Fraud!!! Made us pay $20 cover charge to get in, then they tell us inside "sorry no tables available". The manager/owner who is Lebanese comes to talk to me trying to hustle me, i told you can't hustle someone who lives in NYC. Basically this place is Bunch of crooks, they make you pay cover to get in just to tell you no room. Forget the $20 cover because it seems this place needs that money, i smoke shisha all my life and when i looked at the hookahs they only had INSTANT charcoal which is trash when you smoke hookah. On top of all of that the manager/owner (lebanese guy) comes outside when we're leaving just to curse at us and we had women with us too, very classy establishment SMH. I will have my attorney look into this establishment and also contact the Better Business Bureau. read more

If you're tired of the same ol' bar/club scene & want to feel like you made a mini-vacay somewhere where there's a touch of mystery & sensuality in the air (... literally), I'd recommend Byblos! ; ) My boyfriend & I went mid-week & after coming to Byblos on a Saturday night (yesterday) I would recommend a midweek visit. As my fellow Yelpers mentioned it gets craaaaaaaaazy crowded in this quaint, funky spot located on 18th St. On Saturday I brought one of my best gals from college to check it out as she never smoked a hookah before & she wanted to give it a go, especially after I raved about how much fun I had the first time I went. Well, despite the insane crowd, we indulged in the yummy (yes yummy) smoke of the Peach flavored Hookah & we both gave it a thumbs up! It's a fun way to bond with folks, switching out your plastic tip, but then passing & sharing the hose/pipe piece... you get a rhythm going & find yourself passing the hose every eight (well... okay, every sixteen) count of the eclectic, thumping beats! ; ) Midweek with Mr. Boyfriend was extra dope because due to the smaller crowd we had our own stools & had room to try their shrimp tempura sushi which was muy delicioso! (And I'm a tough sushi critic these days after being trained (& fed) by one Madame Saito who was my trainer that led me to earn 1st place in the annual sushi competition during The Subaru Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival... wheeeew, did you get all of that?!?!) ; ) I think we had the Mango hookah that night, but I loved the Peach & this guy that came & talked to my friend & I let us try his Melon hookah & that seemed very tasty & smooth as well. (Gotta love those plastic tips so you can make friends & try other flavors, hint hint!... It pays to be nice & not stuck up! Take notes people!) My boyfriend & I were sitting next to a super sweet gentleman who instantly became a pal & just so happened to be a brain surgeon (Hey Dr. B. if you're reading this)! Raaaandom, I know, but it made the night all the more interesting. I also met these two couples at the end of the bar who were really friendly as well. One of the gals was from Detroit & just moved to the city & was getting accustomed to the city & we ended up exchanging numbers to hang out there again! (Yeeeah, too bad my new phone had a hiccup & I lost all my numbers the next day, womp.) ; ( Tammy, if you're reading this I didn't forget you, I just couldn't reach you mama! ; ) It's safe to say... if you are a person that with the right music, the right people, & an overall chill vibe you can have a great time, you're good as gold at Byblos! The only drawbacks I would say might affect you on any night would be the fact that it can get really crowded so if you're the hermit crab type & like your 3 ft. of personal space to "Diva Out", then DEFINITELY go midweek. It's also a tip to use the facilities before you leave home. You don't have to worry about waiting in line for the one restroom per gender & you don't have to worry about leaving your drink unattended or losing your spot at the bar/table/on the floor! ; ) This is a place where if you have an open mind to something you weren't exposed to in your day-to-day life growing up you can feel comfortable to bathe in it here. I was with my boyfriend the 1st time here & at one point I was standing behind him while he took his turn sitting on "our" stool. So it was a surprise to have a gentleman, who I hadn't even spoken to (yet) that night, swoop me up into his circle of friends to show me a wonderful dance. He reached out & grabbed my hand & everyone stood side by side then he showed me some of the steps with such great enthusiasm, it was awesome! (Apparently that track was his jam! Haha! Everyone got amped & started clapping & cheering when it came on!) My wonderful boyfriend just turned around & watched the magic happen. (Any other guy probably would've had a fit!) ; ) He knows I love all types of dance & learning about new cultures so we were both laughing it up, hey, I got a free dance class... score! Hahahaha! And as for the fellas, I must say, there was the most gorgeous, exotic (for lack of a less cliche word right now) trim, sassy young woman there who swooped up all of the spunky ladies when HER songs came on. She was hypnotizing to watch as she shimmied & snaked in circles & brought out our inner frisky side. Meeee-ow! I can't place her exact ethnicity (sorry!), but it was great to bond with other women in the spirit of fun! Everyone is so busy trying to be the aloof Paris Hilton clones these days, but here even my blondies were getting down & chatting with everyone! ; ) We really lucked out by meeting some cool people both visits & I'm sure to return again & again! I haven't been on a night where there are belly dancers, but I'm excited to read here from a fellow Yelper that they're expanding! P.S. I went & bought a hookah for my house today too! ; ) read more

