La Canela Restaurant & Hookah Lounge

When you leave La Canela--a hookah lounge that doubles as an authentic Mexican restaurant--you'll either feel appreciative that you uncovered a relatively cheap hookah bar, or leave with self-pity for not having any earplugs on hand.

In my case, I left feeling both.

La Canela offers a service that is abundant in its Astoria location, yet its nightclubish atmosphere attracts teenagers and young adults en masse--specifically when the sun's gone down. If you're looking for your run-of-the-mill hookah bar that's ideal for catching up with a friend who you haven't seen in a while, then there are by far better choices that are merely steps away.

When you plan a night out at La Canela, prepare to hear a cacophony of noises, be it from high school seniors who are all too thrilled to legally indulge in hookah smoke to the DJ up front blasting a slew of tunes ranging from reggaeton, hip-hop, and techno.

La Canela is fairly small and can be painstaking to maneuver through, especially when everybody is up and dancing in the already-limited space. The authentic Mexican cuisine surely makes up for this, though. Their seasoned steak and quesadillas are to die for, and their hookah flavors aren't half as bad, either. I recommend"blue mist" if you want a smooth taste.

Steinway St. is a battleground for hookah lounges that La Canela just isn't capable of taking. All in all, it's a good "innocent" spot to celebrate the end of the week in if you're in the mood for hookah, loud music, and an alcohol-free environment. Considering the amount of competition, however, La Canela just doesn't make too much of an effort to take the hookah title.

The hookah here is decent can't go wrong with flavors like blue mistwhich  goes for $15.

The one thing I love the most about this spot is the lemon chicken dish they served with rice and beans. Its just so delicious! Very rare to find a hookah lounge with food that good. I went with someone once who ordered some sort of steak dish and the meat was literally cooked to the point of being burnt very hard. Poor guy couldn't even eat it but was too shy to tell me! lol also the food is quite pricey but that can be expected with the fact that it is a hookah lounge and all.

Service is good depending on who's working. The most recent time I was there it was a friday night around 1-2am there was a very loud mixture of mainstream spanish music and hiphop. The music selection here is very good the volume can be a bit high at times. Over all not a bad experience and something worth trying out especially if your a halal food only person.

Honestly, I expected a lot more than what I got. However, I did have a good time and the music was amazing. Came here on a Friday night so it was pretty packed, but the service was still great. I would give this place 4 stars but the hookah wasn't really great. Wish there was more space to move around and dance a little :/