Not the best place, but not the worst. It's a very grungy place and the sushi isn't great. At most it was sub par and was small sushi place. The hookah lasted for a while, but the waitresses kept moving the coal to the middle of the head when I would move them to the sides. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it wasn't bad enough that I wouldn't come back. read more

Gazuza Lounge - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I came here on a Saturday night with 3 friends. It seems like it's going to be a great lounge-y experience when you first walk in because of the dim lighting and decent techno music. Then you realize that the music is so unreasonably loud that you can't hear what anyone is saying and you're all sitting on plain, uncomfortable cubes because they ostensibly add to the trendy vibe (or something like that). The hookah was pricey and not that great; it was harsh no matter where you placed the coal or how much smoke you blew out of the base. The service was horrible and the employees act like they're too cool for you. When our server realized we were mainly there for the hookah and were only planning on getting one round of drinks, she didn't bother coming back to check on us. We had to flag down some other girl to get us another coal. I prefer going to a hookah lounge where I can chill and have a good, audible conversation, not one where I leave with a hoarse throat and feel like I have to impress the staff. read more

Very basic hookah and sushi. They didn't let's pick where we want to sit. You're required to order alcohol to sit in the semi patio area which doesnt make sense read more

Saw the sign saying no flip flops and immediately rolled my eyes. GROAN. This is going to be one of "those" snobbo places like Park at 14th. We thought we would try our luck anyway and the hostess/waitress did not seem to care about the flip flops and didn't make any comments. So thats good. They should take down the stupid sign. We were there on a Friday night and it was pretty empty - not a great sign. It was also very dark, which I wouldn't have liked for a meal but for hookah, actually worked. They had a seating area near the windows that was for large groups and looked very nice, though we were seated way in the back. Last negative comment, I found the seats to be quite uncomfortable - the table is too short for the seats and you have to lean way forward to eat from the table which strains your back. A little bizarre. Those problems aside, we got a Kiwi hookah which lasted a long time and was quite tasty and, most importantly, came out fast. At some places in the area you have to wait a long time for your hookah. I believe the hookah cost $20 but it did last a long time and we got a free extra coal. Their HH menu consisted of sushi, and we got an order of tuna rolls and salmon rolls to accompany the hookah - good! They were very small size though. We asked if they had anything else other than sushi (trying to save some money on something cheaper) and was told there wasn't really anything else. That was a little strange. At the end, this hovers between a 2.5 and a 3 to me, but I will round up because overall we had a good time. But for a lounge where you want to stay a while smoking hookah, I think it is vital that the seats be comfortable! That was my main issue with the place, as our backs really hurt and it was awkward to eat. read more

With Prince in mind, one of my friends told me if I trusted her and we went to Dupont that I could have the best sheesha I've ever had at Gazuza. I threw my inhibitions away and happily got in the car with her, and 4 of us headed from Gtown to Dupont. After managing our way past the bouncers (2 friends didn't have ID because we didn't expect to end up anywhere 21+) by promising not to buy alcohol, we got a seat and ordered our hookahs. Twenty dollars for sheesha - there better be gold in it. While there was no gold in my hookah, it was very clean and smooth. Not 20$ worth smooth and clean - but like 15$. The atmosphere is nice, although I'm not a big fan of trance/techno/whatever that was and the chairs are a bit too far apart, forcing you to lean forward to talk to people across your table. Definitely better than Prince in Gtown, but can't hold a candle to Oasis. read more

Although I had a personal incident, the staff and management were EXTREMELY helpful (when they didn't have to be). I can't say that what others experienced wasn't valid, but I can say that my experience wasn't that of rude staff or management by far. read more

Went here after an incredibly long day of seminar set-up, planning and classes. We were looking to let a little loose (and by little I mean anything as long as we are home by midnight haha). A colleague had gone here when she visited DC years ago and remembered the name. So, natch I yelped it. I couldn't believe I had never been to this place in the 4 years I'd lived in DC. Plus I'd somehow managed to pass through college without hitting one hookah bar. I had some catching up to do. Bora took our reservation and was incredibly accommodating. We got here and got a corner by the door, since my co-workers didn't like the humidity in the outside part which was much nicer. Casey was our server. Very nice. Bruised up a bit, she told us she's into Thai kickboxing which is where she got all her bruises. Usually I'd say "right...." But I mean it was so creative I believed her. We got the apple and mint tobacco mixed and I embarked on my first hookah experience. Paired with a champagne mojito I took my first pull. I coughed. Took too much and the menthol burned my lungs. Took my second pull. I knew I had created a monster. I loved it! I can't wait to come back and take my DC friends to this place. What a blast. P.S. We made it back by midnight. read more

