Listen here: as someone who spent half a year living in the Middle East, this is the BEST shawarma I've had on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. The chicken was tender, the pita was thin and grilled to give it a little crispiness to it, the garlic sauce was super tasty but not overpowering. The fries tasted fresh out of the McKitchen (if you know what I mean). My buddy ordered a gyro that had some of the most tender gyro meat I've tasted in town. He too was seriously impressed. Our server was super polite and friendly, and everything came out quickly and to order. The ambiance was quiet and perfect for conversation among friends. This is officially the most slept on restaurant in Tucson. Imagine how cool you'll be when you introduce it to all of your friends!! Everyone will like you even more. Trust me. Don't let the hookah part scare you off if that's not your thing, it's a large space with plenty of distance you can place between yourself and any shisha partakers. Or you can even settle with takeout, it's honestly that good. Seriously. read more

The food is so good here. Tastes homemade. Everyone is friendly and it's a chill vibe.

Great food! Ola the owner/cook was very passionate about her food and cooked with love! Very authentic flavoring and nice staff!!

This place is super chill. Guys that work there are very nice and prompt. Hookah is good. Will go again.

Arrrrrg this place is a real immersion in Middle Eastern culture in that they'll greet you with warm smiles, warm conversation, will get to you when they get to you and sell you things you don't really want. Oh well. I was far overdue for lunch and was thrilled to see Arabic writing on the sign here so I thought I could get some falafel or shawarma. The guy who was running the place (seemingly alone at the time) was from Morocco. All good signs. Virtually 90% of the menu was unavailable since the main cook was out of town that week. What? Morocco guy placed a cold bottle of water straight in front of me, smiled, took my order after explaining what was actually available and disappeared. For a while. I realized what the deal was and figured the water was bait (memories of a Lebanese restaurant in London...) and tried to avoid it. I succumbed and, yes, ended up being charged $1.50 for the cold siren of a bottle of water. The food was OK but the long wait, lack of availability of mostly everything good on the menu and the sneaky water thing combined with occasional urges to just get up and leave since he disappeared for so long make me not really want to come back here. I'll probably try again in a few months but if you want ethnic food, give the African place called Alafia a shot. To make it worse, the other review for this place might be from the business itself since it's copy/pasted from a review written for a Japanese restaurant in NYC. Check it out: http://www.yelp.com/biz/haru-new-york-4?hrid=_TXLHDZ4xUeeNf6FUQ6IOw read more

Mazaj Cafe - Hookah Bars Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I have been in U.S since 2011 and I can confidently say that their Falafl is the best Falafel in the United States of America !! Chicken Sharima is my second best choice! Price is quit reasonable, too! overall, this is my spot if I miss back home food :) read more

Okay, I am gonna be honest here. I love this place for 2 reasons - the food that is very reasonably priced, and the hookah is awesome. My new favorite after-work hangout spot. I have passed by this place for YEARS and only been here for the first time yesterday. how did I miss this?! Their hummus, to begin with, is the best damn thing. So authentic and delicious with that pita bread slices. wow. falafel? out of bounce. ridiculous. about to make a food run now at mazaj to try their gyros. Great spot. go visit them! read more

Went here for dinner. It's not your average dining experience in America. If you are in a hurry or want to be waited on hand and foot, don't come here. You come here if you want really good, fresh, made to order food or hookah. Honestly, we waited about 45 minutes to get our food or drinks but it was worth the wait. One of the guys greeted us upon walking in the door and let us know that the way they ran the establishment was VERY laid back and relaxed. It certainly is. I'd come here if I had a few hours to hang out, eat some food and catch up with someone without being disturbed. The mint lemonade was pretty fantastic The food was all great. Like I said...don't come here if you are in a rush, want to be waited on hand and foot..ask for everything at once. There's no frills to the place. Could use a little atmosphere. read more

