Off the Hookah

If you like water-​down drinks and understaffed bars with outrageous prices, then look no further! This is the place for you. Seriously, one of the worse bars I’ve ever visited. I went there twice and regretted every second of both visits. For having a «VIP» section (has a crappy couch) that nobody ever uses, they sure do put up a fuss if you get pushed over the little airport rope they have separating it off. But I digress. Waiting for a drink for greater than 20 minutes to get the bartender’s attention and another 10mins for a drink to be made then told drinks (aka water) are no longer on whatever «special» deal (if you want to call it that) for cheap prices. The bartenders are even surprised that there is barely a tip present.
Like I said, if you love crappy drinks, long waits, and ridiculous tabs at the end of the night, then go here!

Definately one of my favorite spots downtown but only downside is that there is an entrance fee and they really enforce their dress code. If you go with the right group willing to dance, have pregamed and are ready to just let loose, you’ll have a great time here. They offer VIP lounges, hookah, 2 bars and I think also order some bar food. It’s usually crowded, just like majority of the clubs around town so don’t get nasty complaining about people being all up on yo grill– it’s a club, what do you expect? They also have 2 large patios where you can smoke and socialize on their capony-​like couches.

I like the atmosphere here. The times my friends and I have gone it’s been a fun experience. However, the drinks and the hookah are weak compared to other hookah bars in the Richmond area.
*IMPORTANT* The main reason I am rating this place two stars is because the various doormen pick and choose how strictly they want to enforce their dress code rules. Myself and my other female friends have never had any problems. For the guys on the other hand, one day we’ll go and it will be no sneakers for the men, and my male friends wearing dressy leather boots get in with no problem. Other times it’s no sneakers and no boots and they won’t get in. Sometimes there are cover fees and sometimes there are not, and their social media pages provide no insight to what the fees are and when. If you want to market yourself as a successful night club/​hookah bar, pick your rules and abide by them.

It is real good every time I have been here. I have been here mostly Friday nights, and it was crowded every single time. DJ was awesome and played quite well to suit the crowd’s taste. Well, crowd was enjoying music, Hukkah, and drinks. Just have a few drinks and let yourself loose to dance floor and DJ will guide your steps, obviously it would be crowded, but thats what you would be expecting.

I’ve been to this place several times, and it’s okay. Not really my favorite kind of bar, but it’s occasionally fun to hit up with my Fort Lee/​BOLC friends. The Hookah is twenty dollars a pop, which I have been told is reasonable. The dancing is okay, but very crowded. They sometimes have salsa downstairs, which is a plus.
Overall, decent place to go to with friends… but unless you’re looking for hookah specifically, it’s hard to recommend.

I’m probably getting a little old for this kind of club but I find the atmosphere of off the hooka to be great. Originating the concept in south Florida the owner has brought some flair to downtown richmond thAt is normally more reserved for larger cities. They actually do have hookahs which can be fun to take out on patio with friends (and patio has an amazing city/​canal view). Inside find belly dancers behind the bar and flair bartenders that visually entertain. Fun place for a group — but most likely the mid-​30 and under crowd best served here.

Not my scene BRO!
If you answer yes to the following questions Off The Hookah is the perfect club for you:
Do you wear hair gel?
Do you wear Tapout brand clothing?
Do you have a green card?
Do you want a sane drinking environment away from ghetto queens in leopard print pants? (see other reviews)

