This place was very shady on the outside, extremely dirty on the inside. From the second we got to the door the staff was extremely rude. They talked to me and my groip of friends like we were children and werent worthy to be there. Once inside it took a half gour to get our hookas and then another 15 minutes to get the COALS. Some poor guy threw up and THEY MADE HIM CLEAN IT UP. What are the pwople on staff for? When I said something he told me to 'get the fuck out and dont fucking argue. This is my fuckinf house and I have rules.' That was it for me. We left and will never come back. I would give negative stars if I could. Terrible esyablishment with norespect for their customers.
Review Source:This place is hella shady on the outside, and it only gets slightly better on the inside. Â I didn't really enjoy the service or the tobacco. Â Our hookah was really harsh, and we kept asking them to fix it, but they didn't do a good job. Â Also, there's a time limit of 45 mins to stay there.
I wouldn't recommend Blaze. Â Places in SJ are a lot better
I have been to this place a few times and its not bad. The location is a huge turn off but the inside decor and staff is pretty decent. They give you the option of either paying $11 for unlimited hookah(can change the bowl/flavor every 30 minutes) or you can smoke just one bowl for $18. The tobacco is pretty good and the coal they use makes the flavor last longer than most other hookah bars.
They also have a DJ on the weekends starting after 10pm and it starts to turn into a little mini hookah/dance place. If they could sell alcohol or had a bar next door, I think this place would be pretty busy.
This hookah bar has become my favorite one and I tend to find myself going back once every couple of weeks. If you are looking for a place to chill and relax, I would def. suggest this place.
Love their service.hookah does not get harsh.its more upscale and their enviroment feels safe.security is always ready at hand.clean restroom.
Location is a bit difficult to spot for the first time.lots of parking in lot.
Great marketing by dj k swiss!
No food.no alcohol provided. Dim mellow lighting with flat screens displayng music videos.
The 'muhammed Ali' has one hell of a kick! Try it!
Pretty okay place considering it's location. It looks like it may be the only building in business in this complex.
The inside looks very nice and they keep it well ventilated. However, they are slightly unprofessional. The workers there look (and act) like high school kids. They hop over the furniture, sit and chit chat/ smoke with their friends that come in neglecting the actual paying patrons in this establishment.
The seats are pretty dingy too. They look like someone beat the hell out of the cushions and backboards and then tried to scurry and put it back together before mom came home (ahaha). Other than that though the rest of the inside was decent. They have a tv in there but it's on mute due to the music playing (nothing wrong with that) and they do play a good selection of music.
If the seats were treated a little more kinder, the outside not looking like a total dump and the kid-like employees this place is bound to do well..
This place is TERRIBLE. My mother could pack a better bowl and give me a better session... and she doesn't smoke! For the price of this place (it adds up SO fast) I recommend you just buy your own hookah.
The interior is dark and the chairs/seating is uncomfortable. The nights I have been there, the music was unbearably loud. So loud that you had to yell to ask your seat partner to pass you the hose. Traditionally, smoking hookah is a form of relaxation... and I DEFINITELY can't relax in this place. Not to mention, it smells terrible (not flavorful shisha tobacco) but more like stale OLD tobacco. Not to mention, they only offer Starbuzz. For any experienced smokers... you know that SB is on the lower end of quality.
These people also think they know everything about hookah... when in fact they do not. They charge $2.00 for ICE for a "cooler" smoke. I wonder if they know that the colder the smoke, the less flavor there is? They basically scam their customers $2 bucks out for a hookah session that is less than subpar.
The cover charge... I don't even know what to say about the cover charge. You basically pay $10 extra dollars for an even WORSE experience.
Seriously, if you want a good smoking experience, just buy your own hookah, have some friends over, and put on some nice music, and I guarantee you'll have a much better time.
First of all, on weekends they not only make you stand outside until the security gaurd decides what time they want to let you in but they also charge a cover.. LOL! like really? you are in a ghetto part of hayward and you try to charge cover?? They pretend like they are an exclusive hookah lounge in san jose! Â
I recommend not going on a Friday/Saturday night because of the long wait and attitude, not to mention the 17 year old boppers that jam pack this place!
all of that aside, one time i went on a week night with some friends and we had a good time. Â Hookah flavors were good and the seating areas inside were nice and spacious. Â The 2 couches were so far apart though that over the music we were almost yelling to have a conversation.
