Cairo Nights

by KHT

I LOVE YOU KHALID

by Natasha R.

I first came here with my Moroccan Hookah buddy, who just loves to impress me by asking for more coal in Arabic. ;-) So the following night I brought my hookah smoking girlfriend here, and we came prepared with our own booze. Khalid the owner remembered me, was totally welcoming, and I can tell you exactly why this place is so damn popular. Look at all the reviews, everyone is raving about how wonderful he is. In a mere four months since he opened, he boasts the most popular Hookah bar in San Francisco. That's impressive. And I couldn't help but notice Khalid is oozing some kind of sexy Egyptian mojo..... Seriously ladies, give him 30 seconds and that 'je ne sais quoi' he radiates will catch you off gaurd and sudddenly you can't help but stare and think dirty thoughts. (Bad Natasha!)Oh, yeah the Hookahs are good too.....can't forget that part. ;-)

by Christine L.

I can't believe I haven't written a review of Cairo Nights yet. The Boyfriend and I found this place through (where else) Yelp and we've been fans ever since. It's this teensy little hole in the wall that seats maybe 20-25 people if you all squish together. There's a little alcove that can seat about six right by the window that's covered in pillows but I've never been able to sit there. If you're into classy, elegant and quiet places where you can lazily smoke your hookah in peace, forget about Cairo Nights. CN is loud, crazy and absolutely wonderful. You're likely to be squashed up against a stranger and by the end of the night, you'll both be singing along to hip hop or shimmying to belly dancing music. Khalid, the owner, is really what makes this place great. Yes, it may take him some time to find you and it may take him some time to bring you your hookah/mouth pieces/refills, but he's a one-man operation so cut him a break! He's really friendly and will sometimes yell "God bless Khalid!" if you order refills. And yes, the rumors are true. It's BYOB/BYOF so don't feel shy running down to the corner liquor store to pick up some alcohol and munchies. I always leave CN happily, not only because of the hookah but because it's such a lively place. Khalid "takes" reservations but not really. It's not that kind of place. You grab a seat where you can or hang around outside, waiting for people to leave. Which they do. Eventually. And reluctantly.

by Juv C.

Words that are innocent but sound so wrong:Sucking.  Blowing.  Hitting it hard.This was my experience at Cairo Nights. Still not sure im sold on the whole hookah thing, but they're open till at least 4am and its BYOB.

by Michelle B.Olivia L.Phoi B.Kat P.Sara H.

This place is the bomb! I have to admit I found Cairo Nights through Yelp and I've been wanting to come here ever since.On Thanksgiving Eve, after a dinner with some friends, we stood outside the restaurant trying to figure out what to do next. It was 10pm and 3 or 4 of 16 people were over 21. What to do?! Ideas were thrown into the pot -- Seward Slides, sightseeing, walking on Golden Gate, karaoke at someone's house, etc. etc. So I threw in my idea: hookah! I instantly thought of this place.We drove over from Westlake to the TL and instantly found parking right across the street from Cairo Nights. How convenient. We went in and yes, we were greeted by the famous owner, Khalid. I assure you, he is one of the nicest business owners I've ever met. We started off with 3 hookahs with 3 different flavors. And get this: 7 bucks per person, unlimited hookah! It was awesome! Everyone got to try everyone's flavor too. Puff, puff, pass! White peach was the best flavor! Followed by Mojito, because of the minty flavor that goes down your throat. =) I wanted to try jasmine but by that time, we were all pretty smoked out. I learned how to smoke bubbles here! Haha. Hella cool. Oh, and that's not it, the music here rocks too. At first I was hesitant but after hundreds of "whatever you want, my friends!" from Khalid, I asked him if I could request a song. His response, "go ahead! Type it on the laptop and play it!" Ooh, really? Me and my friends took charge of the music and we sang and smoked and laughed and basically had a good time. It was one of the awesomest places I've ever been to in the city. It's open till 4am too so if you and you're friends are stuck wondering what to do in the wee hours of night, stop by and you won't regret it!Come here if you're even wondering if somewhere along the way you turned boring. Hey, it can happen to any of us. This BYOB hookah spot is the IT place to soak up vibrant life, happy beautiful strangers, and lots and lots of shisha smoke. The kind that turns the room into a whitewashed movie set and you have no idea where the plot is going next.We were absolutely shakin' our groove thangs (chair dancing) to the music, which ranged from hip hop to Michael J. to Arabic and even fusions of all three. As we sat and passed the hookah around, the place got more and more crowded and lively.A non-descript girl in the corner stood up and unraveled into pure magical form as she belly danced her way into everyone's heart with her everyday clothing that did nothing to silence her siren hip calls. Then another person stood up and started dancing. Then I did. Then more people. Within 5 minutes, more than 1/2 the room had wiggled their way into the little open space available to get their own bellies and hips dancing to the beats and heads lost in the clouds.One of the coolest things I saw there was a smoke bubble. Go here to see how they're done. http://www.youtube.com...Did you know that shisha is made out of tobacco, molasses and glycerin? I sure didn't until very recently. Thanks Donny! Go here for more info on how to make your own shisha at home. http://www.thehookahlo...Warning: I have not attempted this recipe so please don't curse my name if the thing implodes on you or leaves a nice "stink bomb" aroma behind. Ah, the plot thickens."Life is good! Life is good!" -Khalid, ownerIndeed it was.Best place to rock the night away! Khalid is awesome! so is the hookah!Six stars...at least.My expectations were high, yet Cairo Nights somehow exceeded them. A group of six friends celebrated my husband's 27th birthday bash here.First, I called to make a reservation and the famous Khalid picked up the phone himself. Me: "Oh, Khalid, wow - I read about you on Yelp." Khalid (happily, and without a hint of self-consciousness): "Yes, the people, they like me."Anyway, I confirmed that BYOB and BYOF were permitted. I brought a tupperware dishes of hors d'ouevres and some bottles of wine, feeling a bit guilty.Khalid greeted us with a round of hugs: "Sara! My friend!" (Talk about feeling welcome). He seated us in the window area of his tiny establishment, where we cozied up cusions. We smoked, ate, drank, laughed. Had such a fun time, with unobtrusive, but incredibly friendly service. The hookah was smooth, rich, with a variety of flavors to choose from.The night wore on, and we felt like we should be spending more so we tried to order new pipes. Khalid would have none of it and told us to keep enjoying ourselves and take it slow. (Aside to Khalid: you know how to draw the customers, but you need to learn to take their money. This is entrepreneurship 101.)When all was said and done, we had lounged and had the time of our lives for 3 hours, at a cost of less than $10 each. Simply beautiful.

