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 Selome S.

I personally love Soussi, but there are easy ways to better enjoy it yourself. Firstly, exploring the upstairs seating is definitely a must, it makes the place. I've never sat by the bar, and have no desire to, it just seems small and dark. The patio is enjoyable too, and when it gets cold, those heat lamps are my best friend. Second of all, I believe Soussi is better enjoyed on a week night. Adams Morgan gets way to crazy on the weekends, filled with people looking for raging parties, not exactly what I have in mind when I think of shisha. It's less crowded, so  going with big groups is easier, and it stays open until 2 (I know, even on the weekdays!). The musical selection is fantastic, last time I visited, the whole night was devoted to 70s soul/funk, awesome! The beer selection is good too and I'm constantly impressed at how they always have the correct glass for my brew. Other reviews complain about the menu, but it's a shisha bar, not a restaurant, the menu has offered me many delicious late-night snack options, and that's all I ever expected it to do. Service can be hit or miss, which makes going on a weekday even more advisable, you're more likely to get someone who actually remembers what drink everyone ordered. Miles above Prince Cafe, I'll always be back.

by S. M.

Starting from the ambiance to the service I just love this place... food is not bad at all and their martinis are yum-my! Good music. Not a bar where you go to get rowdy... but if you like to lounge and smoke some hooka then it is really the place to be.

by Andrew K.

I thought this place had an excellent vibe for just chilling out. Very good hookah (yum mango chi cha) situation. Cozy, busy, but not overbearing. Loud, but conducive to conversation.

by Mike V.

this place has so much going for it, but it's like this ying yang of karmic imbalance.  like they threw their feng shui in a blender.the downstairs has shit music.  but the drinks are great, the bartenders are friendly, and there's even a great patio with heat lamps that makes you forget it's actually winter.  Cool enough and spcious enough to "talk" with friends (or create an obstacle course with the chairs).the upstairs has great music.  truly great.  popular but not annoying.  upbeat but not ear-shattering house or poke-my-eye-out-with-a-stick candy-raver crap.  but it's hot as hell up there.  not hot enough to make you sweat, but just warm, dark, smokey, comfortable.  Not enough room to get up and dance, so instead, you watch as your friends (and their eyes) start dropping.Thank god Dan's Cafe is across the street.  perfect pick-me-up.

by Lauren C.

This place has horrible service yet I continue to come here.  I love the atmosphere the music is always good and the hookah's are made really well.  They have great lemon drop martini's as well.  Be forewarned it gets hot upstairs, and in the summer its sometimes unbearable but in the winter it's cozy.  Bottom line don't come here if you're in a rush, but if you have time to spare its a nice spot.

by Tu-Van L.

A hookah bar with an actual bar.  The martinis looked fruity and the shishas looked tasty.

by Winston S.

Ok, what is this crap?  Is this a shisha lounge or is this a restaurant?  I can't tell, but my experience there is too much money on the look and too little money spent on the quality of their food and shisha.  They don't even know what they are doing with shisha, serving crap tobacco and poor quality shisha and pathetic coals.  I chocked on it and sent it back.  Food was just so so, the atmosphere was average.  Hmmmmm as the rating suggests, I have experienced better.  Nothing exiting here....

by Andrew W.

