I went to those bar and the hostess was very rude. She was choosing who was able to go inside and who was not. It was not in order and she did not have her mask on when talking directly to us. Will never come back here read more

My friends and I were able to enjoy a much needed and absolutely amazing night here. The staff were all incredible, attentive and Covid conscious (much more than a lot of other hookah places). I recommend their veggie burritos and blueberry flavor hookah on ice! I really commend the staff members for taking their time with each person. The service was spectacular and memorable (for all the right reasons ) ! read more

Fun outing! Can spend a few hours enjoying different types of hookah near fire pits. This location has great service and is always very clean. They have food and drinks as well. Drinks are great. I haven't tried the food yet but they had some great options. Will be coming back the next time I am in Monterey! read more

Showed up on a Monday night around 7:30pm with my friends for hookah and food. The place was completely deserted except for one table that was just getting ready to leave. We started off by ordering some drinks, 2 Old Monk Beer and a Mango Lassi. Fifteen minutes later our drinks show up. Definitely was not pleased with the slow service, a persistent theme that would follow throughout the night. I was the only one who wanted food so I ended up ordering a half order of the Tandoori Chicken: chicken on the bone marinated in special Indian spices and cooked in the clay oven for $7.95 + added a full meal for $3.50 which came with Korma Sauce, Basmati rice, Plain Naan and Kachumber salad. The Tandoori Chicken came out sizzling on a hot plate and filled the air with a delicious aroma. The portion was quite generous and packed some serious flavor. The spices were well balanced, had great savoriness, and extremely moist. Korma sauce was delicious, great viscosity and just a hint of sweetness Salad dressing was fruity yet satisfying Basmati rice was decent but bland Naan was sensational, served warmed and had a great bite to them My friend changed his mind and decided to order a Naan Basket for $9.95. The portion was quite generous, granted one is paying $10 for bread, but regardless a decent bargain if you like Naan. Overall Thoughts If service was better I think I would have given this place a higher rating because the food is definitely 5 star worthy read more

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Basically, the service is bad. Like, I've worked food service before and I feel like a lot of the staff here could be let go. Maybe the owner is the one who isn't worth anything. You know those places on "Bar Rescue?" I feel like Indian Summer could be a nominee. Two poorly made mixed drinks costs 23$; a White Russian here means 1 part vodka and 1 part Bailey's; the nachos look like broke-college-student-level cuisine; we waited 20 minutes for a waiter to show up at our table, and he only came by after we said something 4 times; we had to remind our waiter at the hookah bar that we ordered a hookah lol; I could go on, but I feel like I would just end up being one of those guys who rants on Yelp about how bad the service is at places. The place is good if you're hammered and it's midnight, most everybody clears out before then anyways. read more

Indian Summer - Mmmmmm college cheese and stale "nachos" - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

Super accommodating to what the customer wants. Our date night was pretty good, we will probably return when nothing else is going on.

Chill spot and the hostess was great as well. The nacho fries were great!! I ordered the gummy flavored hookah and it was fresh and the server kept checking up on it. I would recommend. read more

Indian Summer provides alcohol, hookah, and a pleasant atmosphere with fire pits and rustic decor. We came in an hour before closing on a Friday and the place was fairly packed and the people were loud and vibrant, but not obnoxious. Unfortunately the fire pits were all occupied and we settled for a space under a propane heater. The kitchen was still open and we ordered some bacon-wrapped jalapeno tater tots, $1 Tacos, fries, some drinks and a hookah for the two of us. Despite the relatively large number of customers, our service was lightning fast. Everything was out in less than 10 minutes. The tater tots were a highlight and I don't even like tater tots- the lady usually orders them. The taco special for a buck cant be beat. Considering the price, they were surprisingly big and had good flavor. The price on hookah was a tad steep at $25 dollars. It didn't help that I didn't like the flavor we picked and it was too late in the evening to do anything about it, but the establishment cant be blamed for that. It did smoke well with no sign of burning though, so there's something to be said for that. Our waitress Kathy was a rock star- she was very friendly and attentive. I think she was the only waitress on at the time and we still got all the attention we needed. She definitely made the experience a pleasant one. On our way out, we noticed some people had been going a little too hard and several patrons were battling in keeping conscious. It was good to see that the staff were trying to help them as opposed to trying to kick them out, which in my experience is the more common response. I really liked this place and wish we had one like it in the bay. Thank you Kathy. read more

