Absolutely loved this placed. If it wasn't for Yelp I would of missed out on this little Gem. The atmosphere is great, it's very clean, has cute decor and friendly people. It doesn't look like your typical hookah lounge. It's a sexy place! Wonderful for after work, which is when I went. The downfall is that if they are having a party upstairs the wait for a hookah is a bit longer, I'm talking 20 minutes and one drink already gone. The hookah was strong we tried the pineapple fruit and mint. And the drinks were not bad either. It's become my new after work spot. read more

I came here on a Tuesday afternoon during happy hour. We headed to the second floor (bad idea) because we sat for 30 minutes without seeing any waitstaff, although there was a party of 6 right by us.. We decided to go downstairs and sit at the bar so someone would make something happen. Our bartender was great, the happy hour was decent...$6 for cocktails made with house lquors. We got the standard hookah for $20. Our coal was changed frequently, but as the place got more crowded towards 8-9pm, we waited a good amount of time to get our coal changed. For a place that size, I think they should have more than one coal guy because unless you're chasing them down, you'll be left there to die with harsh hookah. Overall a nice place for happy hour and hookah on a weekday. read more

This was my first time head with my friends. It's a cool, calm spot. The food is good. Hookah Is pretty good. I'd recommend it!

The hookah and the service is amazing. The guy who made our hookah was attentive with coal changed even when we were the balcony. Would definitely come back and recommend the spot to others. Didn't try their food but next time read more

Food was bad - ordered shakshouka, waited 40 minutes, and received a burnt omelette with mozzarella cheese.

Boring. The speakers in this place aren't wired right, so from our table you could barely hear the music. They add gratuity onto everything, which is never a good sign of any bar. Took us 20 minutes to get 3 shots and 3 mixed drinks and the bartender explained that she added in her gratuity. I'd skip this place. There are too many good places in the city. read more

Out here with friends for happy hour music is good Drinks are amazing hookah is on point

Alright, it's hard to know where to start here. So my friends and I were really hungry after work, so we popped by this place since it was near my hotel. The menu looked a little "confused" (kabobs, falafel, humus,hamburgers and fries...etc.) but we went in anyway. The atmosphere was really dark and stagnant. I even needed to use my phone light to read the menu. But none of that really bothered us... My husband attempted to order a kabob dish with the sides that were available on the menu, but the server kept insisting that he get fries and rice. It seemed that he eventually got the picture, and then we just had to wait. It didn't take us long to feel uncomfortable. No one was in the restaurant, with the exception of a guy smoking a hooka. It was still a Monday night, so we thought, well, maybe we're being too hasty. After an hour had passed we received our food... I had to send mine back because I wanted a falafel wrap, not just plain falafels... A half hour later I got my order. My husband's kabab was just a long strip of dry lamb... Not a kabab - and of course, it came with freezer baked fries. Mine was freezer baked falafel, dry as wood. We were all pretty unhappy, but I was comforted that my dish only cost me $9 (although the kabab was almost $20). Did I mention the upstairs toilets were neglected and clogged? When the bill came we noticed that a 15% service charge was added to the bill. As we were only 4 people (and the service was awful) we found this unacceptable. We wanted to end it as soon as possible, so rather than wait for the service again, my friend went up to the front with our cards to demand that the charge be removed. We then found out that there was a $20 minimum on the cards! No exception. We were all going to get separate checks, but now that was impossible. So what do I think of this place? I was a server for 4 years. I believe in tip karma, and I tip 20% 99.9% of the time. I did not tip at all. They had no excuse for the service. I'll pay for a wait if the food is fresh. But no one was in the place but us! Plus, it was practically a microwaved dinner. It was really sketchy. read more

Great hookah and the best spring rolls that I've ever had. I like the ambiance...my only problem was that the waitresses seemed to rush us out even though the place was pretty empty. But I'll still definitely go back. :) read more

Great atmosphere. The prices are great given that it is in NYC for hookah. Great experience overall - def recommend it to others. Great service. Starbuzz and Al Fakher shisha for the hookahs read more

Really nice hookah bar! They set a good ambiance but the music isn't my taste. It's mostly pop electronica remixes. They have rose petals all over the place, which is really nice. It's dimly lit and huge, but with a great floor plan that makes all of the areas feel fairly private. The hookah is pretty expensive ($20 for cheapest flavors) but you're in midtown, so it's fair. The food is ok, but it's not a restaurant, so that's also fair. They could have a little more ventilation but I'm not a real hookah smoker so I'm probably being whiny. It's definitely the nicest hookah bar I've ever been to and I've been to a fair share all over Brooklyn queens and manhattan. read more

I love karizma lounge they accommodate me so well, and they made us feel welcome!!! Great atmosphere

Good service and nice atmosphere....nice place to chill and hangout with friends for a night out or after work for happy hour!