Gazuza has extremely disrespectful management. The owner who has out of control attitude refused to accept my temporary ID attached to expired ID and made a scene out of it. Smh. Really hope the management changes soon. read more

When it comes to food and ambience the place is wonderful. The music selection was on point. The sushi was really good. I had the gazuza roll and my friend has the California roll. The hookah was good as well. I seen a lot of reviews about the service so I was hesitant. It took a while for a waiter to see us but the guy we had was great. If you don't know how to use chopsticks be ready to use your fingers because they don't have forks. Also gratuity is added read more

So far I have been to Gazuza three times and I am a big fan of Hookah Lounges. I was out this past Saturday and again is didn't disappoint. We got there a bit early around 9:30ish, but we still couldn't find a table everything was reserved. The staff was accommodating, but we ended up grabbing a couple of chairs at the bar; a chocolate Martini for the lady and a crown and ginger for me. Taking a look at the hookah menu we decided to go with the Mixed Fruit, yes we were both fans of Hookah and couldn't wait to get started. Something about Shisha and good company, it always ends up into a good time. As the music starts bumping; house and a mix of techno, the smoke starts flowing smooth as butter. Second round of drinks Mojito for her and again my go to drink crown and ginger. Again this place never fails to impress myself and my date. It was her first time there, a great place to start off the night. I will definitely come back to Gazuza, always a sure go to out in the city. read more

You can spend a lot of money in here, and it's really not all that great. The space is great, although very cramped. The hookah is overpriced and the drinks aren't strong. On top of all that, management walks around like the place is the "coolest" place you've ever stepped in. The dj is horrible too. The sushi isn't great and it's expensive. read more

I didn't eat here. I had drinks and hookah. The ambiance is posh and modern with funky furniture in the loft area. If you come here for anything, I would say... come for the uber hot European wait staff.... yowsa!! So if your in the area and want to let off some steam, head over here have a drink and gawk. read more

Back in my serious clubbing/lounge hopping days I used to come to Gazuza at least three times a month. Nowadays I come to Gazuza for happy hour and stay a few hours past to finish out a few rounds of hookah. I came here restaurant week prior to my 8:30 dinner reservation at another restaurant up the hill. Gazuza was semi busy, all the tables inside were full and the roofdeck was closed. We sat at the bar and immediately told the bartender we had limited time and wanted to make the best of HH (aka wanted to pay cheap and take advantage of specials). Bartender was very friendly and fulfilled our request. I was here last Fri for HH and our waitress was very friendly and made sure we got out last round of sushi and drinks before the specials ended. It took her a bit to replenish/replace the coal so we were a bit antsy but got over it when she brought us HH priced drinks at exactly 8pm. Come for HH and stay for the hookah and music. The tempo really picks up around 11. read more

I think the only nights I've been here have been on Saturday. The DJ is a friend of a friend (who is awesome BTW) and we like to go out and support. Recently, and friend and I were in a "wow, we haven't gone OUT in while" mode. We got dressed up and headed out to take the city by storm. Needless to say, DC didn;t get hit by a huricane, but he had a ton of fun. Gazuza was first on our list. We knew we'd get good drinks, hear good music, and hoped we could sit outside (no dice on the third, already too busy). It has the "euro" vibe, but all in all people seem to be relatively chill. Funny and cute bartender, too :) Gazuzawhat? read more

My first time here this past Saturday. I had a craving for mango mojitoes that night and wanted to go Cafe Citron but opted for Gazuza because I wanted to try hookah lol. I was happy they had mango mojitoe on their list. There's only bar but we had no problem getting drinks in less than 5 minutes. The mojito was sweeter than I like and didn't have fresh mango but before the night ended had 5 drinks. The crowd was decent. People tend to come and go.The music was a little loud for a chill lounge but I wasn't annoyed by it. I like the vibe of this place with the candle lights on the red painted walls. A nice place to come in groups or just the 2. read more

I was in town for business, and a shisha bar is mandatory wherever I am in the world. It was super close to my hotel, so I opted for here. The interior looks like a dance club converted into a space with kitchen, a bar, and chairs/tables to smoke/eat/drink in. a larger expanse adjacent to the bar was set up with DJ equipment and music played, but no DJ, it's like someone had their music player hooked up to their speaker system. Attentiveness, not so much, I've seen so much better in other places. The flirtatious server really did nothing for me at all to begin with, so her flirting for whatever professional reason had no effect, but anyway... Would I go back? I doubt it. read more

