Sultana Cafe

worst by richard

WENT THERE FOR A FRIENDS BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY NOT ONLY SUPERVISOR/MANAGER MADE US PAY TO GET INSIDE AND LET EVERYONE ELSE IN FOR FREE BUT WHILE INSIDE FOR FRIENDS BIRTHDAY SINGLED ME OUT AND CHECKED ME FOR "MARKERS" FOR NO REASON!!! NEVER AGAIN WILL I COME TO THIS PLACE! SUGGEST THE SAME TO ALL!!

by Ali S.

This place is just inconsistant. On some days you'll be greeted at the door and get excellent service, and feel like a proper family-run business. On other days you'll get menu items unavailable and inattentive service by completely different people. What gives?

b by john

I like this place. It is not old school or "traditional" like the Egyptian Coffee Shop next door, but it certainly took me back to my younger days of hanging out on Saturday nights with friends in the middle east. And that, for me, gave this place an authentic feel.

The wait staff was very sweet and attentive and the hookah and tea were delicious.they also one of the few hookah bar that serves alcohol wich was a plus since i got to find out that the owners were not middle eastern just plain old all american. The music was loud enough to ensure you would not pass out in a hookah inspired haze, but still low enough to hold a decent conversation. And oddly enough, they had a great selection of movies playing on the flat screen tv's there, which had the husband totally enthused. great selection of flavors ...great sangria made the old fashion way nice and strong also recommend the mexican bulldog very good...ps: make sure to have your id they very strict about. that even if u think u look old or what not the place had quality over quantity ..for sure ..we witness a lot of ppl being turn down for lacking id or other stuff over all great and im stressing the word great experience ..go see for your self.........

I'll be back.

by kris m

First of all let me inform the ignorant people out there you have to be 18 to smoke hookah- so you need your ID. Secondly Sultana serves liquor so you have to have your ID to get in and you have to be 21 after a certain time. (definitely true for weekends)

Anyway I am a regular at this place and I've tried my fair share of hookah places and this place has the best tasting hookah- hands down that I've yet to have. The hookahs are also always clean, I never choke from my hookah and I never spend a lot of time waiting for new coal. The servers are very attentive and I've gotten to know both the owners since going there and they always take care of their customers- especially their regulars !
And the best part- the music is good !!! Weekends people even get up and dance. Yes this is not your typical Steinway hookah place- they play what you'd hear at an American club- everything from house to spanish music ! Which is awesome for me as I really can't jam to Arabic music ( no offense intended) This place is awesome and it has hookah, good music and drinks ! If you haven't tried it yet do yourself a favor and stop by!

by Inside S.

This place is where I tried Hookah for the first time. Great Experience, and i'm not even a smoker! haha. I choked a couple of times since I'm not used to inhaling Nicotine. Great Staff. Great Pricing. Great Ambiance. The only slight problem I have to address is the location of the place; the area isnt too safe at night, so beware, and the train station is a walk away, also, there's no parking, so you have to search for side streets to find parking. Overall, great place, I recommend =)

by Neline S.

I've been to a few hookah places in Chicago, SF, and NY and I have to say this by far is the best that I've experienced!A lot of people tend to hype up hookah just like they do sushi so certain places try to add on stupid amenities such as hookah + bottle service which in the end can rack up a rather ridiculous bill.  It'd be worth it if the service was up to par and they'd fix the hookah once in awhile without trying to flag them down after 15 minutes of smoking but I digress...Anyway, it's a cozy place with some very comfortable couches and some old hip hop, RnB or Arabic music to keep you relaxed at night.The crowd is pretty chill although I noticed a majority of them look like late teens and early 20s but I couldn't tell due to the lighting.The hostess and waitstaff were extremely friendly and courteous.  Hookah was inexpensive ($10) AND the service was EXCELLENT!!  Several different people came by our table to check on the hookahs and the hostess offered to take our pictures since we had some friends from out of town.We were able to hold conversations at a decent decibel level without resorting to screaming and after three hours of smoking and talking, we were definitely all hookahed out.

by vikcy

This is one of the best hookah spots I have ever been to. I have been coming here since last year and I always go to different places but for some reason I just love it here. Not only the staff is very attentive which is quite surpising being that this place is almost always packed! Their hookah flavors are great and so are the prices. I love the seating and the lights. I love the music that they play. It is not your typical hookah spot where they play only indian or arabic music (not that there is anything wrong with it. However, I get tired of listening to something I do not understand). they have a live dj thursday friday and saturday that spins all the new tracks wich gives it a club lounge feel while u enjoying your hookah. and they serve alcohol wich is a big plus considering that most hookah bars don't. All of the times that I have came, I always bring someone different with me to introduce them to the place and they love it as well. The owners are very nice and friendly and they always complimenting me on my looks and clothing (lol) ...

Winters by Jules

Well this is for me a hookah heaven ... Recently discover sultana hookah lounge in Astoria it just happen that it is located in the end of the strip on the corner of 25th avenue and Steinway St .... It is amazing nice decor succulent hookah"s and they do serve alcohol .we tried a variety of drink 's my favorite was the Mexican bulldog and the sangria very good I was very pleased . Excellent service very attentive staff and the hookah just excellent ... We were there on a Thursday night they had a live Dj great selection of music everyone was dancing very friendly environment the staff got into it as well ... Such healthy environment ... Are hookah were smoky the hall time.....to top it off they refill the hookah charcoal clock work every 15 min amazing on point ...this hookah bar is modern and chill it had the feel if off a lounge slash club with the most amazing music selection from house to reggae hip hop bachata it was on point .so much that we stayed until closing time .... This hookah lounge had tendency to fil up after 9 so dont get freak out if you arrive and there is no one there .get a table start your order next thing u know the place is packed in a blink of an eye ....we also heard that the weekends are insane .we also noticed that the crowd was a very good looking crowd .I mean not your typical hookah bar .... Overall great experience....,in tired Of writting but review Well deserved..,... Nice place

customer by gabe weinberg

Steinway Street between 25th and 28th Avenues in astoria is probably the hookah (shisha) capital of North America. Just walking down the block in the evening, you can smell the smoke from all of the hookah establishments. This area is an authentic Middle Eastern neighborhood, and hookah is part of the culture.

Out of all of these places, Sultana Cafe is probably the only all american own hookah bar... The service is excellent. The waitstaff is always coming around to top up your coals. You don't usually even have to ask for more coals, unlike most places. The price is right - it's about half as expensive as the trendy East Village hookah bars.

The atmosphere is amazing. It's like a nightclub on the inside. The black decor makes it feel intimate. The lasers are a nice touch. The crowd is a good mix of people. It's mostly a college-age crowd, although all ages are welcome. (But beware - if you're not even college-age yet, they're pretty good about checking ID's.) All kinds of people hang out here (unlike many of the establishments on this block which mostly cater to people from the Middle East.) It's laid-back and fun.

FWIW, the neighborhood is entirely safe. I'm often in this area at night and have never had any problems. Parking isn't that bad. You'll probably have to park on a side street or on Steinway below 30th Avenue. But what do you expect, it's NYC! It's about a 10 minute walk from the G/R/V, but there's the M101 bus if you don't feel like walking. It's also easy to get here from the city - the M60 bus stops a block away.

by mohamed s.

This place is the best for real no lie i got treated with respect and love when i was there its like were family and there hookahs are sick it is the best no lie espically the new berry flavor off the hook and troy and stepine are the best ...........try it u will like it im sure ........**Mo-fire**.....