Awesome place to just chill. We got an appetizer and a few drinks that we just had to try thanks to our awesome waiter D Rock aka Derrick. Best waiter we've ever had and that's counting the hundreds of restaurants that we've been to. His positive attitude and cheerfulness just made our first experience a great time. read more

Reading the other reviews, I have to say that my friends and I have had very different experiences. We stop in at Indian Summer once a year and it does nothing less than blow us away every time. The major thing going for it is easily the environment. It never gets warm in Monterey, and the fire pits they light at night are not only sources of warmth but they draw together people from the surrounding tables. You meet new people every time and it is a very laid back atmosphere. The environment gets 10 out of 5 stars, hands down! The food gets 4/5 stars, the drinks 4/5 and the price 4/5 (taste to price). The hookah is right at 5/5, with some options that are hard to find in Cali, tasty shisha, clean pipes and great service for them. On our last trip, we came for hookah and food in the afternoon, then returned that night for hookah and drinks. We told our waiter we would be returning and he asked if he should reserve our same table. We said yes, then later returned to find it waiting for us. Indian Summer is our favorite hookah lounge in all of Cali. Some closing notes: Carpool to ease parking and don't be in a rush as this is a chill, laid back environment. If those are not options, you may want to consider an alternate venue. read more

Indian Summer - Indian Summer Hookah - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

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Cool place -- lots of people on the balcony, sometimes service is sometimes a little slow, but reasonable since there are so many people. Didn't get a chance to try their food. Drinks were a little weak, but great spot to hangout and smoke hookah **Love the little fireplaces/ pits they have on their balcony ** read more

We had a great time at Indian Summer! Chill ambience, server was friendly and best of all, it was just steps away from our hotel. Would love to try the hookah when we come back! read more

The food is ok , French fries is legit , but the service is the worst. If they are busy they refuse to do any refills or even get you a cup of coffee. We have waited for hours to get our order. It is a big no no read more

My friend and I had a good time there. The tater tots were the best we had in a long time. Definitely will be going back again.

Burnt flavors. Service not great. They don't come check the coals or replace. More of a cheap hang out spot. Too bad they are the only hookah place in Monterey. read more

We went 2 nights while in town. 1st night ordered 3 flavor mix hookah and mint tea, paid $30 plus tax and tip, Next night we went back and did not order tea but same flavors and bill was same... hmmmm.... pretty shady.... didnt say anything to them, but ethics is HUGE. Be ware when you go and ask for pricing upfront. read more

Indian Summer - Fire pit - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

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THE FOOD IS TERRIBLE & extremely overpriced for the portions. The sliders looked like a hamburger cut into 3 pieces. Food was served cold and the service could have been better. The mixed drinks were poorly made. The only reason this isn't a 1 star is because the ambience is pretty chill. The power went out like three times within 30 minutes and the music kept turning on and off. I definitely don't recommend. read more

Hookah kind of hurt at first don't know why. It settled after. Food was garlic infested which was great but did not go well with hookah. Service was ok but being only server on floor I commend her. Luckily being like my mother I had napkins in my purse since we were not given any for our finger food. The drinks were pretty strong and that's a plus in my book ;) read more

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Awesome hookah and cocktails! Had the mint julip cocktail and a pomegranate hookah, loved both. The Indian Summer flavour was a bit too rough. The fire pits are perfect for a relaxed evening with mates. Haven't had the food so can't comment on that. People that have given this place 1 or 2 Star are ridiculous! read more

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I think people think this place is closed cause I'm sitting here at Peter B's in the patio constantly looking over my shoulder seeing if this place has opened. It's 6:20 pm. Signs says open at 5:00. It's not tho. Hmm. Will update. 6:58 pm. We strolled by and it seems to be opened so hopefully they adjust their signs and update their business hours. read more

Only one waitress for the most part of the night, hookah was ok but $30 for nothing special ! the wait time was really long. They keep apologizing and offered a coffee but they were not able to serve anything or bring the check in less than 25 min. Won't be back for sure ! read more

Honestly, I've been coming to this place for years now. I always love the service, plus the ambience is so relaxing and comfortable!! Also reasonable prices for hookah and great background music. Love this place read more

Indian Summer - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

This was a nice kick back spot. Had dinner hookah and mixed drinks! Really nice and has heaters/ fire pits. Would definitely come back!