Tries. Too. Hard. Not a place to make an evening out of but nott an unbearably bad place to poke your head in after dinner if youre in the mood for a place that tries too hard... Cmon, you know sometimes you are. Also, they project movies onto a brick wall ala Foreign Cinema in San Fran. If youre gonna steal from FC, youre sorta ok by me. read more

The place has nice modern decor although the bathrooms were scary. We didn't eat, just went for a few drinks after dinner on Memorial Day, so this could have something to do with it, but the place was pretty empty. Worked out for us though because we were able to sit outside (basically wherever we wanted) and enjoy the night. Service was good and the drinks were delicious. I would go again! read more

This is a good place to go to if you plan on staying out 'til the wee hours. I came here around midnight with some friends, specifically for the hookah. I noticed some other yelpers complaining about the loud music. They may be right; there's a club-vibe so the music is turned up and the bass is bumping loudly. Most hookah places in New York also play music, but at much more reasonable decibels so you can still hold a conversation with your friends. Nothing is more relaxing during a hookah session than loud beats thumping against your brain, right? The tobacco in this hookah seemed to get very sooty very fast, so the smoke was harsh about 50% of the time. I don't know if it's the quality of the tobacco making it react that way, but it was rather annoying having to change the coal every 5 minutes. read more

Been here a couple of times, and enjoyed it. Has a good vibe. Music not really that loud if you are sitting next to the person you're talking with. My server was highly attentive and made sure to replenish the coal on the hookah regularly. I don't normally order food here, but last time I had a crunchy tuna roll that was fine; nothing amazing but not horrible either. Hookah lasted for almost 2 hours without getting any bad after taste. Mostly I like the place because of the atmosphere. read more

Music and ambiance were nice. Hard to find good hookah with alcohol. This had sushi too which was nice. No dessert here tho :( read more

Gazuza Lounge - Hookah Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Went here with a couple friends for drinks and of course hookah! This is by far my favorite place to hookah, i can't speak for the drinks, i was trying to be good, but the hookah is the best I've had in the states! They had already started the hookah so we weren't wasting breath trying to get the hookah going which is a pet peeve of mine that every other place in the city doesn't do, so major points on that! I also thought it was great that they don't have a minimum charge like some places *ahem prince* but they did rush us out early around 1:30 even turning off the music and turning on the lights =/ The place is nice it's a trendy lounge with a great patio perfect for a relaxing night out. I've been to a lot of hookah bars in the city and this one became a quick favorite I'll be here next time I decide to kill my lungs! read more

Sexy lounge ambiance with great floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of Connecticut (and my office LOL). I loved the music they were playing on a weekday night (house and dance tracks), fairly attractive crowd also. Decent sushi and drink selection; I did notice that the hookah prices seemed high. Nice flavor selection though. Will definitely be back! read more

I've been to this place dozens of times, so I've had lots of experience with it, but its never my first choice of venue.Overall the drinks are pretty good, service varies from being excellent to 'where the f is our waitress' and the shisha is as good as you're likely to find in DC. This is one of the restaurants owned by the 'Latin Concepts' guys, who have a few restaurants around town known for their excellent happy hours, overpriced regular drinks, and absurdly low seating. This is a pretty good place for a group of people where some drink, some do not, as I've always been dragged to either Gazuza or its sister restaurant Chi Cha because they serve decent non-alcoholic drinks and the shisha's always above average. I find the scene of foppishly dressed dudes and loud club music to be pretty irritating on the weekends, especially when you have to sit in terribly low chairs with awkwardly small tables, but if you're going out for a quiet evening like on a Sunday afternoon or a weeknight, its a solid choice. I get a little tired of the overpriced drinks and pricey shisha after a while, but the outside balcony area is a nice place to smoke and hang out. read more

I went to Gazuza for a friend's birthday; we were a group of almost 20 Egyptians, so we were given one of the bigger tables. The service was prompt; however since we were sitting away from the main bar area we could barely hear the DJ. Later, we asked the DJ to play a couple of arabic songs (it's a hookah bar afterall) and after a long discussion he played one, but again we could barely hear it. Overall, a nice lounge place, but I wasn't really impressed enough to want to go there in the near future. read more

