Luxor Cafe

by elizabeth b.

A cute and tiny hookah bar on MacDougal.  I was a regular when it first opened two years ago and even used to have my picture on the wall.  It's cheaper than most other hookah bars in the NYU area.  They have really cool decorations.  Then my roommate's friend stole the fezes and we couldn't go back.  But, if you go, it's a great alternative to boozing and going nuts.  Of course, it's also great to go when you are drunk, too.After 2 years, I decided to go back to Luxor.  It seems that the original owners sold the place and to the people who own the Luxor Bar down the street.  They have added a generic food menu, but reduced the minimum to just $10 a person on Friday and Saturday, which is more than fair.  The atmosphere is more of a party, with blasting rap music, but the service was good, the vibe was still fun, and I will definitely be back.  Also, super honest.  I didn't realize tip was included and went to add more, and the guy stopped me.  Pretty nifty.

by Shareef R.

Although the hookah wasn't nearly as good (or cheap) as the spots in Astoria, overall Luxor Cafe was pretty good. Nice spot to bring a small group of friends for a mellow evening...would've been cool if it was still open after the clubs let out

by Paulo P.

Aside from the rules, this place can be very relaxing, and presents very nice choices of hookah.

by Sylwia W.

I hate this place with the passion of a million burning hookah coals. I don't even know where to begin. I think I just need to break with my regular narrative structure and give you unbulleted bullet points.Interior: Absolutely tiny with uncomfortable couches and even more uncomfortable chairs. The tables barely fit a hookah, let alone the drinks you are required to get with the hookah. It's also just grimy.Clientele: I remember when I came to the city for college, all the other freshmen were creaming their pants over being able to smoke hookah legally. So they all went in droves to places like Sahara East, where they discovered HIGH SCHOOL freshmen proved that some places just don't care about silly things like laws. Now that Sahara East cracks down on IDs, all those underage, self-obsessed kiddies go to Luxor. Enough said.Staff: Some of the rudest people I have ever met. I came here with a friend, and we wanted to sit together but then this HUGE group of visiting state college kids came in. They all wanted to sit together, and since there were more of them, the staff tried separating my friend and me to opposite sides of our table. When we said we didn't want to move, especially since we had already been there 20 minutes and had just gotten comfortable (and isn't that the point in a hookah place?) they began SCREAMING at us then refused to serve us until one of us moved to the other side of the table. And even when the big group said it was ok for us to stay where we were since we were barely taking up any room anyway, they continued yelling and eventually got everything else, such as our drink and baklava orders, as well as the flavor of our hookah wrong, while pointedly being as nice as possible to the big group. What the hell? And then they had the nerve to charge us a gratuity! Hookah: It's not great by any means, and they skimp on the hashish itself, but honestly, by this point, the hookah was the least of my worries. Which, I think, is saying a lot for a place that should be a destination for relaxation.

by Mike T.

Pretty standard hookah bar. Doesn't exactly recreate the same atmosphere as some of the other places in the area but gets the job done. Great if in the area.

by Allyson D.

Normally, I go to Astoria for shisha, where it is less pricey, open 24 hours, and not as yuppieish and trendy. However, Luxor did surprise me. They have a wide variety of flavors, their decor is definitely better than anywhere in Astoria. The owners also own Al Sukaria in Astoria (which has MUCH cheaper prices by the way). If you want to smoke for $6 instead of $16, go to Steinway, and you'll find tons of places (and culture) in the heart of Little Egypt.

by Isabel L.

Not a bad choice in west village...why? well first off you probably won't find another hookah bar in the near radius.Secondly, I like it how they have  a wide hookah flavor selection. I also appreciated the egyptian theme interior.  Luxor is located right across from Mamouns and Off the Wagon, where craziness takes place. Whenever i come here I can honestly say I have always had a chill relaxing time. Quite a contrast to the crazy binge drinking action thats taking place across the street.Our server Ahmed was real cool fella !! He was nice enough to not kick us out even when it was time to close.. what can i say I came with a rowdy group but I appreciate him for being so understandable.I'll def come back another for a mellow night if i'm in the areaGood for : Small groups                   Dates ( haha its sad that i would drag my dates to a hookah lounge)

by Edy L.

"Meh" describes it really well... This place is nothing special. Their hookahs are overpriced at $25 and not flavorful. The place is pretty dirty and badly decorated. The decorative paint on glasses our tea was served in was peeling off... the tea servings were very small. I asked for green tea and my friend asked for mint tea and it turned out it's actually one and the same tea but somehow the waitress failed to inform us of this. We were the only group there on a Mon evening but the staff were not very attentive. At the end of the night we asked for glasses of water but  instead we were served bottled water at $3 per piece. Their kitchen was closed and we werent allowed to bring any food in, something that other places would let you do in similar situations. Overall, not recommended and would not go back.

by Koko H.

The Yay:They serve food, drink, and hookah. Strawberry daiquiri flavor is awesome. The hookah was good enough and lasted a long time. The server guy was friendly and chatting/hanging out with everyone. They played pretty fun rb/hip hop. The Nay: Very narrow, small space. Hookahs were $25. Jesus. On Fridays Saturdays there is a $10 minimum per person.

by Karina I.

Uh. This place sucks! I'm sorry to be so mean, but it has to be one of the worst hookah bars I've ever been to. For starters, the waitress brought us paper cups to drink our tea. This is a major faux pas in any tea drinking culture. I had to ask for glasses and then pour the tea myself, another break of protocol. Secondly, the music was terrible, MC Hammer and some other way old school, but far from cool tunes. The CD started skipping and the staff did nothing to change it. Needless to say, I won't be returning.