by EJ L.

Great new cafe in Austin that seems to be drawing mostly college students. The place has great Moroccan Mint tea, Arabic sweets, and an assortment of beverages from all over.If you are a fan of shishe, you are in luck. They have a great patio outside to smoke, and have some of the nicest hookah's I have smoked in Austin. As an added bonus, they are going open the upstairs for smoking. The inside has very limited seating in favor of cushions around a few tables. It fills up fast at night (they are open till 3 AM), but there is usually plenty of seating outside. The owner can seem a little cold and distant at first, but after a few times he warms up to you.

by Lumiere M.

This Kasbah doesn't need any more rocking; it's top notch.  So let the list begin...CONVENIENCE/ I'm a shishameister and until someone develops a cup-holder sized portable shisha - Kasbah is conveniently close to wherever I may have wandered.  Add to that, I don't risk any carpet burns from fallen coals or shisha collision disasters.  QUALITY OF TOBACCO/ They use excellent tobacco - what we call "ema'asel" (which roughly translates to "honeyed-up" because of the wet and sticky consistency of the tobacco).  It's fun to try out the different flavors and come up with your own combos.  Some good ones: peach, grape, mango, two apples, mint, jasmine, strawberry.AUTHENTIC DECOR/ As if the above weren't enough, Kasbah's decor is authentic Moroccan,  apart from a couple of "Made in India" things.  (If you saw the throw with the elephants, rest assured, WE DON"T HAVE elephants in North Africa, promise).  MUSIC/ Ahhh, they play Rai. Who else plays Rai in Austin? Rai is a lesser known genre of music that originated in my hometown in Western Algeria, North Africa. I never leave Kasbah without getting my fill of euphoric nostalgia.  They play tracks that take me through my memory mazes. They also mix in a lot of international tracks too and they play the occasional Bob Marley which always falls on happy ears. FELLOW PATRONS/  I met some AWESOME bikers sitting at the table next to us this past Wednesday.  Don't get me wrong, our table was like the Model United Nations on crack - at any given moment there was loud laughing, shisha hogging, and five simultaneous conversations in five languages: We had Arabic, Albanian, French, Algerian and Blonde (I love you Jamie).   But it was the BIKERS next to me who made my day.  I initiated conversation with them after oggling their bikes (Hondas, Kawasakis and Ducatis turn me into a category 5 ADD bimbo in three seconds flat).  We talked about their bikes and then they took out bubble blowers and started blowing smoke-filled bubbles everywhere.  Several girls got up to chase them and pop them so the shisha smoke would go out in a puff.  If we had Aladdin costumes on, it would have looked like a scene from Arabian Nights.  Then one of the bikers takes a huge suck of shisha, closes his helmet and blows out.  Either it was surreal or I'm just too easily amused.  Anyways the bikers rocked, Kasbah ROCKS, my friends rocked, the shisha rocked, the service rocked - in fact this place ROCKED so hard I may just miss ACL this year.  After all - half the bands I wanted to see backed out.  So as long as Kasbah stays faithful, let it rock on. *Just to reiterate, it's CASH ONLY so stop by your banks ATM beforehand to save that "but-that's-my-cheese" fee.  **It's also BYOB so grab whatever drinks you want.  Hell, bring the whole cooler if you can... If not, the Moroccan Mint tea is damn near identical to the "The a la Menthe" back home.***Last one,  tip the servers WELL - these guys ROCK, are very attentive but very laid back at the same time!****Okay, i lied - this one is the last one: I couldn't help but notice that the original "Rock the Casbah" song by the Clash was redone by Rachid Taha.  Well the owner of this Kasbah is named Rachid.  Okay, silly coinky dink, I know, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

by Liz L.

