Soussi Restaurant

by Kristen C.

Went to Soussi last week for the first time with some work friends for a small celebration because we heard they have half price martinis. Unfortunately the night ended with an argument with management about the waitress blatantly padding the bill with top shelf liquor. She sold us the good stuff (Kettle One, Belvedere, etc..) on the promise that it applied to all the happy hour drinks. When we specifically asked her if we were going to be charged for it (because if so, we would have gladly stuck to rail), she said "No, you can get whatever you want." Needless to say, when we got our bill, she charged us for all the premium alcohol. When we asked management for a clarification, they treated us like we had never been to a bar before and didn't understand that you always get charged extra unless you get rail. They were completely condescending and rude (and we spent over $150 there during the course of the night!!!), and it's unfortunate because it's a cute spot with covered outdoor seating and decent martinis. My friends and I will never go back.

by david f.

I like Soussi. I don't care for the name, or the fact that it very almost got turned into a Prince-cafe-like sleaze joint. Instead, it rose above to be one of my fav places in the city to sit on the balcony, drink Stella and watch the people go by. Great looking crowd, friendly staff, and pretty darn good food. In fact, Soussi's Merguez Sandwich makes it onto my Top DC Sandwiches list. Merguez is hard to find in the US, but they do it right. Grilled Moroccan sausage, mayo and proper dijon mustard (plus spicy harissa if you ask for it) on a crusty baguette roll. It's a real treat.

by Aaron T.Laura L.Patrick M.r. r.Galina T.

I've been to Soussi three or four times. Each time has been good, not great but good. I'm happy anywhere that there is shisha, food, or alcohol so when you put me in a place with all three it's sure to be a place I enjoy ;) The shisha each time I've been has seemed to get coals in it very early on which is kind of annoying having to ask them to switch it out so much. What I have heard from friends is the food is fairly good but the only food I've eaten there is the grilled chicken sandwich which was good, nothing stellar, but good nonetheless. I also REALLY enjoy that there's a full bar so I can drink a little while smoking and hanging out.  Maybe my second favorite thing is the seating arrangement.  You can sit outside (my preference), inside at table, or upstairs on the couches.  I love being upstairs on a more crowded night with all the smoke in the air so if I can't sit outside that's my second choice. Adam's Morgan is a place I go to fairly often and Soussi is for sure my place of choice to hang out before heading out to Madam's Organ or wherever I meet the rest of my friends. It's a little out of the way for me to go to during the week or on a super regular basis but I definitely will keep going there as long as I'm in the area and would recommend it for sure to anybody wanting a good place to hang out and smoke some shisha.Soussi isn't a bad choice if you just want to hang out, smoke some hookah and people-watch from their outdoor patio. Outside of those choices, I'm not really sure if Soussi has much else to offer. I've been there a few times (hung out on the patio every time I've gone) and it's been pretty enjoyable. Not a knock-your-socks-off enjoyable though. The hookah option at Soussi is nice but nothing to write home about. If you end up hanging out there for awhile, smoking hookah can magically add up. The staff here are slightly stand-offish and are more the likely to leave you alone for awhile as opposed to schmoozing with you. Beer options are basic in my opinion (Peroni is as exotic as it gets) and prices are a bit steep for a pint. Best to bring good company with you since Soussi overall lacks personality.With all the shisha places in this part of town, don't force your way through the crowds here.  Their product, frankly, is undeserving of your patronage, especially for the price.The shisha is fine, but the ambiance is lacking, and ambiance is paramount to a good shisha experience.  The most egregious mistake here is poor service.  Sitting with an entire table of empty glasses or an extinguished coal on your hookah for 10 or 15 minutes is common.  It is a chore to get the server's attention.  When you're paying $14 a hookah and $9 or $10 a drink, you should expect more.A note of CAUTION: A SERVICE CHARGE IS OFTEN ADDED TO THE BILL, EVEN ON SMALL PARTIES - EXAMINE YOUR BILL.  In my opinion, forcing the hand of patrons to the tune of 17-18% tip, when the service is terrible and your party is small (3 or 4), is crass.Again, the ambiance is poor.  The music jumps from old rap (Ahmad) to Fleetwood Mac to electronic.  They clearly don't have establishing a mood in mind here.  The decor is mismatched and boring - The exciting design elements from North African and Middle Eastern culture that make places like this interesting are woefully unattractive or absent.The Hookahs are great if expensive, make sure to ask for coal refills ($1 but they last longer than burning a dollar bill) if you are in it for the long haul. Nice deck for drinking and smoking (which deck isn't really?). The music is pretty good, although I don't know about playing Fugees -- that approaches Bob Marley territory.If you sit upstairs, make sure you take a look around to see if you like the people, you'll be sharing a room with them for a while.If you get lucky, some random dude will come up to you and give free zippo lighters and cigarettes in exchange for your email. This is less shady and sexual than it sounds, because he carries some high tech gadget to make it look legit.3.5 starsvery dirty,shitty,,restrooms are eek....in one word i find it disgusting

by Crystal B.