I'm not sure why this place gets so much grief, I had a decent experience here. It's true that the service is not up to par with like an actual sit-down restaurant but what hookah lounge really is? I stopped in here with a friend to get some shawarma sandwiches and hookah and I found the service to be acceptable. We ordered the hookah at the front counter and were seated immediately, our food and drink orders being taken within 10 minutes. The shawarma itself was actually really well seasoned, I would definitely come back for that. They don't make their bread from scratch but that's not the end of the world. The person working there was good about refilling our drinks and bringing new coals for the hookah. Both the food and hookah are very reasonably priced. If you're looking for a decent hookah lounge closer to midtown than the University, I would give this place a shot. It's not anything revolutionary but the service, prices, and food are solid. read more

Great food.. Underwhelming Service. Let me start by saying that this place could be a hidden gem if they could staff it appropriately. 15 minutes to be acknowledged is unacceptable at any business. It was a one man show and he could use some Dale Carnegie training. There was a group in the back that actually were there own wait staff and fired up a hookah on their own.That being said, the food was very tasty and flavorful. The hookah was very good and was very reasonable ($7.95). There were some health code violations (cleanliness, only had bottled water that they charged $1.00 for). Caveat Emptor... read more

I would not be exaggerating if I told you that I have been to 80% of the hookah lounges here in Tucson. So when it comes to Mazage, I have to say this place is pretty awesome. For starters, it's dirt cheap. Not only is it dirt cheap, but it's also pretty damn good for dirt cheap. The hookah is only $7. That's basically like stealing. It's good, they use comparable shisha and it last a lot longer than some other places. Their food is also amazing. I actually get cravings for it. I could feast here all day. You know a hookah/ Arabic food place is good when few of the patrons are conversing in English. This isn't a creepy place like Petra or Royal. It's a family oriented place, and it's relaxed and comfortable. Although it is wear seeing mothers smoking hookah with a child nearby. Think what you please.... My only complaint is that the service is a little iffy. Often the owner serves us, which is fine, but last time we were there the waitress was not only sassy but didn't speak a lick of English. ( She only spoke Arabic.) I would definitely recommend coming here for sure. read more

Three different search engines show three different business hours . Waisted time driving

I've started this review several times, but I don't know how to say the few opinions I have on this place and the people who say it is unacceptable service. All in all, the food is pretty good and at a decent price. I don't smoke hookah, but my friends say it's good. Anyways, I had the same experience as most people here... it took awhile for anyone to acknowledge my group arriving (at 10pm) and I couldn't tell who actually worked there versus their friends who were there as patrons. We had to call the waiter to order and our food came at a glacial speed. My friends and I just talked the entire time and besides being hungry, were happy that our conversation went mostly undisturbed by the constant "Can I get you anything else?" I'm not really going to get into this on a review, but this has been my experience in many places around the world. The culture of eating is so different everywhere else. A waiter's job here is active, predicting and anticipating the needs of his customers. A waiter's job in many places elsewhere is a lot more passive, letting customers be and coming only when beckoned. So... being objective, I can easily see why this wouldn't be some people's cup of tea, while others may prefer it. read more

Now the main event, sitting at the former location of the venerable Molly G's and the short lived and strangely demised Auntie Dora's Front Porch, we have Masaj Cafe. They're halal, they've got hookahs, they have pretty decent food, and the staff is friendly. They're upfront about the fact that the place is, shall we say, a bit on the run down side, and are working on making it prettier. I'll need to try more food there before making a final rating, but, for example, replacing cracked windows may be a good thing. read more

See all

While the food was good - 1. Almost walked out before anyone ever acknowledged our presence. Finally, someone came over and without a greeting asked what we wanted. 2. We sat without our drinks or hookah for at least 15 minutes. 3. The food was served in piece meal fashion, making my daughter wait while we just stared at our food for 5 minutes. 4. When my daughter asked for a glass of water - we were informed they did not it have free water. So we paid for a soda, 2 pots of tea and a bottled water. 5. There was one person doing all the work, and then a lady and her preteen son came. He was the most polite person, but the woman (maybe his mother) just sat behind the counter on her cell. While this one person ran the entire place. If she had helped it may have been a much better. 6. The food is GOOD. Too bad the service was so poor. read more

Ordered some food for take-out yesterday.... A 45 minute turned into an hour and ten; They were out of gyro & lamb meat....and to top it off forgot one of the orders - Didn't just forget to put it in the bag, but actually forgot to make it. Had a good experience in the past, but doubt I'll go here again read more