by Kat P.

Best place to rock the night away! Khalid is awesome! so is the hookah!

by Shauna T.

The hours of this place and the energy inside are great. Everyone is in a really good mood and they sing along to all the songs playing. This is a great place to go if you want to go out but want to kick back, or a great place to kick back after a night of partying.You can sit on chairs, on pillow-covered booths, on the pillow-covered floor corner, or outside.You must buy a $13 hookah for every 2 people, so you'll spend a minimum of $6.50 for the night--but that lasts you hours, so you won't actually need a $7 refill. We tried guava and apple-cinnamon and they were both really good--though not as smooth as I like.It is true that it is very small and not very safe; if the place was bigger it would be the ultimate spot. Khalid is nice, but not the crazy ball of energy that you would expect from previous reviews, and he blends in with the other employees.It is BYOB but be discreet or ask for a plastic cup from them. The bathroom and the area are as ghetto as you would expect from a BYOB place, but the people and place are not.

by Joanne G.

Shisha, hookah, nargeilah, whatever you want to call it, I've partaken a few times while traveling overseas and it's always been a fun experience.  This was my first try in San Francisco and since it gets top reviews on yelp, I was sure my truly shisha addicted friend and I would both love Cairo Nights.  We came a bit early and ended up missing out on the crowd, which meant that while we got the coveted window seats with the cushions on the floor, we were pretty much the only ones around.  The shisha was cheap at $13 each with Starbuzz brand tobacco used.  The shishas themselves were kind of old and broken down looking, though we were given plastic wrapped tips to smoke out of, which made us both feel better.  Still, lemon mint tasted just like apple, which meant that it hadn't been cleaned out properly. The tea we ordered was not really minty and rather than being served in a teapot, it was given to us in paper cups with lids and sleeves.  Khalid was very nice and accommodating to my friend's numerous requests for a smoother shisha, and he all but admitted that most customers have no idea what is good and what isn't, so he doesn't normally bother.  But he was a good sport and my friend's teasing in Arabic didn't bother him too much. It was also a really nice surprise to find that Khalid had knocked 50% off of our bill thanks to my adorable Egyptian friend and probably since he could tell we weren't completely happy with our experience.  For that alone, I'd probably come back and try again, this time later on in the night to see what the crowd is like.

by Jenny L.

As I get older, I am always up for alternatives to SF clubbing.  When hookah was suggested for a birthday outing, I jumped at the chance.Cairo Nights has been hot on Yelp for a long, long time.  We finally came out to see what the hype was about.Good thing we made reservations.  The place gets PACKED and HEATED!  So packed that we kept having to squeeze in, and the someone one of us got their seat taken away?  No good.As previous Yelpers have mentioned, $13 for every hookah, maximum two people per hookah.  We had a party of 10+ and ordered five: cola, kiwi strawberry, sour apple, white peach, and Cairo Nights fruit mix.  $70 lasted us for two+ hours, and gave us many hilarious photos to remember the night.Also when I walked in, I saw a lot of tables with coffee cups.  Then we pulled out our 12 pack of beer and realized duh, we had to pour the beer into the cups and then hide it under the table.One restroom for the entire place.  No lock.  I had to push the mop in front of the door for safety precautions.Shady, but cheap.  Go at your own risk!

by Phoi B.

"Life is good! Life is good!" -Khalid, ownerIndeed it was.