Not much to say about this place, neither good nor bad. The hookahs are super expensive ($54 for two!) and not the most impressive at all. The seating area is cool, the fire pits make for a nice scene. I really wish the space heaters worked, we didn't get a pit and were cold 10 minutes in. I'm not in the area much, being from So Cal but I wouldn't be happy if this was the only hookah lounge near me. Cheaper better made hookahs are a must. read more

It's my first yelp review, as I believe the average rating doesn't reflect the actual service level. I come to this place specially for hookah and I can say that from my experience it's very good and actually better than in most more-hookah-related countries (eg. Turkey, Egypt, India, etc.). A lot of flavors to choose from. They use Al Fakher and even Starbuzz tobacco, which IMO is probably the best available on the market. I didn't try food, but drinks and service were great and I really love the fire-pits they have: warm and cozy. As for service, may be I was lucky, but David who served was very friendly and helpful just in time! To summarize: great place to chill out with hookah and some drinks! read more

hate leaving one stars, but not right now. this place is a joke and almost said that the service is the worst you could ever expect, but this, is unimaginable. seems fun to work there, staff was having a blast. but being the only other table there, you'd expect a scintilla of service or respect. trash, trash, and trash. go out of our business, we don't need this in our town. one employee hitting a hookah, while the other 5 play with themselves... trash. "i'll expedite this" quote of the night- took another 15 min. read more

Very bad drinks very bad service very bad hookah very bad environment why even stay open this is horrible

Very friendly staff, great hookah, and music! Always a good time. Can't beat the atmosphere!

Worst customer service ever. Not once did a waiter/waitress stop at our table. No prices are listed so get ready for a big bill if you drink alcohol. Recommendation : don't visit. When we complained about the bill - we were threatened to leave..."You have 60 seconds to leave before we call the police". Can you believe that? read more

Disclaimer-we did not eat here-this was for the cocktail experience alone* Lovely outdoor area with a cocktail and hookah menu. The service was ass-S.L.O.W. and their signature drink "Indian Summer" was very sweet and disappointing. There were 11 of us who ordered drinks at different times as we arrived separately. Drinks took such a long time to arrive that no one had a second drink. The one couple who ordered a hookah ($18 for cheap apple tobacco and 2 hoses) ended up canceling it due to the long wait. Even though we ordered at different times, they rang the drinks up on one tab and included an 18% gratuity. The one star is for the atmosphere...the other half star that you can't see was for the funny joke my man made about most of the clientele there on Saturday night...All you can eat cougar! read more

Long story short, they ignored us at first, got our order wrong, billed us for extra items, then lost my credit card which they required I give them as a deposit. It ends with no apology or any form of comp at all, full story below. So I've been here a few times and tonight we showed up and after 20 minutes finally asked the manager for a waiter after being blown off twice. We ordered a double hose hookah and three drinks. After 30 minutes we asked where the drinks and hookah were and the waiter told us he had forgotten. 20 minutes later, we had a one hose hookah (they were out of two I guess) and our drinks. We gave them a credit card to open the tab like they asked and at the end of the night I asked for the bill and got a bill for extra stuff we didn't receive. I flagged another waitress 15 minutes later when we STILL couldn't find ours and she apologized and said he was new. A new, correct bill came, and I had to ask our waiter for my credit card back. He whipped out a stack of 4 cards and asked which was mine... Dodgy enough but he then left and returned with a charge receipt but no credit card!! The waiter lost my card between the cash register and our table and couldn't find it for another 30 minutes. Finally, the manager came and told me he would look for the card in the morning and contact me. As I was telling him that was unacceptable as I was not going to just leave my credit card lying around, another waiter finally found it with another server. I figured a small comp or at least an apology was in order but alas, nothing.... Great hookahs but I'll never trust my credit card to this place again and the terrible lack of an apology showed my how shady the management is or that they just don't care. read more