Hookah is ok...used to be much better, but goes up and down with management/staff. Food (sushi mainly) is alright, but nothing special...kind of weird to eat sushi at a hookah bar, but it's cool, I guess... Staff is hit or miss, lots of turnover over the years. Seating is really freaking uncomfortable for a hookah bar...that's one thing I never understood. DJ music, kind of a hookup/pickup spot happy hour, with generally cute girls (I guess guys too?). But the faux crowd who want to know what you do for a living first and foremost, which gets kind of old. It's ok. Weeknights are better for me, as they are more chill. read more

I had a great time. I don't drink. But I enjoyed the food and hookah. Will definitely be back. My friends enjoyed the drinks and atmosphere as well. read more

Minimum Age: Not sure. Cost: Free Crowd: Mixed, 20's. Dress Code: Trendy. Music: House Date Attended: 10/03/09, Saturday I'm not a smoker, so I'm a little biased. This is a hookah lounge in the Dupont Circle area. The music wasn't loud and was good for the ambience of the establishment. Almost everybody was sitting at a table, smoking hookahs, or at the bar. Definitely not a dancing venue if that's what you're looking for. Didn't like too much of what I saw either. Needless to say, I didn't stay long. Pros: No cover. Chill hangout spot. Hookahs. Cons: Mildly smoky. read more

At the coercion of my cousin, my sisters and I decided to swing by after the hookah bar on 8th street gave us the runaround. I called and spoke with a nice gentleman who informed me that they had a table for 4 available. Sound easy enough, right? Wrong. We get there and it's stupid packed. There are no tables to accommodate. I promptly find the man I spoke to who informs me that there's nothing he can do. We can sit outside but it's going to cost us $300. WHAT?! At this point every one in my party is left dumbfounded as he saunters away. I ask him why he told me he could accommodate me if he couldn't. He says "I never told you I would hold seats, there's nothing I can do. We can't make everybody happy". You know I was pissed at this point. After I run him down and repeatedly explain the importance of good customer service, he offers a solution. He'll let us sit outside if our check totals $200. He also suggests we sit with some stragglers at the bar waiting for a seat. I'm appalled. One person from our group leaves and we know we're not going to drink up $200. Luckily, a group decides to get up just then. We scurried over to their dirty table and claimed it for our own. My initial disgust with this place was solidified. The hookah was strong, it was displeasing. None of us could hit it without coughing. All in all the atmosphere was very trendy and up to date. I just felt as though because we weren't spending beaucoup bread, we were cast aside. That's not right. read more

Love this spot for their excellent lychee martini and great staff! Went there last night with the boyfriend for drinks and some hookah. The hookah was nice--they have a good variety of flavors they use Al Fakhr which is a bonus, but what keeps me coming back is that lychee martini! Nice spot for a night out but it can get pretty crowded as the evening goes on. We'll be back for sure! read more

This is a decent lounge with a mellow vibe that I don't have strong feelings for either way. We went on a Thursday evening (8-10ish) and the outdoor balcony overlooking Connecticut was already full. The crowd was 20's to early 30's and all professional or preppy-looking types, mingling over cocktails. Whatever music was playing was so bland that I can't remember any of it. The decor is kind of swanky and the drinks were nice and strong, but not much about this place makes it particularly cool or interesting. Except the complimentary hookahs. I'm not sure how they get away with serving these to indoor customers with the new smoking ban, but there you have it. Somehow the air wasn't unpleasantly smoky and even had a nice fruity scent from the hookah fumes. For the record, they're also the first bar I've been to that screwed up a whiskey sour -- I ended up getting basically a bourbon on the rocks with a splash of coke. Not that I really minded this. read more

From the people who brought you Chi Cha, Gua Rapo and some other hookah/lounge type places... we now have Gazuza in Dupont Circle. I went with a group of girlfriends on the recommendation of a friend. The bouncers were friendly- maybe a little too much as he proceeded to spit out a few minutes of mildly obscene comments towards us in Spanish when he figured that we didn't speak any. Unfortunately for him, one of the ladies in my group is pretty fluent. As for the bar itself, the atmosphere is pretty cool. As with most lounges trying their hardest to seem hip and upscale, the drinks were pretty expensive. The bartenders we had were less than attentive, but if you can get a table, the cocktail waitresses were great. During nice weather, there are tables.. well, booths, lining their balcony. It's an ideal spot for people watching. However, those tables are usually reserved in advance and the staff is pretty strict about keeping them open even if they're not being currently used. I understand somewhere they are listed as a "gay bar". Given the location (they are on the same block as Lambda Rising) I could understand the misconception. Maybe we were there on an off night, but my friends and I managed to pick up the only two gay guys in the bar and add them to our table. I wouldn't really recommend this place as a "pick up" bar either. Because of the highly coveted outdoor booths and the hookah, it's really more of a chill place to go with a group of friends and relax in a modern atmosphere. I've gone again since, but it's one of those places you've got to be in the mood for. read more

