Is it fair for a regular to comment? Maybe... maybe not...but this is my favorite hookah bar in DC! The service is great - I can note several of the bartenders by name (Yulia, Chrissy, JD, Simca just to name a few) and they recognize me -- so it's a local vibe for regulars, but open to new regulars! That said, there are busy nights (typically on the weekends) so you will need to be a little patient and may need to arrive earlier if you want a seat. That (also) said, I'll ask you - where can you get sushi and hookah? It's like the best combo of bougie and ratchet - I think they call it sophistiratchet. The hookah is consistent and reasonably priced when you consider some of the other spots who outsource their hookah to vendors and charge double the cost. The music is always good - ranging from current hits to afrobeats to oldies. Try it out and see what you think!! read more

This place almost passed the vibe check on the surface... the DJ was cool. The floor was nasty, chair was wet, and the springs were non existent is the sunken couches. Ordered a hookah the first one the brought had cloudy water and stuff floating in it. The 2nd one was better but burned harsh the whole time. The drinks were terrible. I got a margarita and all I tasted was sour mix. My friend got a lemon drop... again full of sour mix. The service was subpar, the waitress couldn't hear anything we asked and ran the our card without giving us an itemized bill. Didn't even bother with food. read more

Gazuza Lounge - Cloudy hookah - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This review is long overdue, the service was good overall, though as the night gets busier, you may need to flag down a server. The place could use better air conditioning as it gets extremely hot inside. The food was average; I sampled the jollof rice. The drinks were good, though a bit pricey. It's very crowded but has a great atmosphere, with a nice hookah lounge and excellent music, including hip hop, Afro beats, and reggae. Overall, it's a good spot to enjoy a night out. read more

Gazuza Lounge - Menu - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I made reservations 2 days prior for 5:30pm as I'm a travel RN & had a few days in town to visit my daughter. The restaurant wasn't even open when we got there 10 minutes before our reservation. The waitress apologized profusely, told us it was hot because she had just turned on the AC then seated us. I went to the bathroom, which was clean. That's just about the only good thing that I can say. I noticed that the lights were off around the bar & it wasn't properly prepared for patrons. So much for happy hour. We thanked the waitress anyway & left. The venue was spacious & decorated nice. It has the POTENTIAL to be a great venue if the owner hired management & staff to prepare the venue PRIOR to patrons arriving. It's June in DC! Why & how can a business mess up making boat loads of money in this season? I can't comment on the food though it was supposed to be sushi night. Not sure if a cook was even present. Very disappointing. We wanted to experience this restaurant ourselves despite the bad reviews. I can't recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

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I went here for a hookah around 9pm. The place wasn't completely full so we got a table right away. Hookah: too smoky/burnt-ny tbh, but strong Vibe: music was pretty loud, couldn't really hear each other when we were trying to talk to each other. I didn't try the food so I don't know if they're good. read more

If you want to just sit back and smoke hookah, this is the place for you. I went to celebrate a friend's birthday and I expected that there would at least be some dancing and decent drinks. That was not the case when I went this past weekend. The lack of dancing is partly due to the shyness of whoever was there. But the other reason I think it was pretty dead is because the lounge is fairly small with a layout that does not create much (if any) space for a group of more than ten to dance without seeming like you're infiltrating someone's section/table. Plus, the bar was low on staff on a Saturday night. It was a hassle to just get a drink there and the drink didn't seem to be what I requested. It tasted like they subbed ginger ale for club soda or something else. Also, the DJ didn't stay on theme (r&b and afrobeats) for majority of the time I was there so that was a bit disappointing. But there was also no entry fee so it wasn't a total loss. read more

I would leave zero stars if I can. I came here to celebrate a birthday and they were immediately rude and refused service to us because they "felt" like we were already under the influence! It was clear they just didn't want people of color in their establishment. Fuck this place and all the immigrants who run it read more

Would have loved to give this place five stars for the great music and upstairs location that looked out over Connecticut Ave, but they charged $16 for premade, watered down, Don Julio margaritas and the waitress held on to my ID and debit card BEFORE we paid. No one else in the establishment that sat literally next to us, was asked for their card and ID before ordering. I spent $127 on four 6oz margaritas and a hookah... Also, the food was catered by a Cameroonian chef that was AMAZING but I unfortunately I won't be back.... read more

I had a very quick visit to this place. First, let me say my friends told me the only reason they continue to visit this place is because it is super close to the place we go to for weekly trivia. But hey, let's give this place a chance. We visited on a weekday because we wanted hookah so the place was fairly empty. Typically when I go to a hookah spot you have a waiter, they greet you, take your order and provide a service. Our waiter was a young woman with blonde hair she brought us menus and immediately walked away. No "hello", no nothing. I thought that's strange, maybe she's going to bring us water. We catch her attention she takes our hookah order and walks away before we could even order water. I think I stayed for another 20 minutes but I was just not impressed. The service was just poor and that's saying a lot because I don't expect much from a hookah lounge. read more

Gazuza Lounge - Inside near the bar. Really dark inside. - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Mugetopkaya was so hospitable. Loved her!! Highly recommend. Felt like she was my friend!