between pumpkin pancakes for brunch and the music, dance, coffee, foodstuffs, and perfect golden weather of the turkish festival in downtown dc,  i was having myself a pretty goddamn nice sunday for once, and after meeting up with some friends there, i guess we decided it was best to just let the vibe keep on rolling along and try to forget that mondays even existed, or at the very least that some cubicle wasn't waiting to compress our next days' hours into dense vacuums as contradictory as life's offices...considering the turkish festival was concluding, i suppose shisha wasn't too far a an atmospheric jump... thinking of a place that looks fair, lies near, and get us alls away from there, we jumped on our magic carpet ride (ok. a car.) to soussi as our next destination. and this choice served us well...after a quick drive over to adams morgan, we settled down with the sun to a dark corner, puffed drifts of smoke into the night like clouds collecting on some lost horizon, eased like charcoals onto the outside deck, and slung back drinks to ease the bodies ruin...and with happy hours daily from 5 to 7:30 meaning half price on any and all drinks (including quite a list of martinis), soussi can offer up some pretty sweet ruin. martinis in dc for less than 4 bucks? not a lie. arriving just after the alloted time, our waitress was cool enough (and smart enough), to allow us not only to cheat our way into happy hour, but to double-up on drinks for later. just a few short minutes and beverages and mouthpieces were brought out, food orders taken, and our tables were happily adorned with spirits, the scent of jasmine tobacco, and conversation. very chill. in fact, so much so that it might be worth a risk to adams morgan on a weekend night. before we could notice time stealing off, lamb couscous, a flatbread sandwich with frites, and mussels in tomato and white wine (they were out of curry) came steaming from the kitchen... while the sandwich went down quickly, and the lamb looked succulent, they were not mine. for a mere 8 bucks, i had at least a couple dozen plump mussels and three warm rolls for sauce-dipping in front of me, and this was enough to chase any lingering blues away. washing them down with some hoegaarden (served warm), and chasing them with ambrosial drags off the shisha, i felt just about ready for my seventy virgins, but knowing i am of course undeserving and only the good die young, would have settled for less than one....oh well. before too late, some leavings meant the revery was over too quickly. running upstairs to the wc, i stopped to take in a room decked with embroidered pillows, soft candles, and enough sewn-worn carpets to sponsor thoughts about resplendent winter evenings where i hope to lay my sorry head. if down the road that night appears like deja vu, i will not be dissapointed.

by Alexa B.

Soussi is a lot of fun, I just have a problem with shisha bars because of the absurd prices they tack onto shisha and coal.  Ok, I realize that fruit flavored tobacco isn't exactly as abundant as it is in you know, Egypt, where people suck on water pipes as if their lives depended on them, but really.  The cost to smoke shisha outside my house is downright robbery.  Unfortunately I can't complain too much because I just really love to chill in shisha bars. Soussi is great for a few reasons.  It has an ambiance all of its own.  The first time I was there, some quality hip hop was streaming from the speakers until somebody switched on some 80s crap and I wanted to kill myself.  This person also happens to be the person who let me smoke downstairs instead of in the freezing cold, so I can't be too bitter.  Point here is that it's not Prince.  You will not be transported to Lebanon through images of Haifa and Nancy on a flat screen tv.  Don't get me wrong, I love Melody Arabia, but Soussi is a DC shisha bar and they own that bit.  The dark lighting and decor upstairs is sexy and so is the seating.  When I was there it was a bit loud and difficult to find a place, but people are very warm and friendly.  I thought the waitresses were quite accommodating, attentive, and cool.  The drinks we got were SERIOUS, which is something I appreciate.  They don't fuck around and I like that.  Personally I love this scene, but I definitely don't think it's for everybody.Also, I realize Soussi is technically a restaurant, but I didn't try the food.  My experiences eating at such places are usually disappointing.  However, I'm open for suggestions!

by Seth M.

this place is just ok. got the steak pommes frites. $17.95. kinda overpriced if you ask me. plus, ate inside for dinner and it was very cramped. they jammed a lot of us into one table next to the bar.

by laura w.

This bar is just straight up sexy. From sipping martinis outdoor on the patio, to smoking hookah upstairs, I was as mellowed out as could be. They have some yummy martinis too including some dessert drinks. I dig the vibe upstairs. Great place for a date with your boo.

by John B.

I had the stuffed fish.  It tasted like a Thanksgiving turkey.  My date was a very finicky eater, thankfully, and there was enough left over on her plate that I could get enough to eat.  She went with a glass of white wine, and, trying to save money, I went with a draft beer.  .25 liters of Hoegaarten, to be exact.  To be exact, the beer cost $5.60.  My advice: get the tea.  They serve Moroccan mint tea in flowered glass cups, perfect to fight the chill of an autumn eve.  Just make sure they have enough of those flowered cups.  I was the last at my table to warm up to the idea of tea, and so by the time my order came, they were out of fancy cups and the waitress poured it into a highball glass.Fellas, listen up:  This would be a great place to take a date.  Preferably upstairs, considering the weather (save the patio for spring).  It is cozy and dark, and with a hookah, that tea, and the two of you, it would be easy to forget the time, the place, the price! (so be careful).  Women, am I right?

by ml k.

