Ordered: Mint Lemonade (~$7) Hookah on Orange Head (~$18) with Iced Hose (~$3): Tropical Mix with Mint flavor Aya's take: Out last night in Houston and so glad we ended up here! We wanted to do something chill and hookah is the perfect activity for that. They have more chill seating (couches, etc.) and also table seating in front of the stage which is nice for when the bellydancers perform (started around 9pm on a Sat). The Mint Lemonade is a must whenever I go to a hookah lounge and this one was spot-on; delicious and refreshing. The hookah was also well-made and although we had to ask a few times to rotate the coals, the workers came pretty quickly. It lasted over 2 hours overall. They even gave me a buzzer in case I needed anything to call someone over. Shout out to Abdul for being a great waiter! read more

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Good place to go to be in the middle eastern culture. Great food good entertainment, they have belly dancing and live music. It's always busy so you feel very lively. The juices are freshly squeezed and so good. The hummus/ yogurt plate is good as well. Service is also good. Staff is entertaining. read more

Cafe Mawal - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

Fun environment, but service is usually pretty slow. This includes service for hookah, food, and valet. One of the positives is that it has a ton of seating. Mint lemonade is my go-to drink, and paan, kiwi, vanilla with an orange bowl is my go-to flavor for hookah. Try both, you won't be disappointed. read more

Cafe Mawal - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

We had just attended a late night concert, which finished around midnight or perhaps 0030 at night, and had late night food cravings. As we were craving hookahs and Mediterranean, our choices were either Café Mawal or Café Layal. We opted to go to Mawal, as it was closer to where the concert took place. It was around 130am when we arrived and the place was pretty packed. I couldn't see parking anywhere, and the best option was valet parking on premises, which was complimentary. Café Mawal is very spacious from inside, and there is plenty of places to sit/ dine / linger. We ordered some freshly squeezed juices for our drink orders and then went with a chicken kabob platter, beef kafta platter, and a mawal platter. Chicken kabob platter was couple of skewers of chicken served with a bed of rice and hummus. It looked like a chicken koobideh. The beef kabob was a couple of skewers of beef also served with rice and hummus. It resembled a beef koobideh, although the taste was totally different. The mawal platter was grilled chicken cubes and beef skewer served with rice and hummus. I didn't care for the chicken kabob, as chicken tends to get dry and kabobs are not meant to be made with poultry. The beef kabobs were good. They were juicy, and flavorful. The hummus was pretty good too and rice is always a great compliment to meat. Café Mawal does have a nice selection for food items. Perhaps on a subsequent visit, I will try something else. They are open late nights so that is always a plus. read more

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Quaint lowkey atmosphere with hookah and light bites to full meals. The mint tea was delicious. Our server was very kind, patient, & helpful. They don't serve alcohol so keep that in mind. Parking is $10. They're just missing some good music! read more

Cafe Mawal is below average for entertainment and above average for food. Every time I've been here it's valet only and the valet always takes forever getting The cars. I come to watch belly dancing sometimes and the performer is always amazing and talented but she carries the entertainment 100% on her back, the rest of the atmosphere is very dry and boring usually. I'm very happy to come here late night and get some fried cauliflower, hummus or grape leaves; all of the above are absolutely delicious and very reasonably priced. There are plenty of amazing vegetarian options and The fried cauliflower is some of the best I've had. They have really great unique drinks too, they don't serve alcohol but they do allow BYOB for $20 plus $5 a person. The iced coffee was a generous portion and delicious. I would definitely recommend coming here to enjoy the pretty, ornate interior and fresh air but don't expect an entertaining or particularly fun evening. Service is very slow too but friendly and accurate, I think the issue is understaffing and not the fault of the servers. read more

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I love the ambience of this restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night. Come get some good food, smoke a hookah and enjoy the belly dancer entertainment. Even the DJ is a whole vibe! Has nice covered outdoor set up. Tables are by the stage but the back wall has comfortable Arabic style couches. Love this place! read more

Cafe Mawal - Strawberry Delight Mint Hot Tea - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Came here for Hookah and food. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be but definitely a cool vibe. Food - Mediocre Drinks - No Liquor Hookah - Great Music - Nope TV - doesn't work Service - Exceptional / Friendly Parking - minimal but free read more

