Beaware of the tip scam, our bill for two person was included 20% tip , when i disagree and mention to them that menu specify added gratuity for party of 5 and more they give me another menu with added line ( gratuity is added for any hookah order) this is a total scam , i refuse to be a victim of this. Please be aware Updated Please see the attached massage from the owner read more

Babylon Cafe - Be Aware of the tip scam - Middle Eastern Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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the food is good.. hookah is ok... the security are to rough and do to much.. i don't understand why they charge to get in and it's not a club.. the cameras don't work so i hope no one gets injured over there.. they also charge for parking.. read more

Babylon Cafe - Middle Eastern Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

Waited at the door for far too long to be seated because the place was virtually empty, the music and ambiance was dry then we were charged $50 a piece for a shot of Don Julio Reposado (in a plastic cup mind you) and a Moscow mule. It was just a quick stop for me and my fiancé and that ruined the entire night. The Hookah was super harsh which was cool until they brought the $158.00 bill for 2 drinks and a sub par Hookah. Me and my woman have a collective following on social media of over 4 million followers sooooooo the jokes on you. Seems like they tried to make up for a slow night with a seemingly oblivious couple. We didn't have the energy to argue. If management is reading this we were there about 9pm 3/19/21. read more

One of my favorite lounges in Atlanta! I come during the evening sometimes and it has a relatively chill vibe. Of course, on the weekends, it has a more club-like atmosphere. Their hookah is always packed well and quickly. If you like Arabic tea, you've got to try theirs! It's pretty strong but delicious. Parking can be a bit tricky, but there are a few places to park nearby too. read more

This place sucks !!!!! Ashton was very rude and had started saying racial slurs at me bc I tried giving my food back . Food is bland and came out cold. read more

My experience at Babylon café is not much to write about. Serving Iraqi-middle eastern foods this place doesn't set its self much higher than it's competitors. For drinks we ordered water, and much to our surprise we were served a really refreshing cardamom infused water. The food here is the usual middle eastern fare, kebabs, hummus, tabouli, shawarma etc. I had a beef shawarma and it was just alright, nothing special. The beef was very chewy and some bits where too big to eat with any sense of manners. The sandwich/wrap on the whole was just very acidic, pickled for the most part. I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd like. For dessert we had Knafa, which was very good and infused with rose and orange water I believe and what looked like pistachio and almond crumbles around. It was so flavorful, not too sweet and smelled really good. It is the extra star. Down to service, when we tried to order an appetizer for dinner we were told that sharing would include a $4 up charge. I mean come on. The appetizers were already around $5 and up in the first place, why not order 2 right? I don't like greedy management. Then came our bill which we had a scoutmob deal to use on, turns out they don't allow the scoutmob unless ordering an entrée and the shawarma sandwich is just a sandwich and not an entrée even during dinner. Ok. I just found the whole experience to be a Nickel and dimed one for food that wasn't even that good. I say let the food sell itself and leave sales tactics out of it. read more

Babylon Cafe - Beef Shawarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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We had a disappointing experience here tonight. We came with high hopes because of the positive Yelp reviews, but were not happy with our meal. The appetizers were actually pretty good - we enjoyed the hummus and creamy babaganoush. I also liked the lentil soup. Our entrees, on the other hand, weren't that great. My chicken shwarma plate had dry, bland chicken. Also, the "seasonal vegetables" my dish came with were basically just onion, tomato, and bell pepper as garnish - definitely not substantial enough to be positioned as veggies the dish comes with. My friend wasn't impressed with his falafel sandwich either. The service was pretty disappointing too. When we told the waitress we were not happy with our meal, she didn't offer a replacement entree, complimentary dessert, or anything. Sad, but we won't be recommending this place to anyone. read more

Water has cardamon, never had this before and it honestly have the water such an amazing and refreshing taste. There were 12 hungry men, so there wasn't much time to take pics...we ordered several of the platter items. Rice was simply amazing, perfectly cooked. The shawarma, chicken skewers, and kabobs were all delicious, perfect marination and juicy. The hooka was extremely smooth, and we enjoyed several of the flavors ranging from meeta paan, chocolate apple, and mint orange. All of the qualities one expects from a middle eastern restaurant, this place hit the nail on the head. read more

Babylon Cafe - Best hooka in ATL - Middle Eastern Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

BY FAR, the most disgusting establishment I've been to in Georgia. The management is rude to their customers and workers. I overheard the boss call one of her employees the N word, the food was burnt to the point I had to scrap some black off to eat it because the management wouldn't fix it! 0/10 do not recommend. I even seen a roach. read more

