Ifrits Hookah Lounge

Ok I maybe a little bias cause grew up with one of the owners here, but I must say this place seems to always bring the good times when I come to town. It has great energy, great music, and just something different then your local honkey tonk bar. I also like it you can just chill and talk to some friends.

Ok, reality check: I grew up in Rapid City, SD which - while certainly a nice place to grow up - has always tended to be a trifle sheltered from modern trends. So imagine my surprise when, while visiting my dad over the holidays, I find a real, true-to-life hookah lounge! Go ahead, imagine it. I'll chill...

So then, aside from the pleasant surprise derived simply from this place's existence, it actually turned out to be seriously fly (that's still a hip word, right?).

Rundown time! They had...

-a very nice decor -- sort of a tongue-in-cheek middle eastern motif with large plants (possibly fake, didn't check) & camels literally painted on the walls, which never failed to amuse the crap outta me;

-a few TVs on the walls, but high up enough so they weren't distracting;

-a decently wide variety of tobacco flavors & brands at very respectable prices (of course I'm used to Chicago prices, so take that for what it's worth);

-a small but nice menu of beverages (no alcohol was served while I was there, but they had displayed a sign indicating they were just granted a license, so that may change);

-and every time I was there, great music! From the two nights I remember in particular: one had a DJ set up & mixing, the other had an abundance of Daft Punk, whom I love! (Full disclosure: while they didn't say anything, considering I was both visible & audible in my glee for their music selection that night, it's certainly quite possible they continued to play it for my sake.)

Then get this: to top off the wicked-fresh time I had there, one of the girls on the staff (ALL of whom were totally chill, nice, & laid back, lest I forget to mention it!) asked me if I'd tried a particular brand of tobacco they offered on their menu. I had not. It was the most expensive brand they carried (which I still considered awfully low priced), but she offered to let me try it at the same price as their lowest-priced brand the next time I came in, simply because she thought it was good & that I might like it. Now THAT'S the kind of service that gets repeat customers!

Too bad it costs over $400 to fly there...

Oh, btw, the only - & I repeat, ONLY - reason I give Ifrits 4 rather than 5 stars is because the general space is very open, with one long booth with separate tables in front of it alongside one wall, a small section of couches and chairs right in front of the large front window, & various tall round tables in the middle. This is a matter of personal preference here; I just prefer my hookah lounges to be somewhat more enclosed & cut off from the rest of the world & less like a restaurant.