Whelan's Smoke Shop is by far one of the best smoke shops I've seen. In terms of product quality, all their glass, hookahs, boxes, etc. are top quality and well-priced. I recently purchased a bowlpiece that turned out to be too wide and was able to exchange it for a smaller one without any hassle whatsoever. The staff (especially Ray!) are super friendly and are unbelivable helpful in finding exactly what you're looking for. They have an incredible selection of merchandise, so whatever you're looking for, they'll have a host of options. Basically, Whelan's is hard to beat - the best in Berkeley. read more

I found Whelan's Smoke shop on yelp. I came in looking for a water pipe and small dry pipe. My budget wasnt that high. When i saw the dry pieces that they had I changed my mind on just getting a dry piece. Don't get me wrong, the wet pipes there are real nice but like I said my budget was kinda low. Sam (employee) showed me a bunch of nice wet pipes that would have fit my budget. When I changed my mind about the wet pipe, he didnt get all butt hurt like some other smoke shops in Berkely. I decided to get a dry piece that was red and black. A red honey comb design on the bowl and black swirls going down the rest of the piece. Ray (another employee) was also helping me out. For a little bit more money Ray threw in another smaller dry piece. So basically I got 2 dry pieces for 55 +tax. He also offered a soft case for each piece for 10 more, but unfortunately I didnt have the dough. Overall, I had a great experience at Whelan's. They were not pushy at all. I use to shop at big al's but they're really pushy. They really try to make you buy and get out the store as fast as they can. Whelan's let me take my time in looking at all of their glass. I didnt have the time to get to look at the rest of the shop, next time though I will. Next piece Im going to get, a high end wet pipe. Maybe a Roor. Ray also hooked me up with a VIP card. ps. See Ray no bs, I wrote a review haha. I bet you get a lot of people say that they will but dont. read more

Pretty Legit shit just need to give customers a chance to check out everything they have to offer.

I made the mistake of ordering on line 2 lighters from Zippo. They charged me twice as much for the packing and shipping as they did for the products themselves. Then when the lighters arrived, I couldn't get them to work. In desperation I went to Whelans at 2486 Bancroft Way in Berkeley and they fixed me up in 5 minutes. I tried to pay them $20 for their labor and expertesse but they would accept nothing from me. The name of the sales person who helped me is Michael and the owner's name is Ray, a French emigree who has accumulated an enormous inventory of all kinds of items related to smoking. God bless Whelans! Jim Lorenz. read more

I bought a "Da Buddha Vaporizor" from this place, payed the full price and although the product is fine, they sold it to me without the warranty and special bag that's supposed to be included, as well as not giving me a glass poker, owners manual, nor specified receipt. I would have to pay about $25 extra to purchase these items directly from "Seventh Floor"; items that were supposed to be included in the price. Additionally, if the device ever breaks, I'm not covered. Since they were just closing I didn't have time to check it all out. The moral of the story: do not make a purchase in haste, shop around. read more

Always take great care of me here. Good prices, quality products, and friendly and knowledgeable employees.

This place is awesome!! I come here for all sorts of smoke stuff. They have a snazzy selection of pipes for reasonable prices. Their bongs are beautifully made as well. If you want color, they've got you. If you want clear, they've got you. If you want incognito, they've got you. read more

Went into this shop lookin for the perfect pipe and was no means weary of walking out empty handed. Fell in love with a pipe immediately with a sweet bag! We've bought multiple pipes there and some yummy Shesha. Thanks for the great selection and good warm vibes ;) read more

These guys also hide reviews that tell everyone how shady they actually are. I know that i am not the only one who has had a bad experience and i think that people should be aware. read more

We came here just out of the blue and saw the 100th anniversary the place is so authentic and real, everything is so classic and almost are hand and glass made. The workers are nice and friendly they vibe out with you, and it's a real nice shop with literally everything from bongs, hookah, etc. read more

Workers were really helpful and the store is really nice and clean! Recommend it over any Berkeley smoke shop

Went here tonight to replace a piece I bought yesterday, that hadn't worked since I bought it. It was a piece that had a lighter built in. I paid $20 for it yesterday, and they said they would honor that price, when I went in today I told them it had broken, but that I didn't expect them to do anything about it, I just wanted to buy another. Well the senior employee argued with me, yelled at his employees in front of me for selling it to me at that price, and then told me that if I didn't pay cash he couldn't honor the price even though I paid card last night. Overall the senior employee was rude, condescending, and overall left a bad taste in my mouth. Needless to say I wont be back, while Big Al's is a bit pricier, they are much nicer and way more helpful. read more

Whelan's has the best selection of high quality glass pipes, bongs, hookas, etc. in the east bay. Some of the better stuff is pricey, but they have plenty of the cheap stuff too. You may have to bargain a little bit to get the right price on some items, but for me they've always matched or beat lower prices offered by other vendors. Also, I've never had a problem with _legitimate_ returns at Wehlans. In fact, a few days ago I bought a whip for my vaporizer. I left the headpiece on the vape for too long and it broke (totally my fault). I brought it into Whelan's for advice on how to fix it and they just up and gave me a new one for free! (worth $50). Love these guys. read more

I always enjoy my experience here!! Today, Abby helped me today and was so helpful and welcoming! I highly recommend Whelans!!