Came here after work with coworkers ....Love Adam! He is awesome and So Friendly; good service! Love the sangria here !

This place really needs help, there are so many lounges around and in New York that its hard to enjoy spending money here. The waiters didn't even speak English and then they charged you for 20% service. I would never recommend this place to someone. read more

This is seriosly a horrible place... after seating my table in a area where no music is heard,when asked the mangement to move I was spoken to like a child and disrespected .... I will never return I will never recommend this spot to any one not even my enemy... read more

Hmmm went there last night and can I say, the worst it was like nobody wanted to work get our food before our drinks had to like beg for water and had asked for something 3 times and kept bring the wrong drinks and wanted to basically telling me what I order I don't even wanted to tip her that why they got the tip added on due behavior like that i think it time to find a better place cause I can't deal with stuff like that when i am spending my hard earn money read more

Karizma has an excellent vibe and the prices are reasonable for both hookah and drinks. I had the "Sex on the Beach" drink and it was great.

great drinks fun hooka this is the place to go for good times. The mules are really good, try the orange hookah and very comfortable environment. Good prices for the area enjoy! read more

Very good service. Plenty of beers, cocktail options, and shish options. Bunch of room and very loungy. Great music as welll

Surprisingly nice place despite the backdoor Chinese massage exterior. Of course, it was cheesy, with 80's disco lights and funky persian-style couches, but had a decent vibe. Music is rather loud but since the place doesn't get too packed you can get a good conversation in. Waiter/Manager guy was definitely weird and wouldn't let us sit anywhere else even though all the tables were open. They haev a full bar and lots of hookah flavors though. read more

The hookah was okay, but the service was horrible. This one guy kept asking if we need the check. The sofa we sat on was wet and another sofa was studded with rips and holes. Probably not coming back here. read more

I liked this hookah place but Ive been to better. the staff was good when it came to service and they helped a lot being that it was for a friends birthday. i felt the drinks were kind of pricey but i guess that comes with the location. they do replace the coal which is a plus. the music could also stand to be a bit better. other than that its OK . read more

Really cool spot just wish it wasn't as pricey. Still one of my favorite spots to go to! Especially for the hookah and belly dancers!

Great hookah great atmosphere to just go and chill. I had the salmon teriyaki which was pretty good. I would certainly recommend this place if your in midtown. read more

Went to this place a couple of times during our stay in NYC. Not a bad place at all hookah was great, prices not unreasonable. The other comments made me look out for a couple of things but all and all not a bad place at all. I personally would come back again when visiting in the city. read more

Most amazing hookah lounge in nyc! Adam is a great server, very funny and great service. Overall such a fun experience, definitely coming back read more

This was awesome. The service was great and the hookah was great. I will be coming back and bring more friends.

This service was ridiculous. Had to ask for my things three times that's three strikes already with me. After I ordered the hookah it came 20 mins after I already ordered it. I had to ask about it because he forgot about it . Ordered food it took 15 and didn't come out til I asked about it. After the food came I ordered another beer. Just one beer didn't come til asked about it that's already three strikes. Ikno it's busy on the weekend but really having to ask for your things after you ordered it is bad just horrible. That's my three strikes. Coming from Chicago this is shit not worth it.and they charge gratuity for their service. Can't even give what they deserve. Asked for the manager about all this the server said he's not going do anything about it. Done three strikes stand read more

The ambiance is prime. Belly dancers, comfortable seating, and great music really make the place shine. I didn't try the food, but I did get a cocktail and the watermelon-mint hookah. The hookah burned pretty quickly, so make sure to ask them to take off a coal after starting it. The cocktail was great, no complains. The price is super reasonable - one hookah was $23. The reason I give the joint 4 stars is because the service was not great. There was a party going on, so I'm willing to forgive the fact that it took almost 30 minutes to get our check and pay. Make sure to get prime seating upstairs and in the center so you can actually see the belly dancer do her thang read more

The staff is extra friends, fantastic atmosphere and beautiful belly dancers. My friends and I had a great time!!!

Every time I visit NY I stop at Karizma. The hookah is reasonably priced and the service is great. I love the atmosphere and the variety of great music. I will be back ! By far my favorite hookah lounge in NYC! read more

Great place in midtown with good drinks and hookah. Will recommend this to anyone whose looking for a good night with good vibes. Ask for Chanice the best waitress. read more

Chanice is extraordinarily beautiful and provided excellent service. The blue mist hookah is lit!

best hookah spot in the city!! the music and drinks are good! Definitely recommend this place to everyone! Chance is THEEEE BEST!