I've given this place a few tries during weeknights before I went in on a weekend and it's been nothing less than HIGHLY disappointing! Weeknights: -There's no charge for parking -The entire restaurant/hookah area is completely empty. -Love the Arabic music, the entire restaurant decor is phenomenal, and very intricate​. Hookah prices were reasonable too. Weekend nights: We called before going in to get our concerns cleared and yet it was an extremely disappointing experience when we got there. -There's a 10$ parking charge -$20 cover for ladies and $40 cover for guys -$33 for a single flavor hookah, which is only for 2 people. More than 2 will have to get a $55 hookah. (CRAZY!) -Belly Dancing showtimes are later than scheduled. -Unreasonable employees I understand it's one of the very few hookah places in the city, doesn't mean they'll hike up the price and include additional cover charges as well as parking charge on weekends, I have NEVER in my life paid a cover charge and $55 for a hookah, not even in NYC or SF. If you wanna continue your business I'd highly recommend them to alter their business strategies because this is not how it works. read more

Babaganush was unremarkable. Pita was stale and disappointing. But Kufta Kabob Beef & Lamb Mix was pretty good. Grilled onions and tomato with the yogurt mix was a nice balance. Even the rice was good. Filling portions (I have enough leftover for a full meal). I posted photos of both plates. Very friendly staff. Somewhat pricey for a real plate, which why it's surprising they provided paper napkins instead of cloth. Just an odd choice. read more

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DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! $30 for my guy & I to get in ($20 for men, $10 for ladies). It was 2am on a early Sunday morning. Literally there were only 2 couples at the bar. Then I sit in the lounge area, (only my guy & I) and 5 min pass so I go the bar across the dance floor & ask the bartender how much for hookah. She points to a lady in front of her & says ask your server (which I never knew I had one). The server was some chick who was running her mouth with the bartender. Like HELLO! I know you seen us sitting there this whole time. So I order a hookah in which the server says was $30. I pay she never brought my receipt so I ask for it & wtf how $30 hookah turn into $38! She said gratuity on all hookah orders. Why you never said that before?? And it wasn't on my menu! After speaking with the owner, it was clear some menus were cut off at the bottom where the "fine print" was not stated. She didn't see how that could raise an issue with customers & basically dismissed my inquiry. o the hookah --HORRIBLE. It was difficult to pull so I asked for a cup ice water. Denied because after hours, there's only bottled water. So I needed new coals. At this time, more people started to flow in & the music was jumping (only positive) I literally had to hunt down the hookah guy to bring me new coals THEN he "accidently" dropped one on my foot! I love hookah but if you have to change the coal that quickly & it's still not hitting it's no good. I left within being there 30 min. I wouldn't be surprised if they charge to use the bathroom next! read more

Turn down the bass music - residents live directly across the street - Very Inconsiderate

Great Vibes and food! Lina is the best she makes the best strawberry lemon drops! Go girl!

We had a great experience at Babylon Cafe. The bartender, Lina, took really good care of us. The food is good as well. We will definitely be coming back! read more

THIS PLACE IS THE PLACE TO COME EVERY WEEKEND!!!! The service is A1 i love the vibe it gives the music is 10/10!! Dont let me get started with the bartender she is amazing her name is Lina she is super sweet and very polite make this best drinks . read more

LOVE this place. BEST place in ATL. The vibes are immaculat! Great aesthetic and very nice staff Especially Alina. She is very genuine and makes the best drinks! I suggest everyone to go and see her at the bar! read more

This place gets 5 starts from me!! Food is AMAZING.. I ordered the lamb platter and meat was moist and an exponential explosions of Mediterranean flavors. Atmosphere was live and the music was great. shoutout to all the people that work here, they are very hospitable and strive to ensure that they provide you with the best experience possible. I definitely recommend this place!!! Thanks Babylon Cafe for the wonderful experience I had Thursday night, I will be coming back!! read more

It was a warmer weekend and we decided to get out for dinner in midtown. After going to 2 places that had ridiculous waiting times, we headed to Babylon Cafe. There was only 2 other tables of customers when we walked in at 7pm. We were a little hesitant but since we didn't feel like driving again in search for another option, we decided to sit and order. Our cheerful Russian server promptly seated us with menus. My husband and I requested for hot water and she left with that request. Minutes later she returned with 2 cups. She apologized for the delay as it was a first that someone ordered hot water and the kitchen was not prepared for it therefore had to quickly boil some for us - that was nice and honest. My husband and I ordered a Beef and chicken shawarma respectively. At first look, my husband commented that it was a little small. Halfway through he said it was bigger than it looked. We chose the salad to go with our dish. We both love the salad, it was tangy and crunchy, very refreshing. While he liked his beef, I felt mine was a little bland but it's not inedible. After dinner, we order a carrot desert. It came warm and soft and the liquid around it was rose infused, very nice. We took it home as we were too full. If you are allergic to nuts, tell the server to put the pistachio crumbs aside. read more

