Egyptian Coffee Shop

Love this place for a game of backgammon after a late night. The staff and customers are always friendly, the coffee and mint tea are delicious, and your hookah coals will always be attended to… plus they are cheap and don’t try to nickel and dime you like other hookah bars on Steinway

It truly feels like I’m sitting in a family owned hookah bar straight in Egypt. I love the atmosphere! Regular grown folks come here to have sessions and sip coffee or tea as well as smoke. They all talk in Arabic and have this drama going on. Coming to even little Egypt is a nice sight.
The owner is this elderly man who does a great job serving and taking care of his guests. He makes a mean Egyptian coffee which is off the charts! This is something to also have in NY.
He stirs the coffee with sugar in this coffee pot and takes his time preparing. He keeps stirring as the coffee is blending all together. Once the coffee is at it’s best, he gently pours it up on a short glass cup. What you get is this thick & dark chocolate colored brew that tastes like magic. It’s sweet and syrup-​textured. Egyptian coffee is crack to me. It’s addicting and it’s only $ 3! Totally worth it. Egyptian coffee also has its own category in terms of taste, texture, and the way it is served.
Overall I had a great time here and I also got to smoke for $ 7! It’s so cheap here. It’s honestly the closest thing to going to Egypt and smoking.

If you like the latest hit songs and perfect party mood than this is NOT the place for you. this is one the cheapest hookah on Steinway. It smells like strong coffee mixed hookah smoke, There is a hole in one of the wall, there alway bench of old people sitting playing cards or talking, lighting isnt that good nor color on the walls but they have fresh tasting hookah that last for good more then 2 hours easily. They have really good coffee and other hot drinks. this is not a fancy place but this is one those places where you pass by all the time but never notice it and once day a friend drags you in and then your hooked. The average bill for 3 people is like 30 or less. and some of the staff doesn’t speak good english but they are still super nice. 4 and half stares.

Fabulous!
Excellent Hookah bar with great hookah and amazing ambiance. Everything is decently priced, very cheap.
They know how to make a good hookah. Can’t go wrong with the double apple with mint. The coffee is really good too. My server was super friendly, very fast and kept changing coals multiple times. they all were on top of their game and provided attentive service! I noticed he was really talkative with a lot of the clients too, very cool. I found this Egyptian Coffee Shop via Unilocal and hope that my 5 star rating will encourage others to try this place.

The name really says its all. I was in Egypt a few months ago. This place perfectly captures the mood of an Egyptian coffee shop whether it be in Cairo or anywhere else in Egypt. Older men sitting around playing games, reading the paper, or watching old school movies on the TV. All the while smoking some good shisha. Not the best shisha but good enough. Ordered apple shisha. Service was prompt… maybe because I’m a bearded brown man =) Definitely would recommend to anyone looking for a legit Egyptian hookah experience.

I came here few months earlier. Amazing!!! They are so nice and friendly! It’s also very cheap here, worth every penny! Will come back for sure.

This is exactly how a hookah spot should be.
Dark, dingy, television blaring in arabic, dice hitting the board as two men play backgammon, fans blowing, and the thick stench of hookah.
Sigh. This place transports you to another world. It’s dirt cheap too to make the entire experience even more memorable. I used to stay all afternoon, drink turkish coffee and smoke my lungs black.
Avoid all the hookah spots on steinway, they will tempt you, and walk further until you reach this spot. It’s worth it.

I don’t understand these rave reviews.
i went there last night with two of my friends bc of all the good Unilocal reviews this place has. we walked in at around 9pm on a saturday — the place was empty. not a good sign, but we figured the night was early, so we sat down. i made eye contact with a few of the employees and waved them over — they ignored me. i got up and asked for a menu. they told me to sit down and wait, so i did. after 10 minutes, we left and walked down the street to Jasmin Lounge — where we were seated and served right away.
i suggest you do the same.

jayyid jiddan. i don’t like to fool around with frilly hookah bars that don’t know how to heat their own coals. this place brought me back to late nights in mohandessin and masr al-​qadima.
the tea with the mint is the way to go. take a warda shisha. play some backgammon and watch al-​ahly play if you choose.

Can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place yet considering how many times I’ve been!
So ok this place is the real deal. Egyptian Coffee Shop is the most authentic Egyptian coffee shop in New York. They picked a good name. (Though actually their Arabic name is different– it’s the name of some soap opera, but anyway). I lived in Egypt for 2 months and I must say every time I come here it’s like I’m back in Masr! I bring all my Egyptian friends here too and they agree.
Hookah and tea/​coffee are cheap and the waiters are so kind. Be sure to tip well. In nicer weather sit in the back garden area. In the winter try the Sahlab — the best in NY I swear. And their karkady is also out of this world, very strong just how I like it. As for the hookah the basics are the best. Apple, grape and ‘natural’. Their peach is pretty good too. And can’t forget the lemon and mint.
I don’t even know why you’re still reading this review and not going there RIGHT NOW. last time I checked they’re open ²⁴⁄₇!

Love this place. I get to practice my arabic on the waiters and their turkish coffee is so good! Used to come here a lot before with my friend who lived in the area but he has since moved to Cairo so it was up to me to maintain our tradition.
A hookah is $ 8 and they replace your coals as many times as you want.
You can just sit back and watch the giant tv which shows news from the nile or just watch the other patrons play backgammon. There are also pictures of prominent people on their walls– Gamal Nasser, Om Kalthoum, Mubarak (though I think they took his painting down since my last visit).
Paying is always an adventure as they’ve brought the Egyptian system of billing to Astoria with them– they just tell you how much you owe, no check, no list of items that you have ordered. If it weren’t so cheap already, I’d probably haggle a discount.
You can also order food from nearby restaurants and have them delivered straight to the shop. This place rocks.

