Cleopatra cafe A review After hours, here the price we pay, decided arbitrarily That is my review you win some you lose some read more

Good and inexpensive Shisha which really don't make up for poor service!! customers choose to go there to chill not keep up with the rude owner! Half Yelp! read more

Cleopatra Cafe - " Budum tss" - Hookah Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When I first came here about a year ago, I was so excited that Philly finally had a place to smoke high quality, cheap sheesha while enjoying some authentic MIddle Eastern tea. While the decor in Cleopatras is modest, it really reminded me of Horus Cafe in NYC, which is my favorite hookah place on the East Coast. The first time we went to Cleopatras was when the cafe was new. I remember the management being short with their words, but quick to bring free, extra coals and good mint tea. Unfortunately, my friends and I have had a completely different experience since then... One time we went and ordered 2 hookas for 4 or 5 people. They seemed annoyed we didn't want a third hookah. When I then asked for tea, the server/owner gave me an annoyed look and didn't say anything. One of the guys in our group went to go remind them about the tea for our group because they never brought it. They guy yelled at him to go sit down. Another time we wanted to sit outside because it was a nice night out, and the owner told us we weren't allowed to, even though all the seats outside were free. We said, "why can't we sit outside?" and he yelled that if we didn't want to sit inside we could leave. Apparently, the outside tables are only reserved for the owner of the restaurant and his old male friends. Another time we went our friend was leaning against a radiator next to our group of tables. The owner came over and started yelling at him for leaning on the radiator (which wasn't on, it was summer) saying that he was causing a disruption. My friend asked him to calm down and he would move, but then the owner called him a "black" (which he isn't, but apparently this was an insult - so racist) and our group left immediately. The very last time we attempted to go, we had a reservation for an after-party of about 8 people or so. As soon as we got there, the owner came up to us and started shoving us out the door, saying all the tables were full. We said we had a reservation and we didn't mind waiting. He starting screaming (like out of control anger) and shoving and getting in the guys' faces in our group. We left and never went back again. Also, I'm sure this will get "filtered" like all the other negative comments, but I wouldn't recommend supporting a business from this man. He is rude, racist, and hostile, and I would not feel safe going back there again. read more

The owner of this place is racist. When I finally decided to visit this hookah place across the street, we got there and it looked closed and the door was locked. So as we were about to walk away the owner unlocked the door and let us in. We were of course the only people there. We asked if they have food here and he said no (Angrily) then we asked if they allow outside food since some places do that. He got upset and said I will charge each one of you $40 to eat here or you can get out THEN he proceeds to say RACIAL slurs that if I mentioned on yelp and he wasn't directing the racists slurs to us but towards African American customers who come there with food. I was gonna deal with his rudeness and let it go but racism just like that? Yeah I'm not gonna let that one pass. Don't go to that racist place. Let that be known. read more

I really liked this place at first, considering it was 1) open very late, till about 3 am 2) ridiculously cheap at $10 for a hookah (can't find that ANYWHERE in Philly) 3) playing my favorite Arabic music as we smoked However, I got completely turned off by this place when dealing with the owner, who is an extremely racist, sexist, and entirely awful person. He tried to over-charge us every time we went, rushed us out of the cafe so he could smoke with his friends outside, yelled at my friends for "being Bengali", and yelled at us when we showed up for our reservation of over 10 people. While all of this was going on, he was extremely friendly (read touchy feely) with groups of girls that walked in. Also, as noted by others already, they have filtered out negative reviews to only show positive ones. This place needs new management badly as it could be one of the best hookah bars in Philly with a proper owner who doesn't treat customers like shit. read more

Shit's changed, man. 1) 2 people to a hookah at $12+ tax currently. Still cheap but.... 2)Staff is now very rude and unwelcoming for the most part. Time to find a new spot. read more