There's FUNGUS in my tiramisu!!! The chocolate mousse smelled like it was 6 months old and we ate it by mistake only to taste like something died in our mouth. We ordered via Grubhub and complained after we got it. They called the owner and they did not acknowledge this was their fault. They literally brushed this off like of was not a big deal. No refund after we ate something that should not be in any restaurant being served to customers. We have been going to Byblos for years, outside of great hookah they surprisingly had great tiramisu and food overall. Absolutely terrible customer service and here are the pictures to prove it. Feel sick to my stomach. They probably should not be offering food to go if they can't quality control it - I wonder when this food was even prepared. Gross. read more

Byblos - Mediterranean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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This place is hands down a good time! Where else can you go for hookah, belly dancers and middle eastern techno? Please tell me because I have no idea, but they have it here! We also enjoyed top of line Don P champagne, delicious cakes and prime mixed drinks. read more

Byblos - Mediterranean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Went to this place twice during my trip in Philadelphia. This hookah lounge was the first place that appeared on my google sure so my friend and I decided to go here! Our server, Victoria, was extremely helpful about which hookah flavor to try. Two flavors I highly recommend to try is Sex on the beach & Queen Peach. I didn't not order any meals, but chocolate fondue was delicious! Highlights from visiting this lounge: - A lot of hookah flavors to choice from! - drinks are not overpriced - DJ plays up beat music from dance, EDM, 90's music, and today hits - vibe from this place is laid back/chill - bouncers were nice and they do make sure people do not create chaos Tip: if you're planning to visit with a big group, make reservations because this lounge does get crowded during weekends read more

If you're in the mood for hookah this has to be your go-to spot! It's small and loud but if you're lucky enough to score a seat (be forewarned they are limited) the hookah is really good! They have TONS of flavors and the drinks are delish! I had an amazing time! So get your friends tonight and head here for a fun night out! read more

Fun place! Went for drinks and a hookah. Service was laid back but friendly. We didn't eat dinner, but other people's stuff smelled good. Also, I totally peeked at the neighbor's tables, and it looked good, too. ;-) The atmosphere and decor were funky (although it could use a good cleaning / refreshing). Drinks were pretty basic, but hey! It's a hookah bar! read more

Not much hookah variety in this city, but Byblo's stands out because it's nicer, offers good music with a Rittenhouse cool crowd. My friend had her birthday here and was able to have a nice dinner and drinks while those who wanted, tried the hookah. I challenged someone to a smoke off in here, and met some great people here. We were sent glasses of champagne to celebrate my friends' birthday. read more

Best place ever the employees and the owner took very good care of me on my birthday I will frequent there a lot now that I made friends SLOAN LINDA SYDNEY CHRISTINE ask for them read more

Hookah bars aren't exactly my go-to party place when I'm out on the town, but when a new girlfriend suggested meeting up at Byblos, I was thankfully in the right frame of mind to say yes. Aside from the snarky attitude from the waitresses in this place, this place really rocks out for a good time. Live DJ in the back spinnin' some great mixed music and a wide range of interesting folks to people-watch. Even my super sheltered gf gave the peach hookah a try once we all mellowed out in the friendly environment. We're both non-smokers, but we agreed that it was an interesting experience worth repeating. Food is delicious -- hummus and baba ganoush are cheap but filling appetizers, calamari with two sauces is amazingly fresh and crisp. Can't speak for drinks, but we shared a $20 peach hookah which lasted awhile. Great change from your typical pub crawl or bar hop if you're just looking for a more relaxed night to chat and bond over food, drinks and a hookah with your peeps. read more

