I love this spot, there is plenty of room to work and the atmosphere is calm. The customer service is great too. I had the hot chai tea and the chicken Shish kabob with a side of house salad. The chicken was juicy and tender and the salad was so flavorful. I'll definitely be back for the atmosphere and to try other items on the menu. read more

I love Mediterranean food but this is the worst I've ever had! I ordered the chicken shawarma plate. There was no spice on the chicken, plain jasmine rice, hummus that wasn't good at all and even the Pita bread and salad was just blah. Don't waste your $ here. There are many better Mediterranean restaurants in SA! read more

I use this place to work out of when traveling on occasion. Unfortunately after today's experience that will no longer be the case. As I was coming out of the bathroom, an apparently off duty manager named Rabin was escorting two females off the premises. As he comes back, he kicks a container of food that splatters all over me covering me with leftover food. Not only does he not apologize, he walks past like nothing happened. When confronted about it, he tells me to just sit down. This was all in plain view of several customers and employees. Absolutely abysmal customer service. Will NEVER return. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this place or risk getting food kicked on you. read more

Naara Cafe - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Hi Yelp community! Today I'm bringing another hookah cafe review. This place knows how to do there hookahs! Natural charcoals, premium tabaco, frozen tips and specialty bases. Food was good too. Have to try the pizza!! It's great !! The only thing I did not like is that there is no alcohol drinks for sale in this place. So no beer guys! :( read more

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We are from Austin and this place is better than anything we have in Austin. We were greeted by very welcoming staff... our server (I think her name was shay?) was super attentive and friendly and patient (we were kind of a rowdy group). The hookahs came out super fast and hit amazingly well. The food was incredible! We got hummus, salads, lambs, falafel, dolmas, samosas (they were huge), and other stuff and everything was fantastic. We will be back- so glad we discovered Naaras. read more

Great place to meet up with friends. Their food, chai tea and hookah are awesome, as was our server, Lauren. Our first time here, but we'll be back for more. read more

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I've ordered out a few times from Naara and I have always been impressed. It's really funny that this middle eastern Place makes better pizza than most of the spots in San Antonio. Speaking of pizza, you have to try the loaded shawarma pizza and the gyro pizza. Both are winners. I read more

Just walked out of Naara a place that we have been visiting for years with real bad service.... was asked to move from a table twice coz a waiter wanted to save a big table for other guests after been told to sit where we can find space ( and there were multiple tables available) ... I was with my wife for dinner and I had a couple friends coming in ... but rather than argue I just simply left ... hope they will improve their service to better standards next time . read more

Horrible service. Management is terrible. They refuse to give you water in a glass but offer a $3 water bottle. DO NOT COME HERE. Do yourself a favor and go to Sultans Cafe instead down the street :-) read more

Shout out to Lauryn, Alayna, Maya, and Sirena. They were exceptionally accommodating to my friend and I that were there for hours. They were very attentive, informative, and efficient. They kept us well stocked on food and drinks, and handled our multiple requests with ease. The experience was on point. Will visit again. read more

Poor service, unprofessionalism. Tyler and Bianca were very unprofessional. Messed up the order a couple of times. Not knowing the situation Tyler jumped in and tried kicking us out without knowing the situation and throwing in he had been there 10+ years as if it makes him any better in the situation. read more

This place was so yummy and the food was definitely authentic middle eastern food. Great smooth hummus and the baklava was so yummy not too sweet at all read more

I'm so glad this place was open. we had the chicken Sharma pizza will never buy any other pizza. Very flavorful...