Came in to get a drain bowl for my HiSi and was greeted immediately. Super chill staff! This is the only smoke shop I go to on Telegraph because of their wide selection of stuff :) read more

Me and my wife found this store by accident... Cruising around the area trying to kill time til we meet up with her friends for dinner. And boy am I grateful that we did find this place. They have a great selection of hookahs ranging from $60 til $2600! The guys here are very helpful and suggested that if we really want to get in the hookah habit, we should invest in a good hookah. And so we did. I bought a Mya Bohemian hookah (the guy said they are the only supplier of MYAs in the bay area). He explained and showed us why we should purchase that instead of a regular unknown hookah. They really know their stuff.. One more thing that really impressed me is that they have their own brand of shisha. Pretty good stuff at a fairly reasonable price (4 flavors of shisha of your choice for 20 bucks) perfectly portioned. You'll never regret spending that much coz you'll have a lot of variety. Unlike buying the packed stuff for 10+ bucks that if you find out that it's not really of good quality, you'll end up having to deal with that until you finish the batch or just thow it away.. We live all the way in Hayward and will always come back here to get our hookah stuff.. read more

There dope with great prices and deals and are supportive in finding what u want. They really great on giving good warranty and support me and my friends in our most dramatic pipe situations. read more

These guys didn't know what the hell they were doing...I went in asking for a heating unit/skillet for my Honey Bee Vapor Pen...there were 3 guys working there and two of them kept asking the one guy about everything , they knew nothing...So he asked the guy if they have my product and the guy was with other customers and said...I will look when I'm finished with these people...So he finished and without evening looking says "We don't have those" he didn't look and had me wait 10 minutes while he finished and if he knew all along that they didn't have them , why didn't he tell me instead of having me wait 10 minutes ? So I then asked the guy helping me what is the cheapest vape pen they have and he asked the guy and the guy gave him the prices , and then the guy pulls out the original heating unit I was seeking...I said that is the piece I am looking for ! They said it's 7.99 with the globe it's 15.99 that is with the mouth piece too...they couldn't find the mouth piece to fit it yet still charged me 15.99...these guys are clueless...I sure as hell won't be back , but I give 2 stars because they do have quite a selection for other products. read more

I don't understand some of the negative reviews here. About the bad: Yes, I may be biased because I've been coming here for 5+ years, but I've spent tons of time in the shop. If you have a leaky e-cig cartridge and you wait a week to talk to the manager about it, then of course you're going to have a problem getting it resolved. If you buy Chinese replicas, stay silent for a week, and then complain, then you're the one who needs a negative review--not the shop. As for uninformed staff, I don't know what that user was talking about either. There are tons of different products all with varying prices, that are for RETAIL sale in the shop. This place isn't Amazon selling toilet paper at wholesale pricing. Employees come and go; you can't expect every one to know exactly what price is for every little item. My god, even I get lost at the amount of products they have in this small shop. New products are flowing in constantly. It's a smoke shop, not a JC Penney. I've seen people come back with problems and be helped appropriately. I've also seen people--who seem like they're scheming for personal benefit--come by and try to get redemption for their broken pipe/or product and be turned away. You get what you pay for, and 99 out 100 times that I shop here, I get just that. So if you buy a $15 ecig cartridge, it starts to fail after 24 hours, and you don't do anything about it and then get mad, then that is not the shop's fault. If you buy such a Chinese $15 cartridge anywhere else, it's going to be the same hit or miss. Trust me, I've spent hours at a time there. I've heard and seen it all haha. About the good: I've been coming to this shop for years and never had a problem. The staff are all great. I've bought a very wide-range of products from this shop and I can barely mention any negative experiences. The only negative experience I've ever had was either a leaky e-cig cartridge or a chipped bowl piece. If you point it out to them in-store or talk to them right after buying it, they will honor it. Good business, good people, great glass and smoking products. I definitely recommend Whelans. read more

Good smoke shop. They usually have good prices, but make sure you watch them wrap up your shit because I have been sold a broken piece before... read more

Awesome customer service! Mike helped me find the perfect piece and im very happy with it

Great experience with them gave my friends great deal and me. Had pass history with water pipes with them and they treat their customers well with warranty. read more

I went there yesterday to buy a new ash catcher for my piece. The employees were really helpful when it came to information and overall genuinely nice and friendly. read more

These guys have such a great attitude, and are very helpful with advice and problem solving.

