Mirage Hookah Lounge & Smoke Shop

I am a big fan of smoking hookah, but I cannot stand not being able to touch my hookah and adjust it. I understand that at a hookah bar you can't let people do that because there are stupid people who will slip stuff in there, and stupid people who will burn themselves on the charcoals, but it just isn't for me.

But the bright side is that they do have good tasting shisha.

I did spend quite some time waiting for our burnt shisha to get fixed, but I think that is because the person who was working had friends there. I just don't think that the hookah bar thing is for me. So if someone is thinking about going here I say give it a try! It might be for you, it might not, but it is worth a try.

Cozy atmosphere, friendly service, good variety of flavors

We checked out Mirage tonight with our LivingSocial coupon that was about to expire. We were a little bit hesitant, because the only review here was negative, and they had a lot of filtered (i.e. possibly fake) reviews. Turns out we needn't have worried!

Pros:
- Good selection of basic and more exotic flavors, as well as some house mixes. We had one, not sure what it was called, but it was orange with a hint of mint. Very refreshing and sweet.
- Service was exceptionally friendly and helpful. They could've probably limited us to only the basic, cheaper hookah flavors, since the LivingSocial didn't specify anything, but they let us pick whatever we wanted.
- The place looks small on the outside but they have lots of seating, including armchairs and comfy couches.
- Contemporary music, and I'm sure that later in the night (we went around 9pm) there is dancing. That makes it one of the very few places where 18-20 year olds can go out dancing in Eugene.
- A different review complains about cleanliness and calls this place shabby. While the interior isn't as stylish (or touristy Middle Eastern) as most hookah bars I've been to, it's pretty plain, we felt that Mirage was by no means shabby. The place seemed very clean too!
- They have Kinder Bueno bars!!! So awesome! One of my favorite candy bars.

Cons:
- My husband wished they had better ventilation, for the smoke, though I can't say it bothered me. I grew up with heavy indoor smoking everywhere though, so maybe I've just built up a tolerance.
- Some more small tables in front of the couches maybe would be nice?
- Not sure they're equipped/licensed for it, or what exactly they currently serve (we saw a fridge with drinks, and two types of snacks), it would be nice if they served some basic bar food.
- Precisely because it's one of the few places where 18-20s can go out, the clientele consisted almost entirely of 18-20 year olds.

Conclusion: Nicer than expected, great service, good selection. I've been to nicer hookah bars elsewhere, but none in Eugene, and I would definitely go back here. I would especially recommend Mirage for the 18-20 crowd, I wish there'd been a place like this when I was under the drinking age!

Very shabby. Truly not just untidy, but unclean. The decor needs much improvement, and the employees need some customer service training.