Hookah bar!

Last night I went to my first hookah bar, Rotana. I steal their wireless enough, so I figured it was the least I could do to go in and see what it was all about.

Compared to most of the hookah bars on my block (Steinway, between 28th and Astoria Blvd), Rotana seemed to be the most laid-back of the, I hesitate to say, "outsider-friendly" establishments. This neighborhood has the largest Arab population in the City, and while most, if not all of, the bars are open to the public, there are many where I've never seen any patrons who were not middle-aged-to-elderly Arab men. In contrast, there are also quite a few where I regularly see younger customers, including whites and Latinos, however most of those tend to be flashier, louder, chromed-out club-type establishments. Rotana, however, always seemed like a laid-back, relaxed place to sit back and enjoy hookah and conversation. I pass it every night on my way home, and I finally went in last night.

My friend Morgan and I got there around 11pm, and aside from a younger gentleman on his laptop in the front corner, the only customers were a group of 6-8 Arab men playing cards, engaged in what seemed to be an Arab version of a drinking game (though no alcohol was being consumed). The Cameroon-Egypt soccer match was muted on the flatscreen, and soft Middle Eastern music was playing.

We had the fakher hookah with fresh orange shisha that lasted the entire 2 hours we were there. The proprietor of the establishment was quite friendly and his staff quite attentive when it came time to switch out the coals. Around 12:30am, it began to pick up a little, as a few more patrons came in, and by nature of the cozy confines, it got slightly louder, but never intrusively so.

With the fresh shisha in fakher hookah, and 2 sodas, the grand total spent for 2 enjoyable hours of relaxing was $14. Not bad at all in this city and this economy, so Rotana can expect my patronage from now on.