I wish I could have sampled more food during my time here. The food was extremely to high for me. Milwaukee I believe has one of the best Middle eastern spots out of all of the cities I have visited. So when im comparing I am thinking of home. 25 bucks for a entree wont cut it for me. We visited and the place was empty. This did not deter us whats so ever. We had a couple drinks, a hookah and a side of fries. Everything was pretty much standard. Would I go back? I dont know. Ive been to Cafe Istanbul which is in Decatur Atl and that blows Babylon out of the water. So if i had my choice I would go there. I will say that the staff were really kind and helpful. read more

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The dj was so rude I asked for ice spice and he got mad because he hates women but they keeping playing chris brown??? Not to mention there was no one else in the club at all... the hummus is gas tho read more

I've been wanting to check Babylon out for a while now. I first found out about this hookah bar / restaurant through Groupon (there's a rotating offer floating around for $14 for a hookah - pretty much unbeatable pricing!). The Cafe is located at the little intersection of Cheshire Bridge and Lenox (near Vitrue & Vice and the Landmark Diner Jr.). It certainly draws the eye - cobalt blue and bright yellow paint stand out on this fairly plan stretch of road. I came in for a hookah around 10pm on a Wednesday night and was pleasantly surprised at the number of people hanging out and enjoying themselves. We were seated promptly at a little booth and given waters and menus. Pop music (The Weeknd, Justin Beiber) was playing. We didn't order food but everything I saw looked and smelled yummy. We had a pineapple head hookah with ambrosia shisha. The shisha was relatively high quality and the hookah came with an ice hose. The only downside was the pricing - $52 (with tip included when the bill came). If you don't mind paying a little more this is a nice spot! read more

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My Cuzzy Saad has thre greatest Iraqi/ Middle Eastern restaurant in Atlanta, Iraqis get your butts over here if you're craving that true Iraqi delicious food! My husband and I are traveling around the country and we had just gotten into Atlanta, hungry and not too familiar with the area we drove by Babylon Cafe, I am Iraqi so I had to stop in and see if this was true authentic Iraqi food, guess what... authentic as it gets! The food here is beyond amazing! I had the Bamia (okrah) and lamb dish, the okra sauce is to die for, just like mom makes it, the lamb was clean and did not have any gaminess to it. Hubby got the Salmon plate. Amber and Saad treated us like family. Thank God for Babylon Cafe, and many beautiful blessings to you and your wife, Saad. Thank you for a great time. read more

We went before the late night crowd on a Wednesday night and it was perfect. The DJ was bomb, the drinks were tasty but not served in glassware, and their hookahs are very authentic. The food was subpar, but then again I only ordered the veggie rice plate. They have two sides and the venue itself is full of themed character. Definitely going back. BEAUTIFUL WAITRESSES TOO. read more

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Just when I thought my favorite dish here couldn't get any better, it did. I personally come here for the Samak Masgouf (As it's VERY hard to get good seafood in Atlanta), which has been nothing short of amazing each time. I must admit though that I was a bit taken aback by the mere size of the fish during my last visit. WOW! And the lentil soup....still delicious and consistent. I actually need the recipe. LOL And because of this place, I now keep cardamom water in the fridge. No, seriously! I'm so happy for this couple as I've visited their restaurant multiple times since their opening almost 2 years ago and still receive the most welcoming vibe from the owners. Please don't ever lose that special touch. Lastly, to any first timers: Please leave your attitudes and pretension at the door. This is not the place for it. You wouldn't welcome anyone into your home with such a disposition, so respect these hardworking folks as they are welcoming you into their home sort of speak. Enjoy! read more

Babylon Cafe - Samak Masgouf - Middle Eastern Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

$20 cover charge. $15 donjulio shots. $9 sweet water ipa. This restaurant is a joke. They're crowd isn't young or sexy.

