Beyond the Best by Zo

Me and my friends came in here for the first time to smoke Hookah and they were very very friendly and the hookah was great. Has an amazing night!!! Great Musik and great ppl. what more to say! Def. recommend! Best Spot!

by Chastity H.

My friends and I happened upon this place randomly. Not only do they offer inexpensive (and delicious) food, but they offer inexpensive hookah as well ($7!). The place is ornate and feels authentic and traditional, rather than hip, trendy and money hungry.      The seating is cozy and the atmosphere is warm and friendly. The service was good. (Our waitress was very nice to us, esp. since it was our first time at a hookah cafe.)      Rather than a trendy wanna-be spot like so many hookah bars (like the LES 'Cozy's' joint), it's a place in which families, couple, friends,  young people, and old people can  coexist in harmony.      I recommend!

by Stewart W.

I don't know where to begin here.  This is one of those few places that make you feel as if you have left the country and are someplace other than NYC (Brighton Beach is another).  My 15 year old son and I wandered in here when we had over an hour to kill while waiting for my daughter's late flight to land at Laguardia.  Just 5 minutes from the airport, it was convenient and different.First, it is a hookah bar (just about every table (but ours)had a hookah which appeared to be well tended too.  Question 1 - Are hookahs exempt from the city's wide ranging smoking ban).  Second, many tables had either a card game going or dominoes being played.  I didn't see too many plates or drinks on any of the tables as people just sat and sat playing their games.  Third, in the haze of  the hookah smoke, there were quite a few cigarettes going (I know THOSE are not exempt). You sit and look at all of this and say..this is not a NYC retaurant.  It had the look and feel of a Mideastern cafe which is exactly what it is supposed to be.  And don'tt get me wrong, none of the things listed above are complaints, merely observations, and we were amazed as to what we saw.  The crowd was friendly .  a gentleman sharing our table explained briefly the card game of 13 that was being played at the next table.  We ordered the hummus ...nice and garlicky, with warm, fresh soft pita bread.  The Kibbe was excellent..crunchy and well seasoned.  And our favorite dessert...Turkish coffee (yes, my 15 year old loves Turkish coffee) and Baklava were great.  The pastries were very good but the Turkish  coffee was superb.  Not too sludgy or bitter, it was perfect.  After two orders, Ben was bouncing off the walls of the airport for the next two hours.  There is no faster way to get to the mid-east than the little side trip to Little Egypt.  One of my clients has promised me a tour of his favorite stops in the area..I can;t wait.

by Kamran S.

This Lebanese restaurant/ hookah cafe is the most popular in the area. When you walk in you can't help but to feel the cozy and warm atmosphere. The crowd is very diverse and the age group ranges from young adults to older people, families, couples, it's one of the few places on Steinway where you see nearly every demographic in one place. If you're a hookah person, the grape hookah is the best and very smooth.I like everything on the menu but if I had to pick the Humus, Mixed Grill, and Skirt Steak are my recommendations,  and if you're into seafood THE FISH.I'm not a big fish person, but this would be my exception, the fish here is VERY good and presented well and will even make your eyes hungry.

by YJ K.

The culinary fare is great, the shishas taste fresh and not too oversweetened. But I feel it's overpriced for what you get, considering it's in Astoria.I recommend their falafels, lamb stew and 'creamed' spinach, but the rest of it is just satisfactory. Nothing extravagant, and I don't think the dining experience is worth as much as the pay. I do admit that, as an Astorian who has tried most of the Middle Eastern restaurants on Steinway, this is my advice:1. Pay a lot less for good falafel and similar fare across the street at El-Rawsheh.2. Want truly good food? Pay just a few extra dollars and visit either Kebab Cafe or Mombar. They have quality food, and also a more authentic experience to the Middle Eastern culinary world.3. Are you just too lazy to change venues for hookah/shishah and food?  Well...that happens to be your own complication, but it's not that hard to walk a few yards down just to do so. Why not eat a quality meal at an establishment, then walk off the calories to get to a fine smoking venue?Egyptian Coffee Shop will give you a good smoking time without the extra bills (primarily for drinks)!Service is good, no problems. I can't think of anything negative about the waiters.

by Sara C.

I can't help but feel conspicuous walking into this restaurant/cafe, like there are many people staring.  However, it always gets much better once seated - I guess my novelty wears off fast (a good thing, in this situation).  Much more inviting than many many many of the other restaurants that serve hookah in the area, I love going here for tea and whatever dessert they happen to have around.  It's decorated with a delightful mix of kitsch and really, really beautiful things and frequented by a similarly eclectic crowd.The service is just what I want from a place like this.  They keep your coals fresh and pretty much leave you alone once you've ordered until you want to pay.  The only downside I've noticed is that if you ask for water, you will have to pay for a bottle of Poland Spring.  Something like 50 cents, though.Another thing that is cool about this place: each booth has it's own little speaker.  The first time I went, the music was way too loud, but we noticed volume control right behind us.  We were in the back so we thought it would control the volume everywhere.  My friend pulled a little 007 maneuvering to turn it down and after nearly falling off of the bench, realized you were supposed to do that.  How luxurious.(Unless I'm wrong and we were just jerks...ummm)Because of it's quality, price, and authentic-ness, this is one of those places that makes me SO glad I live in Astoria.

by Ibrahim M.

one of the best hookah places in queens

by Jen I.

