Honestly a hidden gem of a hole in the wall. I brought my sister here because she likes hookah and it reminded her of her favorite local spot - and she's picky! I honestly don't know how we found it, maybe we did a google search but it's a place that's hard to just stumble upon (go through the doors next to McDonalds and up the stairs) and we weren't sure we were in the right place till we walked in lol. But we were pleasantly surprised, it's so spacious upstairs and super low key. Couches and chairs, good for groups and even solo as a woman I never get harassed bothered. Even though it's mostly male clientele, everyone is always respectful. Employees are helpful and let you vibe, no pressure for refills or add ons but still are attentive. But most importantly, great flavors of shisha and it's affordable. Idk if it is byob but we respectfully poured up lol so hopefully we didn't break the rules. It's cash only but there's an atm in McDonald's. read more

No frills - authentic shisha spot. The view from the windows is cool. Cash only but definitely worth a trip if you're in the area.

A dimond in the rough. This place is amazing, I have visited my fair share of hookah lounges and this is by far my favorite spot I've been to. When I visited I saw many groups as well as people by themselves on laptops, they have enough tables for everyone! The view is killer, if you can get a seat by the window and you can casually smoke your hookah, enjoy a hibiscus tea and people watch the whole journal square. Some tips: Cash Only (It's very inexpensive as it is). When you get a hookah get the grapefruit head, it costs only a few dollars more you get much more sheesha thus your session lasts longer. Board games are free (you can just grab one). The place is on the second foot. Personal favorite aspects: It's an authentic Middle Eastern hookah place with Kali Mamoon hookah which are THE best hookahs. They also label hookahs (not many places do), where if you get let's say mint hookah only mint has ever been smoked out of it. Thus, flavors are not diluted. Food: I just got something the waiter recommended. It was sweet hibiscus tea and these beef patties with peta bread between and mixed spices (it came with mixed pickled vegetables on the side). Overall great experience. I recommend visiting. read more

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This hole in the wall spot has such good hookah. The people are super nice here and the service is quick. It's a super chill vibe. They have tables and couches to sit at and they have. Low light areas too. I had the hibiscus ice tea and t tasted good. They have a variety of hookah options and California dream is a good one. read more

Journal Square Cafe - Hibiscus iced tea - Middle Eastern Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Fantastic Hookah Lounge, great service and one of the great hookahs with so many flavors for the option. You can play games and do many things read more

My friends and I used to come here in college a lot. The space is very large and they serve food. It's interesting to note that they try to keep the hookah smoking groups separate, apparently to keep the smoke alarm from going off. They serve food and have a random ping pong table as well. Their Turkish coffee is decent, and the hookah prices are pretty low. The hookahs themselves are decent. The pipe are clean. They use a mix of coco naras and natural wood coal. Fruit bowls are an available upgrade. The hookahs are actually excellent for the first 10 minutes of smoking, but they lack longevity. The service is OK. Coals are slow to be changed. read more

great prices , amazing hookah and delicious food very cozy place convenient in Jersey city.also services was good.

I was having the hardest time finding a hookah bar in Jersey City when I came across this place. It's light, spacious, and has good air circulation. Staff were pleasant and attentive, we had our own tongs and they still came by to replace old coals. Bathroom was clean by hookah standards. Didn't try the food but they have a decent selection. Two tips: I had to ask a local business where to find the entrance to this place, but I was easily assisted. They're also cash only. Over all, solid hookah joint. read more

The tea is great and so is the hookah. The employees are really friendly too. The music is great. I love coming here for a good time. I've been coming for over a year now. If you're looking for a chill time, I definitely recommend coming here. read more