I'm still surprised there are only like 5 places in the whole city to get hookah, but I guess it's not that high in demand. Kind of a wannabe-classy establishment, with music that's blaring loud on a Wednesday night and super dark to hide the chips in the odd Roman bath-type walls and floors theme they've got going on. It's kinda charming in a dirty city way, though. Overall, the meal and hookah was a pleasant experience. Hummus was pretty basic, but it definitely wasn't enough for the heaping pile of pita bread, which could have been much softer. Fried calamari was good, nothing special, but the hidden fried pieces of jalapeno peppers left a bad taste on my palate. The lamb kibobs over rice with some type of yogurt sauce was actually pretty excellent, so I was pleased with that. Boyfriend's whiskey sour drankkk was done right, so that's a plus. Got the mango hookah and went through a couple coals. Pretty nice, though I'd like to try the other flavors they had, specifically Fuzzy Lemonade. Sounds intriguing. Overall, I'd go back, but I'd still prefer Fez, where you can unwind and relax on the plush couches and throw pillows, rather than sit upright in an uncomfortable chair on a hard marble table. P.S.- Music playlist was my style, but expect to hear a lot of Reggaeton and Usher club hits, as opposed to the usual Bollywood-type stuff. read more

Hookah was good, food was bad, and speakers right next to our table were even worse. The vegetarian selection consists of two dishes--both of which were severely lacking since all I could taste was lemon and got sick of it after a few bites. Our group was not large enough and there was a larger reservation an hour later to get the comfy, swanky couch area so we were stuck in the back near the bathroom and a set of speakers. Boo for ambiance. Also, since we were under 21, the waitress initially tried to tell us that we would be kicked out by 9pm -- even though we had already ordered lots of food and hookah for the group. We demanded to speak with the manager and finally they agreed to let us stay till 10pm. Couldn't they have told us this BEFORE we ordered so much? We tried the combined flavor deal ($25) and chose mango & mint. It was yummy--definitely going to try mint combos again in the future. The hookah is the main saving grace for this restaurant for me, but I think next time I'll try a different hookah bar. read more

This is a pretty cool place to hang out, drink, smoke some hookah.. While I'm not a big fan on smoking hookah, the business itself is pretty good. There's not really another place quite like it in Philly. Sure, there are hookah bars around town, but this place really gets it right. I've been here a few times and its usually pretty packed and I believe they have mediterranean food, although I'm not positive. This is definitely a place to check out if you're looking for something new, don't really feel like going out out but don't want to stay at home. Drinks are average price and if you split a hookah between like four people it's not a bad price either. read more

The place is not well furnished, the interior was old and out of shape. The hookah was way too strong, not to mention the waiter was sooooo mean and took soooo long to respond to everything. To prepare the hookah, the waiter was supposed to look at the charcoal and take it right away while getting red. Maybe bc of too many customers, the waiter didn't take care of our hookah at all. Our hookah was totally burned, so I breathed lots of smoke and cough a lot. For the price I paid for the drinks and everything, I really expected a bet wet service than that! Gave them zero tip and never coming back again. In old cities..you can find much better hookah bars with better decorations, services, and especially hookah... read more

Its a fine place to get a hookah, its a bit pricey, but the service is pretty good. We generally went during off hours so only encountered the clubby aspect once or twice. Now that we have our own hookah we haven't been back since the cost doesn't seem justified. Never tried the food but always wanted to, maybe we'll go back for that at some point. read more

