visit for the hookah. Service is attentive, the hookah itself is above average compared to surrounding spots. Good for visitors and locals. Doesn't play hip hop or r&b as this establishment seems to be more on the authentic side.

This place is becoming quite expensive (30 dollars for 1 hookah??) but especially when they may or may not steal your credit card info on top of that. I don't have a way to prove it, but I have not used the card I used here in weeks. I used it here a couple days ago, and the next day, 5 $100 Apple Store charges..... Not sure if there could be some sort of shimmering device in the chip reader, but I would use caution while paying here. Definitely not a place to use a debit card since those have more liability than credit, and it's probably best to just pay in cash.

The service here has been slipping over the past year. The "manager" Francisco was ruder than the servers. We checked out half way through our time with one server. No problem. A second server never came. We had to ask the man at the bar anytime we needed something. Our second tab had food. The tan was paid before we even got our food. My tip fell. I asked if I could get a new one. The manger told me no. So I asked someone else. We asked to speak back to the manger. We wanted to figure out why everyone was being so rude. Especially with us paying before service was complete. He walked off during the conversation. The attitude and nasty remarks were uncalled for. Is it too much to get some water, napkins, and a TIP?!?! If people of color aren't welcome here, I rather they just say that. Then to accept our money and not want to give decent service.

I wanted more room so I arranged the table to accommodate a small study area, like I saw a Caucasian couple do and I was told I couldn't do so. Manager picks and chooses who to allow to do things in the restaurant. Normally I come here to study because it's not a lot of people here, but most likely will stop coming due to service.

Frequent customer at this location over the years and like many other reviews stated here service has severely declined. Last night me and a friend came and ordered a orange head hookah and asked for water. The server approached us reasonable quick and brought us the Hookah and 2 bottles of member mark water. After that we didn't see him for another hour Once it came time to pay after presenting our method of payment and tipping we decided to look at our receipt, somehow a Orange head Hookah and 2 members mark wtaer bottles and a 18% tip was $45. Based on the menu our total should have been $20 + $1.50X2= $24 and after taxes and tip $30 at max Instead of that we were charged $20 for the hookah $3.65 for Ice for the hookah we never asked for $3.50 mandatory disposable fee $2.00 for the bottle of water $2.00 for the second bottle of water While taxes are mandatory I don't understand was is "Fees" 15% gratuity fee that should only apple to group of 4+ when it was only 2 people 18% tip We called a manager over and politely asked since gratuity is included can we have the transaction voided and we will repay without the tip and also we never asked for the ice. He tells use we smoked the hookah that had ice in it. The ice that most fridges after 2006 can make for free. He then proceeds to say he won't void it and that the menu prices have increased and aren't being shown in the present menu. Worst part of all this is the manager then allows the server to refund the mandatory gratuity from his own pockets. We declined the refund from the server as what kind of business would want a server returning a business from his own pockets. Do not come to this business you will be charged for breathing water and everything you can be charged for. The water bottles aren't even ozarka it's the members mark 40+ bottles for $3.65 Included photos for reference

Love love this place! We get the chicken and beef kabob every time! Gotta have the red sauce and garlic sauce! Service is always been great when dinning in. The hookah is always flavorful and it's BYOB!

Ordered the mango shake and got food poisoning never have been in more stomach pain in my life!! Do not recommend

Cafe Layal has all the ingredients for a successful restaurant/lounge. The location is stellar, right off Gray street in Midtown. Offers hookah and a variety of Mediterranean dishes. And lastly, its BYOB! They only charge a $5 fee for uncorking bottles but it is worth it. One thing I really liked about this place was the fact it was a mixed crowd. You had folks working on their laptops, some were enjoying hookah with friends and some were just in for a bite to eat. This place is a great place to start your night out or a great way to end your day. The service here has also been great and the waitstaff are always available for you. I will definitely return here and recommend anyone to stop by and check it out. Bianca

Food/Service: 4/5; Atmosphere: 5/5 Atmosphere: Great vibes! They play a variety of genres from Hip Hop to more cultural music, pleasing their diverse crowd. You can choose between tables, booths, or outside seating to enjoy the breeze. The decor is very nice and classy. This establishment is good for groups for dinner or for those that just want to smoke hookah. It's also good for individuals who want to smoke hookah or eat while doing work on the free WiFi! Food/Service: The food is the best Mediterranean food I've had! The Beef Shawarma was so good! The meat was well seasoned and the garlic paste was so yummy! The fries were perfectly golden and nicely seasoned. My only complaint is that the hookah never really "hit". The draft was light and I never really felt it. Also, the server didn't ask if or what we wanted to drink.