Always been treated well here. The service staff is awesome. And the prices are fair. Parking can get tight, but otherwise, love that they're open late. 5 stars. read more

I came in on a Saturday night with a party of 6. That's $120 dollars to come in. We got a hookah for the table and some good drinks. That's a good $200+ I had been drinking previously and asked for a simple water. They didn't serve water. They said they don't serve water after 12 because people "break" the glass. Okay so give me a plastic cup, they still refused. Asked to speak to a manager, "she" never came. Always sent the server back with her excuses. Complete disregard for a good service. Place looks horrible and sketch and the dinner side smelled like a bathroom. Not worth it, there are plenty of other hookah lounges that will provide a way better service. read more

This was my first time here. Middle Eastern food is not my area of expertise, let me just say that. Came for a birthday party, greeted warmly and immediately sat at the reserved table. Yes they do reservations. Once everyone arrived, we had the chance to order our drinks. We were given a cup of lentil soup. Never had lentils before. It was very tasty in my opinion. Some people get it could have used some salt but I was fine with the taste. I ordered a chicken and basmati rice dish called Kufta. I've never in my life eaten Middle Eastern food before so I was nervous simply Bc I didn't know what to expect. The truth is, it wasn't the best thing I've ever had but not the worst. The rice was flavorful but the chicken left some things to be desired. I probably wouldn't order that again. Our waitress was nice and courteous, which is always a plus. After we ate, we went to the hookah lounge which is so chill. Man, that place is super chill. I didn't smoke hookah but it's ok to sit in there and still enjoy the vibe and conversation. A belly dancer came out and put on a performance which I enjoyed immensely. Parking is free which I also am a HUGE fan of. The food is something that you would have to try for yourself and see if you like it. Overall, due to the entire experience, I give this a solid 4 stars. While I don't smoke, I can appreciate a place that just lets its customers enjoy the atmosphere and have a good time without any rushing. read more

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Very personal service the owners are always there and happy to talk to you and greet you and welcome you back whenever they see you. They are trying to build their clientele right now it is a very chill relax but they are trying to drive business and I'm more than happy to tell you to go it is a really cool laid-back spot with really great artwork around the whole restaurant as well as a great Babylonian feel. read more

I went with a group of six people total for their afterhours on a Saturday night. We had to pay $40 for parking one car (which is ridiculous if you ask me) and then each had to pay $20 cover. The cover charge is understandable. What I don't understand is why one hookah is $70. The menu had one price and I was forced to pay another. Then I got stuck with an automatic 20% gratuity on top of that. I tried to order a coffee and the waitress told me you they don't have coffee at 4am. So then I ordered the alcoholic drink that had the coffee in it. I thought they didn't have coffee at 4am? I guess they only serve it to people when they pay $11 for it. Again - the price on the menu said one thing and I was charged a few dollars more. The waitress' excuse was that the "late night pricing was different." Then why don't they get a late night menu so their customers don't feel like they're getting scammed? One of my friends ordered a double vodka red bull (that cost her an excessive $30). When the drink came, it was brown. Neither vodka nor red bull are brown. Even if it had been made correctly, it should not have been dark. A double vodka beverage should be mostly clear if it's full of ice and vodka. We sent the drink back and had it remade. After a table of six of us all ordered an overpriced hookah and overpriced drinks, we asked for a couple of waters. We were then told that we could only order bottled water. All we wanted was some tap water. First, the waitress' excuse was that they didn't have plastic cups. They only had bottled waters. There's no possible way that was true because we had a table full of drinks in plastic cups. They just wanted to tax us for water like they did everything else. I'm pretty sure an establishment selling alcohol at those hours is legally obligated to serve their patrons water without charging for it. We asked to speak to a manager. No luck. We asked for water a few more times and still nothing. One of my friends (who didn't know smoking wasn't allowed indoors) lit a cigarette and a very rude gentleman ran over to our table and snatched it right out of his hand yelling "you can't smoke in here!" Extremely rude. We were nothing other than polite. The least he could've done was show some courtesy. The whole time we were there, we wanted to leave. But why leave when we had just spent $300 in the last 30 minutes? We were hoping it would get better and it didn't. I miss the afterhour spots that were actually inviting and could show everyone a good time. I don't mind spending the money when it isn't in such a hostile environment. When we finally did leave, we decided that next time, we'll take our party home instead of to an overpriced establishment that doesn't care about their client's experience. read more

For starters this is near where I live in Buckhead so thats a plus. The food is good, the staff is beautiful young ladies out here grinding. They are very sociable and easygoing. There is a bellydancer that is absolutely breathtaking. The patrons were young professionals and professionals. I didn't expect the crowd to be what it was and would definitely go back. The only complaint is hookah was one price on menu and when I got the bill it was $10 more but Im not tripping on that. 3 out of 5 beers. read more

Always a pleasure. The hookah area is my favorite little hideaway. The staff is friendly and the food is on point. read more

The food is excellent and the owners are very nice and personable. The only downsides are that they try to nickel and dime you. We frequented this place when it first opened, and kept coming back even with the frivolous charges because the food was so good. Things I remember that they charged us for that no other place in Atlanta has: * Sharing fee (charged extra for sharing an entree, even though we bought an appetizer and hookah as well) * Fee to have the hookah coals replaced * Gratuity included for a party of 2 read more