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This place used to be good. The service has been really bad the last few times I've been here. A simple meal took almost an hour to come out. To get a refill on my drink, I had to flag down random employees to go get my server since the server never checked on us. They also do not serve alcohol. Overall, I won't be coming back here. read more

Ever since I moved to Houston, Mawal is one of the most entertaining places to be for hookah and good food,pros of the place they have a good menu and they offer quite a variety as compare to other hookah places, they have belly dancing and they have good options of beverages and deserts,they offer valet parking and outdoor kids play area as well. Tbh I don't find any cons except of the size of portions is really for 1 person and not shareable (unless one is ordering more dishes ). Servers are attentive and efficient, music is good ,ambience is attractive and DJs and dancers are entertaining,I'm their regular and would recommend this place to anyone looking for good time with friends and family. read more

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My friend and I decided to do dinner here before a night out. Great decision! The decor on the outside is so pretty -- lots of lights, a water fountain, a chair swing... It is valet parking only, but it was just $5 (I believe only weekends). We get inside and got seated pretty quickly. This place is huge! It's so spacious inside, the decor and atmosphere was beautiful! They have seats inside or outside. I also loved the music, there was a live DJ. This isn't a quiet place by any means if you're looking for an intimate place. Being waited on/getting food took a while, I assume because it's so busy. But our waitress Betsy was nice and checked on us a few times. The food, yummy! The rice was good, nice and tender/fluffy. The chicken was cooked in charcoal so you taste that plus the wonderful flavors. And the baklava was great! read more

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I stopped by Cafe Mawal for lunch with a friend on a weekday. Located in the Galleria area, Cafe Mawal is a Mediterranean restaurant/bar & hookah spot. There are a couple of parking spots available in the front but there are plenty of spots in the back. Cafe Mawal is a pretty spacious restaurant. They have an interior portion as well as a large patio. We sat out on the patio at one of their tables. They also have some cabana-style seating which is perfect if you're trying to smoke hookah. I had the mawal chicken and we shared some pita bread. The pita bread wasn't the fresh warm and fluffy pita bread we all love, it was the thin kind that isn't very good. However, the rest of the food was great. The mawal chicken is seasoned chicken thigh and it's served with rice and a cucumber and tomato salad. Generous portion size and a great price for all of this food. From there, we also shared some hookah which is always a good time. Service was good throughout. Cafe Mawal is a great spot to enjoy some hookah and food when the weather is nice. read more

I loved this place. They don't serve alcohol. I was told they used to do BYOB, but the fact that they dont serve alcohol IS NOT a bad thing. Celebrating mybsisters birthday. We had a lot of fun. They offer more than 20 (Im guessing, it maybe more)different Hookah flavors and types and an array of authentic Indian food. Live DJ w/beautiful belly dancers. Offer comforting lounge seating or tables. I'd suggest making reservations to get the lounge seating, I was SO COMFORTABLE! read more

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This Restaurant has the BEST Manager and also the BEST Tiramisu in Houston but the only reason I'm giving 5 is because I'm high so off the flower on the table next to the Tiramisu . Thank you Arthur Habibi Ting! read more

Cafe Mawal - Grilled Cornish Hen was amazing but made my fingers orange - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I'm not gon knock down what cafe mawal doin because their spot is super live, for sure coolest hookah lounge I've been to. However I was disappointed with the food. I'm paying 14 dollars for mixed kabob here and it comes nowhere close to Avesta/Kasra, and over there it's only 10 bucks. Trust me it looks much better than it tastes. The quality didn't seem too fresh, there just wasn't enough flavor or juiciness. Wouldn't really recommend going to for food alone. Also it's only valet parking so keep that in mind. Danrates: 6.5/10 Mix Kabob ~ $14 Follow me on Instagram: @Danhafeats read more

Cafe Mawal - a plate of food with meat and rice - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

Very good food and entertainment Hookahs were well tended and intrusive to those not smoking read more

Really big and lovely . There have different designs in each room with a very big and long option to sit outside . Hookah is not so strong . I have had better .mint tea was cold also read more

