Classic spot in forest hills. Always reliable. Good service good hookah good food. Always some energetic vibes inside, can't go wrong with this spot if you're lookin for a good time with friends. read more

Great service, good hookah and great location. This location is a great place to end your day and they have food!

Desert Rain has smaller hookahs and the smoke is Better, thicker, and lasts way longer. The management and service here is spotty. Don't offer food, still using the same old menus though. One person let me bring outside food one night. Came another night, and was basically kicked out even though the food wasn't opened. Came in today, some person came in after and was eating. So imaginary rules I guess. That was pretty irritating. Won't be returning. Not anything special. Music is cool sometimes. Decor is pretty cool but attaches to your hair when you lean back on the booths. oh and Bathroom gross. You could find a better spot with better service and tools. read more

Xhale - Hookah Bars Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

This place is trash only thing good was the music the customer service sucks had us waiting an hour for empanada ls to the point we ended uo saying nevermind. The food was very salty and the drinks was trash I would not recommend this place at all; I wish I can give it no star. read more

Maybe the worst lounge I've ever been to. Waited over half an hour to get a server to come see us we get there early enough for happy hour but it took the server so long to serve us that "it no longer counted" and she gave insane attitude, whatever it's fine we order our hookah and food. Hookahs take 40 minutes to come but our food. Does. Not. Come. We ask the staff where our food is and she says it's coming, fine. 20 more minutes pass no food. We ask again where the food is and she tells us the kitchen is backed up and disappears for another FIFTEEN MINUTES. SHE COME BACK WITH NO FOOD AGAIN. So we very nicely ask to cancel our order and get the check and find a check for over $100. Now i understand that we should pay for what we get BUT THE HOOKAS WERE HARSH AND SHE LITERALLY DID NOT CHANGE THE COALS AT ALL but i go to this place enough and bring them so much business so i expected that they would want to keep me coming back, but i guess not. On the bill we see an 18% service charge which i don't understand because she literally did nothing for us. NOTHING. so i go up and ask that at least she should take off the service charge or at least charge us the happy hour price since we came before happy hour ended and she refused. If i was a worse person i would have walked out without payment at all, this was one of the worst experiences I've ever had at an establishment. Will never come back, will never bring my friends back, i give this place thousands of dollars in business every year, even planning on having my birthday party there with over 70 people. I'm upset. This place really went down in quality, hope they fix themselves. read more

I remember coming here for the first time years ago and the staff members use to wear shirts that said "Friends don't let friends smoke hookah on Steinway" LOL Well a few years have passed and I decided to stop by for a second time and I'm very glad I did. I stumbled in around 6pm and lucky for me they had a special going on from 6pm-8pm which consisted of $12 hookahs and $3 smoothies. We all know Ash loves a good special/deal :)! I started with a lemon drop hookah and a strawberry shortcake smoothie. The hookah was awesome! It was lemony with a hint of menthol and it was pulling beautifully. The staff provided great service and maintained the coals very diligently for the 2 hours I was there. The strawberry shortcake smoothie was pretty bomb also! I was very pleased with my second visit at Xhale. The reason I never returned back in the day was because the place seemed like it was being ran by a bunch of incompetent teenagers. Thankfully, I am very happy to see that after all these years the teens have grown up and are providing great service as well as great hookah. I'm usually not a fan of establishments that automatically add gratuity to the bill but because I was satisfied with every aspect overall, I didn't mind the little 20% curveball they threw at me. read more

Xhale - Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie - Hookah Bars Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

Place is trash now. Service is late and negligent. Don't waste your money or time. The hookah quality isn't what it used to be.

