Bombay Hookah Lounge

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  My first visit here was with a friend to try hookah for the first time. We didn't eat anything but a small dessert, but after looking at the menu, I was a little sad that we had eaten dinner beforehand.  It was about 7 or 8 on a Friday night, and there were a few tables full.  The hookah experience was interesting, but probably not something I'd be eager to do again.
  
  I insisted that we return to actually eat dinner there a few weeks later. They had an extensive vegetarian menu, so I had an Indian dish that was pretty good.  They had an extensive drinks menu as well. However, we felt a little awkward as we were the only diners at the restaurant at about 6 on a Friday night.  There was a table of what seemed to be restaurant employees near us.
  
  Good place to try hookah with lots of different selections or just grab a bite to eat!

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  Posted on 08.10.12 Tabitha W.

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  I really really really like this place :-) Good hookah, good beer, good service, good prices, and good atmosphere.... Can't ask for more. I have been here twice and I have enjoyed both times. It's a very cool place to just come with your friends and just relax and enjoy some drinks with a good hookah. The flavors are very good and they are always paying attention to move your coals or give you new ones. I have been to many hooka places and this is one of the best places I have visited.

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  Posted on 06.01.12 Juan A.

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  Awful management! The service was absolutely awful! They only had one server on staff until 8 pm on a Friday night. Once more servers got there it got better, we were switched from our original server to a friendly girl server. However, throughout the evening before she got there our hookah was given away, we didn't receive all our food, and very slow to get refills/more drinks. At the end they make you pay at the front and do not have any digital dining system but write it out by hand. They completely overcharged us and added gratuity to a party of 4. We explained about the service and the bar manager yelled at us saying he have us great service(he was not our server but did get us 2 drinks). The issue escalated and both another manager/owner and the bar manager were yelling at my friend. I tried to get everyone to calm down and they continued to tell at us then me and said to never come back (with a lot of profanity) and that if we cannot afford to eat out do not and pointed at the manger's watch saying it was $20,000. I was so offended that they were talking to a woman in such a manner and would treat customers so disrespectfully. They are running a scam and were just awful. I would neve recommend this place to anyone. The food wasn't that good. We got 4 dishes and they all were sub par. The only good thing was the hummus. The server from the beginning admitted to running out of seesha and the manager made him go get more for the whole restaurant. It didn't taste that great and the mixed drinks were not good blends. It isn't worth it. Don't eat there- It just isn't worth it!

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  Posted on 02.20.12 Kerisa M.

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  Best Indian food on campus + Best Hookah on campus...!
  
  The food is reasonably priced and they keep doing drink specials. Make sure you try the JalJeera drink. One of the best places where you can relax after a stressful week of classes.
  
  The music could be a bit loud and annoying, but people feel free to bust their moves on some Punjabi tunes sometimes :) . They also have Karaoke nights occasionally.

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  Posted on 01.08.12 Aditya P.

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  8/10/2011 Update: I'm updating the review and dropping a star, as upon further hookah experiences I've learned that Bombay's hookahs don't smoke quite as smooth, cool, and enjoyable as they could.  I still prefer the decor, music, and atmosphere over Egyptian - but Egyptian's smoke is nicer.
  
  My wife and I had been talking about trying a hookah lounge for quite some time.  There's a few here in the Laf/WLaf area - mostly on campus and usually fairly crowded with campus-people.  (We're townies... :D)
  
  So, when our previously-favorite Indian restaurant re-imagined itself as a hookah lounge with Indian food, we figured we had to give them a try - it would just be a matter of "when."
  
  That was to be Saturday night.  We were planning a late-night - there was a music event at Sparrow - so we figured we'd chill out with some hookah and maybe some small Indian-fud beforehand.
  
  We went in, and were immediately impressed with what they'd done with the place!  Dark red walls, cushy seating, an elegant looking dark wood full bar.  
  
  And they were playing this cool mix of Indian trance music.
  
  Kick ass!
  
  We let the server know we were total n00bs, and he was happy to explain how the hookah worked, and told us about some popular smoke flavor combinations.
  
  We ordered our first blend ever - just white grape and mint - and one of their mango lassi/vodka drinks for each of us.  Not long later, the hookah was brought out, and short thereafter, the drinks.
  
  The drink was *incredible*.  Their lassi always was good, and the addition of Ketel One just made it better.
  
  But what you care about is the hookah.  As I said, this was our first time, but the hookah smoked super cool (like not smoking at all, as far as mouth/throat feel), and the flavor was exquisite.
  
  We went on to the aforementioned event, and afterwards, we decided to go back!  My wife was tired out from the dancing, and I needed to chill down a bit too, as, oddly enough, it was really my first time dancing, and I'm not real good at it. (But it was a good time!)
  
  Later at night (it was pushing 3am by now), they were playing a mix of some pretty cool hip-hop.
  
  This time, we got the "kama sutra" blend, and it was also quite wonderful.
  
  Then on Sunday, we went back a third time!
  
  This time, a female server who was *very* knowledgeable helped us.  We asked her what "pan" was and she extolled it's virtues (look it up!), so we settled on a pan/mint blend, and then after she told us what she was smoking, we got a refill with her "signature" blend - pan, white grape, and a tiny bit of rose.  Amazing!
  
  The food is just as good as when it was "just" an Indian restaurant, albeit with a smaller menu.  But, the addition of the hookah makes it...amazing!

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  Posted on 08.10.11 Jon C.

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  Edit: As with my husband Jon C, I'm dropping some stars and adding this header to the review to note that our hookah smoking experience was not as smooth as compared with the experience at other places and that we have had at home.
  
  Bombay Indian restaurant was our favorite restaurant in this area - now we have them and their fabulous food back in another form: The Bombay Hookah Lounge.
  
  Burgundy walls, comfy alcoves and chandeliers greet you as you walk in.   There's a hookah alcove set aside for private parties or hookah-fun, and a lot of tables/chairs in the middle of the floor.
  
  The bar is full and stocked with most of the basics - they have no craft beers on tap, but have pitchers of some of the nicer macro beers and bottles of a few others including Kingfisher.
  
  The appetizer and entree menus are well done and not expensive. I think the most expensive appetizer was $6 and the most expensive entree $9.  They range from Masala fries to Chicken Kebabs to Biryani (mmm, Biryani!).  The dessert menu has a lot of luscious sweets to complement whatever sweeter smoke you may be enjoying.  Ice creams, Indian cheeses, fruit plates and more!

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  Posted on 08.07.11 Lizz C.

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