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Cafe Mawal, what happened?! How did you only manage to get worse with time? Are you underemployed? Is your staff dizzy from all the hookah smoke?! I'm not entirely sure what's going on but came here with family total of about 9 people and our poor waiter was already sweating and confused before even taking our order. Our plates came out TWO HOURS LATER. yes you read that correctly TWO HOURS LATER... and that's not the worst part. The beef kaftah was a slim piece of beef jerky, the chicken tawook was undercooked and RAW!!! Ummm who ordered salmonella??!? Not I. The mint lemonade that's always been my favorite was overly sweet it was nauseating. The belly dancer looked like she just grabbed any costume she could find at the flea market and hopped on stage. Me oh my!! The best part of our meal was the pita bread and I'm pretty sure it was store bought. The bottled water was the star of dinner and that's the honest truth. Oh it only gets worse... The playground was the worst!! Large gaps everywhere, holes, bolts missing, truly hazardous. Upon arrival their valet informed us that they had no spots available left and to go find a place to park near the apartments down the block which we did not think much of and did as was told, so please tell me why was the valet trying to charge us upon leaving ?!? How this place was at capacity is beyond me. Will most definitely not be back and wouldn't recommend to my worst enemy read more

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I was here in a friday evening, and the ambiance was great, with the outdoor seating, music and a belly dancer. the parking here is only valet (5 dollars), there is no self parking, the hookah was decent and the service was a little slow. overall this place was OK read more

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I came in for a late dinner with a friend on a week day and we were able to valet for free. He ordered the shawarma platter and I got the Mawal platter. I was very pleased with the food and would definitely come back to eat again. The space is fairly large once inside with multiple private rooms on the side if you have a group of friends to enjoy hookah. There is even an area for kids to play. I would like to come back on a weekend and see how the ambiance is and crowd. read more

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First time here and I love it. The music the food the drinks were so good. I highly recommend you try the fruit plate so good and fresh. They also have hookah here and are open till 5 a.m. read more

Cafe Mawal - This Pina Colada is so good, it's so fresh. The perfect drink to match with some fruit or any meal. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

An absolutely disappointing experience. Only leaving 1 star for the entertainment. Came here with the family to celebrate a birthday, and had the worst experience. Upon arriving, we had to pay $10 to self park. Food took over 2 hours to be served, to be fair the waiter did say they had a wait, but we did not expect over 2 hours and thirty minutes to be served from the limited menu. Everyone's entrees came out at different times and food was ok at minimum. We even ended up taking our cake back home with us because we just couldn't wait to leave. Definitely will not be back anytime soon. read more

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" - MLK Jr. Last night, a few close friends and I went to Cafe Mawal. After a couple of hours there, we decided to check out The Deck on Fountainview, next door. We walk back to Cafe Mawal and give the valet our tickets. Instead of charging $5, like the sign clearly indicates, he told us it would be $20 because we left and came back. My friends and I ask the valet manager to show us where the $20 valet sign is. He argued, telling us because we went to another place, that the price changed. Again, no proof other than the $5 valet poster. I argue, asking for clarity, but it's getting late and the valet is unrelenting, so the guys paid and I left. About 10 minutes later, one of the guys call me and said the valet manager misunderstood. He thought we were coming back from Prospect Park, a predominately Black establishment and that he "ALWAYS CHARGES THE 'BLACKS' $20 FOR VALET"!! Unable to process what I'm hearing, I call Cafe Mawal and ask to speak to the valet manager. I asked if he did in fact say what he did, and very nonchalantly and confidently he says, "Yes, I do charge Black people extra. So what?". At this point, I am livid and tell him that what he doing is against the law and I'm calling the police. He chuckles, unbothered. At 2:09 AM, I call 911 and the dispatcher says that sadly, these incidents happen a lot, especially during the current climate we're in. That since it's a non-emergency call, he doesn't know how long it'll be before the cops can get there and all the police can do anyways, is write a report. Nothing more. Do not give Cafe Mawal a single cent of our money! We cannot allow this or any sort of other egregious behavior to go unchecked. I intend to share what happened all over social media. They need to know this is unacceptable and that we will not allow this to happen, by boycotting Cafe Mawal completely. **** UPDATE**** Once again, shame on you Cafe Mawal!! The owner, Saeed Sindawi, and his sons called me Sunday and Tuesday evening, profusely apologizing on behalf of Mo, the valet manager's behavior. How they couldn't wait to get rid of him, as he's been a huge source of problems for them and their business. They were tired of receiving complaints about his inappropriate behavior with female customers to the mishandling and damage to the vehicles in the valet. They went as far as to say they have a supposed restraining order against him. How Dawood was going to address each and every nasty comment, especially by Aya, who is Mo's fiance. If you recall, she's the one who was supposed to post a video of me? Yea, that video was never posted. Why? Because there isn't one. Dawood Bhayat and Saeed Sindawi were going to "make this right" and "do right by me". How they gave their word to fix this, as Saeed is a man of God and donates X amount to Masjid Hamza. As if that means anything?? They carried on, saying they'd PAY to get me a lawyer, as I was subjected to slander and defamation. I said there was no need for all that, but to just be MEN OF THEIR WORD and issue a public apology on my page and theirs, agreeing to fire not just Mo, but the valet company, along with providing diversity sensitivity training. I have all the calls on my call log, which were ALL incoming, where Saeed called me FIVE TIMES on Sunday and his son called me TWICE on Tuesday for a half hour. I have the pathetic, I mean, apologetic FB IM's from Dawood Bhayat, too. Them & their families created fake FB profiles, specifically one of a "black man" detailing his positive experiences. THEY STOOPED LOW ENOUGH & CREATED A FAKE PROFILE OF A BLACK MAN!! to say, when they got caught, they stopped replying. See below screenshots. I've been contacted by a TV reporter. I have ALL the receipts. read more

