Alhambra Cafe

Mohammed is a hookah master. There is no menu, and no menu is needed. He will fix up the best hookah you have ever smoked. Try the coffee, best I’ve ever had.

This review is for the hookah.
Mohammed doesn’t do lots of fruity flavors — just his own tobacco mix — so if you are looking to do hookah just for the novelty, this place may not be for you. If you want solid, quality hookah which is smooth, hits well, and lasts for a long time, then this place is for you.
He also deep cleans every hookah after every use (which unfortunately most hookah places don’t do, to the detriment of germophobe hookah smokers everywhere) — and you can taste the difference.
The restaurant is cozy, Mohammed is friendly, not much to complain about!

In short, stay away from this place.
Experience at this café: —
If there was an option for zero star, I’d give that. This was my first and last time entering the doors of this café.
We were bunch of friends moved to different cities after college meeting in philly on saturday aftrnoon for lunch and hookah. Looked around and there weren’t many hookah place open during afternoon, so we ended up here.
On entering, it feels like they are out of business and we just walked in some house with self cut cardboard make shit up best hookah in philly awards. The owner Mohammad was smoking cigar. Just because we smoke hookah doesn’t man we are ok with the smoke of cigar.
At first he seemed very cool and chill and was funny. We were waiting for another friend to come in and till then we didn’t mind his jokes and talking with him.
He didn’t even give us any menu to choose our order and started making the hookah as from the talks we said we were gonna get a hookah. We didn’t mind, thought he well give his best and we weren’t afraid of trying. He praised his chai tea and so everyone were like ok, let’s try that as well. He started the conversation with, what’s the best and expensive chai tea you all had and from where and how much. Starbucks and all are just piece of shit, I make my chai tea with real stuff and real stuff is expensive, but you taste it and then tell me the difference — said by Mohammad.
After our friend came, we sat down in a table talked for a bit and our hookah arrived. Strangle Mohammad also sat down with there with us and started talking with us giving us no privacy or space to talk with our friends. We were there to meet, to eat and to smoke hookah, not to give this old lonely man some company. Not just that, he even lighted his cigar, which was very uncomfortable for all of us.
To get him out of there and also we were hungry, we asked for the food menu. He was like, I stopped swerving food years back. Now I only serve hookah and tea/​coffee.
About the hookah and the tea: —
The hookah didn’t feel like shit and was tasteless. This itself describes everything.
The chai tea, for me coming from an indian background, we make this at home every day. It was nothing new but for my other non indian friends it was something new and they liked the taste till the time came for the check.
As he said they don’t serve food and we were hungry so we wanted to get out and get food, also wanted to get away from him so we friends can talk. He pretty much forced on to us, saying, c’mon I’m gonna take you to this really nice indian restaurant around the corner. It’s my buddies restaurant.
We bluntly had to tell him that we going to the center city and so give us the check. He was like it’s $ 60 flat for you because I like you so no tax. Never got to see any price, no menu was given, charged us randomly and at reduciloud rate.
$ 60 for 4 chai tea and 1 hookah, for real.
This is not just it, there were so many more things… Just stay away from this place.

This is a one-​man operation, I think. He doesn’t have sterile tips. He doesn’t tell you what is in his recommendation. The shisha is like already in the hookah when you get there. He plays games on his phone/​tablet while you enjoy hookah and it is pretty quiet in there. It’s awkward.
The chai could be a bit hotter. I also ordered coffee and he shouted at me, accusing me of going to drink the «boiling drink» and yelled «hellooo?» when I was simply blowing on it and not going to put a piping hot coffee down my throat. I have common sense. Also, if he boiled it he’s doing it wrong. You are not supposed to bring that style of coffee to a boil.
Overpriced.

Overpriced, seriously thirty eight dollars for two teas and a hookah… Don’t go there. No sterile tips for the hookah pipes.
Never again, I should’ve just burnt my money with a lighter rather than smoking it here.
Also the owner is too touchy.

Seriously I have traveled and had coffee and hookah all over the world — Mohammed really does have the best hookah and espresso in the whole wide world. Sure you start to dismiss him when he tells you. but this man really is alll about quality over quantity. Fantastic. I am really dying to get back to Philly just for another slice of his tiramisu and conversation. This is the kind of place you love for the casual, chatty feel of the owner or you avoid. But don’t be one of those avoiders. this is a magical gem. In my 4 days in Philly I went back every. single. day.
Tiramisu/​Coffee: ²⁰⁄₅
Hookah: ²⁰⁄₅
Service: ²⁰⁄₅
Location: ¹⁰⁄₅ — cute little café, doesn’t even feel like you are in Philly.

The star rating reflects the price and the experience. The experience was very good and the owner, Mohammed, is very friendly and social. I was told by my company and others on this site that the price he charges is very expensive. The place itself is kinda dark and small. Nonetheless, it was still very comfortable. He made the tobacco mix and put it in a lemon and told us everything was made from scratch in terms of the flavor. It is good but was not the best hookah I have had. The chai tea he made was the best I ever had and the tiramisu was excellent as well. But the price sucks.

