This place wasn't so bad at all. Now, I normally do not frequent hookah establishments, but I thought the servers were nice to us (and we were being very loud and obnoxious the whole time - and kept dropping our hookah all over the place and just being very annoying), and that the price was good (ended up paying like 12 bucks). We also bought outside food and drinks, and they were okay with us having our drinks but not the food - and even gave us some time to put it away rather than yelling at us. So, we were told we have to order 3 hookahs because we were a party of 6 people. I was completely wasted and do not remember the flavors, but they were good flavors. I didn't like the music, and we requested they put some other music on - and they listened to us :) I thought the staff was nice, but I do think they need better lighting for selfies (drunk me wanted to snapchat major - but the lighting was making my pores look bad), and that maybe if they added some comfier furniture and paid more attention to our coals - it would be perfect. read more

This is the worst hookah I have ever been to in my life. I only came here because it was the only place open at 2pm. If you can avoid this place , please do! They have the worst customer service I have ever seen. The hookahs suck , and are old and disgusting. The guy ran after me outside when I went out to make a phone call because of the noise! He came outside and asked me if I wasn't going to pay, and when I said I'm just making a phone call he asked me to leave my ID! Like seriously I'm going to run away in broad daylight?! I have never had this kind of experience anywhere. They have such nasty attitudes and the hookahs are so over priced plus they add their own tip because they know their service sucks! Never coming back!! read more

Worst Hookah experience in my life.... I came in a group of 8 friends including myself... I had a new york nets baseball cap, fitted express shirt, jogger pants and sneakers... the bouncer gave me hell to get in... Since it was Saturday, no caps were allowed.. I complied and removed it and inserting in a bag in my hand..the bouncer denied me access...I then offered my cap to be placed inside my lady friend"s coach back pack.. he still refused... he denied others as well and stated we must put the hats in our vehicle.. NewsFlash!! We are in Queens and most people including myself dont drive!!! Then another bouncer told me to bribe them with alil extra cash to be allowed in!! This has to be the most ridiculous crap i have ever experienced...Eventually I got in and somehow snuck my cap in...Inside the place turned out to be dirty and sticky floors...Overall wasnt worth the hassle in the first place...Lastly this place doesnt have a kitchen to serve food....AVOID this place like the plague!!!! read more

I have to do a quick re-evaluation of Xhale, which will unfortunately knock it down star. I mentioned in my last review that it was the "Best hookah in NY" which is simply no longer true. While I still find myself visiting this place for it's setting and (now even better) food, with the rapid turnover of employees the hookah quality is very unstable and is no longer competitive for someone who truly knows or enjoys hookah. The service and staff are still great, however not quite as attentive as their predecessors. Still recommended, but hookah quality is consistently so-so. read more

We love the servers at xhale. Xhale has become an extension of our living room over the years. My husband chills there in the evenings when he gets home from work; i meet him up there for a bit and we go home lol. Xhale makes a great husband day care! You'll rest assured knowing your latch key husband is safe! Lol jk. The service is good the hookah is clean, and the food is wo definitely delicious. read more

Been going to the spot since 2015. Great hookah and great music and even better service! Recommend for a weekend spot!

This is one of my favorite chill spots. The staff is very friendly and it always has good music. The hookah flavors are very good and I would definitely recommend if you are in the area read more

Place is decent. Not too small not to big.The only downfall for us (friends and I) was that they didn't serve any alcoholic drinks. We came in thinking "omg hookah and drinks tonight " but got disappointed that they didn't serve alcohol. Also the tips to the hookah didn't even fit! Why give out hookah tips that don't fit? Don't understand that one!! It was so annoying to constantly hold the tip and plus if you didn't grab on to it well it would fall. Customer service was okay. read more

I've heard about this place but never knew it was located so close. Small spot that wasn't too busy on a Saturday afternoon. Great hookah with ice hoses. Service was decent. read more

Xhale - Hookah Bars Near Me - Forest Hills, New York

The worst place I've ever been. They "force" to pay the 15% tip, on overpriced food, ( it's on the menu ) hookahs are alright. But what really sucks is how unprofessional the staff is, NOT WELCOMING WHATSOEVER, so rude and their attitude is trash. Nor the place or your services are good for you to have such a nasty attitude. read more

I used to come to this place often but then I stopped going. I honestly think they lack in greeting people and making you feel welcome. This place is filled with younger kids not really my vibe and the bathroom is super dirty. The place is also very dark all the time and I feel like the owner needs to learn how to speak to customers. Overall bad experience read more