Zero star worst place to have a hookah I ask for a mint shisha, he gives me the worst flavor I have ever tasted(not mint) I repeat I want tea the guy offers me alcohol, he makes assumptions I can't afford my hookah, I leave him the change and he says "thks m'am" FYI Arab guys stop stereotyping Ethipiopian Women! read more

At first this place looks kind of intimidating because it is really dark inside, and when you walk in you pretty much feel like you're walking in on a private event. The people in charge here, though, are very friendly once you sit down and get to talking. The hooka here is pretty cheap - it's ten bucks any flavor. The flavors they have listed on the menu are mango, peach, apple, melon, mint, grape, two apples, orange, guava and cherry. Other than that, they offer the regular hot/cold drink lineup, as well as cheesecake and homemade baklava. No alcohol. Not BYOB. There are also two big TVs in here. It's a simple setup, nothing fancy. If you're hungry for actual food, you can just step over to kabobeesh. read more

Cleopatra Cafe - Hookah Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Here is the deal, I've been a regular customer since the time these guys opened up shop which was almost a year ago. I am a hookah fanatic, and their hookah is the best in Philly, hands down. But here is the deal, your experience at the place will depend on the mood of this guy, I think his name is Adil or something. When they first opened, it was Adil and Mahamoud. While Mahamoud was around, I had the best customer experience. But the day Mahamoud stopped working there, I've had the worst time. Adil will hit on the women (especially if you are two or more women in the group), and will treat the men like shit. If you do not look like you're from Saudi, and if you are male, you can only pray that Adil will be in a good mood to treat you like a human being. The later you come to this joint aka after midnight or 1am, the higher your chances are of being treated like crap. He is very very visibly on coke or extremely high, and will often get aggressive with the guys for no reason. Keep in mind, I've been coming here for over a year, and this has happened atleast 5-6 times with me, and I've seen it countless times with other customers. I have no idea why I chose to ignore it so long. Maybe because their hookah is so good, and I often came in with only a male friend. But whenever I brought other girl friends or a group of mixed gendered people, this ALWAYS happened. It varied in terms of severity. But now I am so embarrassed to recommend this place to any of my friends anymore. I think the time is approaching when they will be sued. The place has pissed off a lot of people. And btw, I saw a lot of negative reviews a couple of weeks ago about this place, but somehow, very mysteriously, all of them have disappeared. I dont know whats going on here. read more

This is the best hookah bar that I have found in Philadelphia. The only let down was that they didn't have my favorite flavor: rose. They do, however have great prices on hookahs, Turkish coffee, smoothies, hot tea mmm.... The service was great (we never went without a hot coal), the hookah equipment was clean and looked nice and the atmosphere is great. I plan on going back. read more

Wow, reading all the other reviews, I was worried that I would have a terrible experience. No way, it was solid. I visited with a friend around 11:30pm on a Saturday, and it was packed with groups of students each smoking 2-4 hookahs. They played Arabic music in the background, and had those crazy green-dot laser light beams going which I did find a little irritating. The sheesha was good, inexpensive, and the mint tea was absolutely wonderful. The manager was very attentive and did keep a good eye on our coals, and changed them periodically. There is only one unisex bathroom for the entire place, and thankfully it was clean when I used it. Big plus. I had no issue with the management, the service, or the products, and I'll probably return here in the future. Happy that this place stays open late! read more

Are you a fan of rules? Do you enjoy strict guidelines? Does your idea of a night out include restrictions that even Mubarak himself would think too harsh? Well do I have a recommendation for you! Cleopatra cafe has what every neofascist is looking for... An empty seating area with a 45 minute smoking time restriction. A coal refill fee for those who smoke fast enough to finish their coals within the allotted time period. A star buzz price $5 greater than the other 4 or 5 hookah bars in the area. An owner that will badger you repeatedly every 1.5 minutes after you tell him you're still deciding what to order until finally he asks you "are you waiting for more people to come or...?" and you decide to leave and go to Luxor cafe. Did you read this review and think "yes! I've been wanting to return to the totalitarian homeland that my parents fled and requested asylum from"? Well then head on over to cleopatra cafe! read more

Awesome place; very hospitable hosts. A must visit.