My first time here very cozy interior, The food was good,cooked very well. Service very slow, seemed like only one waitress waiting on all the tables, not quiet busy. Just goof off. The young man working there he had a potty mouth, using offensive, Vulgar,Vile slang words while he was chitchatting with another man in the kitchen,I guess,Just assuming no one understands Farsi. I tried to avoid hearing him, it was very uncomfortable, but he was too loud. "This note is to the young man working there" If you are reading this review, You only see 3 stars, you have caused this. I am sure you are mature enough to realize when you are working in a retail environment this is a very impulsive way to communicate around your customers. At the end of the day you are hurting your business. read more

Naara Cafe - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

This place is so great! Yummy food, chill atmosphere, and clean. I had never been to a restaurant where you can smoke hookah while you eat, pretty cool idea. Our waitress was very nice and checked in frequently (but not so much where it was too much). No complaints... We will be back! read more

Great food and good hookah the Naara Burgers it's really good and the Mediterranean pizzas are delish!!! My favorite place to go with friends!! read more

I wish I had been here more when I lived in SA! The ambiance is perfect for deep convos and hookah with friends or you S/O. In my case, I hookah'd with my S/O over a pot of their yummy Mint Tea and a delish shawarma pizza! Yes, a Shawarma Pizza. It. Was. Delicious. AF. Don't skip out on this cute little hangout/eatery. read more

Horrible customer service! 4 persons behind the counter and none of them could attend or answer a simple question. After that I went to a table and waited for more than 15-20 minutes for someone to come with a menu or something.. I ended leaving the place hungrier and no one ever came to offer something water a menu something! read more

I left my first review and was critical of the service only. Owner actually replied to me and said he'd make service the top priority and damn did he mean it. Been there 3 times since that review and the service has improved dramatically. I'm regretfully leaving these 5 stars because it's hard to get a table during the weekends as is, but I gotta give it to them. Best food, best service, best hookah, and best environment in town, I'll never go anywhere else and I'm grateful to owner took an interest and I saw the change. 5 stars and I'd give 6 if i could, but you get the point. read more

Give this restaurant 2 stars Bcz this is not the first time we are going to naara cafe. Apparently, they are thinking that they are making good money so they don't care about service anymore and we understand that they are busy mistake happens and we ignore their mistake but if your service don't care what your customers want then we are happy not to come here and suggest other people not to come here. In San Antonio, there are so many other options like shisha cafes who are doing much better than them. read more

Love the hookah & the food is delish! Come on happy hour 1-5 all week. Mon- Fri. Flavors 9.95/11.95. & they always are replacing your hookah coals with new hot ones! read more

Naara Cafe - X on the Beach is yummy! - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I enjoy the lamb kebab w/hot mint tea. The staff " Stephanie & Momo" are Awesome, fast & friendly. read more

Naara Cafe - I enjoy lamb kebab w/hot mint tea. The staff "Stephanie & Momo" are awesome, friendly and fast. - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Came with a big group of friends after dinner on a Tuesday night and it was perfect. Great hookah, good music playing, and even tried Turkish coffee amongst other drinks. Atmosphere is chill but this one guy did give us a hard time when trying to check out. He wanted add $5 just because we were making them "work more". Not cool bro. read more

Naara Cafe - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I came here last night with a group of 5 people and a man sat us. A couple minutes later a waitress came over was a NASTY attitude and says "why are you sitting here? Someone is already sitting here." We all looked at her confused and she insisted we get up. She was rolling her eyes, very unpleasant. We had bottles of wine and she snatched them off of the table and says "these stay in the back" she left and came back and was again insisting we move and she said "I know you're pissed but this table is reserved" but it had no sign on it. We decided to move and we waited to see who was going to sit there and it was ONE person sitting at probably the biggest table in the restaurant while we had to sit at a table for 4 and pull up a chair. I will not be coming back here, my first and last time. read more

Naara Cafe is a gem. I love the location and the interior, all adding up to the perfect place to study or just get-a-way for hours. It isn't very big, but it does have an outside patio. Compared to Shisha, it is tiny, but that's why I like it so much: privacy. The cafe doesn't really start to fill up until after 10pm, even then it isn't packed. The interior is low-lighting, two television screens, dark wood decor, tile, and heavy wooden furniture. The feel of the place is very cozy. The food is pretty good, but not the best. I would say better than Shisha though. However, let's face it, most people don't come here for the food. They come here to relax usually after they eat somewhere else. Key to the goal of relaxation is the hookah and let me be the first to tell you, Naara stands with the best in San Antonio. Their hookah prices are very competitive, cheaper than Shisha, and their hookah pipes are the best I've encountered in this city and they are always in great condition. Their choices of tobacco are typical of a Hookah Cafe, but I discovered their selection is richer and higher quality. Also, their assortment of tea is wonderful. I've had the sage tea on my last two visits, simply refreshing. And to add a little class, they have authentic sugar cubes that come with every tea purchase. Of course, all the artificial sweeteners are available as well. My only pick with Naara: the servers. I was unimpressed. They didn't mess up my order or do anything disastrous, but they didn't do anything that was conducive to a great experience either. However, the server in charge of replacing coals on the hookah has been on-top of his job every time I have frequented the cafe, something I can't say for Shisha. Overall--good experience, awesome hookahs, great atmosphere, and passable service. read more

