Ghaleb’s Grill and Hookah Lounge

If you are looking for a lame night, go here! Is it a club? Or is it hookah? Well both suck. The owner is rude. I asked her for a cup of water. She then told me to drink from the bathroom sink because I told her it’s crazy that they are a «grill» with «food» and couldn’t give me a single water cup. Worst place in the world! Also, if you like sitting on burnt cushion, this place is for you. Trashy. Not clean. Rude and easily annoyed staff. Dancers are awkward. Hookah stinks. Food is bad. Save yourself the time. You will never find me here!

The lady at the door made me hard with her beautiful Eastern European accent. The $ 5 cover charge and over priced hookah was not worth it. Yeah, I’d probably come back here again for shits and kicks.

When Ghaleb’s Grill and Hookah Lounge opened, the venue used to serve good Mediterranean and middle eastern cuisine, the hookah’s were good quality and the selection of shisha (flavored tobacco) was diverse, but the focused seemed to change when the venue opted to stop being known as a lounge and opted to be «club» and the noticeable shortcomings and failings as a nightclub are apparent.
The Hookah selection has dwindled over the years rather than using high quality Shisha like (Fumari, Tangeries, Al Fakher,) They use this low quality blend and that lacks flavor, the servers are very slow in keeping a customers hookah hot with fresh coals, simply leaving one coal is unacceptable since Shisha takes time to properly heat up, but since the sever was slow with the coals we had weak smoke all night. This could be easily be solved by opting for natural wood coals or coconara style coals as they burn longer and hotter, further more having the server return in a timely manner with fresh hot coals would be a step in the right direction.
The dance floor is never really full and the DJ’s really need to update their set list to reflect the more current music tastes of the crowd your’e trying to attract. The next biggest flaw is that the bartenders lack the basic skills to make staple drinks such as a «Manhattan» or «Martini», and charging upwards to $ 9,00 for a terrible drink + tip is unacceptable expand your selection and get some competent bartenders who actually know how to make a drink.
The shift away from a restaurant & hookah lounge, into a «club» has really set the place back, I was there with friends and didn’t enjoy it. As a hookah lounge it fails considerably and pales in comparison to Bloo over in tower, as a night club it fails. Although this venue is a good location it’s simply not worth it unless you have friends who are under 21 who want to go out.
If this business wants to actually compete with Bloo, improve your hookah selection with not only the best in traditional styles such as the Khali Mamoon brands but newer brands such as Lavoo or Fumo. Get better quality Shisha, use better coals, and have your servers return promptly to ensure that a customers experience smoking hookah is at it’s best, that alone will be a noticeable difference there’s no reason why anyone should have to wait 20 minutes for one coal.

18 and older. Hookah is low quality. Dance floor is mainly empty. Just come to dance with friends to sober up. Budget friendly for entry.

Ghaleb’s has a liquor license, a dance floor, big enough for it to be a dance club, chill bar, lounge area for hookah etc. Sounds great right? Well, they are not using it to their advantage. I went on a Saturday. Wasn’t hopping! Still, they asked for $ 5.00 cover charge. I asked for two songs to be played since my friends and I were the only one dancing on the dance floor! And they only Played one. Their dance song collection were stuck in the old rap/​hip hop mix of 2005! I am over 21, and was stuck literally
Stuck and isolated in the bar area because I was forbidden to take my drink with me to my seat or to the dance area! They segregated 21 and over away from everyone else. No fun. The drinks I ordered… Corona $ 5.00 each. Fine. I ordered Xrated as a drink, it was handed as a shot! And when I asked for a drink. Bartend put it in a glass added ice and handed it back to me! Cmon. You can have a full bar and it’s not stocked with appropriate things nor does it have an actual mixologist! So, unless they want to close down pretty soon I suggest they at least get something right. Their hookah! Whatever happened to customer service? I had to constantly ask for the coal! They used to have waitress who would take orders and make sure the coal is still good right? They gave away a ticket to win a free hookah. When we asked when they did the raffle the manager said they didn’t do it at all! This place sucks. Never going there again. It’s nice to have a liquor license! Have liquor and bartenders who know how to mix drinks. If you are going to pride yourself in being a hookah bar… Then serve your customers right! Okay good music and let people sit where they want with people they bring. Part of the liability of having 18 and over is under age drinking.
Dnt be cheap and hire security to watch dnt segregate 21 and over just cuz they have a drink in hand and isolate them to one area! If I really wanted to just sit and drink I could buy me a beer and stay home! I wish I didn’t have to give a star. It doesn’t deserve one. Cover charge is for bars and dance clubs that actually have people dancing and if there are only four people dancing, play a song they want to dance to! Just sayin…