One of my favorite hookah lounges. Been coming here for awhile now and there hookah is still amazing. All there Flavors taste great and there service is amazing! Friendly staff and great music. read more

Their hookah sucks, brownish water started coming out through the top where the coal is which made the flavor taste so nasty. The hookah only lasted about an hour. Also, BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE... our waiter never bother to check up on us. We literally had to go up to him and ask him to change our coal and for the check. I'm upset tip was included in the bill because our waiter definitely didn't deserve it. And by the way WATCH OUT FOR WHEN THEY GIVE YOU CHANGE. I guess the people who work their don't know simple math. read more

SO a group of friends and I came here on a Saturday night (3/28) a little after midnight. Not sure if it was the cold weather or what it was- but this place was relatively dead. Less than 10-12 people were inside roughly, which we didn't mind at all since it was the 6 of us. Now the seating arrangement here is a bit weird, since we had to split our group with 4 people sitting in one area and 2 people sitting in the one next to us. No big deal though, not too packed and we just wanted a chill night. We primarily came here because a few of my friends were hungry, wanted to smoke a bit and TGIF wanted us to wait about 20 minutes to be seated. Fast forward about 5-10 minutes, one of the guys came up to our group and gave us menus. Cool, 5 minutes later we're all decided what we want to eat/smoke. I don't know who's genius idea it was to not use pen and paper to take orders...but this is what got to me (continue reading and you'll understand). One of the guys takes all our orders, both food and hookah. I was the last one who's order was taken and I ordered both food and a hookah as well, and I've got 3 others who sat around me who heard me order my stuff. Even the guy who took our order heard me since he repeated to me what I wanted. Our hookahs came first and they were alright. Initially it was good but the coals kept dying out quick for some reason. Food came about 5-10 minutes later for my friends that ordered but not my food. No biggie, figured since I ordered some chicken it would take a little longer to make or something. 10 more minutes pass and my group and I are wondering what the hell happened- so I ask the guy who took my order about my food and he had the audacity to say "I didn't order anything". Yup, he said it very straight that I didn't order any food. The 3 friends around me looked at him like he was stupid, but i'm not one for making a scene in person- so I just asked if he can place the order in then. What got to me is that not only did he blatantly lie to my face, he made himself look stupid in the process as well. How the heck do you take my order in front of 3 other people, repeat it to me and then later go on to say I didn't order anything?! SMH. Pen and paper good sir, it isn't too hard to use. Instead of trying to impress some 18-19 year old girls at 1am, try focusing on your job instead of slandering your customers. DJ here wasn't the greatest. Had a few good hits, but mostly did some weird mixes throughout the night (how does one mix hip hop w/ slow r&b?) Overall- I wasn't satisfied with my time here. I've heard very mixed reviews about this place, and now I can understand why. I don't mean to bash this place at all, but i'm not going to sugarcoat it either. My first time coming here was whack and it easily all could've been avoided if the staff just used pen and paper & did their jobs. read more

To be honest I used to enjoy coming here back when an old colleague used to own the lounge. Servers such as Ahad, Dil, Harry, and Sukhi are the ones that should get respected for their excellent customer service. Whenever you do decide to go there they have good deals on hookahs before 8pm. Unfortunately new management has caused this place to spiral downward. I commend the staff for their effort however some individuals have major attitude issues and wind up bashing on their customers. For example, I was at this establishment a few days ago and I was forced to pay before receiving anything. Which is a little odd however I did anyway since my group was looking forward to hanging out. Then I was told they needed to photocopy my ID. I literally felt insulted by the owner. After I demanded for a refund, the owner said to do a chargeback and they don't offer refunds nor refund receipts. I have texted the owner personally multiple times to kindly ask for a refund but no response (it was expected). I personally don't know who's at fault here but it's obviously not my fault. However I am still waiting on my refund for something that I shouldn't have been charged for. Xhale really needs to step their customer service and etiquette up. Pavit (Xhale Owner) I am eager to hear back from you about my refund and this review. After all of these issues are fixed I'll decide whether Xhale is an option. And as usual to all the Yelpers out there, you'll probably see the owner say something indifferent to what I claimed in this review. ***Quick Update: There we go ladies and gentlemen, the owner did not answer any of my questions, instead they called my group scammers and decided not to refund me. Well sir, the only person that's a scammer here is you. How are you going to charge someone for something they didn't receive? Instead they snarled away and threatened me with 'proper action.' (As stated in the response below). This was a simple issue and if this individual wants to pursue it, then go ahead. I'll be contacting the BBB as well. (No threat, it's just 'proper action'). Good Luck, Pavit. read more