HAVE NEVER HAD A BAD TIME AT THIS BAR. I hate club scenes but I do like to go to a classy/euro/funish bar once and a while. Last time I was there was for a going away party, we didn't make reservations in time to reserve a table but we got there before it got packed, our waitress was beyond helpful and kind she did some great maneuvering to get us a corner for our group, and she was great with the orders and speedy with getting our drinks. The Hookah is also a fun part of this place. read more

BEWARE OF GAZUZA!!!! CHECK YOUR BILL THOROUGHLY !!! All you guys who are thinking of spending an evening at Gazuzas and be careful to check your bill. On May 2, a large group of my friends and I went there. Though everyone maintained separate tabs, the people who were left at the end were asked to pay for some extra drinks! Next morning we floated an email among us to check who forgot to pay last night...and then we eventually figured out it was Gazuza's server who pocketed all the cash and the tip that was given to her for drinks and never reported it!!! A friend of mine took the initiative and figured it. But, sadly, their manager and team has not been responsive. We are still waiting to see what action they take. But, I really want to share this and bring this issue out in the open so that people come to know the kind of that sham is happening at Gazuzas. read more

Really great tasting hookah, but no chairs around the bar to sit and relax. And the booths are only for large parties (even though they stay empty!) so that was a little annoying for our party of 2. Also a bit over priced in my opinion. read more

I went here recently with about 10 people after a friend's birthday party. They checked my I.D. and one other person's but ignored the rest and just let us in. It was a Friday night and the bar was about half full and only one table was occupied. We wanted to sit down at a table so we could all share hookah but there were a lot of us so we pushed two tables together and gathered around. After about five minutes of waiting a waitress came up to us to tell us that we couldn't push two tables together and that each table costs $150. So you're charging us just to sit here? We ended up moving to another table but had to squeeze everybody in. The waitress shows up and kept pushing us to buy a bottle of liquor because it's "cheaper" than ordering individual drinks. No. $200 for a bottle of grey goose is not cost effective. After about half an hour we finally order the hookah we wanted and some of us order drinks. The music was meh but the bar itself had a nice decor. We finally leave and try to pay our bill. I paid about $45 for hookah and two drinks. Not too bad but when the rest of us started leaving the waitress started arguing that we hadn't closed out tab. Ask the drinks and hookah was paid for but they wanted us to pay for the table. No. I left at this point. No idea if the bill was paid or not but I won't be going back anytime soon. Adams Morgan has cheaper and friendlier hookah bars anyway. The good: No cover. Hookah itself was pretty cheap. The bad: poor service, argumentative, and pushy. read more

Sushi and hookah! A great combination. However this place gets rather busy and is super loud and dark. The sushi is phenomenal however it is a place to hangout with people and not really to talk because it is loud. Check out my blog for details and pictures; http://adayinthelalz.blogspot.com/2013/10/gazuza-lounge.html read more

We thankfully made a reservation a few hours before because it was packed!! We got a pretty good spot on the outdoor side (covered of course) for about 8-10 of us. I ran into some friends I knew too so that was cool. It was a pretty diverse crowd and a lot of men. The ratio is never in our favor!! LOL so that was nice to see. I don't know what the per drink prices were but we drank what we wanted and had a really good watermelon/mint hookah session that didn't break the bank. I'd come back here again for sure. The only weird thing was the music/speaker situation. It kept going in and out. Like... get that fixed please!! The servers were nice. I wasn't too sure at first but at the end of the day they worked it out... especially for a packed venue I can't complain. read more

Ive only been 3-4 times. Its a really pretty place. I like the happy hour. I guess I'm just a laidback/low-key kind of guy so its not really me. I don't generally go for the food but its nice that its there. Pluses: The staff there is super nice. They serve alcohol. Its not far from the metro. Music is good. Food and hookahs. Negetivos: Pricey. its a bit fu-fu for my taste. FYI- they dont allow baseball caps to be worn. read more

Went here for a late night birthday dinner. Food: The sushi was fresh and tasty, but the portions were small. The drinks weren't good at all. Service: We had a mixed experience with the servers that were serving our table. The server lady who took our sushi orders was helpful. One female asian server in particular who brought our drinks had a bad attitude! This server needs some customer service training. Parking really sucks here, so be prepared. The hookah was good. read more