How extremely disappointed I was in this place. We were so looking forward to smoking a little hookah, but unfortunately, we left without getting our craving satisfied. We were seated immediately which was nice, even if the server seemed slightly irritated by our presence. The tea and desserts we ordered came quickly but the hookah took forever. After waiting close to 30 minutes, we asked our waitress for the check, seeing as how we didn't feel like waiting anymore. She promised that it would be right out and asked us not to leave. After another 15 minutes and no sign of our hookah (or our waitress) we decided to leave. I really wanted to like this place. Maybe they were just having an off night.

by Khalid S.

I don't know if the Shisha was all that, but Falafel was great, and the fried egg plant was incredibly tasty. I could go vegetarian off of this menu... mint tea was disappointing, but as Mia noted, the atmosphere is probably the best in Astoria. The loud music, the hot videos on LCD's, the perfect lighting and the smoke, the crowd, everything makes for a great outing.Minor inconveniences:* Please DO NOT order steak here, it was chewy as hell, and my buddy's jaws started hurting after excessive mastication* They don't accept plastic, I mean Hello....* Parking is hard to find, but that's kinda expected

by Mia K.

One of the newest additions to Astoria's "Little Egypt", Layali Beirut is a Lebanese inspired hookah bar.  While many establishments in Astoria struggle like Gaza to reach sales high enough to offset the costs of heavy fines imposed by the city for the ridiculous smoking ban, the staff at Layali Beirut remains focused on providing their customers with what they came for - the ooey gooey... Not that ooey gooey, I'm talking about the flavored tobacco!Layali Beirut is immaculately decorated in comparisson to many other establishments on Steinway.  However, that, and the large crowds, providing for intense people watching, remain it's only benefits over the other cafes on Steinway Street.Layali Beirut is among the Steinway Sheesha Spots (say that 3 times fast?) that has a kitchen.  They serve food and get pretty pissed if you bring food from other places, unless it's very late at night after their kitchen closes (which I believe is at 2 am).Layali has definitely won over the younger crowd with LBC videos and a more aesthetically pleasing atmosphere, however, there are still the token old men.Apparently they were forced to take down the backyard tent because a woman NAMED Laurie Lunenberg complained about the smell.  Yes bitch I did have to put you on blast and I'll do it again.  All I can say is, it's a shame there aren't more wells in New York City when it comes to people like that.

by Kyle S.

Pretty good food. Pretty good size portions for the price but nothing that was amazing.

by Scott B.

Don't ask me how I ended up in this Little Egypt hookah bar last weekend when I basically never leave Manhattan.  It just happened, ok?But I'm super glad it did.Walking into this place I felt like I was taken right out of New York, but where I was taken I can't exactly say.  My interior design expertise and knowledge of world cultures combined to observe: "This place is tan with plastic grapes."  It was either a hookah bar or an Olive Garden.Our gorgeous waitress wore kohl eyeliner for authenticity and suggested a tobacco flavor for us before taking our tea and coffee order.I've never smoked a hookah before, so I can't compare this to anything, but the staff was really attentive to it, constantly giving us fresh charcoal and stuff.  It's so fun!  It tastes delicious and you can suck a whole bunch of smoke in without trying very hard and go "Who are YOU?" and "Keep your temper!"My tea was delicious and made with actual leaves so that after I was done playing Alice in Wonderland, I could play Miss Cleo.  My friend had this rich, thick coffee that was just to die for!The atmosphere was great.  Other than the festoons of plastic grapes, the location was brimming with men chatting and playing backgammon and chess.  It was cheerful and energizing and a generally positive experience.Yeah, brimming with men.  All men.  I'm not sure what was with that, but I passed it off as some cultural thing.Anyway, go smoke.

by cara w.

Before you enter, expect to leave smelling like hookah and greasy lamb - but in an ok way that reminds you of the great time and good food you just had.This place is perfect for a small group of friends to share a few plates.  Get a few appetizers and at least 2 entrees if you have more than 6 people like we did.  Food was above average but not mind blowing.The staff was very accommodating to one of the members in our party that was carrying around a huge amount of luggage - they even helped him store it in the closet.  The crowd was primarily older dudes, so if you are there to meet other diverse 20 somethings, walk two blocks south and make a right onto 30th Ave.  But If you are sick of the great Greek restaurants in the hood this is a really fun alternative.

by Moumita S.