I was invited to this place for the first for a date night, definitely surpassed my expectations. The environment is super cool, many people come to enjoy hookah, study, work, hangout, or enjoy the big game. My date is super familiar with place so I was introduced to some of the staff when we walked in. They were super cool. It's BYOB, so we decided to bring wine. We sat inside, however, there's a patio outside. The patio was covered because of the cool weather and they also have heating lamps. I am sure in the spring and summer the patio is the spot to hang out. Neither one of us was really hungry, so we ordered hummus and spicy potatoes. Both items were very good. The spicy potatoes are very spicy, so be prepared! Still very good. I actually ended up coming back the café to try their shrimp kabob plate. Very good. It seems they grill in the salmon and veggies in a spice, very nice touch. Also, very filling. If you're in the Midtown area check them out. It will be good time.

Tried this spot up the street fr my Son's place & it was very nice. It's a hookah bar outside, yet I didn't partake - not my thing. The chicken kabob dinner w/rice, grilled veggies, fresh hummus & pita bread was great. The mint lemonade was fresh & very refreshing. Service was good as well. I'd recommend this spot it you want some good Mediterranean food... and you wanna hookah ‍

Searching for places to eat in the local area and this place popped up. I don't normally leave reviews but I feel compelled as the food was absolutely exquisite. The lamb may be the best I've ever had!

I enjoy my time at Cafe Layal, the food is delicious, especially the HUMUS SUPREME. The hookah is good and always a good time with friends & the staff. I have been visiting Cafe Layal for almost 6 years and never had issues and alway had great service. All the waiters are great. We usually get Bak'r or Zayd, they engage their customers, provide suggestions on hookah flavors, help with seating, food choices & making sure the experience here is a great one. They're attentive & prioritize the customer in all their interactions. *This is an update on my experience, removed previous rating of 5 stars today 9/19. I understand with Covid many places are slowly re-opening & staff is scarce. However, when you have 6 small groups (between 2-5 people) of patrons and about 4 waiters I don't think it should take constantly asking for either coal or even water to get it. The waiters were more concerned with whatever they had going on their phones as opposed to getting back with us. When they'd check on us they'd speed walk by asking if "everything was ok" and never actually stopped to replenish coal or bring water. Even for new coal or our check, we asked and never got it. Honestly this was my worst experience here. Hopefully this was a one time thing and it's resolved, I really have great memories here and would hate to have to stop visiting due to neglect and service.

This is an okay place but know it's a hookah place but sits like a restaurant. Vibe is good but not super comfy - wish they had couches and lounge areas. There is a nice outside area but still chairs and tables. Watch out has they bring you bottle water without asking but it's not free - 5 bottles for $7.50. They charge for disposable tubes and for the tube toppers. They do refresh your coals. Note this is a BYOB place so people bring in handles of liquor and wine and it gets a little rowdy. They do have food you can order. Parking is a expensive if you want to valet, they quoted us $40 and didn't do it, but we parked at the open lot next to the restaurant. Also this is not in the best part of town, so park at your own risk. Staff was attentive and answered all our questions. Bathrooms were okay, but didn't really want to use it there. We didn't have any food but the hookahs were good - we had grape mint and blueberry mint. Hookahs are large so they put them on the floor.

Doordash delivery. This was so strange. The chicken kababs were well above average: moist, flavorful. The lamb was dry and tasteless. Most places, it's the other way around, because chicken is harder to cook well than lamb. Grape leaves decent. Everything else was terrible. Rice was gummy, lentil soup was dull chicken broth, hummus smacked of burnt sesame and was awful, pita seemed from an industrial source. Fairly expensive too for a kabab plate. Won't be back.