Here's a tip, don't ignore your customers. Unlimited hookah doesn't mean that your friends can get a new flavor ever 15 minutes and everyone else has to wait 45 minutes between flavor swaps. The guy was very rude. Bad service--it felt like we were being ignored in our quiet group of three people. Creepy location. First time away from Palace Hookah and I will never go back to Blaze...it's nice looking on the inside but that's about it. If you aren't friends with the person working you'll get dicked around.
And by the way, "sweet" is an adjective.
When I ask what the flavor Jello Shots tastes like, don't look at me like I'm stupid and say "It's sweet." and then walk away.
This place was cool. Till they got horrible hoses that drag in water. It's disgusting. My friend and I asked them to fix it three times but it kept doing the same thing and they didn't ask to replace it. $15 per hookah for that disgusting issue. We just got up and left... Would not go back again. I also had gone there on a Friday night when they required a cover?! Why would you charge a cover to get into a place like that? It was a bad bad time at blaze hookah lounge. Would not recommend.
Review Source:The only reason i went to this place in the first place was because when i read the reviews on yelp they all sounded good.
But boy were alot of the reviews wrong. There was no one in the hookah place at all and the menu said the hookah was $15 but i got charged $17 with out knowing why. i dont mind paying that much for the hookah if their actually good.
The bowl burned in 20 mints and it was the worst hookah i have ever had hands down because from the second we got the hookah till we finished it was burned. They also use these cheap plastic hoes that are horrible.
I would never ever go back to that place ever, and i wouldn't recommended to anyone because the place is expensive, boring, the hookahs are horrible, and you will not get good customer service.
This place is boring! Its expensive, its ghetto!
Like another yelper said, if you have a car go to SF peninsula or southbay. The customer service sucks and they are extremely rude. They use tonic brand so the hookah sucks. The filter tips they provide keeps falling off and they make you purchase the strong and firm mouth piece filters for a dollar each, which i have not seen in any other hookah bar.
All in all, id only go there if i was desperate for hookah!
If you live in east bay and have a car, just drive to hookah bars in sf. Period.
Two of my friends and I walked in at around 11:00pm friday night. The door guy said it's $10 cover charge for each of us and an additional $10 hookah for us to share. HOLY CRAP $40 for all three of us in this craphole? NO WAY! The door guy saw us backing off from this deal and he immediately said each of us can just pay for the $10 cover and get hookah for free. HOLY CRAP! so if we didn't back off, we could've paid the extra $10? Seems like that extra $10 could be going straight into his pocket.
$30 for all three of us. The hookah was just mediocre. The flat screen tvs are showing muted bad quality music videos from youtube. And on top of that, there was a DJ playing bad music. Very little service at all. No other customers, no alcohol allowed, no tea, no water...I did a headcount at around 12:15 when we left the place. We were the only three customers inside and there were eight people out side. Seems like they were all the door guy's friends. Hey, this tells ALOT.
I've never been to Cairo Nights in sf but I've heard good things about it. Hanging out with high school kids in there should be fun, at least better than that gangsta wannabe door guy in here. I guess next time I will do the extra driving for better experience.
Don't come here alone.. Ever. I go out to these type of places to socialize. Kan Zaman and El Omda cafe were very social based and had bars.
The Hookah crowd is nothing like the typical bar scene around here. I came here for a party one night and was expecting dancing. They don't have a dance floor. This is the kind of place you come after you've drank/gotten high and want to chill.
They play great music. All the great hip/hop music ever. It is definitely a place to chill. But unless I have friends, I wouldn't go here alone. Smoking hookah alone is so boring and my b/f wouldn't be interested...He has to be in bed by 11 because he's 22+ older than me.
But I'll definitely come back, since I live right next door to this place. But it would be during the early morning or afternoon.
But it's Hayward. There's not much around here anyways. I'd hit the Turf or the Bistro...But alas, San Ho or the City is much better.
This place is kind of hard to find at first but it's really cheap! 3 people for $15 isn't bad but id say the service is inattentive and a bit slow. I liked the music they played, it was like a playlist mix of mainstream artists and house trance.