Personally not a fan of Hooka but I was hanging out with some friends who wanted to check the place out. We stopped by once seated got some hooka's , Watermelon mint flavor , didn't try the other. Hooka itself was alright no big deal for me my friends seem to enjoy themselves. As for the place itself decent size with plenty of seating they do play good music. My biggest complain here is the fact that there is no ventilation in this place , makes for a very stuffy establishment .. Hard to just relax in here when just breathing is a challenge. Eyes get pretty watery since the smoke is just so much no real flow of air in this place. If u enjoy Hooka u may find this place better , personally since am not a big fan doesn't really do much for me not like I've never been to a Hooka bar they have been a lot more comfy & not as stuffy inside. read more

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Really surprised by the horrible reviews some yelpers left on here. I've been coming to this hookah lounge for about 3 years and I've thoroughly enjoyed myself every time. I've tried most of the hookah flavors they serve, my favorites being vanilla chai spice with paan, lemon drops, spongebob and meetha paan. The pull is thick and smooth and they last you a pretty long time. They get their food from two doors down at a little restaurant called Munch, and it's amazing! The burgers, wings, fries, are all great. Love the music they play. I personally enjoy the punjabi music, and they also play mainstream songs which almost caters to everyones preferences. The only reason I wouldn't give them 5 stars is because I feel like they can work on the aesthetics of this place. The wall paint looks worn down and the most of the tables and cushions on the booth are worn down. I've been going to ignited for the past year (which is a fairly new lounge) so every now and then when I come here I seem to compare the cushions and tables to the new ones in ignited. Other than that, it's a great place and I would definitely recommend it! read more

Xhale - Hookah Bars Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

The owner drives a green and black dodge which he almost ran my friend and i over with. My friend tends to walk in zig zags and he threatened to run her over before we knew he owned Xhale. I confronted him and told him He could of hurt us and he said he's driving the same way as we walk. Once we were inside we were 1 min away from ordering our watermelon hookah but then walked in and shouted to us that this is his lounge. I'm sorry but this is by far the worst I've EVER been treated. Please do not support this establishment because the owner is a horrible person. read more

The hookah is great! Their food comes from Munch so it's amazing by default. The guys working inside are super attentive. My hookah was taking longer than usual to make and the guy kept coming to my table to reassure me that it was being prepared even though I didn't even realize I was waiting longer than usual. They have a happy hour special that's crazy. I don't remember the exact special but I know I got an order of 6 wings, a can of coke, and a mint hookah for $18 I believe. read more

This is the only Hookah spot in Forest Hills I visit- decent hookah and they offer the ice tips. CON: Being asked to throw out your drink when you enter. I had a coffee with me when I entered the other day and the waiter came around to tell me I had to throw it out. Naturally, the finance devil in me did not want to throw it out and having had just bought the drink, I chugged it. I don't know why it's not allowed but I guess it's to make sure no alcohol are sneaked inside. Whenever the bf and I visit this lounge, we pay a little extra for the ice tip and order the Pan Masala mint. It gives you the perfect feeling where you're on cloud 9 after the first inhale yet it's not harsh because the ice tip is easy on the throat. The hookah also lasts a pretty long time compared to other joints I've been to. Service isn't that bad really - there's someone walking around most of the time with coals so they're changed periodically. I'm sure if you ask, they'll cater to their customers and change it for you too. The staff are pretty nice - I had to charge my phone one time and they were able to charge it for me behind the counter. Music - they're usually playing some type of Indian/Punjabi hip hop. I didn't mind it but I don't think my bf is too into it. TV- a couple of Tvs are hung on the wall so patrons are able to watch the game anywhere from the seats. Food-I've only tried their hashtag fries. Your typical American fries that can't really go wrong. Not over fried, salty and just perfect with the hookah. There used to be a cover charge during certain events but I'm not sure if that's still going on. Gratuity I believe is also included so you won't have to calculate the tip when you pay. Credit cards are accepted. Overall- pleasant experience and will be revisiting next time. read more

We arrived during happy hour and the waitress refused to take our order until after happy hour finished. We then waited an hour for our food and was told that it would be done in an additional 40 minutes. They wasted our time and money. The waitress had a bad attitude and we will not be coming back. Also, the hookahs had no pull and all the flavors were scratchy and tasted the same. Go somewhere else, there's a thousand of these places in the city. read more

Came here with 6 friends. The place was a third full but the waiteress waited to take our order after happy hour finished. After taking our order 50 minutes passed until we couldnt wait for our food any longer and we left. Hookah was average at best too. read more