Hey folks,I created this Yelp account to share with people an experience a friend of mine and I had at this establishment.  We went to Kasbah this past Friday night at about 10:30 pm.  It was our first time to visit and upon arriving we ran into some friends.  We sat down with them for about 3 minutes and were getting ready to order something when a man that worked there (a tall man with a shaved head, i believe he was the owner) approached us.  "Can I get you guys anything?" he asked, somewhat abrasively.  I calmly and kindly replied by telling him that we hadn't decided whether or not we were going to stay, but that we would probably order something in a minute.  He then said "well, you can think about that [whether or not you are going to stay] outside."  RUDE!  I was very much taken aback. Our friends that were already there told us that "that guy is always a jerk."  My friend and i resolved to leave and were saying goodbye to the folks we had run into when the man returned to the table and very rudely insisted that we leave.  We got up and i informed him that if he hadn't have been so rude that we would have ordered something.  He response was to angrily cut me off in mid-sentence and tell me that he did not need our business.  My friend and i were completely blown away at the rudeness of this man, especially since we had done nothing to warrant it.  As we left the Kasbah, my friend told the man to "enjoy your call from the Better Business Bureau, a**hole" and flipped him the birdie. (yes, i realize that this was a provocative action, but the man was being an incredible and total  jerk and i cant say that my friend's actions were uncalled for.) He replied with "I dont need your business, you stupid f***ing b**ch!"  Reeling from what had happened, we left the place and began to walk to my car that was parked in the parking lot behind the building.  We were halfway to my car when we heard the man's voice behind us.  He had followed us out of the restaurant and was yelling "did you just call me an a**hole?" to my friend.  Oh, by the way, i should inform the readers of this review of the fact that my friend and I are both women in our mid-twenties.  My friend confirmed that she had called the man an a**hole.  He had his chest puffed up in a very aggressive stance, and at that point he waked up to my friend, into her personal space, and SPAT ON HER FACE.  No, i am not exaggerating.  This actually happened.  Needless to say, my friend was pissed off and pushed the man out of her personal space.  He then pushed her back and i got in the middle of them to try and calm the situation.  At some point during all of this somebody appeared from the restaurant and called the man back in.  My friend and i were shaken.  We were about to call the police but decided that we wanted to get in the car and get the hell out of that poorly lit parking lot before we did anything else.  We were both genuinely scared of what actions the man would take if we would have stayed there.  So that was my experience at the Kasbah on a Friday night.  Pretty messed up.  I hope that anybody reading this account will pass this along.  It seems, from reading the other reviews, that people like going to this place.  I would encourage anyone who has read this account to BOYCOTT THE KASBAH.  Any man who would threated and spit in the face of a woman in a poorly lit and vacant parking lot is, among other things, a complete coward and undeserving of any amount of business, period.  Please pass this along and tell your friend.  Nobody should have to put up with being treated this way.  (By the way, i am trying to give this a zero - star review, but it is making me add at least one.)

by Jorge G.

This establishment sucks. The owner sucks. The new rule stating that hookah purchase is mandatory, sucks. Please BOYCOTT this place, customers should be treated with some sort of dignity.

by kasbeh f.

I am from middle east and we are known for our friendliness and hospitality, in my country if we walked into a Tea shop or a hookah bar or any kind of hospitality based business and were treated with anything less than absolute respect and courtesy (as with this place), there would be major trouble, also the idea that people who are PAYING customers regardless of the age somehow don't deserve any respect is just STUPID! I'm sure the owner is frustrated that he has to make a living by catering to young collage kids, but what the hell you were expecting; you open a business next to a major university and then get upset when young people (perhaps sometimes too demanding) come in to your establishment and are not aware of your stupid rules? No sir it is the owner that has to change his attitude. Learn how to run a business I hear there are classes.

by Samantha O.

Kasbah is a fun rockin place, I can't even say enough good things for this place. I visit the hookah bar a lot in San Marcos when I'm at school, but I'm home for the holidays and my friends brought me here, and Kasbah blows my place out of the water. The decor is so authentic, and everyone is so chill and friendly, and the guys working were excellent! I can't wait to go back!but! I don't recommend the orange flavor unless you want a quick fast head buzz. :(

by Meredith D.