It's kinda of a shady place, and the decor is a bit cheap
but id still come here to hookah with buds
Interesting place, again now what I would have expected in this area. Â Perhaps in Haight/ Ashbury in the city but certainly not in this decrepit mall in Hayward.
Kudos to the owners who came up with the idea. Looks like they get quite a few folks from the Cal State campus nearby. I can see how this would be popular among the college kids. Good place to come by and chill with some buddies and try out something different.
They have a DJ on the weekends which is nice. Wish they had some food and drinks as well. That would round it off well. L Bonne which has some good food is just a few doors down but still.
I like they have really good ventilation and it does not get too smoky. Would still not recommend wearing your best sweater or jacket here though unless you want to take a trip to the dry cleaners the next day.
Good selection of flavors and comfy seats, but the music just wasn't cutting it for me. And the fact they don't serve any sort of food or tea is kind of a bummer. I was expecting to get some Turkish coffee to go with my hookah, but alas.
The staff is super nice, so credit is definitely due. I'll give them props for running a decent establishment in the most random part of Hayward.
Dude, my GF and I came back a few months later and not only did they remember us, they remembered what flavor we had! Really? That's just amazing.
A few months after that, we came in again along with my GF's friend. Their power happened to be out for 2 hours. We stayed in the pitch black (literally) along with 10 other people. We had hella fun still and they even went on a McDonalds run. The workers were entertaining with fire and soundboards. To me, this place is THE definition on how to run a business.
I think this place is confused on what it's supposed to be. When my group and I walked up to the front, the bouncer didn't look like he knew what he was doing even though there was no line and no one else around us trying to get in.
Once we were handed off to our host, who was polite and non-creepy, we walked in a large room with about 6-7 lounge areas and a DJ. The music was wayyy too loud and inappropriate for a hookah lounge. Are you really supposed to be playing clubbing/dance music at a hookah lounge? It's supposed to be a place where you can chill and have conversation with your group, isn't it? Aside from being out of place, the music selection wasn't horrible. But the mixing was!! Every time the DJ transitioned from one song to the next, I cringed out of embarrassment for him. I think there was a point when he even had to stop both of his turntables, lol.
It wasn't worth the $10 cover fee my bro-in-law paid. The complimentary hookah tasted pretty nasty, though it did its job without causing me major headaches. I wanted to try other flavors, but we wanted to bounce 'cause we were hungry and un-entertained. I also didn't like the fact that they didn't sell any type of tea. You know, to complement the hookah experience. A liquor license might have made the music more bearable.
Overall, Blaze isn't completely horrible. It's just kinda boring.
I went to Blaze trying to kill some time before picking up a friend at CSUEB. Â The hookah spot is located a few blocks down the hill from the campus.
I came on a Monday during happy hour and thus got 5$ off the hookah. Â I ended up getting one of their mint flavors since Blaze had a limited number of flavors to choose that day. Â From what the worker said, the weekends tend to be really busy and they easily find themselves out of stock of certain flavors on Monday.
Regardless of their limited selection, I enjoyed my flavor a lot. Â The hookah was quite smooth and the coals they use are a bit different than the standard ones you see. Â They use a coconut shell coal which makes it so the coals do not ash at much thus making the hookah last longer and stay smooth. Â
The service was incredible. Â I have to give props to the employee there, I never had to wave him down - he constantly came up and checked to make sure the hookah was not harsh. Â The people there were really friendly and they changed it to watch the World Series (Giants BABY!)
I would definitely come back!
this place is okay i guess!theres not many places to smoke hookah in hwd... its like this place and this other ghetto place on mission...
so me and my friends wanted to smoke hookah and heard this place was cool so we went,,,,,
when we got there we noticed their was a line outside...so we thought it would be pretty cool since a lot of people wanted to get it...we waited for like20 and then decided to cut BC it was Kinna sketchy out there...right when we were about to leave the owner stopped us and said if we waited a little more we would get a free hookah.. so we did :D and we got our free hookah... :)
the hookah smoke was realllyy harsh thoo! very hard to smoke , wasn't enjoyable at all..iv had way better..we even ordered a second one and it was just as bad.
they placed good music and there was some people dancing too so the atmosphere was pretty coo
---the crowed that gathers there tho,, was Kinna whack....a whole bunch a kids ://
overall , good service i guess but crappy hookah.eh. i don't really recommend this place :/
def would have rated this a zero.