Good food. The $1.99 special on Monday is great! Can't wait to try Arabic coffee. Next time! read more

Mazaj Cafe - Monday special $1.99 worth it - Hookah Bars Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I've passed by this place several times and finally decided to venture in around 9:45pm on a Wednesday. I was happy to hear that their kitchen was still open, because that was the whole point of me stopping in. The chicken and lamb were great, the rice was excellent and I really enjoyed their tabbouleh. Atmosphere reminded me of any other hookah place I've been to, lots of euro-club like music, which I don't mind. Definitely come here and try the food if you enjoy Middle Eastern fare. read more

So...I'll preface my review by saying I didn't actually end up eating here. I was looking for a place open late to grab dinner. I walked in, waited a while to be seated. Then I sat myself down. I waited. A hurried waitress ran past me a few times. After a while, I gave up and left. read more

(This review for hookah experience only) The place is a bit run down yes, but the overall experience was nice. Hookah at very fair prices, quiet atmosphere. I was especially happy with the fact you could sit on the patio and enjoy the fresh air. You can tell there are a lot of regulars that come in so you have a friendly and relaxed crowd. We had just a small bowl of hookah for $7.99. After watching many of the regulars order mint tea with their hookah we decided to follow suit. Tea was hot and minty, not bad at all, and really sat well with the hookah. We didn't try any food cause we had eaten before hand but the food that was brought out to others smelled amazing. Definitely going back for hookah and a bite to eat read more

The good- Wow the food was really good. The service was friendly. Baba ganoush, falafel, foul mudammas, shawarma ,and hummus with flavor. The bad- took forever, they forgot one person's order, server was unclear what we meant when we asked, "Can we have some utensils?" In their defense, I think they were short staffed and they hired a new person while we were dining. If they can clear up these service issues, this will be an excellent addition to Tucson. I would go there again to see if it improves but I think I will go solo and not bring a group. Because WOW the food was good! read more

Awesome! I really enjoyed the and the family oriented atmosphere. The food was decency as well. Do not let the outside of the building or the inside deter you from enjoying some awesome Mediterranean style food. read more

Good Hookah Best Middle Eastern food. -1 star only for the run down place and the lack of better service, but I have no issues with it. The owner is definitely not trying to make a fortune out of this place. It seems like people feel at home, bringing their video games and board games and playing there. Friendly owner. read more

Came by during posted hours. Cars parked outside, lights on, but doors locked and no answer when I tried calling. Business fail.

AMAZING Mazaj Cafe, great prices. great food. What else can you ask for? I came with a large group from work for dinner. We had a reservation for 10 and showed up with 12, and the staff was super accommodating to make us comfortable at a larger table. Our server was really pleasant and handled our large party well. I had the chicken shawerma plate and flafel and both were fresh and tasty and outstanding everything was delicious. The service was fantastic.Everything on the menu looked amazing and we weren't disappointed with what we ordered. it was pretty old school inside--but generally everything was great and I would highly recommend this as a good spot for groups. read more

When I walk in it's feels like I am going to a shady place. No customers at all!!! Food is ok... Place is not clean at all!!

Felafel sandwich is tasty , with an amazing texture. It goes well with the creamy hummus and warm pita bread. I also recommend the chicken shawarma. read more

I thought that Mazage Hookah Lounge was a good place to sit and relax. While the venue shows some wear from its diner past, its a very clean and well-decorated place. I only had a hookah and a coffee on my first visit, however the coffee was good, the service was friendly and they offer hookah at a great price (7.99 for a small). I'm looking forward to going back and trying the food. read more

Great food. I recommend the falafel or Schwarma. Give the place a shot if you have a chance.

I visited Masaj during the day since I'm not a Hookah user. Can't comment on the food because I didn't eat it owing to dietary restrictions. Very friendly and the owner speaks English fluently. He took at least an hour out of his day just to hang out with me (I'm old enough to be his mom) and a regular customer from Sudan. We talked about Arabic language and looked at some courses on his computer. Really nice place. read more