Nice place! If u enjoy good hookah n snacks this the place! We had buffalo wings and fruit tray and it was yum the chicken wangs were okay they do give u a teaspoon of ranch so just go ahead and order extra lol the fruit was great fresh watermelon and a handful of strawberries and grapes... they need to add sweet yogurt to it or honey something don't play with my money like that lol the hookahs had pineapple on it which is cool but this the smoothest hookah I've had but I'm not an expert oh I liked it. Our waiter was nice and funny he did his job well I'll definitely be back since I didn't know it was byob oh it's turn up time thank you for this spot! I approve

I want to give zero stars if I can. The food was not even average. The server KIANA sat us down and came once to bring our drinks and once for food and I didn't see her at all for the whole 2 hours. Our drinks were never refilled. And to only have about 10 customers in the entire restaurant. It sucked

The best lamb chops I've ever had in Houston and I've been to some of the best . Hookahs blow very well and the customer service is always very welcoming.The ambiance is always nice and never have too much of a big crowd. 10/10 recommended

It's been a while since I've been "INSPIRED" to share one of my "HORRIBLE DINING EXPERIENCES"...but thanks to the "UTTER RIDICULOUSNESS‍" of the good folks of Cafe' Layal in Midtown...I'm coming out of retirement just to "CRASH THEM"!! So we walk into this "B.Y.O.B: Bring Your Own Booze" establishment and the greeter offered us the choice of "DINING INSIDE OR OUTSIDE" (comes into play later) and we opted to sit inside at a table. We then put our bottle of rum & 6 pack of beer on the table & got ready to order food & hookah & we are informed that they "NO LONGER ALLOW HARD LIQUOR" only Wine & Beer (still booze tho)...it's a B.Y.O.B?? He gives us this "LAME STORY" about why & then acts like he is doing us a "FAVOR" by saying if we don't put the bottle on the table & drink discretely from under the table that he would "ALLOW IT".(note: comes into play later). I order "6-BUFFALO & 6-LEMON PEPPER" wings & my son orders a hookah, the server comes with the hookah but for some reason he didn't provide "THE COALS" that are necessary to produce the smoke in order to smoke the Hooka!!‍ After numerous attempts to get hookah my wings arrived & I was given 12 Lemon Pepper, I informed the server I was supposed to get 6 Buffalo & 6 Lemon Pepper & not 12 lemon pepper, he apologized and said he would bring me some Buffalo Wings since he made the mistake...(mind you my son doesn't have coals for his hookah yet). The server comes back and instead of bringing me 6 Buffalo Wings (to make up for his mistake), this dude brings me a fucking "SOUP BOWL OF BUFFALO SAUCE"!!‍ *strike 1!* My son laffing at this foolishness is still upset that we've been here for 30 minutes and was served a hookah that we still couldn't smoke because we "STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN THOSE GOSH DARN COALS" (mind you other folks have come in and gotten their coals & hookah right away!! *strike 2!* Now the server is passing us with a ton of "HOT COALS" to serve even more people & we basically have to jump up screaming "WTF!!!...DUDE GIVE US SOME FREAKIN COALS"!! So the server comes over and asked us "WHERE ARE THE TONGS"??...& we like "WHY YOU ASKING US"...we don't work here!? So get this..."WAIT FOR IT"...dude reaches & literally "GRABS CHICKEN BONES" off my plate and shovel the coals onto the hookah!!!! #dead & *strike fucking 3!* Now we are "LIVID" at this point but only decided to stay and wait around because we had friends coming over from Belle Station to have a few drinks with us. So as "MY FOLKS" strolled in, it was about 7 of them so at this point because the AC was so cold we decided to sit outside & the whole party moved to the patio (remember we had the choice earlier). Now all my cool friends that came over are gay, and almost immediately the server runs out to tell us we can't sit outside now because all the tables are "NOW RESERVED"!!??...how Sway!?? Folks literally just left...so my son throws out, ummm y'all "PREJUDICE" against "BLACKS"??!!...while I'm think..."YALL PREJUDICE AGAINST THE GAY COMMUNITY"!!?? *strike 4!* "LET LEAVE THIS HORRIBLE PLACE"!!! As we walk in now...other people are sitting around with "BOOZE ON THEIR TABLES"(remember earlier he said we couldn't)...so "ONE LAST INSULT" for the road!! At this point everyone is disgusted, frustrated & fed up with not only the "PISS POOR SERVICE"...but apparently the "JADED & CLOSED MINDEDNESS " of this backwards establishment!!‍ The server acted upset & kept claiming that he was from "AFRICA" & therefore "NOT PREJUDICE" and didn't appreciate us insinuating that he was & I flat out told him that being from Africa don't mean anything & there are definitely prejudices if not "MORE" coming out of Africa and especially against the "GAY COMMUNITY ". Needless to say we left & have no "FUTURE PLANS" of ever going back in the "FORESEEABLE FUTURE" and would hope everyone "CANCELS" Cafe' Layal.‍ #realtalk

