Habibi Restaurant

Great food & great prices!

In the mood for some type of Middle-eastern food, I happened upon this place last night.  There was legal parking on the adjacent street ,overnight-permit, but this was before 6pm, so no prob.  WOW! I had no idea it was a Hookah Lounge as well as a restaurant! My Ist impression was that I had discovered some fabulous, secret place.  Instead of common tables and chairs, the very large, open room was filled with dark red velour couches and armchairs, with low, coffee-table-height tables.  There were four parties seated: 2 Middle-Eastern groups of men, 1 single man, one very visibly Caucasian couple. I wondered if they felt as out of place as I did. But they seemed very comfortable, leaning over to dine on their meal.  I surmised they'd been there before. Greeted by a pleasant young woman, I said "Wow.  This is amazing...I just came in for carry-out".  Sensing my discomfort, she quietly led me to the back of the room, & handed me a small menu.  I ordered two things on the menu that looked familiar: beef  shawarma meal, and a vegetable samosa.  As I paid for my food, I heard a rythmic, watery sucking noise...& realized the man sitting near me was partaking of a Hookah pipe... I then realized one other party also had a pipe going...As an asthmatic, I realized I couldn't stay in there; & went outside to wait in the fresh air.  When my food was ready, the woman brought my bag towards the door, thanking me (I think she'd noticed the tip).  When I got home, I enjoy a delicious soup with potato that came as part of the meal. The entree was plentiful and tasty...I like things mild. There was also a fresh green salad, which I appreciated, though it had a bit much vinaigrette dressing. The one actual disappointment was what was purportedly an order of  samosas.   I have had & loved samosas in numerous restaurants.  What I got were two small, fried cylinders...maybe they were out of samosas & thought I wouldn't know the difference? I was clearly out of my element... I will try this place again. Sadly- for my lung's health, it will have to be carry-out again. But I'll skip the samosa & get more of that yummy soup. I imagine it can be a very fun place for those with strong lungs to hang out with friends. BTW, am about to finish that beef shawarma for a late breakfast!

So let me give you the fair warning up front that I'm not going to bash this place. The previous reviews all come together as one big  bashing party, and I'm not attending.

I've done delivery once and sit down and eat twice, and I actually really like it. The hummus is spectacular, both by delivery and in house... the presentation combined with the taste could be award winning. The main courses are really well priced for the quality/freshness of both the meats and the veggies. One of the times I ate there the shwarma was superb, and the next time it was way over spiced, but the freshness is undeniable. The hookah is pretty do it yourself style... once you get your hookah don't expect someone to come over and check on your coals or anything of the sort (but they bring you tongs, mouth pieces, and two spare coals in the ash tray, so don't hesitate to do it yourself).

The service here is terrible, that I'll admit. Both of the times that I've been here I've had the same waitress and both times she's been inexcusably slow. Neither time was she responsible for more than 4-5 tables. You'll get menus quickly, but you'll have to wait awhile to order. To avoid this, I've learned to order everything at one time and go up to the counter and ask if you need something additional... but no, with gratuity included I shouldn't have to do that.  

Considering all of this, I've started attending like once a week as a low key date night, decent food, decent price, hookah adds some flair and its really chill. I'd recommend it.