Great hookah, staff is friendly and very talkative with their customers. I personally come here often and I think their hookah is one of the best in NYC. Also they have happy hour from 6-8 and all the normal hookahs are only $12. Try White Paan if you ever visit. read more

Hookah is solid ! Spot is very cozy and the happy hour deal is great ! Can't ask for more ! I was skeptical when I read the reviews but that totally changed when I went there . Staff is great , coal gets changed regularly . There is free wifi . Soo glad I found this spot ! read more

Not a fan, music is too loud. Couldn't really talk with friends because we had to yell. The coal service was bad also, not to mention that their prices are expensive. read more

Hookah is good food is good. But service is bad. Takes forever for coal or getting the attention of someone to ask for anything. Only reason I go here is cause its walking distance. Theu definitely need to work on their attentiveness. read more

All I can say is no thank you. The hookah is expensive for no reason because its not good at all. The crowd is all underaged annoying kids. The music sucks and even if it didn't, the place is so awkwardly designed that no one would dance there anyway. Better off going to the city and paying for something more reasonable. read more

Saying "this place was sketchy" doesn't cover it. It was a bit of a late-night hookah but the crowd was either underage, extremely creepy, or both. The hookah was OK, but far too expensive. We waited for at least 45 minutes (it was cold and raining, too!) before being seated in the front where there were an assortment of old, saggy throw pillows. Again, satisfactory hookah, but far too overpriced. read more

I walked into this spot on a Thursday afternoon and had to wait 5 minutes before someone tended to me. It was almost as if they didn't wanna help or take my hookah order. I got a grape mixed with mint hookah. The hookah was okay! But then again I would've preferred something a little stronger. The ambiance of the place was nice. Visually appealing if you could put it in simple words. I would have rated higher but the staff did not really pay attention to me even to pay for the bill I had to wave them down multiple times. All in all, this was an okay experience. read more

went here twice. first time i went, there was a guy at the door checking ID's who was such a jerk, name was Armin or something. So much atitude from that guy that I was gonna leave but I stuck aronud since some friends were there already. They were very strict on ID. We had a table closest to the kitchen. 99% of the patrons were Arabic/Paki/SomethingOfThatSort teens, who kept frequenting to the kitchen. Is that hygenic? Music was blasting sooo loud for such a cramped place, you had to scream to talk. Their green tea sucked as well. However, the hookah itself was really good, I had the Spongebob flavor. Second time I went was early July, same experince except there was no one at the door checking IDS. Was very full, no one came by to see if everything was OK. Hookahs are like at least 12$ for a regular and about 22$ for a fresh fruit hookah. This place would be great since theres not much nearby competition and their hookah is DELISH, but service sucks and music is as loud as if it was a club. Please. Youre a hookah lounge. read more

I used to go the this place very often and brought all my friends there for the lack of hookah bar existence in the neighborhood though service is bad. Long story short; you have to ask for your coal change and your request might be abandoned/forgotten. And the most important of all; I gave them my phone and my charger for them to charge my phone since there aren't any power outlets around the seating area. They changed my Apple charger with another one that isn't working. read more

I just tried it out after seeing some shaky reviews.The atmosphere and hookah was great and I will definitely be returning.

1) They serve food and drinks in plastic cups. 2) Coal change takes a long time. 3) They do not accept chip credit/debit cards and they do not tell you about it before you order. You are lucky if you have cash with you, otherwise you will have to walk to an atm. read more

This is a good spot to relax with friends. I remember coming here when it first opened with my cousins and didn't like the fact that they started charging a $5 cover fee after 9pm for LADIES ONLY! So we stopped going until a few weeks ago. Love the whole change, the vibe is more welcoming and their hookah is great, never disappointed. The staff is attentive and their food menu is good too. The spot is strictly Halal (which is a plus) so it doesnt serve alcohol. This has become my weekly go to spot. Highly recommend this place to everyone. read more

Would not come back here, I came here with a friend and we had order the strawberry hookah flavor. The waiter brought it to us within 10 mins (extra star), after the first 5 pulls I felt sick to my stomach; I rushed to the bathroom to puke! I don't know what was in it, but through out the years smoking hookah this never happened to me before. I will never come back to this place again!!! read more

Held my Birthday here. Service was great and very accommodating. Hookah was excellent! Everyone had a good time...two thumbs up!

