Farfasha

They must update the name coz it’s no longer called farfasha, it is now dinah. Came here today and ordered tank of shark and it was the way I wanted my hookah to be, so far the best hookah lounge I’ve been around St marks, I got baby lamb chops and it was savory and delicious, my friend ordered chicken kebab plate and it looked really good and smelled really good too! And I like the fact that the waiter was all smiley so I had to smile back lol he was friendly and very attentive. I’ll definitely gonna come back again and will tell my friends about this place.

Another hookah joint for me to venture to now! Prices are standard for St. Mark’s. A decent sized space, not as dolled up as Cloister’s but the hookah is what really matters. We got the Queen of Sex (mixed fruits blend). It was smooth and didn’t get harsh for awhile. Service is lacking though, much difficulty flagging down the waitstaff.

Popped by for a quick, simple bite … Thought the place was nice — from ambience to the server and the food. Nice selection of food, drink and hookah options. Will come back for sure.

This is probably the first or second best hookah I’ve experienced so far in NYC. The fresh fruit hookah is totally worth it. And yes, as someone else mentioned, they do use natural coals.
This place is also impeccably clean which is nice to see. I hope it stays this way!
It’s more of a café than a lounge. The décor is more on the minimal and modern side if anything.
One of the major positives of this place is beer on tap! Thank you for answering my prayers. I will definitely be back.

Very good place for hookah. The hookah is only 18dollars and is the coal is natural. I also ordered a moroccan tea that was also very tasty and in a large quantity (you can order one moroccan tea for two people, it is enough). However, French fries were ok, industrial ones but ok.
I recommend this place to enjoy the outdoor side.

Good hookah and surprisingly cheap considering its in the city. It’s actually cheaper then it is in Jersey. The outdoor seating is also a plus! I Will be back here again!

I would first like to note that this hookah bar/​restaurant is now called Dinah.
The single flavor hookah’s are $ 18, then there is a $ 25 level, then a $ 35 level. I got the single flavor and for $ 2 extra added mint, for a strawberry mint flavor that was very good! The staff is not very attentive, we had to wait a while to flag them down when we needed service. I would highly suggest NOT getting the food here, it was really bad. We thought that just getting the hummus appetizer would be a nice snack, and even that along with the pita was not something I wanted to eat. If you are coming here just for hookah and are not in a rush, I definitely would say this is a good choice. However, if you are coming here looking for a meal, I would go elsewhere.

Outdoor seating + $ 10 hookah happy hour before 7pm = crazy delicious.

Sokol the staff member made the mid summer sit down @ 11PM the win at this location. The background music was mediocre, the Shisha was very good and nice area for the outdoor seating. Sokol saved the night with his hospitality and when we asked for music, he even let us play some of our own (Hip Hop/​Arab)

My friends and I were looking for a hookah spot to hang out and talk — we went to several before we found this one. All others required reservations or were either too clubby and smoky. This one is a small (with outdoor seating) mediterranean restaurant that also serves Hookah. We ordered two hookahs — one was gauva and one watermelon mint (you can combine flavors which is great). The watermelon mint was really refreshing and we all enjoyed this one. Guava is a nice fruit flavor too, just depends on what type of taste you like in your hookah. The server was very attentive and made sure we understood the prices and combinations we could order. I liked that we were never short on water — the server was always filling our water cups. The food looks pretty good here as well, I may be trying this out another time. Great chill hang out spot with friends!

Based on a random last minute excursion for hookah, this place was just fine. Went with the regular orange flavored one ($ 18) and green tea. Place wasn’t crowded for a Sunday evening and service was decent. Good choice if you’re in the neighborhood.

Came across this place I was walking around the east village, and I’m a fan of hookah why not and stop in. Had a fruit medley infused in a grapefruit, it was very smooth and tasty. Service was very good as whenever the fails had run out they came without need to ask them and put fresh coals on. The only reason for the loss of a star is that they don’t serve alcohol. We were on a pub crawl band that sobered us up a bit.

I’ve been here a couple times after work. The sheesha is pretty good. The flavors are sweet. I usually get the farfasha one or the watermelon. Sometimes it got a little harsh so I had to push the coal off or to the side.
I also tried the food here. My order came out of the kitchen quickly. The salad comes in a pretty big portion. It tasted good.
The calamari was a little burnt the night I ordered it so I didn’t like it. But overall the food was okay. My friends really liked it.
Everytime I went, it was after 9−10pm and I always got the same guy taking my order. He’s really nice and attentive. The poor guy is always working alone. They have about 10 tables that he takes care of. No complaints on him. He’s awesome.
On my friends birthday we cut a cake there and had a lot left over. He allowed us to share it with the rest of the customers. He got a bunch of extra plates and forks for us.
This place is a good spot if you want to just relax and talk to your friends.

