First time there & really enjoyed it. Wish there were more people in the lounge. I guess it was kind of empty cause I went on the night that Ramadan ended. Looking forward to go back read more

Great place to chill & among friends. They have tea & water, but it's BYOB too so the choice is yours as far as food/drinks. $15 for single hose and they're generous with the coals so it'll outlast you. Good mix of Arabian music, I found about few artists I otherwise would not have heard of... Relaxing place to unwind for homework sessions too and did I mention it's open past 2am on the weekends? read more

Awesome first visit! The staff was super friendly and the hookah was killer. Definitely coming back to this spot! Ali is da man!

Probably the best hookah lounge in town! I highly recommend going here for your hookah needs. The place is very relaxing and a great place to hang out with a group of friends. The owners are very friendly and make great recommendations if you're not sure which flavor tobacco to smoke. The prices are great and the place is open late. Ask for the mint tea if you're a fan. read more

I came here with a few friends today. I would definitely recommend it. the music is authentic, the seating can accommodate larger groups. It's not very loud so one can have good discussions. It is not too far from campus if you have a car, and better priced than the one's nearer to campus. I went on Saturday night with a group of 5, and we spent only $25 for two hookahs. It's priced $5 per person, and there is a hookah for every 2 people. read more

This place is awesome. The staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is great. They have cool couches and great hookahs. Definitely try them out! read more

Checked out this place while I was in the area as I needed my hookah fix. The atmosphere was great if you're looking for a really chill and comfortable experience. Service was on point. My only complaint was the selection of shisha. The only premium brand they carried was starbuzz which isn't my favorite but still good of course. Definitely would recommend to anyone in the area. read more

By far the best hookah lounge I have ever been to. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the BYOB policy is convenient. The staff is helpful and very attentive without being annoying or intrusive. read more

TL;DR version: If laid-back seating and ambience are what you're looking for then this is a decent place to come to tucked away from the rest of sheesha joints frequented by the local UT hoi polloi. If you want quality sheesha, this place might actually be the worst joints to smoke sheesha at (yes, worse than Kasbah!). READ ONLY IF YOU'RE AN EXPERIENCED SMOKER: In my last 6 years of smoking sheesha, this joint was probably the biggest let down. Typically what you notice at most sheesha places is that the flavor starts off great but then deteriorates quickly within 20-30mins (that's where the novices suffer when the staff doesn't supervise the replacement of coal); more experienced smokers can make the best of a poorly made bowl too adjusting the valve, repositioning charcoal, placing a wind cover and exhaling into the hookah from time to time. I put myself in experienced category because I've been doing this for a pretty long time so at the very least I know the difference between a good bowl and a bad one. My friends and I got 4 hookahs here, each mounted with a standard bowl but just had 1 natural charcoal each. 1 charcoal just isn't enough to get a bowl started so we asked for another round; the lady at the counter obliged but said it would take a while (there is simply no reason to be parsimonious about the charcoal at the beginning but we let it slide). We asked for wind-covers that were on display, but she said she couldn't give those out. We asked for aluminum foil so that we could build our own wind covers to deal with the substandard hookah and get more heat concentrated on the bowl (yes, we had to build our own wind-covers folding the foil in a cylindrical fashion and mounting it on the bowl). Anyhow, the makeshift wind covers worked for 2 of the hookahs, but didn't for the other 2. This is because the bowl mounted on the stem was not air tight; no matter how many coals you put on it, every time you inhale you just won't have a good smoking experience. We pointed this out to her and she just gave us a dirty look. Regardless she grudgingly obliged but failed to fix the problem in an educated manner; instead of wrapping some tissue paper on the grommet at the tip of the stem (where the bowl is mounted), she thought that putting more coals on it will fix it. Unfortunately 2 things went wrong; first this just burned the flavor faster with a very marginal improvement in smoke. Secondly, the coals she gave us weren't completely burned so that means that 2 of the sides of a 6-face cubical coal were black. You might think that hey if that side didn't burn well, just place the side on the foil that DID burn well. Alas, what happens is that the unburned side keeps shedding a fine and thin layer of black coal soot and this seeps within your bowl. So if you move the coal around (or do nothing), you will see a thin layer of soot seeping into your bowl and soon you'll feel the damn thing in your throat. Air-tight or not, our hookah experience had now been consummately doomed thanks to the incompetent staff member with the glasses. We had heard good things and had moderate expectations, but this turned out to be a colossal waste of time and money. Our service was sub-standard and the sheesha was hands down the worst I've had in Austin. I usually make my own sheesha at home everyday so I understand the difference between good and great sheesha. At least at kasbah the hookah runs well for about 30mins and then craps out, but at Yahala it was garbage from the very beginning. I'm extremely surprised that this place has managed to be in business for as long as it has. read more

Great place with a chill vibe. Great in house mixes and really good customer service. Definitely recommend the place. Also the tea is on point. read more

This place is amazing! The owner is obviously very motivated, passionate, and thankful to be doing what he is doing. My boyfriend and I went to order a flavor and warned us of the strong licorice flavor, I was very grateful for his guidance. Not only is this place byob, but he has wine glasses and shorter stemless glasses as well and will open your wine bottle for you. All for a 5 dollar corking fee. The place is very cozy and clean and you can see the staff cleaning the equipment in the back. The customer service can't be beat. A much needed change from other hookah lounges run by frat boys who think they are too good to be tending to you. This is definitely my new favorite and go to lounge. read more

Yahala is my favorite hookah place! It's a chill place with nice decor. Their couches are comfy. The owners are welcoming. It's a great place to hang out with friends or for group study. They have varying flavor options. My favorite right now is citrus mint! read more

Came here with a couple friends over the weekend and really enjoyed it! The owner, who was really friendly and gave us great service, recommended a mixture of flavors (lemon and blue mist) and it was fantastic! The prices seemed reasonable as well. I only docked a star due to the place looking like it could use some new furniture as some of the furniture looked pretty worn down and old, but it was comfortable nonetheless. We will definitely be coming back. :) read more

Best atmosphere you would wish for. Good prices and the owner is a great guy. Nothing in Austin comes close to Yahala.

