Showing posts with label Fumari Hookah Lounge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fumari Hookah Lounge. Show all posts

Friday, November 14, 2008

Battle of the Hookah Lounges Vol: 1 - Habibi Café vs. Gypsy Café


If you live in Los Angeles, chances are you have hit up the Westwood area to check out the UCLA campus or to do some shopping. It is a great place to chill for the evening and just so happens also has two rival Hookah Lounges. The Hookah Addicts decided to put these two establishments to the test to see who come out victorious in the battle of Westwood village. We will go through our list of criteria for a great Hookah lounge, obviously giving more weight to the quality of the shisha.

Ambiance

Habibi Café is a lively place with excellent décor with lots of comfortable places to sit and a great outdoor area. When you drive down Broxton it is the first thing you see, plus they have a D.J. on weekends. Habibi is usually pretty loud and is hit or miss with service. Gypsy Café is a bit more laid back and suites my hookah experience a bit better. The décor is no where near as elaborate as Habibi, but you usually get decent service and is not a crap shoot. It is even at this point but the fact the Habibi is the preferred place of UCLA students gives the ambience check mark to Habibi.

Habibi Café √ Gypsy Café

Food

Both are good and you cannot go wrong either way. They both have good sized portions and have great Taboulleh, I tasted both the Kabob and the chicken and both were excellent as well. But there are two things that separate them, first the Hummus at Gypsy is amazing make sure you order it when you go. Also price is important to a young adult such as my self and Gypsy wins there too. Complementary water, cheaper prices, and the ability to serve alcohol (Habibi lost their license) gives the check to Gypsy.

Habibi Café Gypsy Café √

Hookah

Now for the most important part of the Hookah lounge experience, the shisha. I will not even make this suspenseful. Gypsy wins!!!! Not because it was the best, it just saved it self from being the worst. Gypsy’s flavor selection is good although the shish was a little bland and hit a bit hard; it still was satisfying and was a nice experience. Habibi, on the other hand, was awful, it hit really hard I found myself coughing a lot and there was no taste at all. Plus, you have to wait for the waiter to adjust your coals which took forever. It just was not a great place.

Habibi Café Gypsy Café √

Conclusion

Habibi looks like the place to be from the street, but you are much better off crossing the street and heading over to Gypsy Café.




Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Hookah in San Diego - Top 3 Hookah Bars

The city of San Diego located in Southern California has a plethora of popular and one-of-a-kind hookah bars. Amongst the popular hookah bars that we are going to cover today are Fumari Hookah Lounge, Sinbad Café and Hookah Lounge, and Zodiak Hookah Lounge

Fumari Hookah Lounge


330 G St
San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 238-4949

If you are visit the gas lamp district of San Diego, Fumari Hookah Lounge is a must to visit. They most noted for their exclusive blend of tobacco that is uniquely made in Jordan. Their 100g zip lock bag of tobacco sells for an average price of $9.00 and it is extremely flavorful. This hookah lounge in San Diego is nestled on a street corner and is a great spot to smoke hookah and lounge. The atmosphere is hip and dark, and the crowd is extremely friendly. The best nights to attend Fumari are on Friday and Saturday nights.

Hookahs: A

Atmosphere: B+

Service: B+


Sinbad Café


1050 Garnet Ave Ste B
San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 866-6006


Sinbad Café is located in Pacific Beach next to a number of bars and the Pacific Ocean. Sinbad Café does charge a cover fee, which is a bit tedious, but their hookahs are very unique. The place is quite crowded and it feels like an actual bar at times serving alcohol, instead you are puffing away on Hookahs. The carry various types of hookah heads like Pineapple, Apple, Watermelon and many more. The fruits they use opposed to hookah bowls add a tangy taste to your blend of hookah. This place is recommended as a hang out spot rather than a place to go chill and smoke hookah in San Diego.

Hookahs: B

Atmosphere: A-

Service: B


Zodiak Hookah Lounge

6455 El Cajon blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

(619) 326-6800

Zodiak Hookah Lounge is a favorite for many UCSD students to conjugate and hang out at. They use Starbuzz Premium Tobacco, which is a fan favorite for the hookah bar goers and their staff is extremely friendly. This Hookah bar in San Diego is great for Hookah enthusiasts as it has a Moroccan theme and a cheap Happy Hour special. During Happy Hour, there Hookahs cost about $9.00 and $4.50 for a refill, which is half the price of a regular hookah. Overall, Zodiak is café where you can go with friends, play cards, backgammon, drink tea, smoke hookah and relax.

Hookahs: A

Atmosphere: B+

Service: A-