Finally, Austin gets a legit hookah lounge.All the other hookah places in Austin are mediocre at best. I've had some BAD hookahs prepared for me (ahem, The Hook-Up).There's a serious anti-Kasbah movement right now, but I haven't had a bad experience (re: Elizabeth L.'s post - jeez! The owner sounds psycho!) For me, the employees have been pretty good. I have to pester them for a new coal and they can be a little too "cool," but it hasn't been too bad.  The hookahs, shisha, and coals they use are good quality.There are many complaints about their rules. You have to understand that Austin places a LOT of regulations on places that allow smoking. Some of their rules are because of regulations, and some are to prevent UT kids from bumming around.Good atmosphere. Reasonable prices (other reviewers say its too expensive. Really, its just as expensive as every other hookah bar - except the other hookah bars use poor quality products). Decor actually from Morocco.Downside: Cash only. But there is an ATM on site.

by Chad S.

So after a trip to a Yogurt shop nearby, a friend and I decided to go get some coffee. He recommended we go by the Kasbah, but we had already talked about not wanting to smoke anything. So when we got in I asked the man behind the counter where the bathroom was and he replied "what flavor hookah do you want?" and so I walked to my friend at the counter and I replied that we were just having some tea and asked to see a menu. The man then said "This is not a coffee shop, if you don't order hookah, you have to leave." I was sort of in shock by someone refusing business, and we left. It made me and my friend very uncomfortable and was actually taken aback by the frankness of the staff. This was my first and only time there. I will not be returning. Me and my friend walked over to Spider House and got our tea.

by James L.

*edit* I decided to take off two stars for the assholio-ness of the workers. I can understand if you're "cool," but it just comes off as being dumb. The hookah part is nice, but they kinda kill the mood. Read Niki Z's review.With the suggestions from fellow yelpers, I checked this place out. the atmosphere is nice and makes me think "hey I'm smoking hookah" There's seating outside and in so you can pick and choose, although the closer you are to the inside, the louder the music gets. I know some people enjoy loud music when hanging out, I just can't hear myself think with it.The staff seem alright, not as bad as Jacob S. thinks(whoa I just realized he reviewed this place before I did...weird) but then who knows. *See the edit aboveOh, since it's close to the campus, you get a bunch of college kids. I was surprised to see the amount of preppy kids there...what?anyways, not bad. Much better than The Hook-up. Earns a star for atmosphere.

by Niki Z.

Even though I'm not a fan of the hookah's, I do enjoy stopping by Kasbah now and again. Their chai is delicious and the music is great. The only downsides are that I've never been able to sit inside (but the cushions do look comfortable), and that the huge chain video store across the street kind of ruins the view.---Edited Nov. 2007 --I found out the other day (I haven't stopped by in a while) that this place now makes getting a hookah mandatory. As someone who A) doesn't smoke and B) doesn't always go with friends who smoke, this seems pretty stupid. I'm not paying $14 for a hookah so I can hang out and enjoy the chai, thank you very much. My rating just plummeted.

by Alexis K.

I think Kasbah was an excellent transition from Mojos, the alternative "anti-starbuck's" predecessor. The atmosphere and decorations are beautiful, the tea is delicious, and it has the most comfortable sofas to relax and read or chat with friends.But last week they refused to sell me tea.  The man behind the counter said, "This is a hookah bar. You have to buy a hookah if you want tea."  This is a new rule at Kasbah that I believe will severely hurt their business.  On top of that the man telling me I could not buy tea was rude and laughed at me when I said he had lost my business.I really truly love this place but am saddened to see that I don't have the option of purchasing just a cup of tea. If they need more money, they could charge more for tea, charge a sitting fee, or keep the hookah's outside to avoid the pressure to make a certain amount of money off the hookahs. I would suggest this to them if it bothers you too. Perhaps they'll change the rules back to what they once were.

by Devin T.

I've been coming here for over a year. You might call me a regular.I love this place.However, there seems to be a few people who don't understand the rules here and give it a bad review on Yelp. Let me make it real clear:If you missed the big fucking sign on the wall detailing the few rules of the place, then you're going to have a bad time.If you come with people without their IDs, then you're a moron. This is a smoke shop. This is not a restaurant. All they serve is hookahs. If you have no ID, there's a 99% chance you're NOT 18. Your friends will be asked to leave.If you come to just sit down, don't. 2 people per hookah inside, 3 people per hookah outside. If everyone came here to just sit, Kasbah would be packed and would only sell 3 hookahs for the entire night.This place is great. The atmostphere is great. The people are great, and if you can spend more than a minute here by following the rules then you'll come back. A lot.

by Whitney W.