Was not really liking it.
We ran into traffic and he had a huge attitude even though we were bringing a group of 8+ people, so shut up.
He refused to turn his cultural music off when we wanted him to change it to something that we would enjoy.
He gave us all drinks that we did not ask for and made us pay $ 5 each for it at the end of the visit. I did not touch mine and it apparently didn’t matter. This made everyone mad.
Would definitely not go back. There are so many more places to choose from.

I came here with my girlfriend looking for a quiet little place to smoke some hookah, listen to music, and relax. The owner makes that impossible. I don’t think he understands how to read customers, but then again, I don’t think he really cares about what the customer wants.
When I asked for a menu, or what flavors of hookah he had, he just said «I’ll make you the best hookah you’ve ever had!» he also was too persistent on selling his chai tea. He was also incredibly insistent on making it seem like he was doing us a favor, giving us «special prices» and taking care of us, but really… it was all just awkward and uncomfortable. 40 $ for one hookah and two (unwanted) chai teas? No thanks.
I would have put up with that if he could leave us alone for more than five seconds. He was entirely too close to me, and I’ve never been so uncomfortable ESPECIALLY in a hookah bar! There’s way better places to spend your money, don’t bother.

The owner hypes up his hookah and tea as the best you’ll ever have, however both are entirely overrated. One mediocre flavor of tobacco with a hookah that doesn’t hit well and chai tea no better than what comes out of my Keurig.
The ambiance is nothing close to what you’d expect of a hookah lounge — not relaxing, cramped seating and questionable cleanliness.
As others have mentioned, the price is OUTRAGEOUS for what you get.
And the owner… I don’t even know where to start. Let’s just say he doesn’t understand the concept of personal space.

The best hookah in Philly the best chai in Philly. Great owner and an authentic vibe. A gem to say the least…

This place is the WORST. Anyone giving a 5 star review is definitely not someone who has ever been to another hookah place in their life. By the way… DO NOT say that this guy is «the real deal» (something I read in an earlier review) that’s actually REALLY RACIST. You expect all Middle-​Eastern people to be gritty rude rough talkers? You don’t know what you’re talking about, and your knowledge of the Middle-​East doesn’t extend beyond Disney’s Aladdin, PLEASE grow up.
I went here a while back. I’ve been to hookah places coast to coast. Don’t think that makes my expectations too high or snobby, not at all. I’ve seen some poor quality before, and some places that charge way too much and I’ve been flexible — I don’t mind marginal differences, I suck it up and move on and try to enjoy myself. This though… THIS… is the absolute worst hookah place I’ve ever been to and the guy is basically criminal: I can sum my complaint to 3 things:
1) OVERPRICED, BEYOND OVERPRICED… BEYOND BEYOND OVERPRICED!!!
A normal hookah place would charge around 15 – 25 dollars for a hookah. THIS PLACE charges 25 dollars PER PERSON!!!
That’s right, PER PERSON. 25 dollars alone is really pushing it if it were just 1 amazing hookah, and this place wouldn’t have been worth that (I’ll get to quality in a moment). Never in my LIFE have I ever seen a hookah place charge per person. It makes NO SENSE whatsoever, there’s 0 cost to having another person. This is a cheap gimmick this idiot Mohammad put up thinking he can take cultural tourist hookah novices for a ride.
On top of that this guy only takes cash. God forbid he at least makes it convenient for you to be taken advantage of. Doesn’t even make it obvious from the start either. Though I’m sure he’s totally honest to the IRS even though they can’t possibly verify a cash basis income, yes…
2) AWFUL QUALITY
There is NO selection of hookah flavoring. If you think that makes it more authentic, you are WRONG. It’s just his own «special blend» of crap on crap, cheapest tobacco known to man, and tastes disgusting.
The hookah’s themselves are TINY. Better hookah places would offer large hookah’s as well, and these are smallest cheapest hookah’s on the market. The place looks disgusting too. It looks like a dirty old office that he never dusts, not in a «cool authentic middle eastern back alley» kind of way, in a… lazy guy doesn’t take care of this place kind of way. On that note, there’s no authentic ambiance… it’s just a dead mechanical environment. Not loungy in any way. It’s like you come to this place to do your hookah, pay your fortune, and leave.
3) RUDE SERVER
Mohammad is not lovable, he’s not cheeky fun, he’s not silly in his shrewdness, he’s JUST RUDE. It’s like he’s doing you a favor by actually serving you. Doesn’t flex on price, makes a fuss if you’re a penny short (sorry I didn’t know a party of 2 would have to pay 50 dollars cash for 2 seconds of crappy small hookah).
This man is evil, this place is evil, stay AWAY if you have any sense.

One flavor tea, one flavor hookah. It seems like this guy has found his niche. People call and ask what time he closes, and the answer always is «whenever I want. What time are you coming?»
In the middle of winter, he kept the door open even though I was cold. He insists he has the best tea you’ve ever had… but my friend and I didn’t want milk or sugar in it… so that kind of made it sickeningly strong with ginger flavor.
I like the concept, but it was filthy in there, and because he wanted us to go, even though we were talking and there were other people in there, he left the door open so I would freeze. He was smoking a cigar– I’m just wondering– with all of the money he pockets, couldn’t he have a ventilation system installed?
Entirely too expensive for this rude «my way or the highway» attitude.

