Horus Cafe

by Nicole C.

Beautiful day in New York (finally) and we decided to take a walk down the East Village. What better way to celebrate the spring than to sit outside facing Tompkins Square Park? Too bad the servers all but ignored our section of outside seating leaving us waiting way too long for drinks, dishes and the check. I ordered a regular coke, and it was fountain type and it was just disgusting-- tasted so watered down I could hardly drink it. My Greek Salad was quite bland, could have used more citrus and the hummus was also too simple, not spiced enough. They do have good hookah which I have tried before, and also good Egyptian tea. If I had to choose between the loveliness of sitting outside but with bad food/service or sitting inside with good food/service I'd rather choose a place that only had indoor seating. It took them FOREVER to bring our check and we had to ask twice. They also charged us a 20% service charge (even though it was only two of us). We would NOT have given such a good tip. My recommendation? Don't come here for the food, just for the hookah/drinks.

by Richard B.

First time in a hookah bar, I was lucky enough to see some live belly dancing too. Got the cherry flavored hookah, and tried the lamb sausage salad and the shish kabob. Everything was delicious. Weird thing though. My harpoon ufo beer tasted somewhat like the hookah. Very confusing.

Yes just YES by cns

Remember when belly dancing was all the craze? I don’t know but at some point it just seemed to die down. However, at Horus it has never left. Virtually every night of the week you can see a chick doing the most intense moves and a whole crowd dancing along with her. Great food, drAnks, unbelievable hookahs, and music. What more could you want for a night out? I’ve been coming to Horus for a while ,and within the past couple of years they’ve added so many attractions that it is hard to stay away, e.g., live Arabic band on Tuesdays and outdoor seating (summer and winter): amaaazing! Whatever qualms people have about the service, which btw I haven’t experienced, who the f cares? You can’t come here and not have a good time.

by Robby T.

In theory, I love this place.  Open late, social hookah, turkish coffee, decent atmosphere.  But I'm big on service Horus Cafe is NOT.  I've been here a few times and every time they're shoving the check down your throat right after you order.  The wait staff can't be bothered to do anything but the bare minimum since tip is already included in your check. Last night the hookah guy literally took the hookah out of my hand while I was smoking it and said, "you're done."  Really?!?!  I understand the need to turn tables, but there's a better way to do that.  Basically, there are tons of other hookah bars in the East Village--yelp them, visit them.  There is NO REASON to go to Horus Cafe, if you want an enjoyable experience.  Last night was my last time there I'm gonna spread the word.  Sorry Horus.

by Christopher G.

i have been going to horus cafe for a long time for a number of years, i have witnessed management change , and as everyone may know when management changes service does as well. But i am more then happy to say that the service has stayed top notch.the waiter have always been attentive and sweet even though in the night time they do have to deal with loud drunk people.In fact me and a friend once went to the cafe and witnessed a fight between the new manger and a angry drunk guy wanting a seat (all packed), the guy smack the owner and we reacted quickly and droped the other guy to the floor and held him until the cops came. The manager was more than happy with or help that he discounted or bill, gave us free drinks and 2 free hookas. The food is ok i rarely go with the idea of having a full meal, just snacks during the smoke time is normally enough.the only real complaint i have is that the new belly dancers they are bringing suck..... seriously they look like they just want to twirl around an go. They literally run out when they are done.SO GO TO THIS HOOKAH BAR ITS GREAT!!

by Jonathan G.

My friends and I (a total group of 8) rolled up here late-night after a healthy amount of time at Zum Schneider.  Despite being Israeli, I have had a very limited amount of hookah experience, but I can't see how a New York City hookah bar can be better than this.First of all, name me another place that will bend over backwards to accomodate a group of 8 drunks at 2:00 am.  Secondly, when we were seated, our server was so sweet - a cute Albanian girl who immediately took to a friend of mine who lived in Greece and Turkey for a while.  She recommended a flavor for us (Lady in Red) as well as a wine selection.We proceed to smoke and get increasingly drunk...and nobody seemed to care.  Drunk people + hot coals + expensive smoking apparatus usual equals servers/bussers watching you like a hawk.Then the busboy inexplicably took our hookah away...I became enraged...Were we about to get kicked out?  WHAT THE FUCK DID WE DO?!? WE ARE JUST SITTING HERE HAVING A GREAT TIME NOT BOTHERING ANYONE!!!  Oh, wait, he brought it back...with a brand new order of Lady in Red, on the house.  I then proposed marriage to said busboy.  As if I wasn't already sold on this place.  We're getting married in April.But seriously, folks...I heartily recommend this place.  Granted, I didn't make it over there for the belly-dancing show and didn't try the food, but based on ambience, service, and quality of the tabacky and draaaaaaaanks, I say "yallah!"

by Tulie L.Pinar T.Payam Z.E C.Taylor H.