Firstly, this place is not for everyone. Secondly, if you can keep and open mind, then you might find this place to be one of JC's best secret gems. The location is nondescript - when I walked up the stairs with friends, I thought we were walking up to some rando apt to get murdered. :( But once we passed the entrance, it was like being in a the home of a middle eastern family. It's $10ppl/admission plus $2 smoothies. And sure, the clientele is mostly men, but what hookah isn't a sausage fest? Because my table was 60% women, we got awesome service. We got two rounds of coals for yummy mango and blue mist shishah. Entertainment wise, be sure to go on Saturday night. Belly dancing at mid night. Tip: grab a table on the middle floor away from the wall to join in. Otherwise, there are other entertainment like ping pong and dominos. Tip: bring your own boardgame for an awesome game night. Thanks for a fun and low key night. I will be back. read more

POOR STAFF, POOR SERVICE & NOT CLEAN - I had a simple order for 3 people which was 3 hot drinks, 3 hookahs and one sandwich with a side order of french fries. It took over an hour to be served on a weekday with a little crowd .. When I nicely asked the person who took my order how long (Only because my friends from out of town where leaving at a certain time) I was given an attitude and then I had to wait even longer .. Both of good friends were very disappointed but we didn't want to cancel our order .. It wasn't too busy or I would of understood the wait .. I would never go there again or ever recommend the place. I never write any reviews but if I could, I would rate 0 STARS! read more

Great place for a fun cheap night, 10$ hookah, food is cheap, really huge space. The sandwiches are amazing to try and the staff is friendly. Good hookah Have been there multiple times now. Will continue to do so till i find some new joint. read more

First off, it's literally across the street from the path train. I would of never known it was a hookah spot unless my friend told me, you have to walk up these stairs to a big open hall with tables and a bunch of windows. Hookah is ok, they have fruit heads, but no ice hose. The food I'd have to say looked extremely good. It even smelled amazing, I took a doggie bag home and it was delicious. read more

Horrible. That is the one word that comes to mind to describe it. The service is ridiculous, I feel at times they purposely ignore you. The hookah is bland and burns super fast because they purposely bring you coals from the caves of hell. The food is ehh, the prices are pretty absurd. It's $3 for a water and EVERYONE has to buy something, so the tab can get up there rather quickly. The cleanliness is nonexistent both at the tables and in the bathroom. I have been faced with a puddle of piss more times than I can count in the restroom. It's generally cold in the winter and hot in the summer and they refuse to turn up either the heat or the A/C. Stay away!!! read more

They have nice hookah here. Try pam masala it is very good. Mostly you find men here. It is very big place and they have games like table tennis and dominos too. Definitely worth trying once with friends. read more

Journal Square Cafe - Very big place - Middle Eastern Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

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Great Egyptian atmosphere. Sandwiches were really good. They have dominos , cards and a pingpong table read more

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It's an open grand hookah lounge. I love the size of it. A lot of space, to feel less like you are suffocating in smoke. The music is fine Arabic music, no particular genre rather just a bunch of music videos playing on their TVs. Random ping pong table in the middle of the place, which I think is cool. The people are pretty nice there, they just don't notice when we need to be served either to change the coal or make the hookah less harsh. The hookah tastes really good, and runs for quite a while. I'd say about an hour and a half you'd be good. They don't have the best food, but you can't expect much from a place like this in Journal Square. It's not Manhattan to have top notch service, or 5 star hotel like food. It's a chill place. The guy who dealt with the bill basically took a free dollar for tip because he didn't have change in his hands. (Even though he could have just walked over to the cash register on the other side.) I walked away knowing that that's extremely unprofessional, and not just that, it's cheap. I hope they know better in the future. People shouldn't read these reviews and be like "Fuck this place yo, it's shady." No matter what restaurant you look at for reviews, someone will have had shady experiences. Maybe a lot of bad experience reviews too. But only actually going there, will you know what you like/dislike about it based on your standards, tolerance of customer service, etc. Give the place a try. read more