I went to this place fairly regulary when I was living in DC (2005-2008).  It has consistently good hookas and drinks (I never tried the food so can't say).  The atmosphere is nice, when the wheather is good you can sit outside and when it's not, there's a great upstairs lounge.  The downside is that it is pricey, but the trick is to go for their happy hours 5:30-7:30PM, they have half priced drinks (really half priced so like $3.50/cocktail) and its less crowded.  I used to meet friend theres after work, great place to unwind after a long day.

by Eric C.

Liked it.  Vibe was a little more relaxed than Chi-cha (which had louder music, and a more club-like atmosphere), which i think has to do with location.  while Chi-Cha is in the heart of U Street, Soussi is @ the end of 18th.so yeah, definitely mellow.  Service was also really good - while we had to wait a little bit to get seats upstairs, it didnt take them too long to bring out the shisha and drinks.i dunno.  just a good place.  wish the prices were a little bit lower, but like having this kind of place in the District

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 Candace H.

I loved Soussi.  For the first half of the night we sat outside which was nice, but after a while the humidity got to us so we snuck upstairs and reveled in the red decor and air conditioning.Everything about the night was pretty flawless- the shisha was great, it wasn't too packed (on a Thurs night).  Shisha is pretty expensive at $16/pop (you could buy a shisha and tobacco and all the accessories in egypt for half of that price), but the great thing is when you need new coal it's only $1/ea. The wait staff was pretty "apathetic" to quote one of the other reviewers, but they weren't terrible.  I didn't mind not being harassed constantly by a waitress.  The funny thing is, they carded us at the door, we went sat down, and when only one person in our group of five ordered a drink the waitress got suspicious and asked to see ID again.  What? Two of us didn't want to drink because of Ramadan, and the other two needed to wake up in a few hours for work.  Anyways, besides that, everything was pretty cool and I'll hit it up again.

by David H.

This is easily the best hookah bar in DC.  Enough said, perfect!

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 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 David S.

Meh.  This place really kills what could be a nice shisha experience.   The good news is the shisha/hookahs are actually made pretty well. The coals are just the right temperature and the shisha is packed nicely in the bowls.  I had the double apple flavor which was fresh and smooth.Unfortunately, the everything else really stunk.  The lounge upstairs is horribly uncomfortable and was pumped with a pseudo-Arabian bass heavy beat.  The few awkward couches and some uncomfortable rattan stools didn't help much either.  The waiter didn't seem to really care to be helpful (and not in a rude-charming way - just apathetic).  The hookah pipes didn't have the nice plastic tips (somehow they were 'out') so they wrapped the pipe ends with aluminum foil (which kinda kills the draw on the pipe and gives a slight metallic taste).  Worst of all and beyond all comprehension, they don't sell Turkish/Arabian coffee!  Really.  Who are they kidding.  (The tea however was good).  It seems there are a host of better places on the block to sit, chill, and lounge.  Or at the very least, have a coffee with your shisha.

by emmy y.

I love this place. Great place for get together with friends.  5 drinks and a hooka for only $70 including tips.

by Ali L.

Being from California, I've been searching for a GOOD hookah bar in DC and I think I finally found one. The hookah and green tea were both excellent. If you have a large group and get there early the upstairs looks pretty cool or if its not too cold outside the patio is great too. The area around the bar is obviously a little crowded, but the music was excellent (I think they were playing Michael Jackson's HIStory album) and the drinks seemed pretty good, if not expensive.I took away one star for a few reasons:1 hookah and two green teas for two people was $28.The service isn't the speediest, but I think that's because its split into three fairly distinct areas.People were talking fucking politics ON THE WEEKEND!

by alexa ..

Soussi was great! My type of place. There were certainly a few glitches and things they could do to clean the place up a bit. But I was comfortable (aside from the heat, apparently the ac had just died). This hookah bar felt like a sauna until we were able to get a few windows opened. We shared a lovely bottle of wine and conversation. I would certainly make a point to go back if I find myself in D.C. ever again and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who lives in or visits D.C.

by Monique M.