so my friend wanted to hookah, and she already had been to blaze with her siblings before. so she decided to take me and 3 other friends.
we got there on a friday or saturday night.
there was no line, but there were like four guys standing out the door, two of them were security, and im guessing the others were their friends.
anyways we all waited in line.
so the security guy said $10 for girls and $12 for guys.
and $10 for the hookah for three people.
this wasn't a club. so we decided to leave,
we got into the car
and the security guy had said that he talked to the owner and said that everyone can pay $10 and the hookah would be on the house.
so then we were still debating
and decided to wait in line again.
so this time.
some other guy said $10 for girls and $12 for guys.
and we said the security guard said that we can all be charged for 10.
and get two free hookahs.
and the guy said "who told you that. the tall black guy"
and we said yeah, the manger told him, and he said " well i am the manager,and i never told him that."
and were like well he told us that,
and he said "okay"
so we were about to give him the money,
and our other three friendds didnt have cash, and he said they charge $2 extra for using credit card.
so they decided to use one.
and he said " we still charge two dollars for each person"
and so we decided to leave.
i guess you could say i didnt really experience this, but wth!
is this a club? why are you charging me to just smoke hooka., and listen to some music. i don't even think there is even any dancing!
and that guy who said he was the manager, wasn't even the manager,
cause my friends brother met the manager before and he ain't no indian guy, she said he was black. so why you trying to lie to us. all because were all asian doesn't mean you can sucker us for our money. we're not dumb. and i don't see why they need a cover charge. so dumb!
i don't even think i'm every going to try this place ever. esp if i have to pay a cover for it!
Blaze hookah is a great lounge with good vibes. The atmosphere is very peaceful and ran by kind and helpful employees. They have a good variety of shisha flavors from sex on the beach to strawberry citrus mint. My personal favorite is the the mojito lemon mint which gives off a good mint flavor that does not over power the lemon, and it can be enjoyed by all who enjoy smoking hookah. The prices here are very reasonable especially during there happy hour and is a great way to just relax and relieve stress without spending too much.
Review Source:I've been here for the past four weeks about two times a week or more. Always showing up with a crew of six or seven people, because we agree its cheap and has a good variety of flavors. The parking sucks because, its one-way drive in, only the couches are comfortable and 'nice'. There's deals on specific nights.
HORRIBLE service, constantly trying to get the attention of the workers when somethings wrong with our hookahs, they always have attitude when walking up to us or as we walk into the lounge. Can we get some respect please? We WERE regular customers but, DEFINITELY not anymore.
Either the website description played us or the hype is just a lie. We get at least 2-3 hookahs and it always has to be that one is always wayyyyy to harsh! Always too stuffy in the area, need some windows or keep the fans on at least.
Also, reading Lauren B.'s review made me question, why do they pat down other customers, but not everyone? My friends always show up with hats, and why aren't they regulated? Not that I want them to be, but shouldn't it be fair and not zeroing out everyone they 'prefer'.
Lost 7 customers.
Had the Strawberry Citrus Mint shisha and it was really good and smooth. After happy hour their hookahs are either $15, or $20 depending on what flavor you get. It's up to three people per hookah, and there was already three of us there but our friend invited two other people and they didn't say anything. The service was good, and after about an hour and four people smoking, it was still hitting strong. During happy hour it is $5 off and that is from 2PM - 6PM. I would definitely go again! Good spot to smoke!
Review Source:I just came back from this place and it was my first time coming here, or any hookah lounge for that matter, and I was pretty disappointed. The site played it up to be a place hella crackin' but it didn't live up to the hype, maybe it was just this night, idk. I had to pay a $5 cover to get in. My friend said hookah places don't usually do a cover charge, but I guess this place does on Fridays and Saturdays
The prices (in terms of paying) were a little confusing, but since it wasn't happy hour, or college night, the price for a 3 person hookah on Saturday night at midnight is $15 -- $5 for cover, $10 for hookah.
I didn't catch the dooman's name but he was very accommodating. We asked him what flavor was good and he was dead on. He recommended Strawberry Citrus Mint. I was a little skeptical at first, I mean, MINT? But the flavor turned out to be way better than I expected. Along with the light fruit flavor, their was a cool menthol feeling that soothed my throat. This is probably my new favorite flavor. So I definitely recommend that.