This is one of my favorite hookah bars in the Jersey City area. I found this place about two years ago, when I lived in the heights, and have been going here ever since. I love all the staff and go so often that they already have my hookah available. Their food is pretty good and they make some good smoothies but is a little pricey, however there are tons of restaurants within that area that you can eat at before going in. The hookah is very cheap at $10-$12 and worth it! It's a very happening place and a lot of the local Egyptian/Muslim community as well as college students and JC locals come here to talk unwind, play dominos, cards, and even ping pong! Yes they have a ping pong table here that people often take advantage of. It has such a neighborhood feel and vibe to it. It's a very laid back place where you can hang out and even do some work with some headphones on! I love going at nights because it's always busy and you get to see more people that come in and get to know them. I usually go in the early to late afternoon but LOVE the nights so much fun! If you're in the area try it out. read more

This place is really spacious and could be renovated to something really nice. But instead they have their torn up couches and dirty glass windows. For three people, it's $27. They're hookah is not even that great. It's convenient and local. read more

One of the better hookah lounge in jersey City. Naeem took care of me as if I was his family. The place is really laid back. You can actually do work and smoke hookah. This is my first time visiting and I absolutely loved it here. I will definitely come back here. It's definitely a place worth checking out. read more

I love this place! I go either once or twice a week. It's very chill and the hookah is great!

Since I am the first person reviewing this place I am assuming the reason is because not many people have been to this lounge since it's almost incognito. At least, that's what I thought it was the first time I stepped foot into the building. This Journal Square Cafe is located on the second floor of the building from which you can see Christmas lights through the windows that spells PARTAYYY. Not really, but alas, I digress. There's a sign on the first floor door with a hookah on it so that gives away what's hiding upstairs. When you walk in the building, it kinda gives off one of those eerie feelings where you feel like some creep in a Halloween Mask holding a butcher's knife is about to jump out of a corner and put you to sleep, but it's not actually so bad. You can get to the lounge via stairs or elevator. I took the elevator the second time I went there because by the time I finished climbing the 20 sets of stairs, I was all out of wind (I thought there were A LOT of stairs but it could just be the lack of gym-time for me, HA!) The elevator, on the other hand, saved me from peril but, not entirely. It has a violent opening as if it was pissed off by the person it just had to drop off, and takes forever just to get to the second floor. Not to mention, if you're going with more than 2 people, you'll have to take about two trips - it's tiny in there. While in that elevator, you're just hoping you make it to and from in one piece. Old building! I haven't even gotten to the part about the lounge yet. Here goes. The inside is pretty big, and very plain looking. They have many chairs and tables all over the place and a little recreational center in front where 2 sets of people can play ping pong. They also have other games like chess, checkers, etc. that you can play while smoking some hookah. Problems, problems.. where do I begin? First off, the staff in this place is generally nice, but EXTREMELY INATTENTIVE - for the most part. For some reason, they all have earphones on so they almost intentionally CAN'T HEAR YOU. Apparently, they can't see you either. I ordered one hookah, and every time I needed assistance because it started burning, I would have to wave my hands like I fell off board a cruise ship. Did it work? NOPE. You really shouldn't have to do that when you go to a lounge. I eventually just had to go up to them and ask them for assistance. Oh, and don't bother screaming HELLO, or EXCUSE ME, because they are going to make sure their music is loud enough not to hear you. Also, they make sure they put about 6 coals on your hookah after about 15 minutes of good smoke, because they do not want you in there for more than 15 minutes, apparently. The couches are comfy and you sink right in. It takes 2 or 3 tries to get up since it sinks so low but not a huge deal. Comfy, comfy couches. (They only have like, 2 couches, though.) For all this, it ain't cheap but not too shabby either. $10 for a hookah, and you MUST buy a drink. Don't bother buying water - it's $3 for almost any drink so don't get water because you think it'll be cheaper. Overall, not a bad place, but I've definitely been to better. Still, not a bad deal. P.S. Staff with the earphones on, PLEASE - enjoy your Pandora Radio session AFTER your office hours. Thanks! read more

last night I went to journal square cafe for my second time and it was totally different than the first time I went to which was couple of month ago they painted, they renewed everything and it even looks way better than before .service was much better they have new hookah falvors and new hookahs. The prices are the same it didnt go up and I had a good time with my friends and I am sure I will keep going over and over again specially after the new things they have and the new furntiure and everything looks beautiful :) read more