The food here is beyond horrible and I had to wait a long time for this crap! I should have left without the food sparing Naara Cafe's reputation. The falafel sandwich was completely inedible. Look at the picture! The taste is as bad as it looks and can break your teeth. The person who served it on Feb 24, 2019 should be completely ashamed. If you are not I am ashamed for you!! As a public service, I advise that no one pay to eat at Naara Cafe after reading this review. Don't bother if it's free either! read more

Naara Cafe - Disgusting Naara Cafe Falafel in a tortilla - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

This place has a vibe that can be best described as a "Hookah Honky Tonk". They always seem to be playing country music and couple that with the smell of all flavors of hookah and I think you can picture what I mean. Now right off the top I will get my two issues with this place out of the way : service is non-existent for people with food orders. The come take your order, deliver the food and then that's it. If you need anything else you will never see a server again. You need to go to the counter to get whatever you want. Secondly, apparently they don't have regular water to drink. Really?? wtf do they wash their dishes with? what comes out of their taps? I mean I know they are trying to make money off drinks, but this is a shi**y way to force drinks onto people. Now onto the good : very nice outdoor patio, good service for smokers and a very nice selection of teas. In fact they will make you whatever tea you want. Black tea with cardamom and mint? sure! Black tea with rose? sure!. The food is okay and nothing I ate there stood out...maybe the kebab sandwiches because they cleverly have square kebabs (I suspect the meat is patted out in a pat, oven cooked and then they cut rectangles out of them to fit the bread) which are nicely flavored with garlic, parsley, mint and some onion. The salads are quite fresh, though they seem to leave things off and you have to go ask for them (remember: no service so no chance of asking the waitress to bring you anything you are missing), and the appetizers are okay but nothing spectacular. This is a 2.5 star place really...but the patio and the selection of teas make up for everything else. I would say forget the food, but do go enjoy the patio, the arabic coffee and chai, and all will be OK. read more

I haven't been to too many hookah joints, but this one definitely hit hard. 2 puffs and I was relaxed as hell... Even skipped my turn during the rotation. All obvious 420 references aside, this place will be seeing me again. The hosts were wonderful, making sure everyone found a good vibe. I'd suggest not going if you haven't eaten... You'll order everything off the menu. Kudos to Naara read more

Good pizza, lackluster service. Came here for lunch, and had the gyro pizza. The pizza was quite good- healthy portions, piled on the lamb, and the appetizers were great! For the appetizer, they bring out two flat pieces of bread with some sort of herb and olive oil pesto sauce that was delicious! I was a bit taken aback by the service. It wasn't especially nice. I asked for water to drink with my meal, and the waitress replied that they only carry bottled water, and they don't have tap water. I asked how they wash their hands if they don't have tap water. Should I be concerned for my health? No, they wash their hands, but the water is unfit for human consumption. I wonder how much of that water ends up in the food? Or is this just a ploy to ring up more sales from drinks? Of course, they have tea. (How did they brew the tea if they don't have tap water?!) I don't think a restaurant should be able to stay open if they don't have potable water. The menu selection was fair, and they had lunch specials at fair prices. They have a whole section devoted to shishas (or hookahs). They carry a wide variety of tobaccos, and accessories. I noticed that the staff was attentive with the coals, and were quick to replenish burned out coals, or offer a new bowl of tobacco. The decor was authentically Arab. It looked like a Marrakesh diner, with rugs everywhere, cool little lamps, and fun stuff to check out on the walls. Overall, I was impressed by the food, but underwhelmed by the service and lack of water. read more