The first bar stop once I flew into the city at 11am! It was happening on a Thursday night, with a 5 min wait we were quickly seated. The place is pretty small and extremely dimly lit, can seat approx. 50 people max.  They play lively Euro-Mix, Euro-Trash Music which keeps the atmosphere fun, rather then sleepy (cause you known dim lights makes me YAWN!!)They serve great appetizers of hummus and assorted varieties of middle eastern snacks. What was a bit sad for me was there is no grape leaves:( boo hoo..What made it up was their peach hookah It was yummy and light. They serve a good mojito too I had to get a 2nd! The wine and beer selections are a good handful but respectable.Would be a great place to bring a date or hangout with friends.  I would definitely come back if I was in town!This is one example how the service quality can make or break a business!I was fascinated with the interior decoration.Apparently they spent lots of effort on prettying up the place. From the candles to the ornaments on acoustical ceilings everything was perfect.Then we were greeted by a wait staff who looked like she was going to murder somebody! When I had a question she didn't even bother trying to explain the menu. I ordered mozzarella sticks which cost 7.50$ and baklava which I admit was delicious. The food seemed to be good but our drinks were never re-filled and the place wasn't even crowded. Having experienced the "food industry" myself I don't expect the wait staff to be all bubbly,lively,chatty,sunshine out of your *** kind of people but this was too much of a drama. Then it just turned to plain horror when the bill came with a "service charge" of well over 15%.I gave this place 2 stars just because of the interior design and the atmosphere.That's it. I'd advise smoking away your money somewhere else.I'm not a huge fan of Horus on A (see Horus on B). This could be related to the less than savory wait staff experience.While I still enjoyed the Hookah, I was more or less pushed into ordering the most expensive one ("sex on the beach" something I'd never order regardless of the price!). The waiter also brought lamb chops which I had not ordered (it was ~2:30am) saying that he had opened the kitchen just for me and this was very special... Maybe it's because we were the only ones there on a Tuesday night or maybe it's because he thought I was wasted, either way, I wasn't too happy. That being said, I'm willing to give it another shot in hopes that this was just connected to the one waiter. Food:***Hookah:****Drinks:****Service:*I have seen my fair share of hookah bars and lounges, and this place is pretty sub-par. Seeing the professional website, and reading the reviews, I had high hopes for this place.They open everyday from 4-4. I showed up at around 5, and the place was deserted. No one was there yet, but it started to get very loud and crowded after an hour or so. I showed up with a friend, and I ordered Peach Hookah, and she had Red Wine. The starting price for hookah is $15, which is decent, for places in the city.Horus Cafe has a really beautiful atmosphere. It is dark, but there are candles on the table and in alcoves in the walls that illuminate place. It's pretty majestic.The lady who works there wasn't very polite at all! The first thing I did when I arrived was politely ask for a glass of water, and I didn't get it for 20 minutes, and we were the only people there.I got my hookah about 20 minutes late too, and when I did get it, it was apple, and not peach, even though I requested peach. I had even pointed to the word "PEACH" on the menu. I didn't really care at this point because I had waited, and I just wanted to smoke.Everywhere else I've had hookah, they bring it to you in 5 minutes, tops. I don't really care about timing, but I felt really cheated, having to wait 20 minutes for a flavor I didn't even want. If I wanted apple, I should have at least ordered the double apple.In addition, I had to wait forever for new coals. My hookah kept on dying throughout the night!Seeing that this hookah joint was pretty swanky, I didn't expect to encounter the usual ODB arabic guys who talk to any girl smoking. A big group of guys sat right next to me and my friend, and they were pretty loud and talking about me. It kind of pissed me off. Seeing that this place had a "lounge" atmosphere, it was pretty loud and the service sucked.For years I have been in search of a Hookah bar in this great city that has both a traditional middle eastern atmosphere as well as feeling a bit upscale. Although Horus is now becomming somewhat of a chain now they still retain some charm. Every time I order a hookah it arrive and is perfect balance of taste and smoke. Each of there tobaccos they use are top of the line. Although prices may seem steep and for many including myself who have not that much patience hookahs take a while for preparation they still seem to arrive perfect each time. Another praise for Horus comes with the fact that they accept credit cards which is a plus amongst most of the hookah bars in the east village who only take cash and usually attempt to rip people off this way. I would say that from my previous experience here I highly recommend taking a visit.

by Lauren B.

Been here several times, and each has been pleasant and enjoyable. Great spot for a small group of friends. I really enjoy the fruit bowl hookah selections, and the food is decent if you care to nosh! Nice, accommodating staff and the disco ball they throw on late night is adorable.2 thumbs up!

by Payam Z.

I'm not a huge fan of Horus on A (see Horus on B). This could be related to the less than savory wait staff experience.While I still enjoyed the Hookah, I was more or less pushed into ordering the most expensive one ("sex on the beach" something I'd never order regardless of the price!). The waiter also brought lamb chops which I had not ordered (it was ~2:30am) saying that he had opened the kitchen just for me and this was very special... Maybe it's because we were the only ones there on a Tuesday night or maybe it's because he thought I was wasted, either way, I wasn't too happy. That being said, I'm willing to give it another shot in hopes that this was just connected to the one waiter. Food:***Hookah:****Drinks:****Service:*

by Lani P.

I went here the other night after having been drinking at other places and thought of this place on a whim. I came here with my date and we sat inside with the cool air conditioning (they have tons of seats outside) and were surprised with a three piece band that played standards with a Cuban flair, as well as some Cuban songs. They were great!! I was impressed that the cafe only serves beer, wine and champagne, as I find that kind of filters a certain clientele down from the liquor drinkers. But the best part of this cafe are the hookahs. They had probably twenty or so flavours to smoke and they even give you a refill when your first pot is kicked. That I liked too. I can't say that I have had the food here yet, but I am definitely willing to come back to this charming cafe to try all they have to offer.Avenue A has plenty of bike racks along the avenue to chain your ride to. Sometimes they can be all filled up and you need to use a street sign, but usually you can get a spot right away.