The service was great! I went on a Wednesday night. They're open til 2am & the Dj was ROCKIN! If you like RnB vibes and are just trying to chill, it's a cozy spot! Nice view of the town from where you're seated. They have the game on & have drinks and are located next to an icecream spot. I got the strawberry mint hookah, fantastic! You don't have to dress up but it doesn't hurt to. Also, it's well ventilated so it's not super smoky in there which is a super plus! read more

This is my second time at Gazuza. My review is for the Friday happy hour. I have a friend in town and we stopped in to get food and kill time before we headed to get cigars and drinks in Chevy Chase. This may be my NEW happy hour spot in Dupont.This place has a Chi Cha lounge vibe ( spot on U street) but it's more laid back and sushi is their speciality. So, don't come in expecting fries, salads, burgers, and chicken lol First, Major win- Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 5pm--8pm. Most places only go to 6 or 7, so I was really happy and impressed with this ! The happy hour has lots of option to drink. I had three mojitos and they were not strong. I ordered the Gazuza roll and the Rainbow roll. They were amazing! They were so delicious! My friend had the Lasagna and Philadelphia roll and it looked delicious. I didn't have Hookah but based on the menu it said it was $20 during happy hour. I was surprised for a Friday evening it was slow. There is a Dj booth but there was no Dj. At about 8pm, the music turned a little more urban and hip hop came on. They have a cute enclosed patio for larger groups to the right of the lounge. It looked like a few of the tables were reserved. I took off a star for service. Yulia was our server and her service was just decent. At first, her demeanor was off putting but she warmed up as the night went on. They could of had more people working the lounge . It was only two females working the restaurant and a bartender. The crowd looked like they were college students and in their 20-30s. I will be back for happy hour and/or to host a mixer! read more

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Loved the gazuzza roll! The cocktails weren't my fave. The ambiance was great. Hookah service could've been a bit better. We had to repeatedly ask them to come over to swap the coals. DJ had a great line up. Overall a great time. I'll definitely be back! read more

Gazuza Lounge - Gazuzza roll was great Cocktails eh - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

If I could give them 10 stars I would!!!! Excellent establishment, great atmosphere and amazing drinks and hookah! They also just brought back their sushi!!! What more can you ask for, Drinks, Sushi, great Music and Hookah is literally the perfect combination for a fun night out. The service is unmatchable, I've been to a few different hookah bars in DC and I always always always end up at Gazuza. Recommend trying them out if you haven't yet and let me know what you think!! Cheers! read more

Place smelled like cigarettes. Went there because a flyer was emailed to me about a happy hour and event later that night. The manager denied that it was from their promotional team which was weird. When I explained that was main reason for my visit she acted uninterested and confrontational. Will never visit again. read more

Sushi, sexy vibe, and hookah is a great concept if done well. Came here on a Monday night to celebrate a friend's birthday . We advised the waitress there will be many of us and we will need separate checks. She said she could accommodate our request but, we would need to put up 1 card for the entire table. The 4 of us that were there at the time offered to put up our own cards to cover our own tabs but, she couldn't grasp the concept of what we were saying. After 10 minutes of back & forth she understood and took our drink and food orders along with our cards. FOOD: The sushi here is good. They have very limited selections on sashimi and sushi but, if you like creative rolls with interesting twist this is great and fresh. I had the Tiger roll, Lasagna roll (very tasty), and the Gazuza roll (it was warm so it wasn't my favorite but, good). DRINKS: I ordered a Lychee martini, which is one of my favorite flavored martini's, and it was just ok. I'm still trying to figure out why it was hot pink. Traditionally a Lychee martini is pear color looking and taste very much like the Lychee fruit and vodka. This one was very sweet and left me desiring more vodka. My suggestion use real lychee juice and and the fruit if you can to the cocktail... less hot pink please. My friend had the mojito and said it was good. HOOKAH: We were a group of 15+ and had several hookahs at our table. One of the ones at my end of the table wasn't functioning properly and instead of changing it out the wait staff kept loosening and tightening but, it did not work. I finally tooled around with it and we got it to do something but, we were over it at that point and just utilized th eff others. The hookah was good. I want to give this place another try because it's cute, sexy, in a great location, good music, and great vibes. Please work on your service! As a patron spending money at a table, I should not have to get up and go to the bar to close out my tab. This will ruin an experience. I recommend this place but be warned the service needs improvement. read more