On a recent visit to San Antonio, my mother and her fiance recommended this place as a late night hang out spot. Upon arriving, it was apparent that my mother and her dude are regulars here as the waitress appeared to both know them when we all walked in. The atmosphere was very nice...open and airy, large tables for groups with huge pillows to lounge on, large outdoor seating area, and soon to be an upstairs lounge area which is currently being renovated. We had all just come from fourth of July dinner, and no one was really interested in eating; however, we were all in the mood for desert. I ordered the baklava and was HIGHLY disappointed. This baklava was like no other I have had before. I can't even really say what about it I did not like, it just had a strange taste to it overall. I only took a few bites and politely said I was too full from dinner to eat anything more. I ordered a carafe of cardamom tea which was totally delicious. My family members ordered some orange blossom chai tea which was also very tasty. The prices on the tea were reasonable since they give you enough to serve about 4-6 people. We also decided to try the hookah to see if that was any good. The price was reasonable as we only spent $10 for our blackberry shisha. The waitress who helped us informed us she is also some sort of shisha master (which I had no idea existed) and that she could make us some sort of awesome specialty blend for only a few dollars more. As no one was feeling especially adventurous this evening, we decided to keep it simple. The hookah was good; however, our coals kept going out for some reason and the "coal attendant" was too busy smoking his own blend to really notice us. I kept having to wave him over to help us. Other than that, the service was quite exceptional as everything came out promptly and the staff was super friendly. Naara Cafe is owned by the same people who own Pasha Cafe, which is in the same plaza. The plaza is filled with Mediterranean owned shops and even a little specialty grocery store. This is definitely a cool place to come and hang out with friends on a nice cool evening. I will come back the next time I am home! read more

Came for lunch. Will not come back. Misleading prices (menu and actual price different), No complimentary Nan, and can't order water unless you buy it bottled. Our waitress, Annie, left us at our table with no drink order for 10 minutes while she sat by the register. Food was less than par considering the other options for Mediterranean near by. Feeling unappreciated as a customer and getting nickeled and dimed is something I don't want to experience again. read more

Nice atmosphere and helpful staff. But a few items on the menu are not available but you don't know till they leave and say they don't have it when they come back. Still a lot of fun and good for a group. read more

Their pizzas are great and teas are well worth getting. Only downside was the amount of smoke from the hookah lounge adjoining.

I am a big fan of hookah. I don't smoke as often as I use to but this is a cafe I like to frequent with my friends. I try to mix it up with flavors and try new things. The price for their hookah is pretty average and they let as many people share a hookah as they like, which I really appreciate because some other hookah bars charge extra for multi people to share. I love the food here. The pizza here is really good, the more the grease the better. They also serve more traditional middle eastern/ Mediterranean dishes such as gyros (my favorite.) Their fries are delicious when doused in ketchup. On a cold night the Chai tea is perfect to warm you up. The environment is often very loud and very busy. Many middle eastern men sit around playing some board game that has dice and lots of yelling. I recommend this cafe to anyone looking for a fun chill night and good food. read more