Cafe Layal was highly recommended by a few friends and it lived up to its reputation! The service and food is great and if you like hookah, then sitting outside with some great food is the perfect combination! Dishes to try: Baba Ganoush and Hummus and Pita.

The French fries were so perfect and the hot sauce was yummy. The chicken gyro was a little dry could be better. The service was knowledgeable and they had cool fish tanks with some turtles. Nice atmosphere, quiet.

The hooka here is a good deal and it's a BYOB establishment. Note that they do charge a corking fee. Food is not what it use to be here and the staff was inattentive (just hung around with each other or sat with customers). Sad to see this place get here after the really good years they had. We ordered Chicken Shawarma. The chicken was alright, the pita bread was soggy, and only had a hint of garlic. I don't like to say this but I was definitely not pleased with it. The fries were good though. Hoping we just got in on off day. We'll be back.

Cafe Layal is the hidden gem of Midtown - BYOB, lots of inside seating where you can catch whatever sporting event is on TV or vibe out to some music. The outdoor patio is nice and all-weather friendly including heat lamps for those rare cold nights. The food is fantastic, the hookah is well priced and always on point. However the best part about Cafe Layal hands down are the workers - every single one of them is so friendly, so genuine, always wanting to get to know you and check on you. We could easily do hookah at home but the amazing servers will always have us being loyal to Cafe Layal!

I wish this place would renovate itself! I feel like it's been looking the same for a long time, it's been about three or four years since I've been here and it still looks the same. The tables needs to be replace, the chairs, the seat cushions, The TV on the patio was missing. Like where are the upgrades? I just feel like since it is in the midtown area that it should fit the schema of Midtown. But this place is really good for cheap hookahs. My friend ordered a burger and I had a piece, it was pretty good. If you're looking for a chill spot and a BYOB and looking for cheap hooker, this is the place!

I go to Cafe Layal all the time the last time I went they up charged me and my girls because it was empty and we had a big group. DONT GO HERE !

Me and my wife have been here 3 times now and every time the service has been great but just a little slow. Besides that it is an amazing place to eat and and is a pretty low key, chill spot. Again, the food is amazing and the white garlic sauce they have it INSANE! So good! Do yourself a favor, eat and smoke a lil huka here

I recently just had surgery so I'm limited to light walking. Cafe Layal was a 3 minute walk away. I ordered the chicken kabob entree for pickup. I received an email at 8:24p from Yelp Eat24 stating my order has been received and the estimated pickup time is 10-35 minutes. I walked over to the place and got there around 8:50p. They told me my order was not ready yet because what I ordered takes a little longer. At 8:52p I received a text and email stating my order was ready for pickup in 5-10 minutes. Alright, no problem... I didn't get my order til 9:16p. This was almost an hour from when they originally received my order. Came home and anxious to see how the food tasted. It was a disappointment. The bell pepper and onion could use more grill time. The chicken was chewy and bland without sauce. I wouldn't have mind the wait if the food was worth it. ***I've used Yelp Eat24 before and have never had a problem with delivery/pickup times.

Great Hookah Friendly service. Best French Fries. Cool place, it byob btw. Food is good.