If I could give this place NO Stars I would. I do not support is discrimination and this place is the poster child for it. Prior to going to the club I was told the horror story of how they treat the people with a darker shade of skin (i.e. change of dress code, flat denial, people have been told the line of «it’s a private party only tonight) but still went to support my friends. I went here in January for a birthday party. I was on the guest list but was still made to wait in line. While waiting a group of Caucasian girl came at least 10 minutes after us and said they were on a guest list too. While waiting we begin to chat and agreed that no matter what list is called first we would say that we all were together. The Bouncer of course called the Caucasians girls before us and when she told the Bouncer we were with them he whispered in her ear and ushered her into the club. Shortly after, someone we knew in management came up we were let in and treated totally different. What I mean in different as in, we got smiles, waves and one guy even told us «ohh you should have told us who you were» (it was around 20 degrees outside why would we have chosen to stay outside in club wear if we knew saying we know someone would have gotten us in. I thought that’s what the guest list was for?) As we go in I see the Caucasian girl and she started apologizing telling me how she is not a racist. Clueless as to what happened she told me «I really tried to get you in but he said you guys were too dark to be with us». If I didn’t see him whisper in her ear I might have dismissed it but given the reputation the club has I confronted the bouncer accused who stated «well I meant you don’t look like her».Excuse me. The Caucasian girl became verbally aggressive and I just ushered her away before she got physically violent. I enjoyed my friends however vowed to never go back. I’ve had friends that have returned and it was the same ordeal of being made to wait in line when there is a guest list or a random «dressed code being enforced». My friend was told her skirt was too short and they do not let women in with animal print in the club (yup, not making this up). When we called the club a man told us «The dress code is as if you are going to church». I will never go here again and tell everyone I know not to support this place.

Dress code is enforced when it wants to be. The Arab bouncer is a goober who wants to fight everyone place stinks.

I have to admit, I understand the other peoples frustrations. I didn’t see a particularly diverse crowd in the club in my 3 visits. However, the amount of fun I had in here trumps what anybody else has to say. The music was my style, the people were cool, the outdoor patio area was a nice respite from the inside, which was packed and got hot very quickly.
The first time I came here, I was just passing through Richmond with a buddy of mine and we decided to hit up a Hookah Lounge, thinking it was a pretty chill place… Well, it was very loud and the place was crowded, however, we found a nice bachelorette party and we partied pretty much all night and had a great time.
The second time I came to the area with some friends for the Motorsports Park in Petersburg and we drove up here for the night, I told them about my great experience here last time so we all hit it up, long story short; we all had fun.
When I was getting out of the Navy, I decided to have my going away party here and got 2 VIP booths, Bottle service was exceptional, DJ played asked us what we wanted to hear & gave us a shout out, Hookah was pretty good, overall I had a great experience and I’ll be back next time I go to Richmond!

Thursday night is the best for the sake of good crowd and awesome DJ. Since the DJ sets up shop right in front of the dance floor, he will see an instant reaction if the crowd is not feeling the music. Staff is most attentive.
Friday/​Saturday– NUTS! Or should I say sardine? It is way to packed to walk around and the DJ plays music too difficult to dance to, unless of course you slam a mixture of molly and well drinks on an empty stomach.

Beyond impressed. Went for the first time last night for my bachelorette party. We were dressed in 80s attire and didnt fit the dress code. The manager at the door let us in because of the occasion. The bar tender gave several shots to us on the house.

Honestly… no. The décor is kinda cute and I enjoyed the upstairs patio portion, but other than that. why pay $ 5 to get in when there are so many other fun places to go out in Richmond? Music was no good. I think we ended up leaving within an hour.

I have mixed feelings about this place. I went here three times.
The first time was the best, it was clean, the crowd was there but not too full, and well it was just nice. The second time I don’t really remember but I did not stay there long.
Two weeks ago I came here and it was pretty bad. They charge a $ 5 cover but it’s 21+ only. What? The dance floor was littered with toilet paper or whatever, it was disgusting. Cups and other items all over the main dance floor too.
The crowd was also strange. Most men seemed to be in their 30’s for example. What were they doing at a club? They also had a bathroom attendant which is annoying when you have already paid a cover, and for what?
I probably would not come here again, just not worth it.

First time here last night. Nothing special, i dont get the hype its kinda rude for the guy who was checking our ids when some people came in on pants and he didnt let them in and there are people inside with cargo shorts. Good thing i dressed up.