One of my favorite hookah establishments in Astoria, for the following reasons: - clean hookahs equal excellent taste, and their hookahs are very well prepared, and without any burnt out taste- beautiful decor- couches in the front make a small group gathering even more cozy- food is good! Try the fried eggplant and hummus- Mint Tea is excellent! (but then again, I've never had a bad cup of chai at any of thesee hookah establishments on Steinway Street)Why you should go to Layali before the other places on the street: the decor is just simply the best, and you'll tend to avoid the annoying teenager/college crowd that usually unsuccessfully tries to show fake ID's so they can smoke (You must be over 18....though this is probably not enforced very strongly).

by Iffat B.

I went here with my girls for a nice, relaxing night out. It was perfect for that! The decor was really pretty and the couches were quite comfortable. We got two hookahs--one grape and one apple and they were pretty good and cheap! ($8). They weren't amazing, but GREAT for the price. Also if you go get the hummus---it was really good!The service is ok--they are very attentive at the beginning, but then they kind of forget about you....

by Namrata A.

I really thought I'd like this place.  I love the set up it looks awesome and the menu - if actually tasty, would be great but...- Oily hummus- Hard pitas instantly- Deep fried falafels that had no taste- Hookah (watermelon) was great, but only lasted 15 minutes and with coal still was off... took forever to get coal- Off service- Dirty bathroom- No alcohol- And no tap water... they want to make $1 off each water bottle!Not returning, period.

by Joe A.

My favorite hookah joint in all of Queens! I've been going here for about  5 years now, and I love it, the music, the aromas, just going in after work and smoking some hookah and playing cards or backgammon, double apple is my favorite flavor, they have great beruvian juices.  I'm not middle eastern at all, and  I enjoy myself and I've met a lot of people there who teach me a lot about their culture its great, it really is.  Next step is learning to speak the language, i can understand a few key words but that's about it.  Soon...

by Isabel L.

Ever since my coworker tricked me into hookah saying " smoking hookah is just like inhaling water" she has successfully corrupted my body and soul and i've been hooked ever since. Besides on a mission to get all my friends addicted as well,  i've been on a search for the finest hookahs my little lungs can handle.Layli Berut has some decent hookah for cheap.( 8 dollars, unlimited coal) Whenever I come I feel like as if i've escaped to another country since the crowd is mostly locally  Lebanese.   My favorite is getting their fresh pineapple hookah which they put the flavored tobacco on top of  a whole pineapple. It gives the hookah a stronger aroma of the pineapple as you inhale.The servers the walk around changing the coal every now and then are awesome and really sweet.The other waiters...ehhh not so much. Service is slow and they aren't too helpful for english-speaking customers. I also don't think the food is remarkable  but that shouldn't stop me coming back for a chill hookah night in queens.

by Mishkin L.

$8 hookah, nice decor, good service - both for food and hookah (coals will get changed very promptly) - can't get much better than this.This is the only place I am aware of in the area that welcomes us all, not just the old Arabic men.  My bf and I come here once in a while and always have a nice time; a lot of young guys and girls in their twenties come here for hookah and to play dominos and cards among other games while lounging on cute couches with pillows.  Hookah is pretty good - very flavorful, strong tobacoo too, one night I felt like I just had a pack of cigs - there was so much nicotine in my system, so you have to watch out for that.  They charge you for water but don't serve alcohol, if you are trying to have an inexpensive evening out this is your place.  Also, the website says they take credit cards - but they don't.

by Jean H.

For some odd reason this place is listed as a Contracting company-- dudes, its a Hookah LoungeCURRENTLY, there is construction going on outside of the place, so the store front is covered in scaffoldingThe hookah is good and the food is averageService SUCKS. it is almost non existent, as you must throw your body in the way of whatever waitress or waiter comes your way in order to get noticed-- BUT you must avoid the hot coals used to refresh your hookahthe decor inside isnt too hot. but it is def. worth it for the CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP and good hookah im torn.... this place is cheap. but the ambiance is terrible and they serve you poland springs when…

by Alexandra B.

I've been here many times and I love this place.  The hookahs area great and cheap.  If you get a hookah in Manhattan you're going to pay from $15 (minimum) to $30.  To the comment about the no alcohol: it's in a Muslim neighborhood, and many of their biggest customers won't eat in an establishment that serves alcohol because it's against the religion, which also implies that the meat is also not halal (very similar to Kosher).  Most hookah bars don't serve alcohol anyway because of the price of the alcohol license. But also if they're religious they won't be judged as harshly by Allah as they would if they served alcohol :-)The food is really good authentic Lebanese.  Waiters are really nice, they don't always stop by your table all the time but if you just wave them over they come pretty quickly.  I'll admit I'm not crazy about every item on the menu (and we've tried just about everything), but those are my personal hangups since I haven't liked those dishes at other restaurants either.