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I went here a lot pre-covid and they had a fun, active happy hour. The HH they had was for hookah, drinks and food. But I went today for HH and they no longer had HH and no one was there. I was there for 3 hours and we were basically the only people there. Im assuming that they took a hit during covid. But the food and hookah were still as good was before, it was just full price. I still like the lounge but it is not as fun as it used to be. I hope it goes back to the way it used to be! read more

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This is a cool spot if you know to look for it. Had I not known about it I probably would have walked past it though. The hookah and overall vibe are on point if you are looking for R&B music and a club like feel. The employees give off a overwhelmed vibe though and there isn't much room if you aren't looking for bottle service.... The bottle service area was under utilized while the rest of the place was jammed pack. I'd definitely recommend reevaluating how the space is being used. read more

Visited Gazuza on a Friday evening with a few friends and although I was skeptical about the hookah/sushi mix, we had a great time. When we got there, it was 3 of us and we explained that 2 more ppl would be joining us. The waitress wanted to sit us inside but when we asked for a table in the outside area, she was nice enough to go check on one for us and have it cleaned and ready for us. We went with a mint flavored hookah with peach or some other kind of fruit flavor mixed in. The hookah was pretty good and pulled well, and everyone I was with seemed to love it. We also tried some sushi because why wouldn't you try sushi at a hookah-sushi hybrid restaurant? I went with my usual shrimp tempura roll which was good but definitely not the best I've ever had. My friends tried some of the specialty rolls and really liked it. The music was pretty good and not too loud that we couldn't have a conversation with each other. Will be returning for more sushi and shisha! read more

Gazuza Lounge - Mexican Bumble Roll - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This place is a vibe. Great music hookah was cool but the drinks were amazing. My server was okay just not welcoming or warm but service was consistent. I had two old fashions and a Philadelphia roll with a rainbow roll. It was fresh nothing bad just average. The drinks and food was a little pricey more then most for basic sushi rolls but the drinks and Atmosphere was worth it. I would return again. read more

Gazuza Lounge - Menu - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Not bad for a girls night out The music was too loud Waitress, Hanna was very aggressive! She was upset all the time for no reason! Other waitresses were nice tho. Good sushi and hooka read more

First time checking this place out and I really liked it...I know I know...Why the three star, we'll get to that. The atmosphere is very nice. Wasn't overcrowded. And the DJ was good. This is really the best place for dancing. But made great for intimate conversations or even group conversations. Here's the breakdown: Location - Very nice location. Parking seemed to be pretty decent but I will say, I arrived early and I took uber.. Atmosphere - Very intimate seating. Good music. Vibes were great. I really loved the ambience here. Food - Their specialty is sushi. While I did not have any (not a HUGE fan, expecially while drinking) several of the people I was with had some and they seemed to have enjoyed the menu. Drinks/Hookah - Ok Ok...Part of the reason for the three star. No, I am not an alcoholic, however, I do enjoy a nice strong drink. I requested two shots of patron, and a Patron Margarita, light ice (Yes, I enjoy Patron) throughout the night and not even the slightest buzz. The drinks were very very....weak. I wonder if I were really drinking patron....? The hookah wasn't bad. Good flavors that were tasty. BUT good hookah can quickly go bad if the coals are serviced when needed....That brings me to service... Service - After repeating drink orders, giving reminders about out coal needing to be changed, explain what a certain drink is, asking other servers for what we needed, we found out our server was new. While being new is the perfect excuse as to why things may take a little longer, and we may need a little more patience....The poor girl didn't even write anything down. Ok maybe it's a house rule, you can't....But shouldn't be at the expense of the customer. All in all it was a good experience. I would return...Let's see if the new girl gets more training and the drinks are a little better next time.. read more

Gazuza Lounge - Hookah and drinks - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I like Gazuza Lounge. It's a cute and diverse hookah lounge in Dupont Circle. Most important, the hookah is reasonable $30 I get tired of these places charging $50 and up for a hookah. The sushi was amazing and the vibe is great . The downfall is, I wish there was a larger selection for sushi rolls . But I definitely would go back on some happy hour or late night tip . Check it for yourself . At the time I went, our waitress seemed annoyed and very direct. I'm not sure if it's her personality or had a bad day, but life happens. I'm big on customer service ! read more