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I had a great time eating delicious food at your restaurant. The waiters and waitresses were committed to a great service and where very friendly. The atmosphere was awesome Differently will come back again Great for family/friends Thank you for the wonderful service read more

Despite all of the traffic it was fairly easy to pull up to valet and enter the establishment. Once we entered we were greeted and seated right away. The hostess was very personable and nice and accommodated our request for seating. It is a very fun atmosphere with many nooks and crannies to chill. The belly dancers were amazing as well. Kunafeh was a bit small but tasty. The tea was a little watery. The only thing that I really didn't like were the bathrooms. The woman's bathroom only has three toilets for such a big place and they needed some TLC - not the cleanest. Also they seem to have a plumbing issue because the toilets wouldn't flush. I hope they fix this problem because that will keep me from revisiting. read more

Cafe Mawal - Beautiful dancers - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

I've come here multiple times in the past and had a great experience but this past Saturday was terrible. Cons: Cafe Mawal only offers valet parking. When we got here, we wanted to park the car ourselves. The valet manager was very rude when we asked. Not only was he absolutely rude, he charged us MORE to park ourselves, when the parking sign clearly says $5. I understand service can be slow on Saturdays when its busy, but when your server just stands around and not pays any attention to you then it is unacceptable. Also when I presented a 10% off coupon on my phone, the server said that she could only give me the discount if she showed it to the manager. So she had to take my phone somewhere in the back for at least 5 minutes. The server should have the authority to give me that discount without taking my phone in the back to the manager. Unacceptable. Pros: The hookah is indeed great. Smooth and flavorful. The patio is clean and well maintained. The food is decent. I had the chicken shawarma which was pretty filling and flavorful. read more

Cafe Mawal - Chicken shawarma and side salad @natashaaapril - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

9:20pm 10/17 Came in and did not like the way I was approached by the rude valet person who demanded cash only upfront before he would even valet the cars, even though I was told to self park my car because one of the open spots by the front gate, & usually you pay before you leave, not when you come in. Drove off to Nara Cafe, I've been coming to Mawal for 5 years and will come back once I notice valet changes, you lost a customer for the day over your valet service As far as Mawal, the food and hookah are great, but the valet being unprofessional deters me from coming inside. My question is, why be unprofessional and demand the customer to park their own car but swindle them for "Valet" service and be rude about getting push back for demanding cash only all of a sudden? read more

Cafe Mawal - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

Service is horrible here. I've been here a few times and service is always horrible. Today, I went with a bunch of friends and we waited for 20 mins and still weren't served. We ended up leaving. Houstonians are always hyping this place up, but honestly, there's more places out there, who have wayyyy better service. Would I go back? I'll avoid it at all costs. read more

This is a nice and spacious place with food and hookah. Pros: - super open and spacious - flavorful hookah - nice decor and interior - decent food Cons: - waitstaff takes a bit long to show up due to volume of customers - can get loud and noisy at times - very limited parking, unless you're willing to pay for valet services. read more

Cafe Mawal - Falafel platter. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