Omg the hookah was horrible! We got a regular flavor at first and it tasted like incense.. we told our server and he kindly changed it from the blue ice to a premium flavor blue mist instead and it tasted the exact same. It was awful. I've been smoking hookah for over 10 years now and have been to multiple lounges and I've never tasted it like this before. Maybe this is the real flavor for middle eastern countries but it was just awful. We didn't even smoke it and just left. Place was empty on a Friday night and there was just 2 other tables there. They charge you 20% automatic gratuity and it's 10/ extra per person if you have more than 2 people. They also don't sell any beer, wine or alcohol. I've gone to this place before many years ago and I don't remember it being this bad. Sucks. The only thing good was that our server was nice!! read more

SpongeBob & green lantern are a must ! Finger snacks are good love the shrimps, a must try their piña colada smoothies . Hookah is good there always checking up and changing your coals . Some nights can be pack. & music -rap and Indian music on some nights sometimes a mix up of different variety. read more

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Hookah is pretty good here, not overpriced like some other hookah places in the area. Only thing is that when u order something like the classic burger, it takes a little while to awhile for it to come, so if you're hungry, order the food first. read more

This is the worst place ever Bad customer service and hookah The manager is so rude The hookah pipes are dirty and they give you small tips that doesn't even fit properly a regular hookah is over priced and they charge you for tip when the employees aren't even nice I was having a bad day thought this place was going to lighten up my mood but instead it made me more upset This place deserves no stars read more

Been here a few times most convenient hookah lounge in Austin street close to home. Overall experience great atmosphere coal does take a while but honestly I can say the best hookah i had here was their green lantern. Also they make smoothies i am intrigued by their pina coolada. read more

I've never had a worse food experience in my entire life. This entire situation was ridiculous. The lady working gave so much attitude, she legitimately never learned customer service in her entire life. It took over 30 min for a hookah. But we never got any of our food. We felt cheated out of happy hour because the hostess waited a full 22 minutes to come take our order even though we came in before 7. The bill was incredibly high for never getting getting any of our food at all. We waited over an hour and a half for food, and if they can't handle getting food on a Monday night when it's empty i can't imagine how bad it is when it's busy. The server was very rude, when we ended up leaving without food she gave us attitude. We asked for the service charge to be dropped which she would not do despite the fact that she didn't come talk to us or see us beyond the initial taking of our order and had to be flagged down for us to ask her about updates. I genuinely think this place needs new management, I've been here before and it's never been this bad. read more

This is my second time at this hookah place, and while I had a better time the first time around, today was not the case. I arrived with 5 of my friends, sat wherever because no one came to sit us, and waited about 15 minutes before anyone showed up. I hate the fact that you need to order a minimum of a hookah for 2 people, and in our case we had to order 3 for 6, never again. The quality of the hookah is not good at all and they over charge you for them. To top it off, whoever was supposed to cover that shift, didn't come once to change the coal, we had to call for him because he was too busy smoking with his friends by the bar. The owner should be aware of the people they hire, and make sure they treat all customers the same. Oh, did I mention that I asked for a cup of ice for my warm can of Soda, and I was told they don't have, but they do serve smoothies? Hmmm I wonder what they use for their smoothies instead of ice... Please do yourself a favor, and go to 718 in Austin or buy a hookah and enjoy it at your own home instead. This place needs to close down, or change owners cause it's a dump. read more