I'm from Las Vegas and was visiting Philadelphia bc of an exam I had to take. After that tiring experience I was looking for a good hookah place/bar to smoke and have a few drinks. It was a Thursday evening and it was moderately crowded - meaning there were some places to sit still. First thing I noticed after we sat down was the music - primarily because I DJ. It was hip hop night, which is cool, but the DJ was meh...I mean he could mix some songs together, but some transitions were horrid, off beat, and crappy. I'm not going to talk shit on him bc I understand that maybe it was an off night for said DJ, but it definitely spoiled the mood a bit for me. The waitress that seated us was nice at the beginning, but became kinda bitchy after she came back to take our order and we weren't ready yet. In fact, she handed us off to a completely different waitress to take our order haha....so D- for attitude and friendliness. Sorry, but I'm not sorry. We ordered blue mist (starbuzz) as the flavor. Ok, now here is where I'm annoyed. Blue Mist in LAS VEGAS is $13-18 with COCONARA coals; not that quick lite charcoal crap. Paying nearly $30 for starbuzz hookah that has the quick light coals is honestly ridiculous. Hey well maybe its downtown philly and maybe thats normal, but I was in shock. Whatever, I wanted to smoke so at that point I didn't really make a big deal out of it. The experience in itself was alright - flavor was great and we had some good smoke, but then again the quick lights just weren't cutting it for me. The drinks were good...they were pretty generous with the alcohol and I'm grateful for that haha. Would I come here again if I visit philly? Yeah probably if its my last resort, but management should consider switching coals to coconara at least; that way they stay lit for a long time, less coal changes, better smoke, and better experience for the customers. Oh and btw, there were two bouncers...one was really tall and was standing inside, and the other was outside. The guy inside was cool and was helpful when we asked where the good clubs for later that night were at....The guy outside was a complete asshole and should get laid ASAP. read more

I came to Byblos late one afternoon last week to meet a friend and share hookah and a couple of drinks, and because we got here so early (4:30), we were able to enjoy ourselves in a laid back setting. We ordered rose, which had a nice, subtle flavor. Furthermore, because there were so few people there at that hour, we also had consistent and friendly service, our server periodically coming to check on both the status of our hookah and our drinks. To drink I ordered the iced tea, replete with Jack honey, Carolina sweet tea, and sour mix. It was well-made, and had a heavy pour. And from what I've heard, their other mixed drinks are good too. On the other hand, if you want a good beer, you are out of luck. They only offer a small selection of bottled beers, none of them particularly stellar. My friend was also in the mood for a bite to eat, so we shared the hummus, which was rich and creamy, and the cheese, which literally started out on fire. Fortunately, no one got burned! So in sum, if you are in the mood to relax and share hookah, I recommend Byblos only if you get here early; otherwise, it will be uncomfortably crowded- and not relaxing at all! On the other hand, if you are in the mood to continue partying at a hookah joint, and don't mind a chaotic environment, then this is the place to go! If you adjust your expectations accordingly, you won't be disappointed! read more

Ok so just got into silly philly from Cali...missing home so much when I get downtown I want that good ol hookah and lounge vibe and one if my fav spots used to be yup guessed it Byblos...I'd at the door to a dude that I used to see all the time holding down the door and he looks at me then the is like I'm crazy...no problem...after getting my id back I get the shake down for drugs or whatever they look for... In my blazer pocket (yes I'm sexy when I go out) is about 4/5 bottles of my ejuice for my vape mod...this dude tells me oh no you can't bring that in here...I say why of course I can...it's just juice for my vape...he asks me to take it all out so he can see it and then asks me what it is...I tell him and let him know it's not anything illegal...he says ok and lets me in I order a shot and a yuengling lager (Philly favorite) and proceed to cloud chase away with my vape for a good hour while waiting for one of my homegirls I then nice to a table and am immediately told I can't use "that pipe" in here...I proceed to tell the bouncer what it is and he says well let's go talk to the owner...I had already blown numerous clouds in this guys direction that I knew I was ok...after showing him ye vape...he says no you can't use "that pipe" in here... Other than the sexy faces in the spot going hard on this hookah I would have just gone ahead and left Weak! Won't be back! Who really cares though #vapelife read more

My husband and I used to come here all the time when we lived in the city. I'll definitely say that it gets packed and nuts during the weekend evening hours, but we just loved this little spot during the summer on weeknights when it wasn't crowded, or rushed, and we could just sit out with the hookah, order smaller plates of food, people watch, and linger for a while. I got their olives and feta platter more times that I could count and it was always delicious (though I guess it's kind of hard to screw that up). Their hookah was always well made too, and they had a nice selection of shisha to choose from. We'd still be going here frequently if we lived in the area. read more

Combination of rude servers, very very very very loud music, awful decor, tiny space, and pricey drinks makes this the last place you should spend your evening. Unless you don't have a choice. read more

Really small place. Food is a bit pricey but good. Had come for hookah but didnt like it that much. Flavors were too mild. The place really gets crowded near the bar. Feel sad for the Dj who is stationed right in front of the rest rooms. DJ was nice, played different songs - international too.. read more