This place is an absolute joke. I mean where do they think they are? Miami? From the juiced up «I’m king shit» bouncers letting in whoever they please with no rhyme or reason. To the sticky floors and patrons taking shits. Yes a shit, on the bathroom floor. Bar service is slow real slow. The go go girls dancing above the bar look like cracked out hookers. Avoid this place like the plague. There are far better bars around.

This place is tricky. You never know who they’ll let in. The music is cool if you’re into pop and techno. The place can get pretty dirt on the floor so ladies keep on your shoes. The security is awesome especially in VIP.

I’m a bit spoiled since when I lived in DC there was a healthy selection of clubs, though I have to say that I genuinely enjoyed coming here and would gladly return.
Took a taxi here since parking is a nightmare downtown, and I would definitely recommend you do the same. Getting in was easy and there was no wait, just a quick ID check at the door (I have seen some under 21s get in though, so it seems like it’s a «who you know» kind of thing) and a $ 5 cover right before the entrance of the club proper (very reasonable).
The inside is nothing short of impressive. There’s a sort of exotic, Egyptian theme to the interior that works well with the elegantly designed lighting and sound. This is all one level, so it’s a fairly simply layout. It gets difficult to move around when it’s busy though (which is most of the time).
I’m impressed by the variety of both the music and the people here, with a good mix of everyone and everything. I personally didn’t witness any conflicts between people during my time here, so the chill atmosphere is definitely a plus.
While I don’t partake in hookah, apparently getting a pipe here is quite expensive, and I can tell you the drinks (while good) aren’t on the cheap side, though that is typical for any club. Alcohol markup is one of the biggest profit sources for clubs and restaurants/​bars alike.
Overall, I would definitely return here if I were in a club mood. In a city where most of the clubs are gay or Latin clubs, it’s nice to have one that appeals to everyone.
Overall: 4.5 stars
— — — — —
Pros:
— Very visually appealing, nice club atmosphere.
— Easy to get in and a low cover (just $ 5 when I went)
— Great variety of people here, no exclusionary feeling to it like other clubs.
— Excellent music, nice sound, good lighting.
— Quality-​made drinks, if expensive.
Cons:
— Very difficult to move around, especially when trying to loop around to the main dance floor.
— Apparently the hookah is expensive here, though that’s how it tends to go when you’ve got a captive audience at a place called «Off the Hookah».

I used to go to OTH when I was a student at VCU. It was never great (more so a semi decent option out of many crappy choices) but I usually come once a summer when I return to Richmond to visit family and it just gets progressively worse.
Where to begin…
As both a Richmond native and a VCU student, I’m familiar with both «sides» of the Richmond night life. That being said I get so tired of these places that exist to cater to the VCU crowd and feel the need to shit on locals while doing so. OTH does everything just short of directly saying they don’t want black people in attendance. They’ve created this ridiculously arbitrary «dress code» that includes no exposed midriffs and no animal prints (WTF). Yet it is very subjectively enforced. My friend was told she couldn’t enter wearing a crop top, and then the overeager macho bouncer added «but if my girlfriend or someone I knew were wearing that outfit I’d let them in.»
It’s quite obvious that these policies have been implemented simply to deter black people from entering. Because inside every Kelly and Megan had their stomachs exposed and were wearing far more provocative clothing.
Here’s the thing: Richmond has a large black population. Almost half of the overall population last I checked. Don’t come to our city doing everything you can to keep us out. (But inside you’re playing black music because that’s what people want to hear.)
I’m sure there’s some extra space in Goochland or King and Queen somewhere. If you don’t like black people, go set up your business elsewhere.

As a CLUB it is awful. The layout isn’t very dance-​friendly on either the first or basement level… and the music is not really dance-​able. It is just not my type of club.
Also – the most disgusting thing ever — I was dancing trying to enjoy myself and periodically things would fall from the sky and I thought it was like a confetti bomb: pretty cool right? But instead of confetti falling on me, it.was.TOILET PAPER. Pieces of shredded toilet paper that ended up getting soggy and stuck to everyone’s shoes on the dancefloor. Gross. Just gross.
BUT the hummus I must say is actually pretty damn tasty.