Racist ass establishment ! We got here at 9 and we asked to sit outside and they never wanted to seat us and we asked to sit outside because eyes was burning. The staff was rude and the music was trash . The staff argued back and we sat and watched them seat others all other races outside . They Claim we asked for 8 and it was just 3 of us. He got the parties mixed up as we went outside to talk and the other black girl said she said 8 which was not us. They don't wear mask ! No social distancing everyone was sitting next to each other . The manager was very gay and didn't give a fuck about us as paying customers! Never going back there and we used to come here a lot ! Done! Never had this experience! I can't ! He straight kept telling me what I said when I didn't say that because he can't tell black people apart ! Then he said we can't sit big parties . Well I seen a table of 10 get up with tables pushed together . You're lying ! Then he said there is someone out there "Darker" than you . I simply told him I see those people but they are guest at a table with Caucasians . They are just seated by themselves they came with them or you sat the Caucasians first and they joined bc it was only about 3. When he said we don't have room for a larger party it tripped me out bc I didn't ask for 8 !!!!!!!!! It was 3 of us at the table inside waiting. He told us 45 mins . We waited and we asked again because we saw others just going over to the outside patio. Eyes still burning . Again that was at 9:30 . We left around midnight. Going back and forth about why we can't sit outside ! Terrible service !

Gotta give this place some love. I read a few scathing reviews claiming racism and homophobia. This was not my experience. I came toward the end of the lunch hour. Maybe 4-6 other tables in there. I noticed everyone was smoking hookah, but I didn't have time to try that. Seems popular though. The sever was very attentive and helpful in making recommendations. Food took a little longer than I was expecting, however it really wasn't what I would consider an unreasonable amount of time (after all freshly cooked is better than cooked which is better than raw). Food was hot and tasty. I got the mixed grill per my server's recommendation Inside might be a little smoky for some, but the patio looked nice. Everyone was pretty chill and seemed to be attending to tables of all races (I was specifically checking after reading the reviews). Even what appeared to be a mixed-race gay couple. Overall, I would have no problem recommending this place to friends and family.

Worst hookah service. He charged me first and set up 15 min later. We were looking for him for last 10 min bc it wasn't working properly. I explained to him and showed him video of hookah not working and he still did not offer to refund me half or anything at all.

Their food is good, customer service service is on point. I got the orange head hookah and it was awesome Also order som crepe and their mint lemonade is the best Love coming in here for a date They also open very late, I stayed until 3am last and the workers is very helpful. Located next to Thai gorment and very close stereo live. Parking is plenty.

Worst service ever! Had keep begging for someone to bring coal. The place was empty so is not like if they were busy. The wait staff kept walking by us as if though they couldn't see us. Never again will I come back here!

Amazing service. Always have a great time. This one server went above and beyond to make sure I was well taken care of. His name is Serghei make sure to ask for him.

Chill atmosphere Great eats, hookah is legit and service is great. Dark in here and perfect for chill, date, hangout... i think its bull%!$@ that people rate low on here just because they dont serve alcohol. Its a hookah bar and medittarean cafe not a bar bar and not a place to get wasted but rather hangout and smoke hookah, grab a bite, a coffee or tea. Ive seen people come to study or make music quietly on their laptops. Super chill, i suggest if you hadnt been and you are looking to calm down and chill, come on in. I also like this location over the one on Richmond.

Great affordable hookah. Free WiFi and BYOB! What's more could you ask for?! And when you get tired of sitting around you can pop over to Belle Station for the turn up! Pro tip: order a basket of fries with the aioli on the side for the table.

Sorry, but this place is a dump. Why is it so popular? I visited here one very cold Friday night last month. The place was packed & I met some friends who were already sitting in a booth, eating chicken kabobs or something. I didn't order any food because the place looked off to me-- the ambiance seemed empty & didnt seem 100% clean. Looks like a converted McDonalds. I ordered a glass of cranberry juice to go with the bottle of liquor I brought with me. My waiter had a huge curly beard & I believe that one of his hairs was floating on the top of my glass. The audacity. There was a hookah at the table & it was pretty strong/pleasant, however, I will not be returning.