Sheesha Lounge

by am c.

Came here last night (same as Albert L from previous review) and I cant comprehend what he is complaining about. I came with 3 girlfriends and we ordered the grape hookah with the extra coal and we enjoyed every minute of it. You can clearly taste the tremendous quality of the hookah from the start and he keeps its flavor the entire time. The ambience is great - just right without trying "too hard" and alot more intimate than Tangerino in Charlestown. We would not hesitate to go back anytime. The staff was wonderful and it was a great place to chill for a different type of 'girls night out'.

by Heidi O.

Lovely place! Don't be fooled by the humble location, inside is one of those unique finds in Boston as far as places to socialize and unwind.  The lounge has a warm and exotic vibe with interior in red tones reminiscent of Buddha Bar in Paris. We have been here a couple of times and loved the narghile every time, it is thick and flavorful (in contrast to the other two hookah bars in the hood). The service is quick and good food and drink  for a student budget.

by Matt S.

Blink and you'll miss it, but if you've got your eyes open and you're looking for a decent Hookah Bar in the Allston area, Sheesha Lounge shouldn't disappoint. The Shisha flavors are fairly varied, though they could be a hit-or-miss. The Jasmine is some of the smoothest I've ever had, while the Double Apple wasn't anything special, and almost had a Black Licorice flavor to it (which I don't mind, if I order Black Licorice). The quality of Shisha seems pretty high, given the fact that there were virgin hookah smokers in the group I attended with and none of them dealt with any coarse or harsh smoke. The Hookahs were good, since myself and the party I was with had two flavors we ended up swapping hookahs, and both got decent pulls without any major issue. The lounge provides hose caps for hygienic reasons, which is nice - though it was strange that they didn't seem to have any multi-hose hookahs. Atmosphere wise, the Sheesha Lounge is a great place to chill and converse. The Techno music playing was a little upbeat for my Hookah-time desires (I don't mind techno, but when I'm in a dimly lit hookah bar I prefer something totally mellow), but it was kept at a reasonable volume so I didn't have to fight to speak to people. The large television in the center of the bar is part 'cool' part 'distraction.' The night we were there they were showing a wildlife show, and watching a tiger attack a gazelle while mellowing out elicited a strange response from our party - the women present felt it was sad, the men were rooting for the tiger - but I can't help but think the feelings evoked were totally out of place. When I smoke with friends, it's social, so the television was pushed to the back burner in short order. I suppose it works for some people, but it wasn't for me. The staff seemed very nice, and I even discussed Honey Shisha with one of them. Hopefully someday it'll be on the flavor roster! They seemed genuinely happy to work at the place, which is a good thing, because it reflects in their work. They were prompt with coal adjustments and friendly overall. The crowd on the night we went was fine. Another review here mentions the crowd and/or the staff had attitude, but I didn't experience anything of the sort. In fact, the other patrons kept to themselves except for when my party asked another person to take a group photo of us, and they obliged kindly. Finally, prices. Sure - it's expensive. Anyone who expects prices to match Shisha you'd purchase for at-home use is crazy. This is a Hookah Bar. We all know beer is a lot cheaper at the packie than it is at a bar, but that's just the way things are. Add to that the fact that you smoke Hookah in group, and the total cost is spread a bit more than if you get an MGD at the watering hole. Any way you cut it, it's not unreasonable. All in all, Sheesha Lounge is a very solid little Hookah Bar. I can easily anticipate a return visit to try some of the other flavors on their menu. The experience was an overall pleasurable one, and I'd recommend Sheesha Lounge to anyone in the Allston/Brighton area looking for a Hookah fix.

by Holly W.

I know crap about hookah, honestly, but I was brought here by some friends tonight for a Friday night out. So much more fun than going to bars, really! I was mesmerized by the big screen with the large, bellydancing ladies played on the xbox set to the loud, thumping techno music. Then later on in the night, they played that Wizard of Oz synched up with Pink Floyd thing everyone knows about but no one has ever seen. I'm a huge fan of this kind of bizarre entertainment. I favor it immensely over, say, popped collars and bud lights.The staff was super, super friendly and laid-back about the experience and wanted to make sure I had an awesome time. Will definitely go back.

by Jillian Y.

The good: -Excellent ambience-Delicious Moroccan mint tea-Kickin' music-The person working the night I was there (Ben) was particularly nice-Clean restroomThe bad:-FREAKING FREEZING-The sheesha is overpriced (yes, I know I'm in America, but $25 for something that costs $3-5 in most of the world pisses me off)Notable but neutral:-They outsource their food menu from the Indian and Thai places next door.

by Allix T.

This place is exactly that, a-ok. I felt a little weird coming here, given my relationship with the dudes at Nile (and that I felt this was kind of a rip-off copy cat business), but my boyfriend really wanted to hang out with some of his buddies who were out on a double date so I kindly agreed to come along.The decor in here is nice - the exposed red brick, the curtains, it's a great foil to the sleek, contemporary, vibe at Nile. Overall I liked it.  Now, on to the service and the quality. Service here is non existent. It's like the people that work here move.......i............n.......s...............l. ..............o...........w..............m...o.... .....t........i...........o........n....Seriously. It's painful. Getting a glass of water takes 15 minutes - and that's when we're the only people in the place. We arrived about an hour and a half before closing and it took so long to get our hookah sorted out that we barely had a full thirty minutes to enjoy it (sort of awkward). The shisha itself was ok - but the quality definitely not what I'm used to - the rose flavor we got to blend actually burned my throat and nose a bit.All in all this is an ok place to go to pop your hookah cherry and a nice complement to the neighborhood. It's not really somewhere I'll go with any regularity (I also felt a little awkward being about 10 years older than the only other groups we saw wander in and out), but it's not a bad stop to hit if you're in the neighborhood and too young to hang out at one of the pubs.

by Dorise G.

went with the coconut shisha and was pretty pleased.  shared a hookah with 2 others and since we were the first customers they gave us the big hookah - didn't even come close to finishing and it we were there for 2 hours.i'm not sure why people think this was so expensive - $25 is pretty standard i think for hookahs in the US.  and yeah, i get that it's way cheaper on the other side of the world, but so are cigarettes, and those aren't imported.  anyway, it's not like you smoke a hookah alone - you're splitting the cost between a few people.  i'll get off my soap box now, but as someone who considers themselves pretty cheap in general, i wasn't appalled by the pricing.the hosts were pretty attentive, though a little frazzled and disorganized at the start.  i didn't notice anything wrong with the place but they kept going on about some explosion in their system and that their speakers were weird and the ambiance wouldn't get going till later.  and then they were confused about what they had in stock and what they didn't - it was a very bizarre first 5 minutes, but when my friends and i settled in it was fine.  the music was good and our coal got replaced frequently...an enjoyable experience, and i'd go back for sure.

by Rezaul H.

On the way back from Deep Ellum, ran into the Sheesha Lounge. It's a place with a vibe of a faraway land, with its exotic tobaccos and friendly crowd, right here in Allston! Here, people may share their sheeshas with strangers. You will find Sheeshas  recommended by knowledgeable staff. I would recommend trying Jasmine with a hint of mint. The Moroccan Mint tea is excellent with it. The menu is limited, but complements the flavors of Sheeshas well. The decor is eclectic, but not as rich as it could be, such as the prints on the wall of the main space, but loved the large terracotta piece in the restroom. Would've preferred a stronger central theme. As you may expect, the place is very smoky, but some may consider this part of the charm. These are minor criticisms, I'm glad Sheesha Lounge is in Allston, now I have no reason to go to Charlestown.