This place brought back memories of the summer I spent in Egypt, where so many elderly men smoke hookah on the streets all day.
It’s seriously no-​frills and hole-​in-​the-​wall, especially compared to some of the dressed up hookah lounges in the area and in Manhattan. But I love it! The hookahs are as cheap as $ 8 for regular flavor, $ 12 for 2 people.
It can get kind of stuffy in there in the summer, and they don’t accept credit cards. So grab some cash and take a seat on the long bench and puff away!

Ro C took me here and I loved it! The prices were great and the hookah was yummy. Ro C and I had turkish coffee and the best mint tea ever. I love that people can stay there as long as they want and enjoy themselves and they don’t really care — they have games too which is awesome. I will definitely be going back here to chill, with my book in hand.

I wanted to get an authentic egyptian coffee and so i stumbled upon this place — I went mid day, it was empty — just the two owners smoking the hookah. We ordered 2 egyptian coffees which were excellent. The place itself feels very authentic, arabic music playing, a very plain, hole in the wall type feel. I really enjoyed the experience. The owners were also really friendly and welcoming!

It’s not the plush dark lounge atmosphere you may be used to in Manhattan — but it is cheap, and has authentic older Egyptian guys sitting around with the hookah never leaving their mouth, that don’t even speak a word of english. The guy who comes around to replace your burning coals actually does it with his BARE hands if the tongs don’t seem to be grabbing them easily enough.
And make no doubt about it, this place is OPEN — I was just there a few weeks ago and am going again next week. Someone made a mistake checking the box for «closed». I heard they cancelled their land-​line phone in favor of a cell phone (don’t know what it is) but they are definitely OPEN.

No frills. No nonsense. Authentic. Friendly to non-​arabs. Not pushy. Bring friends. Bring Conversation.
Enjoy Egyptian Coffee. Mint Tea. $ 8 hookah. Every flavor.
Sit outside and people watch. Smoke and people watch.
*Tip: Go across the street to the halal sandwich shop and order «kofta kebab sandwich, $ 6.»
*Tip2: Introduce yourself to the spanish guy who brings the coals for your hookah, slip him a few dollars tip. You’ll never wait for coals again, and he’ll remember you forever.

This place is amazing. We had just come back from a drag show and needed to wind down with some delicious Arabic tea and some powerful hookah. The staff, who were kind Egyptian gentlemen, were attentive and accommodating.
It’s actually $ 8 per hookah. They have good flavors and it is some strong stuff. The shalab drink is tasty and thick but $ 6. It was worth the money though. Try it! I highly recommend this place. It’s got an authentic Middle Eastern vibe and a great place to just chill with friends and enjoy the shisha experience.

I really like this place but if you can’t handle some dirt don’t bother. I have visited this place a few times, they wrote in a paper my favorite hookah flavor because they couldn’t find the correct English word. Their «coffee» is really good. They don’t have food but they would recommend the place across the street (I tried the kofte kebabs and enjoyed them). They have board games… you could bring yours anyway… and if you are lucky you might see the locals singing while they’re having some fun.

After passing by many times, knowing that this place had to be the most authentic hookah spot on the block, finally stopped in with 2 other Americans late one night…
Stopping at the front, peeking in– «well its the most well lit of all the hookah spots», expecting stares from the Egyptians, we entered…
We did get looks, and some laughter– but the laughter perpetuated through the night over stories told between the rustling of dice against the backgammon board– so we wrote that off.
Worked our way to the rear desk, can we smoke some hookah?, yea yea sit down anywhere.
Looking around– many men, many different skin tones, groups talking, playing games, some watching the encore action channel replay of «Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man» scrutinizing Mickey Rourke pre-​contorted face fire fights.
We got a 2 hookah and sat, and smoked, and tried to blend– but something was missing–
«drinks?» the guy says, and I say yea yea what ya got?
He sizes us up, no doubt assessing our level of American and says– «I bring some mint tea” it was very good.
but, when he brought them out, on the tray was a more tempting drink resembling a milkshake with coconut topping and raisins…
We finally asked to get one…
Sahlab– it was served hot, so good it made me forget about my enzyme deficiency.
The hookah was strong, the only thing that could enhance the high was rolling dice… lets play backgammon.
Without laughing, the President, Labib, watched Americans try to play– By now people walked by, pleased by our proactiveness, and constantly asking how we liked the Sahlab
I was real lightheaded and reluctantly had to leave, but we were there for 2 hours, and earned some sort of approval from the owners because the 3 workers offered a sincere offer to return along with a handshake… maybe it was because I could pass for an Egyptian

This place is the reason I spend so many nights crying/​complaining about missing NY. The best sheesha on this side of the Atlantic by far…
Now let’s get down to business — if you’re not middle eastern, be prepared to be leered at by the staff and other patrons, and expect a slightly longer wait for service.
if you’re female, for the sake of everyone, please cover your mamays… no one wants to hear you complain about the «skeezy terrorist» ooglin’ your goodies… you obviously wore that top so SOMEONE would oogle ‘em… if you walk down steinway in skanky clothes, people WILL talk so keep that in mind and leave the tube top at home (not that you should come nude, but leave it at home in exchange for something more conservative) This doesn’t necessarilly refer to the WONDERFUL staff at Egyptian Coffee Shop, but rather to Steinway as a whole.
if you’re female AND arab, that goes double for you — not only does someone probably know your father, but the skeezy men will stare twice as hard at their «own kind»
all of this being said, the atmosphere here (and in other sheesha spots on steinway) is amazing, they’re open til i believe 5 or 6 am, and you can’t beat the price or the flavor.