Hookah Café

Before becoming too busy to come smoke, I used to frequent this hookah bar a couple times every week when it operated under its previous owners in 2013 – 2014 and I loved it then. Now the Hookah Café has new owners as of 2015 and this place is even better than it was before.
It’s a hookah bar — no, the interior, seating, tables, etc., aren’t in pristine condition — that would be foolish. However, it’s cozy inside and definitely adequately furnished to accommodate its patrons, many of which are long-​time loyal customers. What really sets this hookah bar apart is the owner, John, and the rest of his staff. They’ve invested in more comfortable seating, new hookahs and hoses, cocanara coals, and innovative hookah accessories to guarantee customer satisfaction of the physical product. Where John and his go above and beyond is in their customer interactions; they care about providing genuinely hospitable service, an experience tailored to individual customer preferences, and checking in to assure customers are satisfied. Since they did away with the crappy charcoals and switched to cocanara, John and his staff are diligent about keeping all their customers’ hookah fueled without time lapses and jacking customers out of ALL the shisha they purchased — quite unlike a certain hookah bar a few buildings down.
Lastly, the customer base here is friendly, welcoming, and respectful of their neighboring smokers –again, quite unlike a certain hookah bar next door. There is no need to worry about shots being fired inside the Hookah Café because the rowdy, disruptive juveniles know their antics belong in none other than… you guessed it — the hookah bar next door.

It was pretty decent, the only problem I had is that the owner doesn’t make a new menu for people to look at and we have to order tobacco from a note pad he wrote on.

Considering that it’s tough to find a hookah. Bar outside of McMillan, I think we should give these guys a little more credit. My rating is based on two aspects: the hookah product itself and the atmosphere. So, while I have no complaints about the hookah, the atmosphere leaves something to be desired. Why they were playing ‘THe Hangover’ on a large flat screen tv… I don’t know. But I did like that they turned the lights down and that there is an outdoor element during the summer.

Didn’t enjoy my experience here.

This is the first hookah place I’ve been in Cincinnati but I’ve enjoyed coming here after either a long day or just to hang out with friends. The service is very good and they provide everything you need. The area itself accommodates a decent amount of tables and they have an upstairs room as well. What I enjoy the most is during the summers when they open up the alley next to their building and you can smoke outside on a nice summer’s day.
Decent amount of Starbuzz shisha, they also sell supplies as well if you have a hookah at home. Non-​alcoholic drinks are available for purchase and their chai teas are very delicious. Overall, a nice place to end the night either after going out or after dinner.

I’m not really a big hookah smoker, but my friends enjoy this place. So I’ve tagged along on numerous occasions. They usually have music pumped up pretty loud, with several TVs showing Sportscenter. Hookah café doesn’t try to wow you with style or class, but it can be a nice place for hookah enthusiasts. And for a twist, they also carve out apples and pineapples for makeshift hookah bowl.
Just as a heads up, there’s a maximum of four people per hookah.