This is a great night small for socialization. The facility itself is pretty small but he crowd is madly diverse. Came here with a friend to celebrate and found out about hooka. Nothing special and I don't see what the hype is about it. Nonetheless I had a great time here with the company and music! read more

I generally think of hookah as a nice, relaxing, laid-back activity for either after an outing at a bar/nightclub or for those nights when you would rather just hang out and chat with a small group. This place is not that kind of place. The music is so loud you can't hear your conversations, the hookah is overpriced, and the service is not great. We had to wait a very long time any time we needed our waitress for anything. It was a bit frustrating. Probably won't be back. read more

5 dollars extra for 3 tablespoons of spicy sauce on the side? Nonsense. The food was pretty good. The apple hookah was meh. The gum/spearmint was the best out of the two. $20-30/hookah, again a little pricy, but again it's center city. The main reason this place gets 1 stars instead of 3 or 4 is the customer service and the creepy old men in there. I'm in my late 20s and the waitress asked for ID AND wanted to SEARCH MY BAG?? also threw my water bottle away in a rude manner. Would I go back? Maybe. Probably not. read more

Had been here once a long time ago and remember the food being very good and the hummus being some of the best I've tried... I actually thought about not going because everything I'e read seems to focus on the Hookah end of this place... but we were in the mood for some middle eastern and planning on drinking at the Franklin right next store, so we gave it a shot... We went at 7sih on a Weds... so I guess we missed the big/partying crowds.. there were some hookahing and eating.. There was a DJ in the back.. playing - well - 'quite a variety' from raggae to middle eastern to bad 80's..Our waitress Tiffany was very friendly and sweet... I had forgotten this is one of the few places you can get the Saganiki - set on fire with ouzo -- yummmmm Hubby went with the lamb kabobs - (he loved them) and our waitress talked me out of the cous cous - so I instead opted for 2 tapas- babaganoush and Falafal. the Baba was DELISH ! as were the falafals.. The only disappointment was the baklava, which I always look forward to when I eat middle eastern... don't know what they did to it.. I think they may have microwaved it.. but the bottom layers were hard as leather.. and the middle was way too hot... what a shame to do that to a piece of baklava. All in all - food wise - a decent place to get your middle eastern on. ps... since they have a smoking license for the hookahs- you can smoke inside here - so be warned --- or if you're a smoker- enjoy ! read more

Great environment but hookah is not good at all for a guy who smokes nothing but hookah! You have such a great business and liquor license! Great food. Why not invest in some Khalil Ma'amoon hookah? Other than the "Mya" Chinese hookah?? And if you're willing to spend $25 on a hookah at least it should be worth it! I'd go there again but not to smoke! read more

This is my favorite hangout place. If you like dancing and hooka, this is your place. Go there on Saturdays for the best music. What most people don't realize at Byblos is that the food is relatively cheap and pretty good. Downside is that sometimes it gets too crowded. read more

Visited this place on Saturday, June 29th around 6:00 pm. There were children running around and screaming in the bar and hookah section of the restaurant. They eventually left with a large group of people and that is when everyone seemed to calm down and enjoy the atmosphere. Hookah is a bit expensive, but tasted well. Drinks were also great. May revisit, but will leave if those screaming kids are there. read more

I came here with friends on a weekend, and we were seated instantly at a booth. The food was surprisingly very good. I had the fattoush salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, and other veggies tossed in a vinaigrette with toasted pita chips), and the grilled octopus, which was tender and delicious. I thought the food was not unreasonably priced, either. There is a one-drink-per-person minimum, and the drinks are extremely watered down. Annoying at $11 a pop. I thought the selection of hookah flavors was OK. We ordered mango and I thought that was tasty enough. Our server, who was friendly and attentive throughout our visit to Byblos, stopped by the table frequently to check on the hookah, adjust or replace the coal, etc. My main complaint would be that the music was far too loud. People are there to congregate near the bar or to chill in the booths. They want to be able to hear one another speak. We had to yell over the music and that seemed inappropriate for a place that has a pretty chill vibe aside from the music blasting. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back to Byblos, but I wouldn't be too upset either if group plans ended up bringing me here again. I just think there are much better places to smoke hookah in Philly. read more