The service was REALLY slow. It took like 15 minutes before we were able to "order" our tobacco, and it took another 20 minutes to get our hookah set up with the shisha and coals. And no one came to check up on us, even though we really didn't need it.
In terms of payment method, you pay for the hookah BEFORE you start. We didn't know that, so we paid when we were done, which we shouldn't have. We could have walked out with our $10, since the service sucked and the guy at the register wasn't even paying attention or anyone else for that matter. But since a former classmate and her family owns this place, I'd feel bad. Yeah, yeah, my morals and conscience kicked in, but really though, it wasn't worth the money paid.
My two stars actually go to the doorman/server and for the hookah flavor we chose.
I came to this hookah lounge twice. The first time, I had a very good experience. However, after the second, I don't think I'd come here again.
The first time, I thought it looked like a cool place. The outside does not look that great but the inside is cool. The hookah was really good. The flavor was good and the service was really good. The guy kept coming every 10 minutes or so to check on the coal and the hookah to make sure everything was running smoothly. After this visit, I really liked the place.
However, I came back a couple days later. We got there at like 11:30 and we got seated and everything. This time, the hookah was not good and the service was horrible. Right within the first 5 minutes that we got the hookah, it was very harsh. We just kept smoking it waiting for the guy to come around and check on it but he never did. We finally went to tell him and he was nice about it. He fixed it and it seemed okay but it was only good for about 5 more minutes until it became harsh again and the smoke was really thin. Again, we had to tell the guy. He never walked around to check on coals or to make sure everything was okay. Then after having the hookah for about 20 minutes with it never working well, my brother finally fixed it himself. It finally worked perfectly. Then, at 12, they shut off all the music and told us that they were closing. It was pretty annoying because not only did our hookah suck and we had horrible service, now they're going to close and not give us a warning or anything. They should've told us when we got there that they would be closing in 30 minutes. Instead, they still served us and others that came after us. After this second time coming here, I wouldn't come here again.
I'm not even sure where to start. I was pretty disappointed when I pulled up, the outside of the location looked a little run down. Located in what appears to be some older strip mall, Blaze wasn't quite what the website played it up to be. We arrived and were greeted by two bouncers who were nice. They told us that it would be $10 just to get in the door because it was a private party??? I'm not sure what that means but right after I handed over my $10 they patted my friend down so hard that they knocked stuff out of his hands and told him that they enforced a dress code and he had to take his hat off. Okay, fine, we weren't really phased by. What I thought was odd was that later as more people came no one else got searched or patted down?
We entered the lounge and honestly couldn't believe what we were seeing. According to the website you should "arrive early because they will be at full capacity" which isn't hard to believe when they only have about 6 tables and one VIP area. We got there about 9:30 and there was hardly anyone there. The place was small and every thing was really close together. We paid for the hookah and were seated around a table on two couches. I have to give them credit that they were pretty attentive about making sure we were enjoying ourselves and that the hookah was working well.
As the night progressed things just got weird. The DJ was okay but there really wasn't anywhere to dance or socialize. Some of the employees took off their dress shirts and were helping people in wife beaters (so much for the dress code). It just seemed like overall they were trying to glam this place up and make is so much more than it actually is. I think I wouldn't have been as annoyed and disappointed if the website portrayed it more accurately and some of the employees didn't try to make it like it was some sort of exclusive club or something.
This place has been the most spacious hookah lounge I have seen in a long time. They apparently have 'hookah chefs' who whip up a mean blend of flavored tobacco.. I got a taste of it and it was pretty yummy. I tired the peaches and cream and oooo--weeee was it delish. The people working there are extremely friendly and their music choice is def bangin. I heard they host parties on the weekends with DJs and what not so I'll def try to hit that up sometime. Overall, I had a good experience and wouldn't mind going back to chill!
Review Source:This review might be a little long, but worth the time to read it...
First, I would like to say that my husband and I have been to many many hookah lounges across several states (California, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, D.C.) and are quite experienced in judging "good" and "not-so-good" establishments. Okay, so here's the review...
