Cozy Cafe

by YJ K.

4 years ago in my freshman year, I considered 'Cozy' as part of my quintessential hub. 2 years later, I began to find it overwhelmed by under-aged Long-Island high school kids inhabiting it as their 'risque' hangout.As much as I love Stella (the owner), who helped me organize two bloody amazing birthday bashes for a huge crowd of classmates (some I did not know, but oh well), with hookahs, mezze appetizers and private space for the events, some aspects were a bit sub-par, such as the astronomical bottle rate she gave me...(i snuck many bottles in for the sake of saving some $), regardless of the fact that back then she saw me on almost a weekly basis.   I don't go to Cozy at all nowadays, since the last time (2008 May) I saw that the place was overrun by underaged hoochie-mamas who are over-perfumed like baby prostitutes.

by Chastity H.

This place really sucked. The atmosphere was crap, the waiter was pestering and very unclear.         The crowd was really ridiculous- a bunch of 14-15-year-olds who thought they were "so badass" for smoking hookah! Woooaaah! Crazy!         It was really crowded and they wound up sticking a bunch of strangers at out "table". Also, we sat right by the door and the door guy kept standing there with the door open letting all the cold air in.       It was waaaay overpriced, 15 dollars PER hookah, and every two people had to get a hookah....they also required you to buy a grossly overpriced drink.     The hookah was o.k but that was it. It was a really crappy experience. They added a mysterious charge to our bill...wtf? And it didn't even say what it was for, they just drew a squiggly line next to it. Losers. DON'T GO!!

by Ursula M.

i like this place.  the decor is cute, it is certainly cozy.  food is good (how can you screw up hummus, tahini, baba ghanoush, etc.?)  hookahs smell and taste good.  however, they add on a 20 - 25 % tip onto the bill!!!  i ate there with one other person and was surprised at the bill, when we asked what the mysterious charge was, we were told it was a tip but that it wasn't "mandatory" that we tip that much.  how lame is that?  anyway.  that was the only bad thing about it but . . . .

by Chun L.

Been here twice already and it was alright. Nothing incredibly special, wish they had more liquors/drinks as opposed to the long selection of beer and sangria.  I had Presidente(Dominican) and Casa, the Morroccan beer- they're $6 each.  The smoothies are soo fruity and don't taste artificial in any way.  $15/hookah, meh, I hate their drink minimum policy but hey, they refill the coals whenever you're running low and check up on you alot.  Overall an ok experience, I guess.  This place has potential.

by J S.

This place was packed and I don't know why.  The only reason why my friends and I stayed to get seated was because another friend had picked it out and was supposed to meet us there.  Let me enumerate the reasons why we have vowed to never return here:1.  The arrangement is an utter fire hazard.  There's nowhere to wait to be seated and most of the halls can't fit more than one person at a time.  When you finally get seated (after waiting on your feet for forever and a half), getting to your seat itself is an obstacle course.  God forbid that this place is ever on fire and you're stuck inside.  This place is a Cocoanut Grove Fire Part 2 just waiting to happen.2.  The service is AWFUL.  When we arrived, they didn't tell us how many parties we were behind.  They just mumbled "they came here first" and walked away from us.  When we were finally seated (after waiting on our feet in a one-person walkway for 15 mins), no one handed us menus.  This was not for lack of staff either - we noticed that there were almost as many servers as there were patrons.  We waited maybe 10-15 mins before we finally asked for some ourselves.  When we flagged down a server to take our order, we were informed of a "minimum" (we were a party of 5).  The only thing that came quickly were our drinks.3.  The crappy technopop music and trainwreck-music videos.  Enough said.4.  The crowd (one guy wore a shirt that said "Do these shorts make me look FRAT?")If I could give ZERO stars, I would.  THE END.

by Lex L.

The place is small and somewhat discomforting.  However it is very popular especially amongst the young college crowd so if you want to take a group of young guys or girls or both for a laid back Hooka experience with some alcohol(beer and wine license only) yet more youthful and modern(provided with large, flat screen tvs hanging everywhere playing modern house/techno music) then this is the place for you.  It is a bit pricey for a "hooka spot" however the hookas themselves are of good quality with medium, lasting ability.  There is middle eastern, meditarrenean food served which isnt bad at all but once again not cheap at all.  Overall its a decent experience and a good place to come across extra friendly females of a 18-21 year old range.Credit Cards are not accepted so I highly suggest you carry enough cash with you from the beginning, otherwise you will end up using the cash machine which only allows you to withdraw 100 dollars at a time with 3 dollar charge.

by Jen O.Namrata A.Helena H.Tiffany F.