Worst hookah lounge I've ever been to. They don't even acknowledge you when you come in or are waiting to get seated. They'll pass by you while you're waiting for someone to acknowledge that you're waiting for a table. Finally when the rude ass host saw we were waiting he threw us in some awkward corner saying we have to wait here as if it's our fault they don't have enough tables. That's what happens when your dumb ass seats 2 people in a 4 seat table. Their hookah sucks too so don't even bother going here, there's so many other better hookah lounges read more

Food was okay. Very unorganized experience overall. The only thing they seem to rmbr is getting the check. Asked for menus a few times so we can order a few more things, but they forgot. Never wanted to check in on us to see if we needed anything after serving us. Oh also, there was a huge piece of onion skin in my burger... Seriously? read more

Pros: 1. Not to many people 2. Nice place to relax Cons: 1. Having a great experience in hookahs I have to say that hookahs in Karizma are complete s***. No taste (only the taste oh charcoal), not to much smoke.. Overall: if You want a hookah - do NOT go there, otherwise it's a nice place to relax.. read more

I was there last Saturday, the hostess who met us was very friendly, she and themanager who was very nice as well helped to choose the best table for us!!! The service was amazing!!!!We had a Tropical Explosion Hooka, everybody liked this a lot!!! Then we ordered mojitos, and we loved it!!! The only thing we didn't like, that they didn't have any draft beer.... Our guys really wanted it.... But anyway everything was perfect!!!! Friendly atmosphere, great service, tasty drinks, good music and the best hookahs.... read more

Wow. I made an account on Yelp just to write this review. So my best friend and his girlfriend decide to have a joint birthday dinner/hookah session here last night. He was here before to smoke and loved the decor and ambiance so he decided to have a dinner there with all our friends. Now before I actually went to Karizma, I managed to go to Yelp and see many of the horrible reviews this place had. I thought to myself, "It can't be THAT bad." I'm an average person who thought maybe those people who wrote bad reviews just had an off day or just have really high standards. Trust me, I'm the kind of guy who would give those Fish Bites from McDonald's like a four out of five review. Hell, cold pizza gets a three and a half. I'm very easy to please. Ok, the place looks nice. It's trendy and has nice decor and ambiance just like how everyone else has said. We meet up with our party upstairs and we were right on time to order. Perfect. We order our entrees and drinks (Merguez sausages, jumbo shrimp and a virgin Sex on the Beach). The waitress was dopey, aloof, and although a sweetheart was a total air head. Repeatedly asking what we ordered even though we just told her just seconds ago, asking if we asked for alcohol in the virgin drinks, etc. Whatever, no problem, maybe she's new. Waitress comes to gives us drinks in maybe 20 minutes after ordering and dropped the first few drinks on the first person she saw and we had to actually tell her who ordered what so we wouldn't have to pass drinks to the right people. Anyway no biggie. The sex on the beach wasn't bad. Then comes the waiting. We waited a total of an hour and some minutes for our food. Every time we inquired about the status, the waitress would say how the chefs prepare the food fresh and that takes time. I've eaten fresh food so I can attest that it does take a decent amount of time to prepare so we're all cool and understanding. An hour and a few minutes later the food comes out. Holy guacamole this was terrible. First the Merguez I ordered was cold, hard and definitely not fresh. They embellished four small sausages with tons of salad. My entire meal couldn't have been more than 300 calories. I've had Merguez from Steinway street in Queens and trust me, what Karizma is serving looks like dog poop and probably does taste like it, though I cannot verify since I'm no expert myself. My female friend who I brought along ordered the jumbo shrimp. When it arrived it was cold, definitely was not fresh but frozen seafood that they threw in a microwave for 50 seconds. Her rice was typical Uncle Ben's rice which wasn't so bad, but the fact that I could have made that rice in ten minutes or less at my own home and instead paid $18 for was a sham. Other food that definitely wasn't fresh was the frozen hamburger my friend ordered and a plate of the saltiest rice I've ever tasted. My other buddy ordered chicken wings and they totally forgot about them and said it would take "40" minutes to prepare. FORTY MINUTES! Needless to say he didn't want them. After one of my friends talked to the manager about the below sub par service and food(borderline atrocious) he decides to throw in a free hookah. We get the hookah in a reasonable amount of time. It was basic and nothing amazing, I make better ones in my own home. My lady friend and I left a bit early to scour for actual food somewhere else. Worst food experience I've ever had and I'm not picky! I could have dealt with the ditzy waitress and the waiting if only the food was GOOD but it wasn't. Those chefs took their sweet time microwaving frozen food and the fact that the waitress said it takes long to prepare because the food is "fresh" is incredibly misleading. They are not delivering on what they advertise and from what I remember false advertising is a big no-no. Where the hell is Gordon Ramsay to tear these chefs apart in 'Kitchen Nightmares'? I'm sure he'd have a field day with Karizma. read more