Initial review from 2009 {Best Indian food around! Very nice ambiance. Awesome hookah patio!}. KEEP READING. A year later: change of ownership and several managers later, the food suffered. The last two times I ate there, the food sucked. I understand the old chef is back, but I have yet to catch him actually there. The place looks much nicer than it used to, but the family feel and personality are gone. They've got some teenaged pimp, royally bedecked in ghetto bling, flaunting his little patch of chest hair, smoking a lot and flirting with one of his waitresses more than running the place. Based on the rumor that the old chef is truly back, I only dropped my rating from 5 to 3. If he's not, it might be a 2. Another year has gone by and I gave it another shot in May of 2012: The food was okay, but the service sucked so badly that the Lone Cypress out in Pebble Beach leaned several centimeters in our direction. I should note here that it was not busy at all that evening. Two other tables were occupied when we came in and we were the last ones out. I had to get up and get menus myself for our table of four. After getting the food, I had to snitch napkins from adjoining tables. Furthermore, the waitress brought an extra meal that we had not ordered and said that it was a freebie from the chef (apparently making up an excuse to not look bad) and then charged us for it anyway. Had I been the one paying, that would have been corrected on the spot, but I guess my friends from Germany, who insisted on taking us out to dinner, were too polite to make the point or didn't notice it until later. I thought maybe she was new and inexperienced and actually asked. "Oh no," she says, "I've been here about a year!" The pieces are beginning to fall together... I am hereby renaming my old favorite haunt "Indian Bummer." read more

Had a shitty experience where a guy slut shamed me (called me puta) at a different venue & left & then ran into him here & def let him know that it's not okay to talk to women like that. While I was trying to call him out, the dj & some server were trying to make me out to be the bad guy for "causing a scene" but what would you do if a stranger called you a derogatory term & ran away? I wasn't expecting to see him there but I guess it was meant to be? Regardless, the server said I was "scaring away customers" so all these people care about is making money & not really the safety or integrity of women trying to find safe spaces to hang out in. Would never bring my friends here for any events. read more

The service here is excellent. Sabash, one of the servers, provides every table with the best service possible. Rocky, the owner, is always extremely pleasant, polite and happily greets you when you sees you--whether it be in his restaurant or on the street. I suggest this for anyone who lives in Monterey or visiting the area. read more

Wow, we had a blast last night. It was a little past midnight and we were itching to go out but unfortunately when it comes to "going out" Monterey is not the place for this kind of scene. My friend said, "hey why don't we go to India Summer and hookah". We called and thye saeid they were closing at 12:30am (it was Saturday) so we sped our butts over and had some Crown on the Rocks and a Screwdriver (they were out of grapefruit juice as I was craving a Greyhound). Hookahed Strawberry Mint and had some other lady friends meet up with us and we were there until well past one and had a great time. The fireplace kept us nice and warm and they had the backyard covered so you can hookah when it rains, great idea. The lady behind the bar was super lovely and friendly too. Inside sounded like a club with house music blasting but I did not venture in, we had a blast outside. read more

I came here recently after a long absence because this place used to suck! Apparently they are under new ownership and it shows! No more are the days where you have to pay a cover charge to get in on the weekends, No longer are the days where your hookah has issues hitting properly. No longer are the days of shitty ass service! Our server Joe was awesome! He is a great salesman and an asset to Indian Summer. By the end of the night, I realize how he up-sold us on everything we wanted. Because he took very good care of me and my friends he ended up with a very nice tip. Final Thoughts: Cannot wait to return!! I hope this great experience wasn't just a one fluke! Time will tell how consistent they are. read more

