Hookah Source

by Elijah G.

Let me start by telling you some things I hate, which have been present in 95% of the hookah joints that I have been to in LA, the valley and in San Diego:Staff who are indifferent, slow or downright rudeMiddle Eastern musicA mediocre attempt at Middle Eastern decoreUncomfortable couchesA dance floorThank God for the Hookah Source! It's ghetto-hip, the music is great (hip-hop and rap) and not too loud ( DJ Mister Mike is actually pretty good, and you can buy his CD's there, too), the decor is, in my opinion, just what it should be, dark, with some mirrors, black lights, plenty of seating that includes comfy couches and chairs, flat screen TV's that are always showing a half-way decent movie and a fish tank and pool table. The crowd is always mellow. Every time we go, I feel relaxed and chill as soon as we walk through the door and go downstairs. It is NOT hot and smokey; the air conditioning is always going, in fact, I have always bring a jacket because I sometimes get a little cold. And what really sets the Hookah Source apart from everywhere else? The service!!!! It is consistently absolutely great. Always genuinely upbeat, friendly, attentive and fast! The guys that run the place come over to shake hands and ask how we're doing, and they always remember our usual order. Ever been smoking and your coals burn down to nothing? And then you have to go get ask the waiter to get you more? And he takes ten minutes? At the Hookah Source, someone comes around ever ten or fifteen minutes and gives you fresh coals, weather you need them or not, so your hookah always hits great. They don't sell food, but they let you bring in your own. Which is fine with me, as most food sold at hookah places is unappetizing and way overpriced.The Hookah Source is a tad more pricey than some other places, but it is so worth it! I will never go anywhere else to smoke. I do have a few complaints... I wish they would turn on the captions on the TV's. And they supposedly sell Hookah Source shirts, but every time I ask, they're always out. Nothing critical, though; the Hookah Source is still the best hookah place for miles around.

by Nick A.

A good hookah bar must have 2 things above all else: atmosphere, and quality hookah. This one is very strange and may turn a lot of people off, but they get most of the basics right. I went there with a friend who is a regular there (almost a daily customer) and I was underwhelmed, mainly because he built the place up so much. From the outside, the place looks pretty unimpressive. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted with a flight of stairs going down into the actual business itself, which is basically a giant basement that looks like someone's living room. Don't get me wrong, I like the place, but not as a hookah bar. When I'm here it seems like I am smoking hookah out of a friend's garage. They have 2 tvs on opposite walls, i'd say 42" or maybe 46"s, one tv was playing "Gladiator" while the other had a group of people hunched around a PS3 playing Street Fighter IV. Again, a chill, laid-back place for sure, but hell, if I want to smoke hookah and watch Gladiator I can stay at home. As for the hookah itself: I like the flavors. They have some interesting mixtures I've never seen attempted (churro? wtf?!) but ended up tasting really good (a friend ordered that one, not me). The staff was friendly and attentive, never neglecting to bring coals. What I didn't like: they used milk to fill the base of the hookah instead of the standard water (i put ice water in mine, myself). For what reason? I do not know but ice-water gives much smoother hits in my experience. The other complaint was I didn't like the hoses. They looked like clear tubes, like an IV line, except thicker and pretty solid feeling. While they were thicker than normal hookah hoses which in theory should give you more smoke, it burned the shisha (hookah tobacco) quicker and made the hookah seem harsh pre-maturely. Regular hoses work better in function and look more authentic, I can only imagine them using their own special hoses to be different.While I might have seemed a little harsh on the place, it's not to say that I didn't enjoy myself. I just like my hookah bars filled with belly dancers and middle-eastern music, so it wasn't quite my type. But it's a fun place to take people that might feel out of place in such a hookah bar. I know some non-ethnic people trip out or feel uncomfortable when they hear arabic music or go to a place frequented almost entirely by armenians, persians, or arabs all speaking different languages, so this is more of the hookah bar for the "mainstream" crowd.

by Angelica D.