This place is great if you go in a group of two people otherwise it is one major shit hole. - Have a look at the menu - The first line is: "You have no rights" which was repeated three times. I first thought it was a joke,but after interacting with the owner - I know this to be true. - They force you to have one hookah for every two persons. Doesn't matter if some in your group do not want to smoke. - The owner is extremely rude. He clearly told us to f**k off if we did not follow his rules. - We went in a group of 20 people and we spent around $120 at the end of the night. The cafe was empty save us and we count it to be one of the worst experiences we have ever had. - My $0.02 : You would be better off by shelling some extra bucks and going to a decent establishment than visit this dump. read more

Did not like the place and will not recommend it to my friends for following reasons: -Unfriendly server...bad attitude! ("There's no menu-I am the menu! What do you want") -When we brought the burning of the flavor into his notice, he asked if we had ever smoken a hukka before?! -Using charcoal instead of regular coal spoiled the experience -Accepted cash only-it was inconvenient! read more

Terrible hell hole of a place. Especially when it comes to customer service and just being welcomed in an establishment where you are going to be spending your hard earned money!!!!Friday night/Sat morning 2:15ish am. Arrived with my cousin, the guy or owner seemed angry. Was very impatient seating us when NOBODY was in there except a group already seated. We picked our seat, he stands on top of us and tells us $30 for hookah. We said okay. He walked away, another guy came right after, repeated the price, then ask for payment at that very moment. We've only been sitting for less than 5minutes!! Now I'm turnt all the wayyy off at this point. We paid. Only to find out the place that sells food next door(runs by this establishment) is closed!! Even though we called and asked specifically about food and time but was not given adequate information. LACK OF BASIC INFORMATION! to PAYING customers!!!!! Business is about customers service. You are ignorant. This is not your area of expertise. Forgot to add, we left within 10mins of paying $30 to them for hookah. Didn't even touch it. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS VOID OF A PLACE to anyone!! read more

I entered the guy attacked me ID never a hello looked at me scornfully asked me if I was high. Said well u only have 45 minutes looked at me scornfully ....clearly rude and unprofessional my friend walked pass too me it is a tasteful and tactful way u do things donot treat people according to the way they look everyone is a paying customer I was very offended and walked out... well maybe everyone won't have the same experience ....totally wack read more

The place makes you miserable... The only good thing about it is the music. The prices make no sense and the owner is always feeling the need to introduce himself to his customers and to bother them. My friends and I certainly couldn't enjoy our stay here. read more

Unbelievably rude management. My friend went to the bathroom close to closing time and they kept banging on the door to get him to come out. At one point they threatened to call the police. He'd been in there for 5 minutes. When he came out, he started smoking hookah because it was still working and they literally yanked the hose out and took it away without saying a word. I have never been treated this poorly anywhere else. I wish I hadn't tipped them but it's not like they gave me any choice. They never came back with the change once we paid the bill. read more

I went with three other people on a Thursday night for sheesha - though I have to explain that I don't like sheesha, so I was only there for the company. So we seated ourselves (because no one was in sight), looked at the menu and were ready to order. When the server approached us (who we later found out was the owner.....so much worse), the first thing he BARKED at us was that we HAD to order two sheeshas. Why? Because it's one sheesha per three people - and we were four. I explained that I don't do sheesha - "It doesn't matter, you have to order two, now go think about it"....and he walked off. At this point, my friend was fuming and ready to leave. But we stayed. We endured more awkward experiences every time we spoke to the "waiter." When my husband asked him to fix the sheesha, because it was harsh, the response was "Have you never done sheesha before? I've been here since 1994 and no one has ever said it's harsh." ERRRRR. We were definitely overcharged for two sheeshas (the second of which was clearly forced on us), two teas, a diet coke and a slice of cheesecake clearly from ShopRite. I would not recommend this place - SOLELY due to BAD service. If you don't mind being treated like a horrible pest they can't wait to get rid of, this place has decent sheesha and green tea. read more