LOVED the chai tea. Wow. Went there for the espresso last week… Best I’ve had since I was in spain!

WHERE do I begin. The owner has to be the biggest character I have ever encountered in my life haha. He brought my friend and I chai right away without us even asking for it. Then he starts telling us about how he only has one special hookah called Love Hookah and then brings that out as well. He made me a chicken sandwich because he said «I look hungry».
Some serious Middle Eastern treatment, he is such a cute little old man though. you can’t help but laugh with him and love him. The total bill for two teas, a sandwich, and the hookah were 60 dollars though, so definitely don’t come here if you are shy and/​or not looking to spend a lot.
Please do come here if you are looking for a bizarre experience that you can laugh about the rest of the night.

Seeeooo.yeah.mixed reviews about this place.
The owner is authentic. This is the real deal, Middle Eastern, Hookah Smokin’, Story Tellin’ Son of a Gun. Real Time.
If anyone feels at all confused by the «Obama Smoking Hookah» framed photograph, I would love to dive deeper into a conversation.
The Baba Ganoush was pretty excellent, and the owner is quite the character. Hookah is expensive but he hooks you up if he likes you, so make sure he likes you.

I am still trying to decide whether the owner of this establishment was endearing or just creepy.
Visited Alhambra Café with a group of around 8 people. There was another party of three that had obviously been there before, and knew the owner. They received ‘comped’ appetizers while our party did not. Not a good business practice to give some of your patrons free food/​drinks/​anything and have other patrons realize that other people are getting free stuff while you aren’t.
There was some confusion about the pricing of the hookah, which we originally believed to be $ 14 per hookah, shared amongst a group of 8 people. When it was time to leave we learned that he wanted to charge $ 14 per person. By the end of the night, some of our party had left and we gave $ 14 for each remaining person. If he wanted to charge $ 14 per person he should have asked for money for the people that had left and technically hadn’t paid, essentially for sitting. The whole ordeal seemed very fishy, and very expensive for a mediocre hookah experience and some «free» juice.
It was also stated that this restaurant was a BYO on the website, but then when we arrived we were told we weren’t allowed to drink because of «kids» that had brought the attention of the police to this establishment.
Avoid Alhambra and go to a hookah bar that has clear affordable pricing, more readily available food, and a more welcoming atmosphere.

My friend and I came here to try the hookah based on high Unilocal reviews which I’ve had a good success rate trusting… in short DONT trust Unilocal on this one.
One flavor that is «homemade» not terrible but not great. The hookahs don’t hit very well and the owner has an interesting personality. All this wouldn’t be so bad if it also wasn’t the most expensive hookah place in the city. $ 40, cash only, for one hookah. I have gone to about a half dozen hookah places in philly and I can honestly say this is the worst one. Save your time and money and pay a quarter as much anywhere else and get 10x the experience.

ummm wow. Talk about a ridiculously uncomfortable experience. The hookah was good and the baklava was amazing; but unfortunately that was all overshadowed by the extraordinary creepiness of the owner. He kept telling my friend and I how great his massages were and asking if he could show us. We kept refusing but after he wouldn’t leave us alone I finally consented.
Gross. So gross.
He put his hands in fairly «off-​limits» places. In addition to his creepiness, he continued to turn away customers who appeared to him to be intoxicated or ones that he just «didn’t like the look of.» I will not be going back.

Everything on the menu (that I’ve had) has been the best quality I have ever found in Philadelphia. The chai is exquisite. The espresso and other coffees are amazing. You’ll get spoiled and won’t want to get those drinks anywhere else. Also, the Egyptian sahalab is one of my favorites. As for food, the salmon sandwich was fresh and tasty as hell (cucumbers were a great match). Palestinian couscous was the best I ever had. Finally, the hookah is fresh and tasty.
So yeah. Come to this place if you’re in the neighborhood. Can’t go wrong.

a 3.5 at the moment, But curving to a 4 for now because the Chai is a thing of legends, and might just be the best that I’ve ever experienced!
I’ve heard the legacy of Alhambra’s chai for many moons, and knew that I was destined to try it. And that chance had finally arisen once I finally broke free of a hangover and moved on from my cousin’s in South Philly after a successful batch of gathering from the night before. I had a lot of business that I still needed to take care of (further proof of how hangovers are the eaters of days) I ordered to go, and that’s were I initially felt a little bit miffed. I couldn’t help but notice the small sized cup, and hefty sized price tag of $ 4 and some change. «Since when did Alhambra become the new Fourbucks (
)?», I couldn’t help but think.
But try on I did, and trying truly is half the battle. My minds eye was awakened in perfect zen, while my taste buds gave into rich herbs and spices. and upon those first couple of sips, I experienced a whole new sense of being awake and refreshed.
If that’s what Mohammed can do with just chai, I sure can’t wait to find out what he does with things like falafel! and if you’re a hookah smoker than you might just want to see what he does with hookah since the prices seemed fairly reasonable. and for that I fully intend to try this place some more. And you best believe that I aim to challenge Mohammed to Scrabble!