Awful. I was here a few years ago and vowed to never come back. It's a shame too because it used to be one of my favorites way back in the day. They don't even serve Indian food anymore. Alas, it was Valentine's Day on Saturday and we were meeting friends for a last minute hangout. The fact that we were the only ones there on such a busy night tells ya how bad it is now. Our server was either drunk or high on pills or something. She couldn't have gotten our order more wrong. She forgot half of the items. We were charged for a hookah we never ordered and for dishes that were completely wrong. It's actually hilariously sad how much of a train wreck all of it was. I can only hope either new owners come in, or new management takes over the place that actually cares. This place has so much potential and it used to be such a great spot. read more

I forgot how much i loved this place! Of course, it was introduced to me from angry guests pounding their fists ryhmically to our granite front desk at the neighbouring Portola Hotel (when it was the Doubletree), mimicking the constant drone and thump of their weekend DJ nights on their patio. That is all I knew of them, and then I started going there after work... because, frankly, it was the bomb. a BEAUTIFUL patio with two large brick fire pits. They are a full service Indian restaurant (where many would suggest service suffers and sits in the back seat, but I will get to that). They have a bar inside, seating inside, and the patio where you get a mixture of Army brats, Marines, MIIS & Naval Postgrad people, coupled with the tourists that took an errant turn and were coaxed in by the magical smell of sheeshah or revelry. YES... this is a HOOKAH BAR! Not only do they sell everything for VERY VERY cheap, you can rent one with a full sheeshah load for about $16-19 bucks, and it should last about an hour, depending on what you get. I adore the mango, double apple, and a couple more... but they have an endless selection of at least 30 flavours. As for the restaurant, the food is, in my opinion, *EXCEPTIONAL* Indian cuisine. Seriously consider one thing though... service is of minour concern to them. This isn't bungled, slow service... nor is it rude or thoughtless. This is a short staffed restaurant that has one or two people on in the whole thing at any given time, and they have a fairly sanguine yet terse philosophy of "one thing at a time", and "I will do what I can do". The wait is long... so don't hesitate to double up on a drink order, or bring a bottle of wine to bide the time. Corkage was reasonable, I believe $14. I love this place... it went from being a Sunday morning guest check out nightmare to one of my favourite places to unwind and feel as distant from the teeny community of Monterey as you can. After being there for so long, it was a lovely place to go under the cloak of darkness and veil of thick Indian smoke colouring the air with pervasive, mingling fruit concoctions that blend like a stew. It is a very reasonably priced bar, serves dinner fairly late, and is a great excursion if you are looking for a downtempo, yet hip, place to talk and covort under the night sky. read more

This is a review for their drink/cocktail services. We went there a couple months ago and I felt really bad for the bartender. I think he was new and he didn't know what he was doing. He had to look at the recipes for cocktails through his coworker's iPhone. He didn't even know how to make a Purple Hooter when another customer asked for it. Then he got slammed and took FOOOOREVVVVERRRRR to make our drinks. When he made our drinks, he made it soooo weak and all I tasted was juice. At least he was nice enough to add a splash more of liquor when I complained that there was barely any alcohol in my drink. The hookah was really nice. I like how they have heaters to keep you warm. My favorite is the pineapple flavored hookah. It's really smooth and it lasted a good while. I'm probably just going to be back for hookah and not for drinks. read more

Not a good experience for us... Top 3 things that went wrong: 1. The waitstaff was not at all knowledgable about the menu and did not come across as professional. It took way too long to learn anything about the wine menu... such as where it was, which wines were offered, and at what price. Sauces were left off appetizers, and things we didn't order showed up anyway. The table near us was left with dirty glasses for the entire length of our meal even though the people dining there had long left the restuarant. Another group table of 4 next to us had to flag down the waitress and let her know that they had been sitting there for a long and would like some menus... Instead of offering to help, she called to another waitress and said "This isn't my table, I thought this was YOUR table?" 2. Ambience: There was a weird dark side-room off the indoor dining area that was unlit and creepy. There is loud music that unless you're planning on drinking heavily, was a little obtrusive. 3. Water. I did not realize how important water is. Lukewarm water, without ice, is not refreshing. It also tasted a little funny, although I rarely drink warm water... Redeeming qualities: Had a very nice pinot noir, and they are heavy on the pour. The naan is very good. Good location near the touristy part of town. Nice outdoor seating option. Good portion sizes. read more