Went here with my friends and I had a horrible experience. I asked for a hookah menu and apparently it does not exist. The owner was very rude and unwelcoming. You have to pay $25 per 2 people and they only accept cash-_- I had a horrible experience!!!! If you want to hookah with friends, do not go to cleopatra cafe. read more

Such a nice place nice music . Not expansive, I always go there. A good place to chill and have a good time. Really great hookah and it last long. read more

I seriously only do reviews if I hate a place or love it. Unfortunately, this is not a good review for this place. There were originally supposed to be 12 people in our party, including myself and my best friend. She and I arrived before everyone else, so we decided to go ahead and start without everyone. We didn't even step through the door before we were stopped by this incredibly rude man on the phone. He asked how many, and we explained SEVERAL times that there were 10 other people coming, but she and I were going to start, and that it would only be us two. He told us to wait outside and would not let us in. After ten minutes of going back and fourth, we left and went somewhere. Please, DO NOT waste your money at this rude, overpriced, unprofessional establishment! read more

So far so good. Just wanted a chill hookah spot. Reasonable pricing and drinks. Just wish they had food.

Went with a group of friends and we were insanely overcharged. We had 4 hookahs and 13 drinks between 9 people and somehow the bill was $358. It should have been $12/ hookah and $8/ drink. Somehow he came up with 21 drinks and wouldn't itemize the bill so we could see what cost or how much tax really was. Will never go back. Don't waste your time or money. read more

I am from out of town , the owner was super accommodating for me and my friend on a Monday early morning. Music, drinks, and hookah is. Great! Definitely stop by when you have the chance !!! read more

If you want cheap hookah and a soda or cup of tea, this place rocks. If you get hungry, this place sucks. Service is ok but the hookah was great for the price. read more

Way too expensive, no menu, and no food. I feel like they looked me up and down, and said " this guy will pay 35 for a hookah, and a cup of coffee." Never coming here again. read more

No menu, no service. Got 2 hookahs for 3 people party. Cafe is only using single hose hookahs. No mention of price of hookahs or session. No bar menu, no tobacco list...no fruit bowls. Do they make food? No service, just awkward staring and a surprise price on the bill. We miss you Aloosh. Trying Luxor next. read more

The service is horrible the owner is ignorant and rude. Currently there the hucca and price is decent. The ambience is dark and loud. I would only suggest based on price, better off smoking at home. read more

Worst hookah experience ever. Overpriced and it smells really bad like some one pissed everywhere never come here ever

My fav go to hookah spot...chill atmosphere great staff...the owner Mike is a sweetheart...and the prices are great

I will never go to this place again! The hookah is $30 per 2 people. It was barely pulling. They did not fix it. The drinks are all $15 they say it's top shelf and double shots in the liquor however you can't even taste the liquor and I bought two drinks. They snatched the hookah away and said it was done. This place is just HORRIBLE! Don't waste your time or your money!! read more

As other people have said, the service at this establishment is absolutely TERRIBLE. I am not sure how the other reviewer, Marissa, convinced them to allow up to 5 people per hookah, but when I went last night they would only agree to seat us if we purchased 1 hookah for every 2 people, which is complete overkill when you have a group of 10. They may be quick with the hookahs and coals, but they are also extremely impolite, impatient, and rude to customers. They snapped the coal tongs in front of one of my friend's faces to get his attention, and one of the owners proceeded to later direct a racist comment at me (shouting "Hey! CHINA!!" in an angry manner to get my attention). I have come to Cleopatra previously and not had any big issues besides the slightly sub-par service, but this experience from last night has convinced me not to return. Possibly the owner may have been having a bad day, but that is no excuse for the behavior we saw. Go to one of the other hookah bars in West Philadelphia, I am convinced that they cannot possibly have worse service than Cleopatra Cafe. read more