Excerpt from our food review blog: complete review is on the blog. She said: Naara is an excellent place to go when you want a light meal, to enjoy hookah, or just hang out with some of your friends. They have board games, appetizers, pizza, sandwiches, meals, desserts, and a wide variety of drinks. One of the things I find most interesting about Naara is that the atmosphere is always a little different. It is a great place to people watch, and has probably the most diverse clientele of any restaurant we go to. It is almost always busy, with people of all ages, walks of life, and ethnicity. Dessert tonight was wonderful. We both shared Sweet Rolls, described as filo dough wrapped around cashews & walnuts and baked to golden brown. They were delicious. Crunchy without being messy to eat, lightly sweet, and richly flavored with just the right amount of honey. We also shared Akbar Mash-Dee (Traditional Persian ice cream, with rose water, real cream, saffron, and ground pistachio.) This by and far is my absolute favorite dish at Naara. There is not an easy way to describe this ice cream. It is floral due to the saffron and rose water, lightly sweet, with just a bit of earthiness from the pistachio. He said: We were seated at one of the curved, padded benches that has a low table. There are regular tables inside and patio tables out side as well. This one affords some of the best people watching. We always sit on the patio. Everything is so relaxed and inviting out there. Stucco walls painted earth tones, black wrought iron ornaments, ceiling fans, and lights that blend to make the perfect ambiance for an evening relaxing. There is always a good cross section of people there. From the young soldiers trying to "out manly" each other (Been there and done that myself) all the way to multi-generational families (grandfather and grandson playing chess while everyone else eats and chats) they all blend in to make a rich tapestry of interactions. Neither one of us was really hungry so we decided to split a combo kabob plate. It has very generous portions of marinated chicken and lamb char broiled to perfection with a fresh salad (lettuce and greens with a light vinaigrette. Garnished with crumbled white cheese and sliced green olives), Perfectly cooked basmati rice, tasty hummus, and fresh grilled pita. On to the hookah. All the hookahs at Naara are works of art. They even sell them up front. As well as coals and shisha. We got a blend that is a favourite of us both: rose and raspberry. The floral notes of the rose and the slight astringency of the raspberry ( it is real raspberry flavour, not at all "cool-aid-ie") makes a well balanced flavour that is enjoyable for the 3 or so hours we stay and hang out here. There is a separate menu for the varieties of shisha flavours they have. If you are unsure, ask the waitstaff. They are all very knowledgeable and can provide guidance. If you don't want to futz with your coals or just don't know what to do, they have guys walking back and forth every few minutes with baskets of hot coals to help or show you the process. Great Food, Great Service, Great Place. Naara Cafe and Hookah read more

Such a chill place! Great food so worth it! Everything is cooked fresh and they are constantly keeping you hookah good.

Nice vibe. Decent food and prices. The only reasons I can't give it a perfect score for is because the parking sucks if you're not there super early and the patio can get very hot. Staff aren't the friendliest, but not rude either. I think they need some additional wait staff because the service was slooooow. They had a belly dancer last night. I wasn't aware because it's not listed on their events calendar. It would have been nice to know because that's not my vibe and I probably wouldn't have gone had I known. The crowd was mixed; Arabs, locals, and Turks of different ages. I would say the median age was probably 30-35 and average price per plate is about $13 with decent portion sizes. I didn't have the hookah so I can't comment on that but it looked fully stocked and several with us were happy with their selection. read more

After reading all the reviews I tried their shawarma pizza and it did not disappoint. Hearty, meaty and soooo cheesy. Just don't expect it to be light. It is not for those hoping to eat a healthy, light pizza. This is greasy, rich but oh so indulgent. read more

Came here during Ramadan; we called in our order ahead of time and it was ready on time! The gyro pizza is hands down the BEST halal gyro pizza I have ever had! I would say it's like a pan style pizza- so so good! I had friends visiting from out of town and they loved it! read more

I was searching for a place to meet up with a friend so we could work on a school project together. Since the friend couldn't meet me until 8pm on a Thursday night, it was getting pretty tough to find places open late and with free wifi. I found Naara here on Yelp and since they don't even open until 6pm, I figured it would be a good choice. Was it ever! The hostess had no problem at all with the prospect of my party hanging around for a couple of hours, using the wifi and electricity. We ordered a beef gyro and a lamb sheesh kabab plate. Both were excellent! My lamb was very tender and well-seasoned. I was also a fan of the hummus - it was relatively mild, not too much garlic, but the tahini flavor really came through. The interior of the restaurant was very tastefully decorated with good-quality furniture. The tables and chairs are heavy, dark wood and the corner booths are well-padded with pretty pillows and cushions. The music selection was pretty funky. Sometimes it was Arabic dance music, then it was 1980s hair bands, then a guy playing a synthesizer live. Our waitresses were very friendly and helpful without being intrusive at all. The only negative aspect of our visit was that although the temperature outside was 85 degrees, the central A/C inside Naara wasn't on. It seemed like they ran it for about 10 or 15 minutes every hour and then shut it off, so occasionally it felt pretty warm inside. I think I would have rather sat out on the patio but I needed the electrical outlet for my laptop so I didn't have a choice on this night. Maybe next time! The patio looks very nice. read more