Notable for their great outdoor patio! People-watch while puffing on some delicious, smooth smoke.This place can get a little full, and gains a bit of a clubby atmosphere late on weekend nights (guess it doesn't help that they play really mainstream American top-40 music inside), but it's a fun dependable hookah bar.Haven't tried their food, but I love the Moroccan mint tea. It comes in a little pot so you can have a couple of cups worth, yay.

by Taqwa R.

The setting/ambiance is definitely sick.  Love the floor majlis style furniture. Great decor. But this is not the type of place to go when you have a large group of people. We went for a friend's birthdays and all 9 of us had to crowd around this tiny round table, even though we arrived relatively early.The Shisha isn't bad. It's better than Prince! But still not as good as the Shisha back home..The double apple was kind of weak! Liked peach better.GREAT music.Mixture of Hip Hop and RB.People hanging out there are awesome. Very chill and friendly crowd. We sung along karaoke style with a group of people that we didn't know to "Killing me softly", lol.Some random guy told me that I had "good formation" while blowing out.I'll definitely go again.Though, next time hopefully without so many people.

by Laura T.

Arrive early to stake out prime real estate on the outdoor patio, where you can watch people reel from bar to bar, singing and arguing and shouting. Smile at your pretty server while you order, and she'll smile back. Light a cigarette while waiting for your shisha. Out of the corner of your languid eyes, watch the delicious bartender move expertly between his bottles, swift hands busy on a Saturday. Float on fragrant smoke, buoyed by strong drinks, laughter and good conversation. Your friends are golden glows in the candlelight and so are you.

by Tyra G.

Update to my previous Soussi review: My friends and I attempted to go one more time only to find that they no longer carry mouth pieces for the hooka. Instead, they have placed foil over the mouth piece. Um...really Soussi? This is acceptable? ABSOLUTELY NOT!. I am too through with this place, and you should be too! Coming from a place like Pittsburgh, PA where the hooka scene is almost non-existent, I was super…

by Aaron T.

I've been to Soussi three or four times. Each time has been good, not great but good. I'm happy anywhere that there is shisha, food, or alcohol so when you put me in a place with all three it's sure to be a place I enjoy ;) The shisha each time I've been has seemed to get coals in it very early on which is kind of annoying having to ask them to switch it out so much. What I have heard from friends is the food is fairly good but the only food I've eaten there is the grilled chicken sandwich which was good, nothing stellar, but good nonetheless. I also REALLY enjoy that there's a full bar so I can drink a little while smoking and hanging out.  Maybe my second favorite thing is the seating arrangement.  You can sit outside (my preference), inside at table, or upstairs on the couches.  I love being upstairs on a more crowded night with all the smoke in the air so if I can't sit outside that's my second choice. Adam's Morgan is a place I go to fairly often and Soussi is for sure my place of choice to hang out before heading out to Madam's Organ or wherever I meet the rest of my friends. It's a little out of the way for me to go to during the week or on a super regular basis but I definitely will keep going there as long as I'm in the area and would recommend it for sure to anybody wanting a good place to hang out and smoke some shisha.

by Galina T.

very dirty,shitty,,restrooms are eek....in one word i find it disgusting

by r. r.

The Hookahs are great if expensive, make sure to ask for coal refills ($1 but they last longer than burning a dollar bill) if you are in it for the long haul. Nice deck for drinking and smoking (which deck isn't really?). The music is pretty good, although I don't know about playing Fugees -- that approaches Bob Marley territory.If you sit upstairs, make sure you take a look around to see if you like the people, you'll be sharing a room with them for a while.If you get lucky, some random dude will come up to you and give free zippo lighters and cigarettes in exchange for your email. This is less shady and sexual than it sounds, because he carries some high tech gadget to make it look legit.3.5 stars