I love the atmosphere at Kasbah...and yes, some of the rules are a little inconvenient...but they are acceptable.The staff, however, is not.  They do not provide good service and they SERIOUSLY lack social skills.As cool as I think it is, I would rather go somewhere else than have to deal with the people at Kasbah.

by Heidi S.

Hoookah wasn't bad but I'll be taking my business elsewhere. I don't care where you're from, Mr. Owner, but in America you actually kinda have to pay attention to the customer. You know, make them feel welcome. You know, not act like a complete prickola.It's packed full of people and there's hardly anywhere to sit even though it's a prertty big place. If you like eye candy and to be treated like a piece of warmed over dog poo, I'd recommend getting a job as one of the drag's many homeless people before coming here.Terrible. F.

by Erin H.

The atmosphere here is definitely the best in Austin when it comes to hookah. Also the best tea. But this is all besides the point.Do these guys deserve your money? Absolutely not. And to think that they get tips for such crappy service. I don't understand it. The reason the workers have such bad attitudes is because the owner doesn't give a dang about how they act towards customers. If you're craving hookah, I definitely suggest walking a couple minutes down the street to pipes plus or right around the corner to smokin' o's. Just don't give these socially challenged tools your money.

by Arrielle O.

This place is just overpriced. Annoying that they only take cash, too. I mean, if you're a cash only place, you'd better have an irresistible SOMETHING going on in there. Most places that have hookahs only charge about $10 for it. This place approaches $20. Lame. I'm not a shisha connoisseur by any means but I know it wasn't worth $18. Also, we kept having to ask them to fix the coals because they did not place them properly. Cool atmosphere, that's about it.

by Kyle W.

Another Zero shit hole. This place hopefully will be out of business very soon. Worst management in Austin. The worst attitudes I've received in Austin period. The Hookah is overpriced. Cash only. They have ridiculous rules...if you don't want to smoke, just be with your friends, then you are not allowed in. Went with a group of 5 and they treated us like we were idiots cause we were deciding what to do...no line...nobody around...just assholes. We got fed up with the way they badgered us to hand over the cash and decide. Along with the rude comments they said when we told them this was really pricey. Unprofessional. This place is bound to be in the shit can very soon. Better luck next time douche bags.

by Hannah B.

It was one of those precious few times that I wished I had an iPhone...(to write this review while my ire and motivation were still strong, of course)My friend and I wanted to get some tea and enjoy the ambiance. What naivety!! I had been a few years ago and while I never liked the service, I hadn't realized you have to get a hookah. The sign literally says: IF YOU DONT ORDER A HOOKAH YOU ARE NOT A CUSTOMER HERE.Let me just note for the record that there was one party of two people in the whole place. And some of the boss-man's creepy friends that were NOT smoking a hookah. I said: "really?" "really" and walked out, never to return.

by Kathryn J.

There are lots of bad revies on this place, and I kind of understand why. I do see that the owner isn't that cool and his staff are less than competent. (One of the guys that works there, is my friends brother). They all have a mediocre attitude... But, hey what do you really expect? When you are at any of these types of places in Austin they are filled with enormous egos because boy, does it take some talent to light up a coal and place it on top of a hookah. Nevertheless, When you want to hookah in a good atmosphere, go here. They are always playing Bob Marley whenever I go, with the exception of this one time i went and they were playing really annoying country music..gross. As long as the staff and owner leave me alone while im hanging out with my friends just trying to relax, then I don't mind being here

by Jennifer D.