I'm a bit disappointed, Xhale where has thou gone? I'm sadden by the fact that Xhale is not longer what I remembered it to be. This was my spot, the place where I learned to smoke hookah. This was one of my favorite hotspots, which I was proud of and told everyone to come here. Back in the days (so long ago) I used to work in the area and you can catch me in here every other weekday with a bunch of friends enjoying well-priced hookah in the company of fun attentive Xhale workers. I'm not sure if it's the success was what went to the heads of the managers here or just that they lost their passion. Xhale was one of the first locations away from Steinway where you can go enjoy hookah that prided itself as being better than anything you have smoked in Steinway. It's overpriced, a normal hookah might end up costing you $20 or more. Not only do you get charged tax but a mandatory tip fee, which I think they place higher than 15%! Now the hookah, it's on par with any other "regular" hookah from unknown locations. There's nothing special about it that screams "give me five stars", it's just average. The DJ booth was moved down to floor level, now you can see a DJ just dance around like he's crazy even when the lounge isn't turned up and everyone is just sitting back relaxing, if the listeners can't hype themselves up then I guess he has to at least hype himself up. That wasn't the only thing to change. They used to let people bring in food or order from nearby, one of the waiters said they don't let people eat outside food anymore. I don't mind buying my drink here but let me at least eat something I want from somewhere else. I haven't tried the food here and doubt I will. The waiter was nice enough to say it was okay for us to eat the cheesecake slices we had brought from another venue. There's still some pluses regarding Xhale's location. Within a five block radius, there's awesome places to eat and even a few bars to stop by just for a drink. Let's not forget the legendary Martha's Bakery just down the block. During the day, you can go downstairs to see cute puppies through a glass window. I'm not trying to knock Xhale with my review, I have to be honest in letting people know what to expect. I would hang out at Xhale if I'm already in the area, bored without anything to do, but I doubt I would setup plans with friends just to come and hangout here. read more

Passed by Here Monday night 10 PM with a friend. Many new places here, good spot to hang around BUTTTT... Bunch of "Teenagers" coming out from this lounge. UH.... High School Joint. No thank you, Don't want to get in trouble with the teenies. Will come and try again on a different day or night and see what's up. read more

This place is terrible...the guys here are amazingly rude and apparently like to get in your face (great business model idea btw). They also stop serving food and don't let you bring any food in here even though the place is completely empty. They force you to buy more hookah than you need, and they're just overall dicks. This place needs to go out of business quick. ....but the hookah hits alright read more

TERRIBLE. I went here for a friend's birthday and I was highly disappointed when I first walked in. We sat in the front in the large couch which was comfortable but sank in too much. The fact that there was no bar killed the whole thing. And the hookah was disgusting, it had an off taste to all of them and we ordered three different ones. never coming back here again, and it was too over priced. I think I paid $20 for hookah, NOT WORTH IT. read more

Soooo I may or may not have been the oldest person in the joint. At 23, that's not saying much. It's like what they say about high schools, you really shouldn't be 30+ and hanging out in jailbait areas unless you're the janitor. The staff is pretty inattentive. "BRB GUYZ, I R SMOKING A HOOKAH BEHIND THE COUNTER" type deal. $20/hookah. Lawd, have mercy. Hold on, I'm picking up my jaw from the floor. Plus tip? Not worth it. The flavors are not that great and I had the Sour Patch kid flavor? Kinda harsh and my throat was all scratchy afterwards. Bleh... The music? I thought the DJ was great. Mix of old school reggaeton, merengue, and bhangra? Haha, they remixed Suavemente with some bhangra beats. This place is super crowded and I don't suggest anyone to come here unless you're looking for your teenage sister who stayed out past her curfew. read more

1 hookah per 2 people. They don't ID. Not gay friendly. We have to get their attention to have our coals changed. Music is pretty good (if you have a diverse taste). read more

After further considerations, I can't give this lounge 4 stars since I always find myself choosing to smoke hookah on steinway. It wouldn't make sense to rate it higher than the places I frequent more often when I choose to smoke outside of my house. As I've said in a previous review, the hookah at xhale is fine, it was enjoyable. But why pay so much when I can pay $10 for a hookah that I will enjoy just as much if not more? As I've also said in my previous review, there's no such thing as an excellent hookah when it comes to the nyc hookah scene. So when comparing lounges of equal merit it comes down to price point. Another reason for my revised review is the fact that the music is unnecessarily loud in such a small venue. It's personally not my cup of tea and biscuits. On a side note to the owner: 1) it would not cost $50 a hookah if you tried to keep up with the new innovations that the west coast has embraced 2) San diego and San Francisco don't have higher rents than austin street? Don't make me laugh. Some places in cali are more expensive than the most expensive parts of nyc. 3) vortex bowls are made of cheap ceramics, made in china. You were probably smoking fumes for the 6 out of 7 hours (ceramic has terrible heat retention so instead of properly baking the tobacco from the bottom up you're creating a thin crusty top layer too quickly thus preventing the heat to travel throughout the bowl properly). I highly recommend stoneware clay phunnel bowls 4) your responses kind of insulted my intelligence. Al Fakher doesn't make Pumpkin Pie or Blue Mist.... it's a fact. read more