They have the best hookah /​shisha in the city.
Sokul (I guess that’s how he spells it) is an excellent server. They open after 2 pm. And I have always gone there before dinner. And he is the only guy serving.
Place isn’t very busy.
Place is a nice clean café (other than the burn marks on the wooden floor from the coals of the hokah) Turkish coffee is also good. Haven’t eaten food there.

Found this place thru Unilocal looking for a good place for kunafeh.
Service is very good. ambiance is pleasant… and décor is decent.
Had the kunafeh and Turkish coffee after. both items were okay… nothing to recommend or go back to again.. I guess they are main focus is hookah than desserts.
I will stick to Astoria/​stienway st.

This review is only based on the hookah. Came here after dinner with a few friends. We ordered a double apple and mint and a blue mist.
The hookah heads look like bizarre contraptions with fake flowers and shinning strings it might be ok if the hookah was really great. Since the hookah was average they just seem like a waste of effort to make it seem fancy.
The place was quiet and had a café vibe. I think this might be a good place to come do some hookah and relax as long as you manage your expectations

Farfasha is the reason I do not trust many Unilocal reviews and have learned to try spots for myself.
HOW IN THE WORLD could anyone give this place more than 2 or 3 stars?
We were on our way to Café Horus on A last night for the BEST sheesha in NYC (Order the Horus Special — you smoke it out of a pineapple and there are orange peels and apples in the water — so smooth, balanced laced with complexity. It’s worth the cost).
En route we saw this spot and people were smoking outside and some 20 something guy called us over and tried to convince us that the Sheesha was «on point» one of the best, blah blah. Then one of the guys insisted that his family was from Morocco and the sheesha was great. So, we thought, «OK», let’s give it a try (Note: The guy was actually from Brooklyn — his family had come from Israel and Morocco years ago — he did not grow up there)
TOTAL FAIL. At the recommendation of the server, we ordered the Grigio Hookah — and it was God awful, boring, bland, just like 98% of all other sheesha/​hookah joints in NYC. The food was also boring, bland and they were «out» of lentil soup. We ordered the Fattoush — because you can usually tell the quality of food of a Middle Eastern restaurant by the fattoush… it was ok, not like Café Horus on A. The service was SO slow. This place will not survive. Mark my words.
I too have traveled all over the Middle East have taste tested over 20 sheesha spots in NYC (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens specifically) for good sheesha (hookah) and I now know that Café Horus on A is the ONLY spot, ever, always.
I realize that in the US — folks may not really know hookah (sheesha), it is a novelty of sorts.
So as not to feel like we wasted a night out in Manhattan (since we were literally en route to Café Horus on A), my spouse said — «We spend little amounts of money to learn lessons. We learned a lesson — we need to trust our instincts, know that we have very specific, nuanced and unique tastes and block out the noise». Lesson Learned. Never Again.

Decent hookah place. Seems like there’s a total staff of 2 employees. Sometimes they put too many coals making the shisha harsh but they do include tongs with each hookah (I assume to prevent from bothering one of the two employees).
What’s more interesting is no two hookahs are decorated the same. Cheesy and a little left field but whatevs.
Asked the waiter/​maitre d why my pipe was decorated a certain way and he literally said «I have no idea. He (the other employee) likes to decorate them». Priceless. Plus one star.

We enjoyed our meal. Along with a fresh fruit Sheesha.
Service was great. No complaints at all.
Best Sheesha had in NYC.

Service: very poor. Had to go inside to place the order as the waiter never came out. Had to repeat order thrice and wait for him yo write it down as he couldn’t remember hummus, fatoush, and lentil soup with 2 iced teas. Food came out had to ask for utensils. Had to ask separately for spoons. Had to ask for salt and pepper and eventually had to go inside to get it ourselves. Iced teas were forgotten and when asked we were told it takes time (longer then the food??).
Food: very poor. Grocery store hummus is way better. Grainy and lumpy (and sour!!!) with stale pita. Lentil soup was completely unseasoned. Salad had wilted lettuce. When Iced ta came out there was a solid layer of sugar at the bottom. Should have used simple syrup or not added anything.
Hookah took way too long to come out. Over half an hour. Had to go inside and ask and they had forgotten it.
We were the only ones at the restaurant on a Sunday at lunch so no excuses.