Sphinx Cafe

Had a bad experience here. It was very expensive and the staff was not friendly. We got kicked out an hour and a half early after only being there for 45 minutes. Hookah is mediocre. I used to like the hookah place in North Oakland but now that is restaurant only. Why is there no hookah bar anywhere else in Oakland, Shadyside, or elsewhere East of downtown. *sigh*

Updated: I really like Mint which is a few blocks away. Friendlier staff and better prices with less restrictions.

four letters BYOB! nothing gets me fiending for a smoke much like drinking. love that you can combine both. the old school style cushions are awesome. no idea why people are griping about $12 bucks for hookah. Yada yada yada its cheaper to do it at home. But do you seriously want to think about loads of drunk people smoking hokkah in your home. im not going to sit around and bitch about prices when we all are capable of understanding overhead cost of running a business increases with alcohol. just go have a smoke at a hookah bar. at the end of the day if you do pay $15 bucks and singe their carpet a little, its shrugged off. but if you do it in your apartment, you can be sure thats a few hundred bucks out of your security deposit. just a thought.
back to the smoke--good tobacco!

I love the atmosphere here. Truth be told, I haven't been back since I quit smoking cigarettes but I had a lot of great times here with my friends when I was in undergrad. I also really enjoyed the extensive list of beverages here. It was a little expensive though depending on the quality of tobacco you choose. Also, the women's bathroom was kind of gross at times but maybe this has changed since I haven't been there in over two years. Another thing: it seemed to be taken over by the age 18-20 age group the last time I went.