Worth every penny. This place has the highest quality hookah I've ever had in my life. This is our second tone coming here this week. Will definitely return soon! read more

I LOVE this place. I started going there as a student-they have a student discount which is awesome-but the prices are WAY better than any of the other Austin locations and the quality is much better. The atmosphere is like a hookah bar should be! It should be a relaxed and social gathering-unlike the other hookah lounges which are very commercial, Yahala is traditional and relaxed. The owners are very flexible and approachable as well. They make an effort to make you feel as though you are a part of their family. I highly recommend this place to anybody looking for a relaxed place to study/hang out/take a break or to get hyped/pre-party/whatever! It's good whatever your pleasure! read more

It's pretty good place good service nice people I would recommend highly they have very good choices and they are fairly priced and the tea here is pretty good too I'm glad I came here with my friends a great way to interact and get to hangout and chill and relax read more

I don't know a whole lot about Hookah, but this is a "I'll try anything, this looks safe enough, let's go in" type of place. It's in a strip mall in that area over by the old Highland Mall/Sugars area. The woman at the counter was very friendly and answered my questions. It's not quite what I thought with the the tobacco disks that you put on top the burner thing (yes, I know I am getting this completely wrong, but I am new to this remember). But it was a chill place, not a lot of people, decent music, good "smoke" (is that what you say?). A few couches, some set apart areas. I could imagine a family or group of friends gathering together and putting up the decorations if you know what I mean. I would go back, and I might try a few other places with more people that I can talk to and watch what they're doing. Since it was us and another couple I couldn't really get the full experience. read more

This was my first time here and I absolutely love it! It's so relaxing and chill. The owner is so nice too and they've got a great selection of tea. I'll definitely come back here soon! I recommend it. :) read more

What a peaceful and beautiful place. After my friend and I were disappointed by the two previous places we had stopped at, we found Yahala cafe on Yulp. To my wonderful surprise, it's exactly what I was looking for, a serene and peaceful place. Ali the owner is wonderful, polite and hospitable. I would recommend this place to everyone and would come here again Darina read more

This was easily the best hookah place I've ever been. It has a very laid-back vibe, perfect for hookah sessions. They use natural coal. The smoke was never harsh. Flavor wasn't very strong but present throughout our session. read more

Very nice and interesting place, the owner is responsive and the hookah plus green tea are awesome.

Always have a good time here! Everyone is super friendly and when I have questions, they always know the answer! If you ever go, ask for the daily "yahala mix" every day is something different! read more

Chill hookah lounge. Proprietor is nice, lots of regulars, environment is welcoming. Usually pretty busy but I've never had a problem finding a spot. Never seen anyone acting obnoxious. read more

This is prob he best hookah place that i have ever been to in Austin. We came as a group and had a great time and the staffs were very friendly. Overall a very chill and relaxing atmosphere. 10/10 would recommend!! read more

Great place! The staff and owner are super friendly. Very relaxed atmosphere. And the best part is it's byob; there's just a small fee.

Great flavor, first visit & well taken care of. Comfy couches & relaxed atmosphere. Will come again.

I really like this place. The guy who helped us was awesome and chill and he made us feel welcome. It's relaxing and the patrons are diverse. read more

My favorite hookah spot in Austin. Great service. Great recommendations. Will be back! Very chill atmosphere and chill music. Cool staff.

Yahala is one of our favorite places to go in Austin. We've been several times and it's always a great place to hang out and relax. Ali, the owner, always gives us great recommendations on flavors to try. read more

Excellent place to chill after a long day at work. Highly recommended place to go with friends and family.

We've been coming to this place for years. Great relaxing atmosphere, board games, comfortable couches, and a nice selection of hookah. A really wonderful way to spend an evening. read more

Great shisha, nice chill spot with nice plush seating. Service is a slow even when the place isn't full though. You definately want to flag down the server to get help. Once you learn that tip, the place is decent. At night the music is a little to loud, but the hookah makes up for it. read more

It's the best place ever and the hookah is amazing. The owner is very friendly. I always go there !!

I've been to this hookah spot a couple times now and the first time I came I couldn't wait to go back! Its really hard to find a nice/ chill... hookah lounge in austin so its definitely worth the travel! It has a real relaxed feel, comfy couches, tables if you need them, PLUS WI-FI, and great customer service! I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite hookah lounges in Austin. read more

Great place!!!!!!! it's a really chill spot if you not in the mood to be around a crowd of people being loud this is the place to go they have amazing customer service their hookah flavors are tasty!!!! read more

Beautiful atmosphere, awesome customer service. Very attentive and nice.the hookah flavor we choose was bad, tasted like licorice bit they fixed it for us gracefully. The next hookah was great! Peach and vanilla. read more

Definitely the best hookah place in Austin. Price is relatively cheap compared to the UT area and the hookah is of really good quality. The owner is a really awesome guy as well. Definitely recommended. read more

Relaxing place to hang out and talk. Owners are VERY nice and knowledgeable. I go here almost every week.

A+++++++++. But seriously, super chill environment and awesome staff!! Recommend x 10