First time at this place, and glad I took the advice to go! I took my cousin to Adams Morgan in search of a good, laid-back spot and here you have it. They're not stingy w/the tobacco that's for sure. I got Mango flavored which was pretty tasty. Don't know if I'm getting old, or what but I was puffin' so hard tryin' not to waste any tobacco that I'd actually made myself light-headed and sleepy. The drinks are reasonably priced and strong! I got what I believe was THE strongest Fuzzy Navel I'd ever had. Check it out, you won't regret it.

by Jenny C.

If you're searching for a hookah bar, come to Soussi in Adams Morgan and go straight to the upstairs room. The ambiance is everything you would want for a chill night. They play great music and have couches for you to lounge on, but the room itself is not overly decorated. They keep it real. Hookah is great, servers are very nice. I would definitely go back here!

by Ben T.

The set-up has to be just right for this place.  That is, go for the shisha and go to the second floor.  Then you have to get a couch or two and pull around some more ottomans.  I haven't ever come for meals or sat outside or in the main bar area.  They don't do it for me.  Go upstairs (but not when I'm there, please).I've come both with a large group of classmates and have also just enjoyed the company of my ladyfriend.  But getting a shisha and just relaxing (some of the drinks are interesting too), listening to what I think is great music (quality hiphop, RB, some good mixes), and taking in the ambience of the soft, fluffy, comfy second floor is completely worth it.  I always leave Soussi feeling happy and relaxed.It makes it worth it to go to Adams Morgan which otherwise is a major pain in the ass to get to, to get out of, and to put up with the yelling drunks and police and fights.

by shieva r.

I know how hookah bars traditionally work, typically bad service that's slow and at times dry or even rude... with that soussi fits the bill :/A date and I went here after a salsa class, it was getting late and a good number of people were already there but the place was definitely not packed. We grabbed a seat and, after a bit of a wait, we ordered drinks and a hookah.Well apparently they'd ran out of fresh hookahs so we were waiting for another group to be done with theirs to get one (honestly writing that is grossing me a bit) so we waited and waited annd waited.It took about a 1/2 hour to finally get our hookah, which they hadn't set up right, and when we did they didn't have the plastic mouth covers only foil wrapped around the tip.Next time I'll skip Soussi and go to prince down the street or better yet gazuza in doupont, my favorite hookah bar in dc by far!!!

by Venu N.

I have to agree that this is a great place to take a first date.  I mean, what could be wiser than placing a girl you barely know in a smoke-filled room and then requesting her to suck repeatedly on a long tube?  I mean, what in the world could go wrong with that????Alright, I had to get that out of my system.  On to the substantive review:Positives: good music, decent shisha (just not as strong as I would have liked), comfortable floor level furniture, somewhat photogenic crowd.Negatives: outrageously priced shisha ($16 but this is DC), ridiculous menu (Gulf Shrimp with angel hair?  Jambalaya?  Please...), spotty service, crowded upstairs seating.Overall, I'd come back simply because I'm down with the shisha, and I think the laid back atmosphere here is desirable.

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 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 Paul M.

A couple of years ago this was my favorite bar in the city. But that was when W. worked there and he made it a magical place.I would just go in there, hang by the bar and watch him work. Like a bloody ballet dancer - economy of movement, efficiency, multi-tasking, three cocktails made in one deft move. Nothing flashy, nothing fancy, all about the outcomes not the process. Drinks were good too.Not only that, but every single hot girl who came into the place came up to him and gave him a big hug. What-up I asked him? They're my friends he said, You only have hot chicks for friends W? Yes.He knew everyone one in that bloody bar. I mean how is that even possible - it is an Adams Morgan bar for transient law students and chicks with tats. How can there be any sense of community and cameraderie and society in Adamsfecking Morgan?The other thing abut this place, at least the downstrairs bar, is that in a weird way it reminds me of the single greatest bar in the entire fecking world. That bar would be cafe t' smalle on the Egelantiersgracht in Amsterdam. Someting about the layout of Soussi, the door, the narrow bar, the cold night outside, just brings me back to the finest bar in all the world, and that is reason enough to go there even though W is sadly long gone now.

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

by Patrick M.

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.

by Laura L.

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.

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 Aaron T.Laura L.Patrick M.

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.

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