The only reason we chose this place was because we wanted to go to a «club like» environment for our 18 and over friends. It was a Friday night and there was a cover charge, which I would have no problem with normally… But if there is basically no people in the «club» you would think there would be no cover charge. The ONLY positive thing I can say about this place is the girl at the door was very pleasant. We walk in and hear loud music, and absolutely no one dancing. Just a bunch of booths with «men» smoking hookah. Which ok, it’s a hookah lounge so it’s too be expected, but that environment does not encourage dancing… Not to mention the music was awful. Besides the two girls who clearly are paid to dance to the place, the female population in this lounge was very lacking.
We (both over 21) head straight for the bar. The «bartender» kept us waiting for at least 10 minutes. Mind you, there was a maximum 7 people standing at the bar. When he finally came over to us, he seemed to have no idea what he was doing. I asked for an Angry Orchard, no they don’t have any. I then asked if they had any cider beers. He said no, which is fine. It’s not always available at all bars. And by the looks of the bar I didn’t assume they would have it, but figured I would try. So then I went to my staple drink that I can get anywhere. I asked for a vodka press, but I wanted to know what kind of vodka they had. So I asked the «bartender» he paused and had to look back. I said, ok I can see you have Grey Goose, what else? Since apparently he had no idea. All he could come up with was Ciroc. I said do you have Kettle One. He said no… So I said ok can I have a Vodka Press with Grey Goose and if you have orange, can I have orange rather than limes? He said yes. And went about his way before taking my friends order. I guess he can’t handle two orders at once. He then disappeared. No joke, five minutes later he comes back with an orange in hand. Honestly, I would have been fine with lime, he didn’t need to go to the store and buy one. Finished the drink… And I kid you not it was a plastic 8 oz cup, filled up MAYBE halfway with a cloudy drink with some melted down ice (no orange slice). I looked at it and looked and him like it was some sort of joke. As my friend was ordering I take a sip and immediately know there was no sprite or carbonation of any sort. I had to ask the «bartender» to give me a splash of sprite or something. The irritated man then goes to the fridge behind him and cracks open a can of 7up and pours a splash. So know my cup is over the halfway mark… Barely. It was an $ 8 drink. Worst Vodka Press I’ve ever had, didn’t realize someone could mess that up. Now onto my friend… She wanted Hypnotic and wanted his advice on what he would recommend mixing with it. All he said was Xrated. She said ok fine. That. He comes back with the same size glass I had, this time the ice wasn’t melted, but the glass again was barely half full. At this point we were irritated. She said is that all? Can I have it filled to the top at least? He said «if you want to pay double!» She said ok, fine whatever. I just want a drink. He then filled it to the top. Her drink came out to $ 12.50? Really? We then went and sat with our 18 and over friends. The «bartender» then comes over and asks to see their wrist bands (different colors for 18 and over and 21 and over) theirs were clearly 18 and over. He said you can’t be here. We were all confused. He said you can’t be in the bar area. we did not know there was segregation in the club. He then basically pulls them over to the non-​bar area. We all go. Then he tells me and my friend we can’t go. We are even more confused. He said you can’t take the drinks past the bar area. I’m sorry, this is a club and if you want an alcoholic beverage you are forced to sit in a dark corner. You can’t go to the dance floor, bathroom, nope just some booths and a bar. That really irritated me more than anything. We are responsible adults and if you are worried about underage drinking maybe hire security. I had no intention on sharing my drink… What was left of it after my first sip. So I ended up hurrying and drinking my drink and sitting with the rest of my group.
The hookah… The coals were always cold and no one ever came around to our table unless we got up to find someone.
The DJ was a joke… He was stuck in the early 2000s. There were two girls who were paid to dance on boxes on the dance floor… And that’s it. Maybe one or two other people would get up for half a song before the DJ changed the song to some old school slow jams. Awful awful experience. I would NEVER go back. Oh and supposedly there was going to be a raffle and as we walk out we asked what seemed to be the manager about the raffle and he said Ummm no we aren’t doing that after all. Really?!? If I could give this place no stars I would.