Despite the reviews this place was decent. We had a table reserved (Saturday night) so seating wasn't an issue. The waiter did disappear a few times when we first got there but overall she was nice and attentive. I got the lasagna sushi which was really good. I don't like spicy food so I was nervous that it was going to be too hot but it wasn't. I also got an apple martini which was great! They only serve sushi but the prices are good ($5-$11) and the kitchen closes at midnight. Not that there's an actual dance floor, but the music was great and also very loud. It is a bar so it's rather dark as you should expect. We didn't have candles at our table but I did notice candles on other tables. Everyone seemed to like the hookah. We got mint and orange. Overall it's a nice chill spot, with free entry and they stay open until 3:00 am. read more

Gazuza Lounge - Apple Martini - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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After my first experience, I vowed never to step foot back in this place, but when two of your friends request your presence, you oblige! I don't know if I was taking too long of a puff-puff on the hookah or if it was the really great mojitos I was sippin' on, but I actually enjoyed my time this go around. Not sure if Gazuza has lightened up on the table service, because the group I was with didn't have any issues with getting a couple of tables without being charged extra. Granted, the bill did cost a grip, so that could've played a factor as well. Even though I had a fun time (90% contributed to my friends and 10% to the hookah and drinks) I can't say I was satisfied with the food options. The sushi was cool, but I would prefer heartier options. Can a sista get a burger, wings or some fries? IJS...lol! The service was great and our server was right there each and every time we needed our drinks replenished or the hookah coal burned out. We had a cool meet up. Still not top on my list to make any immediate returns. read more

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Paid $16 for two DEER PARK WATER BOTTLES..... LOL a scam. Otherwise, a cool DuPont hookah bar with good drinks. Wish the rooftop was back open read more

Very good experience Good sushi, hookah, wine, also great sports atmosphere with dj back music, over all was good read more

The G-Spot gets 5 stars!!! As soon as me & my gal pal walked in we were greeted & told to sit wherever we preferred. We sat in the enclosed patio, on the plush leather seating, where a few patrons were getting their Hooka on! Gabrianna was our server...Med Student getting her grind on, turn up college student. We ordered a bottle of Malbec to get the night started. After looking at the menu that was full of variety & great prices, we ordered the the Salmon Ceviche, Eel & Avocado & Super Crunchy Yellowtail rolls & Eel Sashimi. The wait was surprisingly short & the presentation was very cuisine-ly set on point. The portion was outstanding & very good to the palate. Gabrianna was on point with a great timeframe of checking in on us without being too far away or overheating :-) Anything we needed she almost knew before we asked. She replenished our wine glasses without skipping a beat, which always is great vino service. She kept our water glasses filled & checked in on us periodically. After stuffing ourselves, she asked if we were still at it...great proactivity...yes, we have satisfied our Sushi craving & was good to go. Very enjoyable ambiance, mix music was on point & of course the service was the Bomb.Com. Got a new Sushi spot thanks to my other place relocating. Gab, we will be back next week! Keep those A's coming...Pre-Med all day, everyday! May be back before then for the Happy Hour...hopefully she'll be working. Great experience! read more

Gazuza Lounge - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Here the customer pays for sins of a struggling business; watered down drinks, low quality hookah with just good enough music. Gazuza, if you are will to charge these prices and marked up fees, give service that warrants it. read more

We went here Friday night after the concert. It was barely anyone there which was good for us. Quick and free parking since it was so late, and we were seated at a booth near the window. We had the watermelon and mint flavored hookah which was pretty good. The drinks are a bit pricey but they were potent. Definitely a nice spot to go to chill, listen to music and relax. read more

Gazuza Lounge - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Service sucks here. Too bad because it's a very chill laid back vibe that's enjoyable otherwise. But as someone that has visited many times, some servers will discriminate, overcharge and have a huge problem when you point out an order THEY got wrong. Eventually stopped going because these particular problems were recurring. Sad that a business discriminates against the very people that give them the most business. read more

Hands down, my favorite Hookah spot in downtown DC. My favorite hookah flavor is White Grape - second choice would be strawberry kiwi. The place itself is more like a lounge, where along the wall are couches-type and little seat stools for the other side. Have only tried the sushi here - most sushi roll dishes are yummy - even the presentation is cute. This place gets packed on weekends and during happy hours - so I would suggest to always call ahead and make reservations. Oh, and sometimes on weekends, they have a live dj and the music is super loud read more