Passable hookah bar and lounge in Center City Philadelphia. Being a student, you're often constrained for planning your nights out on the town by how well your bank accounts are going. Luckily, we were able to plan a fun night out with the guys without breaking the bank. After going to the famed Ranstead Room, we decided to go to Village Whiskey for their famed burgers. Alas, being confronted by a 2.5 hour wait and an AMEX Concierge that was not really helping, we had to move on. As we walked towards another one of our favorite joints (Good Dog on 15th Street), we happened to walk past Babylos and decided to try it out. The food was passable, at best. The kabobs were okay; apparently the chicken was a lot better than the lamb, but the Spanakorizo (veggies w/ rice and feta cheese) was quite good. Apparently the jasmine hookah shared by some members of our group was quite good as well. It did last the entire time that we were there, and they came and added fresh coal as needed. That being said, everything is way too overpriced for the quality, and it was rather disappointing. Many other places in the city give you a lot more for a lot less. read more

Amazing DJ who played a very nice mix of music. Great place to hang out with a large group of people. Great Hookah place. Only thing that was missing was a little dance floor. read more

Came here on a weeknight and we were hoodwinked by the waitress who told us they only had bottled water...we fell for the oldest trick in the book. How does any establishment in a country with clean running water not offer tap water? Anyways, after my friends finished their $4 water, we asked for more water the waitress brought out two glasses of water for us.... Smoking outside is fine but its way too loud inside to have a conversation without shouting. Good music though... read more

Maybe it was that I had good company or maybe it was the friendly people there, but I had a great time. You could smoke hookah at the bar, which is what my friend and I did. Expect the place to be loud on a Wed nite after midnight, the place is still hoppin. Next time I want to snag some seating outside. read more

Pretty pricy. For three hookahs and drinks for 6, our bill came well over $200. The music was extremely loud and our waitress was attentive in the beginning but later on disappeared when we wanted drinks. My friend had to go up to the bar to try to order drinks but the bartender wouldn't let her and said the waitress would come over. It wasn't necessarily worth the price but the decor was cool and it opens late all week long. read more

Byblos - Mediterranean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The hookah is pretty good for about 10 minutes, but it finishes pretty quickly and its so noisy. I'm not sure if they are trying to make it into a night club but it was to loud for no reason. read more

If you don't try to get to know the staff and their awesome personalities, you're missing out on a lot. Every body here is friendly and attentive to your needs and wishes. I'm not a fan of some nights with the loud club music atmosphere, but I love the Eurocentric theme they have going on. The Hookahs are massive and clean while the drinks are strong. Definitely in the higher price range, but fun overall read more

Good music, ambiance and great food!! Also a great hookah place. I'll go back soon to try other favors. Looking forward to going back again!! read more

I've been here a couple of times to try to get the same experience I used to get in the beginning when I first started visiting. My first visit was on a Sunday and it was "Arab Night", I went for partying and hookah. It was a simple night with good laughs with my friends. There is a belly dancer that comes out around 11 pm - 12 am and usually they're very fun and different each week. My second and third experience on the Sunday nights weren't as pleasurable.... we got double charged...one of our party left and paid and the waitress argued that they didn't and we had to pay twice...that wasn't cool at all. Also, their hookah overall sucks...it's not strong and burns out fast. My next few experiences were just to dine in. Their food quality and quantity is good, I really enjoyed their entrees. However, their chicken always tastes like it was cooked in the beginning of the day, it always tastes old. It is overall a nice ambiance, nothing to hectic..they ID before you go in, I haven't had to wait to be seated which is a plus. Their service is prompt, I don't have to ask for things multiple times and I don't have to wait long. read more

They have an awesome selection of hookah flavors and a great drink selection. Drinks are a bit pricey. The atmosphere and music selections are great! It isn't a big venue, so seating is limited. The bar area fills up fast as standing room only. It's all hit or miss for seating. I went once and was sat immediately, went another time and waited about 30 minutes for a table. Overall, this is a great hookah bar and I definitely recommend it! read more

1st time ordering from uber eats. Was after 11pm and stuck at work. Wow was this good! Got shrimp and spinach scampi which was delightful but the shining star was the crab bisque! Soo much jumbo lumps. A very rich base slightly spicy not traditional but I would order a vat! Give it a try read more