I originally gave this place a crappy rating for crappy service, but when I see a business try harder at making their customers happy, it puts a smile on my face. I went their not too long ago, and did not have ANY complaints with their service. Granted, I kinda want to see the guy behind the counter give high fives to every customer, with rainbows and butterflies popping out of his arse and the other whole 9 yards, but that only exists in my fantasy world. I think they could be just a tad, just a little, just a TINY, just ever more effervescently talkative (without telling me his whole life story, or how the blond he was with the night before was a real drag. Like, literally) because that would really truly make me want to give em all five stars. I have a few suggestions to make this place really pop. 1. They could for example serve "mystery tea" just for the thrill of it. 2. They could throw in some really interesting tobacco flavors like "mud" and "laundry detergent". 3. For offering our patronage, the staff at Kasbah could have a nightly drawing. The prize: Finally getting to see what the darned mysterious 2nd floor finally looks like. 4. They could stay open a little later and get the overflow of people being forced to leave their bar stools and dance floors and cosmos oh my. 5. They can keep soap and toilet paper in the restrooms for people like myself who like to wipe their behind. Thank god I had Kleenex in my purse. Thank you Kleenex!5 1/2. They could serve a traditional Moroccan Berber Whiskey, or at least some beer and maybe some of that "trite-hipster-over-loaded-with-sugar-but-so-cool- because-they-don't-advertise-on-t.v."Jones soda.6. They could higher the prices just a little to keep the Irish and other drunk satirists out. Come on, if I said Scottish, you would kick my ass. I'm not even racist, but I try. Ambiance is as good as it gets. I recommend this place, finally!I am aware that the reason why they might not sell anything besides tobacco and tea is that any tobacco business that lets you smoke inside has to be a business primarily for selling tobacco related products. I read some comment here about the restaurant and bar law regarding kicking smokers out of the joint. I think it is a stupid rule first off, because bad karaoke is seriously hazardous to my health, and I don't see anyone kicking THEM people out of bars.. I think it would be fun for the owners to look into bending the law a bit by providing an opportunity to petition this law. Challenging something so stupid can be fun and worthwhile. If you get enough signatures, you can do ANYTHING.P.S.... UPDATE! I AM SINGLE, AND NOT LOOKING. I like hookah, and I like the way the place looks on the inside. I am giving 2 stars however because…

by kimmie p.

I have been to a few hookah lounges in my life, and I own my own hookah. I like fantasia shisha. The first hookah experiences I had were at the Hookup lounge. I loved the ambiance of that place. We used to go there in high school, and chill on the futons. It was friendly and the hookah was good.My first experience with kasbah was ok. The bad things were the price and the ambiance. I enjoyed sitting outside watching the cars and people-- the weather was perfect for a late spring night. However, there was country music playing. Thats not something I look for when smoking hookah. Maybe if im in Dallas Nite Club (R.I.P.)When it came to service-- i didnt experience any problems listed above. It was friendly and quick. However we were a party of 2 and I was friendly too. They offered us drinks, and we obliged to the water they had there. I was curious to know how the cups were cleaned. The hookah lasted longer than the two of us needed it to last. We met some cool people out on the patio, too. The price was way too steep @ over 20$ when the atm fee was added. WTF is up with cash only-- you cheap bastards! You can go buy a hookah, and get free coals, shisha, and tongs for a mere 30$. WTF?I would not go back again.

by Christy J.

If I could give this place zero stars, I would, because that's what they deserve.  I went in with a group of friends, and the guys at the counter were cocky jerks.  We were trying to figure out their rates, and how they charged, the guys just pointed at the signs and laughed like we were idiots.  Every individual is forced to pay for their own hookah, even if that person does not want to smoke.  The rates were ridiculous, and the guys were such aholes that we left.  None of us will ever return, and I'm sure they have lost a lot of business this way.P.S. to the main meathead running the counter who apparently thinks he is Gods gift to women, you are no brad pitt!

by Lauren L.

Great atmosphereGreat MusicFollow the rules, (READ, open your eyes and fucking read..lol)They have really good happy hour specials, From 4-8 I believe it's 10 for one flavor and 12$ for 2 and if you bring in the little flyer you get a drink freeOnly downside, Bathroom, Yuppies, drunk people and creepy men in their forties. ^_^ Would deff recommend it, also (Mint and Strawberry)