This place is awesome! Mike was super helpful and patient answering all of our questions. Go!

Favorite place here! I visit at least once or twice every time I'm in Berkeley. Staff is always happy to help and glass is super pretty!

Great service, very helpful and friendly to costumers. Many items to choose from and for great prices. Will surely take a trip back soon.

Best spot within a 30 mile drive, hands down. They've personally tested every single product sold and they make their own hookah tobacco using honey instead of molasses so it's super smooth and tasty. For you, my friend, best price! read more

This place is awesome! I am new to the area and in need of a new hookah so I check yelp and tried this place. The guys were super duper nice and very knowledgeable about hookah. I was taught a few tricks of the trade and left feeling very happy and completely satisfied with my purchase! Their own homemade shisha was the bomb too with great flavors to chose from plus if you buy your hookah there you get 20% off forever on shisha and other hookah stuff, sweet! read more

The guy who owns it is the sweetest guy! He is super attentive and always gives me discounts. It is the best on Telegraph!

Living in Berkeley, finding a smoke shop isn't exactly a difficult task, and while most of them do just fine, none of them compare to Whelan's. Every time I go in there the staff are chill and insightful, and know exactly what I'm looking for. They recommended me my Da Buddha vaporizer and I've loved it ever since, and when I realized shortly after buying it that it was missing the glass pick, I went back and they gave me one with no hassle. When I was looking for a bong, they gave me the inside scoop on their terrific Hi Si pieces which most smoke shops don't carry. I bought one earlier today and words can't even express how great it is. IF I had to say one negative thing about them it's that they frown upon paying with plastic which can be a pain, but they'll take it if it's what you've got and they have an in house atm too. Nice people, great products, can't argue with that. read more

Amazing place. They have a great selection. Love their pipes. They have great deals and prices. Definitely coming back again soon!

Great selection and the staff is very helpful. They have everything you need in one shop. Thank you!! I will be back soon

I came here looking to buy my first hookah for my 18th birthday. Ray seriously hooked me up. He described the different hookahs to me and suggested one that I had to get. Not only did he give me great service, but he gave me an awesome discount, AND a birthday discount on top of that, AND he threw in some coals and some os their home-made sheesha. I will definitely be back for more. They will hook you up with everything you need and explain it all. This is a great shop! read more

So when I walked in to this little shop with way more smoking paraphernalia than this space should really be able to accomodate. The salesman is very charismatic and is knowlegable about having the best deals and quality hookahs, specifically the MYA brand with a quality washable/reusable hose, stainless steel stem and brass ring. None of the hookahs are price labeled, so he makes you a "deal" on the spot like a car salesman . This is a plus/minus depending If you are male and look like an experienced smoker vs. female and don't look like you are a regular smoker. Even though they had the 2 for 1 promotion posted, i was not given this option. A standard mya hookah, case, one pack of coals, one pack of shisha costed me $90. They will try to get you to get a pricier hookah and buy a metal stand on top of the bowl. If don't need a hookah right away, it is a better deal to get the mya hookah online because they are cheaper come also with a free case, and two packs of shisha and two packs of coal, and all the other tools. Also online merchants include set up/smoking instructions, Whelan's do not. read more

Whelans is a great place with great employees. They have a wide variety of glass, cigars, vapes and gifts that no other smoke shop can compare to. The employees are very personable and knowledgeable, and they will also work with the customer to find the right price for any item. read more

This place this the best smoke shop in Berkeley!! They have the best selection of pipes! I Always come here when I'm in town!! :)

Came in here looking for a new piece. Was very please with the service and the attention that Alex gave me. He gave me all his patience and answered any question that I had and even gave recommendation! By far the greatest and fastest experience! Thank you Alex and Whelans for the great products and service! read more

This is now my favorite smoke shop after zack hooked me up with a great piece for an even better price. Has a large selection of glass and good prices. It's the kind of place where you can't walk out empty handed. read more

Whelan's is great. They are the nicest guys that work in there. One day, i was there with the intention to buy a grinder with some friends and while we were looking around at a bong we plan on buying, I think it was Ray who helped us, asked if we wanted to buy it. We told him we were just looking but asked how much and he said 300. He suggested another bong that was basically identical to the one we were looking at and hit just as good. It was just a new brand and it was 120. He asked how much we had on us and we only had 100 so he gave it to us for 95. Great people, great place, great deals. Definitely shop at Whelan's read more