I attend TRS which is right up the block i havent been to a lot of hookah bars but out of all the ones ive been to this is one of the best the service is great and they have a nice range of flavors on the new menu read more

Meh! The place is great, the price is cool and the are always in top with the coal issue without charging you every time. They only flaw this place has is that its BYOB but you have to pay $25 to do so ... Wtf right? You also can not have any food! \ I get the food part but hookah + drinks = a good time. How can you claim to be BYOB and then charge me $25 to bring in liquor? Idk but that was a big set back for me. I shall not return. read more

Owners are gruff, but not rude. If you want obsequious or super friendly service yeah this isn't the place for you. Unfortunately with the number of shisha bars out there in a friendly service oriented society them running it like the corner shisha bar in Egypt probably won't go over so well for them. Anyways they seemed nice enough to me but I don't expect super friendly service. Place is pretty standard. Kinda pricey on the BYOB charges. Standard crappy electronic music that I've heard in almost every shisha joint from here to Bosnia to Egypt. Very dark, as a shisha den should be. read more

I will never return to this establishment. This place used to be amazing. The hookah was perfect, there was always a quiet crowd, and the owner was an awesome person who would be quick to start a conversation with you. That is until this owner for unknown reasons left, and the co-owner or whoever he was, took over. After the new owner took over the place literally changed overnight. The new owner put up his list of rules that everyone else has mentioned, that explains that you have no rights as a customer. You will also find strange charges on your bill and because you have no rights, you are not allowed to see the separate charges on the receipt or question the prices. Instead, you will be sworn at, called some kind of racist name, and told to leave. See any red flags yet? Before the new owner, there was just two people working in the building. There never is a huge crowd, so thats really all they needed. The last time we went however, we were greeted by an extremely rude group of "servers" that did not speak any english and could care less about taking your order. Instead of good service, you can now enjoy paying random charges for all different things. For example, you are charged $2.00 for a new coal. These exact same coals are sold down the street for $2.00 for the entire role. If you still choose to go here after reading the 27 other filtered reviews, good luck! Every person I talk to in the area that has visited Cleopatra's has had nothing but bad things to say. I continually tried to stay optimistic and visited multiple times after the change of ownership. But every time I visited, it only got worse. Save yourself the money and go somewhere else. Better yet, buy your own hookah and coals. It's about the same price as a single visit. read more

It seems this place might have been good in the past but has recently been getting worse. I'm not sure if they changed ownership or if the guy that owns it has just gotten tired of having the business but it is definitely not a place to have a good time which is what people intend on doing when they smoke a hookah. I read reviews on here before going and thought I would never visit this place until a friend of mine invited me. I was hesitant but he talked me into coming by. The reviews that speak of racism are correct. If your not white or Indian then definitely don't go here. (however I am a white woman and still was treated bad, perhaps becasue I came with a lady and not a man? who knows.) When we walked in the door they told us we had to order to stay but they wouldn't give us time to look at the menu. They stood over us and every 30 seconds were aggressively telling us that we had to decide on something or get out. We didn't order quick enough so they escorted us while yelling at us in their language and making rude gestures the entire way out. The owner continued to curse us as we crossed the street to leave in our car. Someone unknowingly, might think this was just a bad day. After reading others awful reviews it seems this is the norm. Unfortunate and disappointed read more

This place is terrible pricy drinks rude staff and terrible service . Mike one of the workers there were rude to me and my friends he told us that we could get out all because I asked him to turn the air up. I also asked him the price of my drink before I ordered it and told me he would come back with a price. Instead he came back with the drink and charges me $20 for one drink . Then I asked him to fix my coals on the hookah machine and he told me it didn't matter because I was about to get out anyway . I will never go back here again I don't care if someone's treating me I never been treated so bad in any business establishment. read more