Ali Baba Nargile

Best hookah in the city and we went to quite a few. It’s near the water on a strip with many other hookah cafes and restaurants. This one has both indoor and outdoor seating and offer great bar food too. They have many flavors of hookah to chose from and it’s cheap! The servers aren’t pushy either, which we appreciated. If it’s your last night in Istanbul, this is a great place to chill and enjoy the city.

I’m not sure about this place. Felt like a major tourist trap!
There were no prices on menu, so I’m pretty sure they made shit up and overcharged us for everything. They brought fruit and tea to the table as if were complimentary, but it was not. Your best bet is to let them know you don’t want it and have them remove it from the table. I wasn’t particularly fond of the staff surrounding our table as if they were conducting a training session on ‘How to Rip Off the Clueless Tourist“
I will award 2 stars because I was in good company, my cheese sandwich was delish and the hookah (nargile) was very smooth. The décor, despite being major sensory overload, was beautiful. Our waiter even taught us how to play backgammon — much to his boss’ chagrin.
Beware of peddlers as they freely walk into the restaurant and try to sell you roses — and get this — a picture of yourself! Lolwut?!? (The hustle is real in Istanbul and they don’t take no for an answer easily)
Overall the price for light bites, tea and 2 hookahs for 4 people was about $ 100 USD. Ridiculously overpriced. It definitely wasn’t the nargile experience I was looking for in Istanbul, but lesson learned.

Really bad. Very expansive and really not polite.

The ultimate place for waterpipe in Istanbul, kitsch interiors, friendly service and great location plus it’s open ²⁴⁄₇.