Went here with my boyfriend around midnight on a Friday. For a chill hookah bar, the place was pretty packed and partyin' hard. They played David Guetta and some dubstep-y music which THRILLED me.Once we were seated, it took the server forever and a day to get or order, though. The hookah itself was decent enough...I learned how to blow "o's" and felt mighty pleased about myself.The music started out so great, but then they began playing salsa music which did not fit the context in the slightest, so we took that as our cue to get the check.Eh, I've experienced better.  I'd give it a 2.5, but since it's a hookah place I bumped it up.  Their happy hour time is 4-6, so its not for the normal working group, but more for uhh teachers?  They only have wine and beer.  Their babaghanoush and hummus was delicious.  Their hookah can be a bit off it seems.  The wine was fine.  Service- they dropped the coal on my friend, seems like that happens there a lot (see other reviews).  They started to play South Asian music as we were leaving... interesting?  Not a bad place, but nothing crazy and nothing to rave insanely about.  The prices were good for East Villageish area.First time, it was alright, new at this place.NOW I'm a regular and I can get whatever I WANT!Love this outdoor patio hookah bar, soo many flavors (still trying all of them and let you know which one is my favorite, but so far is champagne)Drink are alright, just beer and wine, no other alcoholic selections.Usually I'd go with a big group of people to get a good discount but otherwise don't bother going.Going this Sunday for a http://meetup.com group where they have specials (buy one get one for $1 dollar). SUPER!!I've read other people's comments, but cannot review a place for once.  It's a crowded / popular area, and need to find your own spot to chill.Okay. This is your average east village hookah bar - small, dimly lit, incredibly hot inside, crowded and breaking numerous fire-code violations. The prices are decent, but the beer and wine list are below average and there's no liquor. I came here on a Saturday night with a friend, we split a hookah and took pleasure in watching the disturbing/amusing/confusing/soft-core porn music videos that were being played on a flat screen tv. About halfway through our time here, a belly dancer came out and started doing her thing with her bells and swords. It was amusing but short-lived and the crowd loved her. At about 11-ish there seemed to be a lot of young, under aged kids smoking hookah, it was very loud and not really conducive to actually having a conversation. By the time we left the line to get in was insaaaane and the place was incredibly packed.

by Sylwia W.

I've got a few disclaimers. First of all, my expectations for hookah places in the East Village are kind of low. Second, I've only ever been here with small groups--no more than six people. And finally, I always got here pretty early, the latest being 8:30 last night (though we stayed until way late).That being said, for the most part, I really like Cozy Cafe. Inside, it's got a lot more space than one first thinks, and there's an outdoor area that is just fantastic on a warm night. The couches and seats are really comfortable, and the tables are large enough to actually accommodate a hookah, drinks, and some food. There's a two-drink minimum, which isn't so bad because they've got a good selection of beers and the sangria is yummy. As to the food, I've only had baklava and hummus here, both of which I liked and made for good snacks.While the hookah flavor list isn't too extensive, it's more than adequate; there are the standard flavors, like apple, peach, and rose, and then some flavors mixed with alcohol (which I wouldn't recommend, speaking from personal, non-Cozy-related experience). The hookah is smooth and pleasing, and the staff is more than willing to change your coals. Other Yelpers seem to have had issues with the staff, but personally, I think they're great. The first time I came here, on one of my birthdays, the staff greeted my friends and me with a big "hello!" and then kept wishing me a happy birthday. When I was at Cozy last night, I was still on crutches (yeah, yeah), and the staff used flashlights to light my way and helped me maneuver through the crowds. I've also never felt rushed here, like anyone wanted me to leave, unlike some other places. *cough*Luxor*cough*Bathroom Grade: 5/10. It's in the middle of Cozy, which makes it slightly difficult to get to, but it's at least clean. Unfortunately, there is very little light inside. Sigh.

by Samantha R.

Packed my bags, all ready to go to NYC, oh wait? I need to find the nearest hookah lounge to where I'm staying....searching...searching...hmmm Cozy Cafe...ring ring.... a very friendly voice picks up.. I simply asked him, "are you open during the day? do you have wireless internet?" he told me that they would definitely let me use their internet if I came during the day...Get on plane... Arrive in NYC... Always something to do in NYC, oh sh*t, its evening already but I really could use a good hookah and do homework for my online classes.... Get there and ask for the kind young man I spoke with the day before, Bauer was his name....He ( some of the other workers) went out of their way to make sure my sister and I had plug-ins for our laptops as well as internet to use.....promptly followed was the hookah...oh the hookah... being of middle eastern decent have been smoking this since I was 16, it was decent... not my favorite because they don't use Starbuzz tobacco... BUT, the pineapple head, is definitely worth the $25 dollars... But the customer service was excellent beyond belief. I felt like I was at home at the hookah lounges I frequent in San Diego that always take good care of me... i wish I had more time to pay them another visit... but my memory stays there as I gave them a good house music CD to play and keep, which they did :-)

by love c.

the hookahs are good and the price is reasonable but the crowd their is a little too young i mean some of guys their looked like they were 15. when i first went their is was cool and chill but it really has changed since my first visit. seating might be a problem and could be a while for the wait but the hookahs are deff worth itthey only serve wine and beer, ehhhhh.