This place isn't as crazy as Sorry Not Sorry next door. But it is more suitable for a more relaxing place to hang out with your friends. More spacious, not have a bunch of strangers dance on you when you're doing hookah. I went here with a few friends, the staff was really nice. They have a bunch of cool flavors for the hookah which I enjoyed. It is more chill, they have awesome drinks. Also I did not have the food, but it did look really good from what I saw at other tables. read more

I went here last week for a friends get together. I have been here a couple of times before hand and the experience was just mediocre. This time around, it was outright horrible. The service is good, but the hookah was bad, the coal guy took forever to come give us new coals, the music was too loud to even talk to the person sitting right next to me. The prices of the hookah are waaaaaayyyy too much. I could go astoria and get two good tasting hookahs for the price that I paid here. It got really really busy after 9pm, thats when the service got horrible and i felt like I was being cornered in by them trying to accommodate other guests. Overall I would go to other lounges if I could. This is not the best. read more

Womp, womp. My favorite pomegranate hookah just wasn't the same this time around. I don't know why. It if I had to guess I would say maybe it was a new person making the hookah...? Who knows. Maybe this is just a way for the hookah gods to nudge me into trying a new flavor. Haha! read more

Xhale - Half of their menu - Hookah Bars Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

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Oh man, I really, really, really like this spot. Lol. I recently wrote a review on my experience here from last year, didn't get my stamp of approval. After being contacted my a manager to give Xhale another try I decided that maybe I came on an off night, maybe it was my off night, whatever. I came here last night with my boyfriend, his brother and my friend (blind double date), now you KNOW that location and be a make or break situation particularly on blind dates, but I took my chance and said HEY, let's try this spot out. It was the best move we made last night! Our server was attentive and gave the best recommendations on what hookah to get, We got the Green Lantern and Cherry Lemonade, both were delicious (Green Lantern was better though) and I must say, THE BEST HOOKAH I've had in I don't know how long, probably my whole life! We had our hookahs with ice hoses and it was just so smooth and flavorful! I was extremely happy with both flavors, our hookah burned all night so it was great. Like I said service was great: quick and attentive! They were not annoyed with our constant requests. Ambience: the music was bumping! I was dancing in my seat, I don't think one song was played that I didn't like. And the music was at a good volume, high enough to make out he words, low enough to be able to have a good conversation. It looked spacious but I think it might have been spacious since it was overly crowded, after all we did come on a Sunday night. Not glamorous but who cares, with hookah that good... Now, there was no biased service. I did not notify anyone that I would be coming, I did not ask for the manager, I went in there as if it was my first time! After spending 2 hours or so in here I decided to introduce myself and give credit where credit was due. I was really happy with the service and even more happy with the hookah. My party and I had a GREATTTTTT time. My boyfriend and his brother are from NJ, my friend and I are self-proclaimed hookah queens as we like to travel to different spots and test the quality. All 4 of us agreed that this was the BEST hookah we've ever had. That means that from NJ to NYC we just named this place as having the best hookah, like hello! Need I say more? If you haven't been here recently and have had a negative experience in prior times I highly recommend giving it another shot, you will not be disappointed. 5 stars baby! This just became the GO-TO hookah lounge! read more

Came here with my friend on a Friday night because she loves the wings this place has. I was pleasantly surprised at how empty it was because forest hills is always so busy! But we were seated fairly quickly and given our hookah and wings. Pros: -The place is not really too packed -A lot of hookah flavors. Normally I don't do hookah because it gets me light headed but I tried a little bit at this place and it's not too strong. The dirty money flavor tastes just like pan masala. -Mojitos are bomb Cons: -The food is subpar. The wings gave me a stomachache and wasn't even all that great. -The tips given for the hookah are just way too small. -The bathroom is freaking filthy and I feel like the place is just filled with a lot of younger kids. Not really my vibe.. read more