I would give 0 stars if I could, the service was terrible! The server only came to give food which As i walk in I see a wait to be seated sign, so i wait, and wait, and wait. I ask when are we going to be seated? The woman says the hostess should be right out. So we waited again. Finally we asked a different person who stated that you seat yourself. Next, The whole time I was dinning there was neither napkins nor condiments. Towards the end we ask a bus boy for some ketchup and he comes and gives the ketchup + extra condiments +napkins...you know the basics. Now for the server: took 20 mins for fries. Oh and when I asked for extra silverware he THREW it on the table. I said thank you and he didn't acknowledge it. It took 10 mins before my table was even acknowledged. On top of that they added a tip. I was planning to leave 1 cent on the table for the tip so the server could feel as disrespected as I. I would only come back for pics. STAY AWAY. Valet: oh and the valet was $20 and I was reading reviews that stated they chargered that price for "BLACKS" bc idk if it's true but I am pretty sure it is. so I just parked at the restaurant next door. If you want R read more

Not COVID friendly, some employees are not wearing masks and tables are not spread out or blocked off. The ambience is very cool though and it's a large space for a hookah bar, multiple table setup on the patio, covered and not, they also have different rooms that seem cool as well, some of them have a clear slideling door with air conditioning inside. Food is good, not great, I would recommend or have the cornish hen plate again, but the pita bread is definitely store bought, not freshly made. They have DJs and belly dancing during the weekends so that's fun as well, be prepared though, during those days they automatically apply gratuity to your bill, 15% exactly, no matter how big your party is. read more

Cafe Mawal - Cornish hen - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Was looking for a cool hookah place and Mawal came highly recommended. It is a huge space, beautifully decorated with seating in either the stylish cool tents or the the tables in the open space. I was impressed that it caters to all group types. There were grandparents, babies and all age types. The atmosphere with its famous outside decor was wonderful. Everyone (patrons) was nice and in good spirits. The food was ok. To be fair I only had an appetizer and will try a proper dish next time I go. Had tiramisu for dessert, was a bit dry, but def passable. Our server Sam was nice and patient with us on a busy Saturday night. The only con for me was the lack of alcohol. But hey if you really want some, walk across the street to any of the numerous bars around. Hookah was clean, well flavored. My fav part...! read more

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Really nice atmosphere, the valet parking cost us $5 which is very cheap in comparison to the next door neighbors. I came in here just because I've had a lot of friends say its a good place to enjoy the night. I didn't smoke any hookah or order food, but i did get the mango smoothie which was very rich. I enjoyed the entertainment, there were belly dancers, who also danced with snakes and fire. They honestly put a good show on that night. I would be back to try their food menu read more

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Please go back to the old mawal I love this place im so sad to see how is falling apart, only 5 items available of the menu no dessert no caffès no smoothies, seriously , hookah it was great the customer service was amazing I will come back hopefully it will be better in the food read more

Great service, prices are reasonable, and the hookah is Just on point plus great entertainment. I don't really write review but this place deserve it! Great job team Mawal I tried their Mint lemonade it was just so amazing! I loved it!! Do try and be the judge. read more

Cafe Mawal - Mint lemonade !!!! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

Firstly the food is terrible now just like their service! Second the valet people stole my sunglasses! Why hire such an unprofessional company to work for you?! This is just ridiculous. Earlier i noticed some change i keep in my cup holder was missing from my car but i thought i might have used it for something but now after this im pretty sure it was the valet people at mawal who took that too! Both the incidents happen on a saturday night! read more

Music is too loud!! You cant talk to anyone on the same table because the music was just too much! The food was not good. read more

Lovely staff, food, and beautiful area filled with rugs. It feels like I'm right back in Iran because of the kind people and scenic area read more

Average hookah spot. The decor though is amazing. I had some tiramisu that was a little too dry and they charged for water. The DJ started packing up so early, though we came late. We requested to be seated closer to the action, but the hostess said no. 10% off check in deal so make sure you snag that. read more

Cafe Mawal - Middle Eastern Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place is cool to hang out with friends or cousins. Smoke hooka if you do that thang. The food is ok when you hungry and would really recommend the kibbeh or Mawal sampler. The philly cheesteak was ok too. Great place to hang out and it's only valet or paid self parking. Lots of outdoor seating and even a kids playground. Come bring the friends and maybe you'll be lucky and catch a belly dance live performance. read more

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