Prince Cafe

by Mike H.

Abysmal service. Would not recommend this place to anyone. Some of the highlights- walked into the restaurant for dinner, the employees quickly shooed us out telling us to wait outside as they finished their dinner. Ordered water- waiter brought $3 bottled water (we requested tap but they claimed their water was 'dirty). Finished an unremarkable dinner and we were brought a check with an automatic gratuity of 18% (we were a party of 3). Worst dining experience in DC.

by Hanitizer H.

I cannot say this is a great place, but I never had a bad experience there, the service is lame, the managers treat you as you will never come back. It's too dark, but I like the Arabic Music videos that they play on the screen. I do not blame them for charging for water since most people come in and sit for long hours...they need to pay their bills too. But they need to mention it to you ahead of bringing them to your table. It's a good place for a quick stop, if you wanted a classier places, there are plenty, but these guys offer OK food selection.

by Melanie T.

I've only come here for the hookah, so I can't judge on how good the food is.  I'm giving it a higher rating mainly because of location, and the fact that it has a bigger outdoor seating area than the other hookah places I've been to.  If you do come here, I highly recommend the mango lassi....probably one of the best I've had.

by Timothy M.

In terms of authenticity, I really enjoyed this place.  It was great to sit and drink some REAL Lebonese coffee and partake of some hookah goodness.  Got to watch some Arab news channel and hear some of the guys who worked here chat about politics.  Pretty interesting.They allow cigarettes too, so it's a nice place to take a break and chill for some intelligent conversation with someone.  Can't comment on the food, but the coffee is delicious and authetic.

by Jessica P.

I go to this location or the one in College Park- the one in Georgetown is o-kay.  Though the service is better at the small college park location, you go to this one or the one in georgetown for the bellydancers and entertainment. Though it is dark even during the daytime and packed with college kids it's a good place to go out and be social.  I don't smoke but when I do, I go to this hookah bar which gives you a plastic piece to put over the mouthpiece .  The green apple and strawberry are really good flavors. Oh and if something is spicy on the menu..this place actually does spicy and my tastebuds love them for it!

by Ralph G.

I'm going to get on the screw this place band wagon. 3 dollar bottles of water -- without asking for bottled water -- is something I don't accept from any establishment. When I asked for tap water the gentleman said that the water was no good there. So what are they washing their hands and dishes with? Service was poor as well: they brought my bill to another table. I would suggest finding your shisha elsewhere.

by Charde S.

I wasn't really surprised to find this place absolutely packed on a Saturday night. The wait for a table was minimal which was a plus. Once we were seated the waiter took our order for the food and the hookah. The cafe itself is a bit on the small side and a little too dark for my liking. Felt like I was in someones basement.The hookah was good, although we had to send it back for a new one because the hose/filter seemed to be clogged. The food was good. Typical middle eastern fare. I had the Chicken Tikka Masala. The experience as a whole wasn't negative. Next time I'd try one of the more upscale hookah bars with a more relaxed and less "party" atmosphere.

by Alyssa B.

I LOVE this place; the hookah is good, it's not too unreasonably expensive (there's a $10 minimum, which they're sometimes strict about and sometimes not). Mostly I love hookah. The food isn't great, as people have mentioned, and they usually don't have at least half the menu. The first time we went, my friends tried ordering a chocolate milkshake, which they didn't have, and then a vanilla, which they did, though I couldn't get ice cream... strange. Anyway, the drink that appeared was definitely not a milkshake, it was some sort of creamy dairy drink with cinnamon, cardamum, and other delicious spices that was maybe the tastiest thing I had in DC all summer.Needless to say, I tried ordering it the next time I was there and just got a plain vanilla milkshake. Ah, well, there's always next time.

by ml k.

Years ago I used to come here fairly regularly.  Back then the food was good, hooka enjoyable, great atmosphere.  Then I think they changed management becuase very suddenly it started sucking.  I had a regularly date here weekly with a friend.  We continued going a couple of times after it started sucking thinking it was a one-time sucky thing.  But no, it was permanent.  She got way disgusted when she saw a rat inside once, and that was it.  We moved our business down the street. Then, two years went by and I'm in Adams Morgan with friends.  All the other places are crowded, but Prince Cafe, not surprisingly, is practically empty.  I warned my friends that the place is no good, but they said they didn't care.  Boy did it go lower then even my already low excpectations.  They brought us a hooka that didn't work.  When I mentioned this they brought a second hooka that also didn't work.  I smoke hooka fairly regulary and I own 2 so let me say (1) I know when a hooka isn't working and I find it insulting when a place intimates that I dont' know what I'm saying; (2) it is not that hard to make a good hooka; (3) the hookas they served us were awful.  Also they messed up our drinks and when I said something, the guy serving us was very rude about it.  So now I know, no matter what, even if you have to wait in the cold snow for a table to open up at the place across the street DO NOT GO TO PRINCE CAFE IN ADAMS MORGAN.  by the way, I always had a better experience at the one in georgetown, so don't stop yourself from visiting that one.

by Candice J.

I'm going to chime in with the other reviews: this place is horrible.It took 2 hours to get  in and out of Prince the last time I dined.  Get this: we were the only patrons there!  How on Earth can one be so horribly inattentive?Other reviewers mentioned:$3 bottles of water - Check.  And mine were hot.  Yes, hot.Slow service - Check.18% auto-gratuity.  - Check.  I was in such a hurry to get out of there, that I didn't notice that I had paid a 20% tip on an already-added 18% gratuity.  There were two people in my party.  So unacceptable that I don't have the words.My server couldn't have been older than 16, the fountain drinks had a funky mix.  But, hey, the food was okay.  It just isn't worth the hassle, headache and stress to eat it.