Cover charge to get into this somewhat shady lowbrow combination of sad nightclub and hookah bar. Extremely limited bar, in some cases, as with ordering a gin drink, the only option they had to offer was well. Not sure the bartender understood how to run a tab. After each round of drinks I bought he kept running a tab and cashing me out on it, rather strange when you would think the bartender would want you to continue to drink, except he kept cashing out my credit card.
Rather expensive and small drinks, and the primary purpose of this venue was more a rundown dance club hookah bar.
I will say that the gentleman attending the hookah did a very good job and was on top of things but otherwise overprice.

Rude owner, over-​priced-​low-​quality hookah, and 10 $ for cover charge should offer a better surrounding. DJ was good but both the dance floor and booths were empty. Parking was good and security is nice. Bathrooms are clean.

This place use to be the place to hang out Friday nights. But since the place has changed so much and the crowd is filled with young teens it’s no longer a place to enjoy good hookah and music! First of all if you want to drink you have to sit at the bar far from any friend who can’t drink, it use to be where you can order a drink and sit with friends as long as you had a special bracelet saying your 21. The dancers use to come around with Jell-​O shots and other fun drinks and also pulling you to the dance floor. Now the dancers don’t make their around to the tables unless you order food and they change the coals. The prices are okay for the hookah but it’s not worth the trip! The dj plays the same songs over and over and some are just to slow to even dance too. Over all this place is no longer what it use to be. Semi friendly service but like I said the crowd is full of I just turned 18 year olds!

if you are desperate, this is the place for you. i have only been there for the club thing, and man… just ghetto and lame. drinks were ok, only thing that was not too bad.

This place charges to go in then the hookah is 25 bucks –_​_​_​–
Do not recommend but apparently the only chill hookah place in Fresno ;(

If I could give a negative star I would. If you care about how you spend your money avoid this place and give it to a homeless person. It will be better spent. Shit hookah. Shit service and shit atmosphere.

Went there because a friend was celebrating their birthday. Place charged us 20 bucks a piece for entry. The bouncers fail at trying to look intimidating. Music was garbage. The crowd consists of a bunch of teenagers. Bartender was rude and seemed more interested in texting then serving drinks. When we asked about getting bottle service they looked at us like we were speaking German. I’ll never come back to this dump again.

I can’t stand this place. The cover charge is crazy, they always have you wait in a line forever, as if the place is super busy, but it’s not. They let you in for free before a certain time if you’re on the guest list but they have you wait in line for an hour, which is ridiculous. The dance floor setup is awful. It’s an 18 and over place. Horrible music is played. It is just not a good time.
If you wanna go just for hookah, go somewhere else with a better atmosphere.

If I could give this place a lower rating I would. I have been to this place a few times over the years. It was a great place many years ago before they were shut down for serving drinks to minors. They used to have great people perform and there was a verity or music. Now, it’s heavy rap and it feels like it is nothing gang members go to the club. Food is ok, nothing special. The people who work there are nice but the manager is rude. I have watched her yell at customer in line who had a complaint about the cover charge increasing even tho they were going to close in a hour. All in all if I had a time machine I would go back to the year 2000 and party it up there. Now, save your money or go to the other Hookah lounge down the street.