Xhale is an ok spot for Hookah with not much competition in their surrounding vicinity hence I feel they're comfortable with that and their customer service leaves quite a bit to be desired. Their menu is packed with munchies from appetizers to full course meals which is a big plus for them. Their hookah selection is extensive but in my 3-4 visits, I've not felt content for it being a great experience. Meetha Paan flavored hookah so far is one of their better choices that I liked. Green Lantern, I was not pleased by at all. Hope their customer service improves and please open the kitchen time a bit longer as on the last visit, their kitchen was closed at 10:30pm. read more

This is pretty much my go to hookah spot for the past 3 years. I really like this place and after trying it, I have not wanted to go back to Steinway. Their hookah is really good and yes the prices are a bit high, but you get what you pay for. Their hookahs last for a very long time and don't go harsh, so if you are looking to hang out for two hours or so, then you should check this place out. They have lots of TVs if you want to watch a game and they have lots of board games/cards to pass the time. They also have a DJ on the weekends. Just a heads up, the music does tend to get loud! Overall, this is a solid hookah lounge and I would 100% recommend to anyone visiting FH or anyone who is tired of Steinway hookah. read more

Xhale - Some of their many TV's; watching the OKC game. - Hookah Bars Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

Tip: Try their ice hookah, it's much smoother and only $4 more! We get it every time we go. Also, ask for games like uno and dominos! Favorite flavors: - Black Rose - Mitha Paan Overall: Great quality hookah, really good music (a bit louder than average at night), friendly and attentive staff, good prices! Went to Xhale yesterday with friends and have been going periodically over the past two years, usually after 9 pm. We had such a good time yesterday and in general. They have great hookah, one of the best quality I've tried in the NY/ NJ area. You can stay as long as you like and they even have board and card games you can play for free. Their music selection is good, last night they had a DJ. It is louder than average but you can maintain a conversation, more of a lounge experience. Food is very cheap, especially at night so good for munchies. I really like this place and out of the many hookah spots in Queens, we always go here! read more

I love their paan masala hookah! Its a bit on exp. side ($25) but worth it. I would give this place 4 stars but this place sadly is not very relaxing. They have restaurant style table and chairs which u cant relax on at all. When I am doing hookah and wanna curl snuggle into the couch while chatting and talking to my friends. This place does not have food either, no appetizers or anything or a dance floor. The music is ok. They sometimes put on bollywood music but thats it. read more

I like starting off on a good note so I have to say that the Green Lantern hookah was awesome! To me, it was a green apple/ mint blend. I just wish it was our server who recommended it to us. There was one uy who stopped to check if we were ok and recommended the Green Lantern, he was really helpful. one guy changed our coal three items and that was it. I had to flag down a guy who was actually attentive to his tables to order a masala chai. The chai was pretty much colored water. The tea didn't steep at all. I know it's a Hookah Bar, not a tea bar but still, a little bit of effort would have been great. Another guy came to give us the bill and then we got to see our waiter again as he hovered over the bill like a hawk. If only he was attentive to us as he was to his pre- added gratuity... Pros: Good hookah, great $12 hookah prices during happy hour, location. Cons: Service! read more

Decent service, a little pricey but overall okay..service has been getting better as well...they're much is helll loud. I like coming to this place...however I end up with a headache...the place was rather empty today when hubby noticed I was getting a headache, asked the guy to possibly lower the music, he walked away. I swear I feel like the music got louder, lol. Apparently, ur not allowed to sit outside... read more

Xhale - Hookah Bars Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

Went with a friend on a lunch break on cinco de mayo, place said they are open at 2pm, but had to wait for this not only incompetent but rude worker who was in charge of opening the lounge on time to show up 15-20 minutes late when all I wanted was a quick hookah session on my lunch break. No apology or anything to me and other patrons that waiting patiently. Finally walked in and the place is cool but since dude just opened it took about 25-30 minutes for him to even get the hookah ready, so we left. Tedious is never accepted when running a business. May try this place another time but today it just really turned me off. Happy cinco read more