Never had anything to eat here, but be prepared for astonishingly expensive drinks and hookah. In their defense however, the hookah is excellent and seriously goes the distance, not sure how, but they have about the longest lasting smokes of anywhere I've been. Also be aware that it gets loud with the DJ, so only come with people you know since you won't be having any "getting to know you" conversations. Overall I like this place and would not hesitate to return if out in Dupont and hankering for a smoke. read more

I had been coming here since 2014 and the service has changed drastically for the worse! I obviously am not a person to write a shitty review for a place that is ethnically owned. I feel like they make their policies unclear to disenfranchise people of color. I've witnessed them tell three separate stories to three different people in efforts to keep them away from the seats that overlook the city. The sushi is mediocre and the hookah is great. Do not come here if you are a person of color. They also won't let you charge your phone at the bar because one of the servers had disclaimed that it is a liability. Come here with caution folks!!! read more

Gazuza Lounge - a hook on a table - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

worst place I ever been, I was traveling alone and went to this place to get some drinks and hookah and they literally told me that they couldn't let me sit in a decent chair because I was ONE person. they offered me a small chair that was uncomfortable while they had all the nice chairs and cauches empty and telling me that either stand on foot at the bar or sit on the little chair because everything else was not allowed for one perso. I've never felt so humiliated like this in any other local before. I definitely wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. read more

This review is based on the service, food quality, drinks, hookah, and over all experience. For reference I ordered the gazuza roll, my roll, apple martini, sparkling house wine, and the watermelon mint hookah. I am truly surprised this place does not have better reviews. I came here on a Friday after work with a few coworkers. I have been telling my coworkers that I have been wanting to go to a hookah lounge in the area and they all agreed to come with me since this place had a happy hour menu. Located in DuPont, this place can be easily missed because it is located on the second floor. We saw a little outdoor display with the lounge name printed on it, so we just looked around for the door. Once entering, it was pretty empty. it was around 5:30 PM on a Friday so I can't expect too much haha. There are two rooms separated by glass. One of them is the bar area, the other one is the lounge. To get a table at the lounge area after 8 PM you need a party of 5 or more. We decided to sit in the lounge area since there were couches and it seemed very open there. Our waitress came by, she was very sweet, she checked ID's first before anything, so make sure everyone in your party is over 18. We ordered our drinks first. The apple martini was very well made. I normally do not order them because my expectations are low but do yourself a favor and order it when you come here, especially during happy hour! Next she brought out the hookah and she started it herself which was very nice. The mix of flavors was great, very smooth and they complemented each other. The pipes were clean, no harsh taste whatsoever. There was no extra charges for splitting the hookah so that was nice. Not long after came out our first rolls. I ordered one roll to start because I wanted to try it out and I was not super hungry. The gazuza roll was warm and the fish was cooked. This roll was very good and satisfying. It had different types of meat including crab and shrimp. My friend ordered the my roll which was raw and spicy. I tried a piece and I was addicted. I ordered that right after. I recommend pairing both of these rolls together because the my roll was very spicy. Flipping between the warm and cold, spicy and savory rolls would really tingle the senses. These rolls were a decent price for the portions, but the flavor was worth it. My last drink was the sparkling house wine which was alright, nothing I am jumping out of my seat about, yet I am not going to dock a star because everything met expectation. The apple martini was great, the sushi was fresh and well made, the hookah was smooth, the service was friendly and attentive. All in all, my experience at Gazuza was great! My friends were praising me on how I found such a cool spot they never heard of. I will definitely be returning here and I hope you guys get a chance to check out the happy hour, it's worth it! read more

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Service took forever and the waitress didn't understand English. Waited for 20 mins just to order a drink and a hookah on a Tuesday and it wasn't that crowded. Understaffed i guess. However on the other hand when I got my hookah it was really good. I'm used to hookahs in Houston and it didn't blow as strong but it was stil good and good flavor. Blueberry mint read more

Great place to let loose and have a good time with friends! Staff is very cool and seating is ample.

This is one of my favorite hookah lounges to go to. Great customer service and the sushi is yummy!!

This was my first hookah bar ever and while the hookah and the company I was with was a blast, our server was very unpleasant. She didn't seem like she wanted to be at work at all. She was rude and didn't check in with us ever. She was unattentive and frankly the gratuity being included upset me a lot. We didn't get food, we just had drinks and hookah. Now since we were distracted by each other's company it didn't get too bad until I felt I was avidly complaining about the experience. The ambiance is everything you would expect from a hookah bar, but the service lacked and it was disappointing. read more