We came here to celebrate my friend's birthday because she wanted mediterranean food and hookah. The food was average. The wraps were huge and definitely priced right. The kebab I got, however, seemed pretty overpriced. It was decent, but a little dry and I've definitely had better/more flavorful. The biggest issues I had with this place were the service and sharing policies. My boyfriend and I were going to split a combination platter and an appetizer or two. The server informed us that it would be an additional $4 to split the meal, even though you don't get any more food (which I have a problem with in general). My friend whose birthday it was jokingly said "You shouldn't have told them you were going to share!" to which the server input "No, if we see you sharing food, we will charge you $4." So that made for a really awkward moment because she was so unfriendly about it. We ended up getting separate dishes because it seemed silly to pay more money for no more food. I was afraid to even give my friends a taste of my food in case they tried to charge us for it. We had a similar experience with the hookah. There were only 2-3 people of our group that actually wanted to smoke, but she informed us that only two people could smoke and we would be charged for additional people that used it. This, again, was very strange to us since we received no more coals or tobacco with the additional person. They also split our table in half to put the hookah on the floor so two people were separated from us. A very strange setup. Finally, it was a Friday night and we were one of two parties in the whole restaurant, yet for some reason the service was absurdly slow. One person asked for beer prices twice and the waiter forgot both times...so we just never ordered any... Again, the food was ok, but there's much better/cheaper/friendlier mediterranean food in Atlanta so I probably won't be coming back here. read more

This place is bizarre. We were the nearly only people there on a Saturday night at 7 but we still had very slow service. Everything is an up charge and we felt like we were being watched constantly. Our waitress, who also seemed to be the only one working in the dining room as she was waiting on us and helping the bartender/hookah guy/seating others/cleaning the dining room, didn't seem to know much about the food or the menu in general. We decided later she was probably not actually a server. The hookah was good, and the food was pretty average, but the main issue here was the very bizarre service. I probably won't be back. read more

Took a client last week; alarmingly vacant when we walked in, I proceeded regardless as I had heard so many good things about it. I'm glad I did. Had hummus (of course), a soup (on the house) that tasted what my Lebanese grandmother used to make (aka Sopa de Ea), a lamb stew and split a piece of baklava at the end. I had some Iraqi tea, too. The food was really good and very solid - no issues. I could have passed on the tea and the baklava - note: it isn't like the Lebanese type that comes with tons of layers of phillo and is dry. If you're okay with that... They are in the neighborhood, represent a move away from the smut that is around there and left me with a good vibe. Okay - big point here: I was on a business lunch with my client. She was getting hotter and hotter and lifting her hair off of her neck and we were both starting to get really sweaty. No A/C. As I am the king of obvious questions, I asked if they could turn the A/C on. They happily obliged. Oh brother, who doesn't run the A/C in Atlanta in a lunch place at the end of May??? read more

I would've loved to have given Babylon a higher grade but the service was sub par. It's operated by a husband (chef) and wife. The food is on point. Very good. The chef even came out to greet and solicit feed back. The service and wait staff on the other hand receives poor marks. Brash, rude and very pushy to get you out of the door. I understand if you've got other reservations to fill but the delivery is key. I wouldn't recommend coming here with a large group or party. Keep it 2-4 people and you'll have a better time. read more

This place is delicious! Seriously delicious. The lentil soup is slightly different than I am used to and was breathtakingly good! I would seriously go for just the soup. We also had the beef kabobs. They were so well seasoned and delicious. This location is challenging and I have seen many good restaurants in this space not survive as a result. Go to Babylon Cafe and go often. You won't be disappointed. Service was also quite wonderful and everyone was extremely helpful and friendly. Wonderful meal. read more

What a joke these people have a huge reputation of over charging peoples cards for unauthorized amounts I was just told my card could not be ran 2 buy 2 bottles for 750 that anything over 250 had to be cash and that they had an atm I said no thanks I'll spend my money else where I'd like to leave they said ok one minute I see a lady who I did not give my card or ID too charging my card inserting my chip and typing in the number I asked her 3 times for my card and she said she had nothing to do with it and would not give me MY card the lady who originally was going to seat me came back and said what two bottles do you want I said none I'm leaving , they ran my card with out my permission for 830 dollars I NEVER AUTHORIZED THAT !!! And parking of 40 dollars was none refundable this place has a huge rep in Atlanta for over charging people as well as charging people different prices I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt but they will never get my business ever again ENTER AT UR OWN RISK !!! read more