This lounge is EXCELLENT and I am so grateful to have found a quality place with outstanding customer service. The parking is perfect as it seems to be the only establishment open in the lot, so parking should never be a problem. The ambiance is more catered to the college crowd, with popular music playing (and a few traditional Arab songs mixed in). At first it seems too loud, but you actually get used to it and can still hold a conversation with the people next to and across from you without shouting. It is set up very well, with comfortable couches to provide ample seating.
They use Tonic brand of tobacco, which I believe to be one of the highest quality brands out there (along with Starbuzz). The flavors are spot-on (blackberry tastes like blackberry, etc) and very smooth (not to be confused with weak). Other reviewers commented on the "chef" and his name is Steve. He uses a different type of coal than you would normally see, which is made from coconut to avoid the ashy flavor and short burn time. Steve also makes his own flavors (a few bucks extra - but worth it) that are listed under "house flavors". We tried the Jazmine's Orchid and Karma Sutra - I would recommend either.
Given that we went during peak hours - late on a Friday night, you would typically expect slower service. Not the case at all. The staff made you feel like you were the only ones there and certainly earn every penny of the tips that they work for.
My only *small* complaint would be the music is a little loud and my personal preference is for them to play only traditional Arab music, but they do cater to their CSU East Bay clientele.
Tuesday is College Night with $10 per hookah (usually $16 for regular and $19 for Steve's house specials). Wednesday is movie night and Thursday is Arab night where they play only traditional music and are looking to have a belly dancer.
This place is a must-try if you are in the market for very reasonably priced hookah with excellent customer service. You will not be disappointed!
I adore hookah!
In fact...some may say I'm addicted! I have hookah, what, 4-5 times a month if not more? And this is 4-5 times of going OUT for hookah. For the money I drop on hookah I could have bought a gorgeous, multi-pipe hookah for my home with all the trimmings. But smoking at home just isn't the same as going out with the girls, so I don't mind paying for the atmosphere.
This place is very chill. I came here on a Wednesday night 10 days after it opened. One of the owners, Steve I think, was very sweet, somewhat flirtatious (but not offensive at all), and kept slyly pushing the tip jar in my general direction (I did tip before leaving, btw).
There are a lot of new flavors on the menu, mainly specially made by the "chefs". There are a few flat screen tvs with movies on, but I prefer the tv to be off, music is much more relaxing. As soon as I came in from a long day at work I put my feet up on the table like I owned the place...and Steve was quick to comment on it and laugh at me.
The hookah was not harsh at all. The question of harshness never arose and it lasted for a good 3 hours. The place emptied out close to midnight and was much more peaceful with everyone gone. I believe I had the lemon mint when I went, but I can't quite remember. I do remember enjoying myself though!
Going back tonight to try another flavor ($7 per person, not bad). And today being a Monday night, I'm hoping there won't be too many of the college crowd. Me and my old butt (a whopping 25) want some TLC time to chill.
YAY FOR HOOKAH! Â
Actually, let me say it again. . . YAY FOR HOOKAH IN HAYWARD! Â
I, honestly, can't hide my excitement over the fact that such a place exists locally. Â SEE. . . ..I told you Hayward was coming up. Â
Anyway, Â my experience here was nothing but pleasant. Â The staff was not only very accommodating, they were very friendly, as well. Â And it's actually a pretty decent-sized place filled with plush seats and seductive red lighting. Yup yup. It could very well be a back drop for a music video.
They also carry an extensive menu of hookah flavors, which was not only smooth, it was rich, as well. Oh, and they have a Hookah Chef present, who makes sure your hookah is done right.
Really good stuff. Â
Personally, I think this is a great place to just chill, relax, and kick it with folks. Â This is a no-drama environment and who can say no to that? Â
A YES for me!
Blaze Hookah Lounge in hayward is one of the best hookah lounges in the bay area, hands down!!. Â First the owners are very welcoming, friendly and provide great service. Â Their servers are also very welcoming, and they have a HOOKAH CHEF, a concept I haven't seen before at any other hookah lounge before. Â Their hookah chef specializes in house flavors (try the Jasmine's Orchid) and they are made very good. Â The hookahs are very good, well prepared and smooth. Â Their decor is excellent and they even have a VIP lounge.
The crowd is mixed, made up of young and old, mostly college students. Â Their prices are reasonable and on par with other hookah lounges. Â I go there frequently because it's located in my hometown and they provide excellent service and great hookahs and to top it off, they have a very nice atmosphere inside.