Great hookah experience but the DJ is horrible! Please get a better DJ.

Came here when I was visiting my family and this place sucked. Maybe because I’m from the Bay Area I’m used to super fun hookah bars this place gets 1 star from an experienced narghile lounger. Don’t go

I was told by a DJ that this lounge was THE place to go.
I’d been looking for work and a good place to party, and a DJ told me they might be hiring and he could get me in. I got the number and decided to call them on my own.
Another DJ told me I needed to talk to the manager, to ask her questions about the lounge, etc. I also wanted to get ahold of her before going to Fresno, so it wouldn’t be a waste of time and money. (like in my Cage Bar review)
I called the lounge on a Tuesday after 6pm when they were open. The manager was very busy, and she wasn’t there. The employee was a bit rude, and didn’t seem to be interested in talking to me (even though I didn’t call for him).
The next day, I called around 8pm. I wanted to give the manager more time. She wasn’t at the lounge the second time I called either and the employee on the phone had the same nasty attitude.
At this point, I was getting irritated and I was about to give up. I told him I’d call back; and at 11pm on Wednesday night, I finally got to talk to the manager! Her employee handed her the phone. She was rude and nasty, and didn’t seem interested in talking to me. Her voice was dry and she didn’t sound like she was in the mood.
If the manager isn’t interested in talking to customers or possible employees, she isn’t getting my business or a high rating. After all of that, I wouldn’t step a foot in that lounge.
I wanted to share my experience.

I could not wait to get back to Ghaleb’s and get my hookah on! Boy was I disappointed when we drove up at 9:30p on a Thursday night and saw a line of children out front. Yes children!
We talked to the «bouncer», who was still young enough to be bounced on his mother’s knee, and asked what was going on. He said this was the line for the club and it is 18 and over. WHAT!?! Hey, we’re just want to smoke. Sorry, club doesn’t open til 10p. There’s a $ cover charge and you still have to wait in line. You can’t be serious. So there’s no one inside? Nope. Hmmm…
We decided to get in the VIP line… which meant the cover was $ 10 but you didn’t have to wait as long. Once we got in I talked to Ghaleb, the owner. I told him how annoyed we were for having to stand in line for 30 minutes with a bunch of kids who kept calling me ma’am. He apologized and said that the «bouncer» was wrong and that we could have come in. He hooked us up with the Rainbow flavored hookah.
All in all it was a fun night. My friend and I were quite entertained by the teenagers and so happy that we’ve moved past that. I just don’t know how the parents let these girls go out dressed like that on a Thursday night! But I digress.
Ghaleb’s is still a great place to go I would just recommend not going on Thurs-​Saturday nights.

Aldo’s, North of Shaw. This is it.
Wish I was exaggerating, but no. Police now swarm the area every Thursday-​Saturday night, shining lights on people in the parking lot and yelling for people to go home. I guess a gun was pulled inside the club a few weeks ago, so security makes you pull everything out of your pockets and wave the wand all over you. Is this what it takes to get into an 18+ place in Fresno?
It’s funny to see how skanky these girls dress. Girls with dresses so short, they ride up and you can clearly see the bottom half of their panties. I was at a VIP table smoking hookah with friends, and a random girl pulled the table away from me, got on top of me and gave me a lapdance– (if you want to get technical, she was riding me reverse cowgirl) until security told her to stop… LMAO!!!
Same overpriced shit and they nickel and dime you for everything. Same shitty service where it takes FOREVER to get more coals, or anything really besides the poor girls who keep trying to sell you those stupid gimmicky slushy hookah cups for commission…
But I STILL have fun! Couldn’t recommend it to people who aren’t in touch with their ghetto side, though…