My first hookah experience was here.  As my friend and I were walking down the stairs, the first thing we heard was the sounds of blood curling screams and knives/swords clashing.  Once we entered the room it was just "LOTR: The Return of the King" in surround sound.  Felt like we were going to a slaughterhouse.  The staff was very attentive.  They changed the stuff every few times.  I had a great time just relaxing and chilling with my homie.  I want to go back again.  I heard a rumor about the hoses, but I can't judge based on one opinion.

by taylor f.

this place used to be my hookah bar of choice because it was in my neighborhood. its not terrible but it isnt great. on most nights it is very loud, with a very mediocre DJ spinning, and it gets very hot since you are smoking and it is underground. that being said the hookah is decent, the staff is cool, the couches are set out and the pipes are placed on coffee tables in the middle. its a pretty chill layout, with a couple TVs on mute to watch. not a bad place but i highly recommend the Blue Nile on Winnetka. it is a new place but it is really amazing. great staff, great hookah, great food

by Foodman G.

cool for some hookah and relax time. i dont like going downstairs, but whatever its cool.get milk in the hookah, youll enjoy it that way.

by Wes S.

My friend Thuan and I frequent this place. We went last night after a long day at our perspective office jobs. Couches and tables are low laying , so it's easy to smoke your hookah. There's a pool table (I believe a separate charge to play), and two LCD TVs in the center of the place. The couches have seen better days (burns and what not, decent, but not plush), but I'm not here for the decor, just to chill, smoke hookah, shoot the sh*t. One of the managers already knows us because we're here so much. The overall atmosphere of this place is really, really, chill. The people are laid back and never had or seen a problem with the other patrons. They mostly play hiphop, but not the club stuff, more the underground hiphop. Thursday nights (@ 10) a live DJ spins. He was spinning some decent Mos Def, Common. Got people's heads bobbin'. Now, I've never been to another hookah place, but our hookah and two waters, ran us $28. The one bowl of hookah lasts a couple of hours. Just be careful not to inhale too much and get light headed. One of my friends passed out from inhaling too much and didn't get himself some sufficient air. A good place to hang out, chill atmosphere, listen to some hiphop. It's in between the Blockbuster and Big 5, literally minutes from CSUN.

by Jo P.

Now..before i officially write this review let it be known that i tried this place first then went to another place, ok here i go...First off, really awesome experience, once hookah was ordered it came ready to go, first puff seemed like the 10th one you had. When i was there it was somewhat quiet, few clients, TV to watch, chill laid back couches, oh my hookah source, don't kill yourself from exaustion, you've been raving in my mind nonstop since i visisted.Coal service was every 25mins or so, guy that does it [prolly different everytime] was chill, and kept encouraging us to have a good time.This place being the first place i visited, i made this the standard but going to another place..late coal service, hookah served and waited 10-15mins for coal service to start it up, just wasn't my thing...though this place is just about an hour drive from me, i would go here on occassion just to spoil myself.Really awesome selection of shisha, just one draw back to which -1 star was removed, the bathroom is something from tim burtons nightmare mixed with a jackson pullock painting, i thought the puke bucket was pretty sweet to have ready just in case :)

by Erin G.

This place became a regular hangout for me and a couple of friends during the winter and summer breaks from college. Great atmosphere, great service, and of course, great hookah. They have a great combination of flavors that I've never heard of before, and almost got through trying them all, but resorted to old favorites towards the end of my break. Candy apple white peach will always be my favorite when looking for something sweet. When it comes to the hoses (I noticed some people complaining about that before), you can just ask the staff for the different one, and they'll grab one for you no problem. My friend Kyle always wanted the clear hose, and after a while, they remembered his preference. Usually they ask you if you want milk instead of water, instead of just giving it to you. Staff is really attentive and I've NEVER had to ask for new coals (a rarity with hookah spots), and they're really good about getting any ash out of the hookah. They have college nights! Free refills with college IDs!!!! Love stuff like that. (It may have changed since I've been there, but we always went out on Wednesday night just for that.My only complaint is DJ night. The music is WAY too loud and consists of really bad pop and hip hop music. I may just hate it because I don't like those genres, but it would be more tolerable if the volume was turned down so I could hear my friends speak. I end up missing this place when I'm away at college, but I definitely recommend it to anyone.