Best smoothies and hookah The mood killer was they were taking long to bring the charcoal I'm Arab and I use hookah at home it doesn't take 20 minutes for it to turn up... We had to remind the waiter 3 times but I'll still go here well just sit closer to where the waiters sit which is towards the end with their backs towards us... read more

I don't know what people are giving this "lounge" above a 2 star rating (other than those directly affiliated to the owners/workers) but man has this place has taken a turn for the worst. this place was great before the new management that took over & changed so much. -with each visit, my hookah went from lasting me a good hour, hour and a half to just about 30 minutes. happy hour or not, that is unacceptable. even with the ice hose add-on ($5 plus tax) it STILL tastes burnt after 3 coal changes, keeping in mind that only TWO people are smoking. -other than happy hour, do you really expect me to pay over $25 for a hookah I can't even get my moneys worth for? I get that this is the only place in the area, but for what I get, I would rather go to steinway st (& their low standards are just a notch above xhale) -i've been coming here ever since they first opened in 2009 and the quality just continues to plummet significantly: *the green paan doesn't taste as good as it used to (it isn't hard to mix starbuzz blue mist, honeydew, & a tiny bit of orange together) *the starburst is horrible (even though it is just starbuzz blue mist & fumari lemon mint) at this point i'm starting to think they don't even use the brand names they say they do because when I purchase these flavors at home they taste MUCH better. -every time I have a question or a request I can never seem to get any of the worker's attention due to the fact that they are always spending most of their time by the bar chatting up amongst themselves and smoking on the clock. I don't pay that hefty gratuity for you to stand around and enjoy yourself while my hookah has no coal change & my food is taking over 20 minutes to come (when the restaurant is two doors down) & by the way, this is a lounge, not a club. i expect to hear myself speak to the person right in front of me and to hear them as well. but i cannot do this when the music is blaring on a Wednesday night. i hope every one who decides to come here thinks twice before wasting their hard earned money on subpar quality. read more

The BF and I have a small hookah at home and like to experiment with different flavor combinations and different liquids in the bottom, so we are no strangers to hookahs but this was our first time at an actually hookah lounge. The novelty of the experience was entertaining. However, the lounge itself was underwhelming and was definitely a hot spot for the underage crowd. We got two hookahs for the group and I enjoyed the lemon drop one a lot more than the skittles flavored one. I also really enjoyed getting to use a large hookah for a change and I think that I may look into getting a big one for the BF one of these days. I guess size does matter. What I didn't like was the draft running through the place. I couldn't impress the crowd with my awesome smoke rings since the room wasn't still enough. I also didn't like the fact that they didn't serve booze. Maybe it's just me but I really enjoy having a drink with my hookah. Since I have no frame of reference, this being my first hookah lounge, I can't really say how it stacks up to other places. I enjoyed myself mainly because it was something that I had never done before. However, I doubt that I will be coming back here. read more

Hookah mixes are unique and flavorful! The coals are changed frequently. Couldn't ask for more than that!

You want wacky flavors? if u can think of it they can make it... n if u can't think of it..... then they can recommend thier crazy flavors... for example they got SKITTLES HOOKAH.... which other hookah lounge had skittles or had skittles for over a year.... they got a VIP section.... a LIVE DJ and aHUGE TV for special event like boxing matches.. NBA, NFL, MLB sports.. plus they got fooood.... the more u go the better the service... i get treated like family.... itz better then going to Steinway Street and looking for parking... then getting shitty service.... and also bad hookah.. oh yeah u will c me there from thursday thru saturday.... c u there... and no more high school kids!!!! read more

They need to make it feel like a real lounge. Tables/chairs? why? Get some couches. They always have teens in there. The music is always way to loud. It's a lounge NOT A CLUB. People are trying to talk and they end up yelling at each other. The hookahs a SUPER expensive. It's over priced, understaffed, and just annoying. read more

The service is amazing first and foremost and the crowd is late teen early adults not young kids .. Lemon drop and incredible hulk hookah are a must !!! read more

I came here long back but this place changed completely...nice place to go.. The food is good, and the hookah was goood tooo! The service last 2 times were good as well! read more

Used to be my fav spot for hookah still amazing hookah but they have hired some wanna be thugs in there that have a funny attitude and act like there doing you a favor by bringing you coal . read more

After the new management took over the place has improved so much. Great choice of music that they play and the new workers are well mannered and nice :) great place to hangout with friends. Will be going again :) read more

The best, good music , great hookah , Philly cheesesteak was the bomb , and overall great service, the workers are always attentive and do their best. read more