Qahwah Cafe & Shisha Lounge — Restaurant in Toronto

Shisha is fantastic, great options and fairly priced. Atmosphere is nice as well, cosy and comfortable seating. Music is not too loud, sets an ambiance and you can hold a conversation well. Issue with this place was service, service felt non-existent. Initially we came in as a party of three. The server asked to seat us by the door and once a couch is available that they would move us. This never happened and they never sought to accommodate us elsewhere. Additionally they kept the door open and it was cold outside, we all had to wear our jackets while sitting in our seats. The instance that rubbed me the wrong way was when the server asked me which shisha we would like, while I told her one and looked at the menu for the second she turned around and started a conversation with another table. I was ready to order and she had our party wait until she was done talking before speaking with us…. It was extremely awkward. While we were seated the shisha took about 30min to come and the server dropped the two shisha without the plastic mouth pieces. While we were there the server did not check in on us and we had our coals changed only once and that was closer to the end when we were almost done. This place has good shisha but the service makes me not...

I am extremely disappointed with my experience today. As a long-time customer who has visited numerous times without issue—and even recommended this café to many others—I was shocked and disheartened to be denied service simply because I was accompanied by my fully trained service dog.

Under both provincial and federal laws, service dogs are legally permitted in public establishments, including restaurants and cafés. Despite this, the staff refused to accommodate me, which was not only frustrating but also deeply upsetting given my history as a loyal customer. Their lack of understanding and blatant disregard for accessibility rights is unacceptable.

The fact that I had been welcomed here in the past makes this incident even more disappointing. It is disheartening to see a business that I once supported treat a returning customer with such disregard. I hope management takes immediate steps to educate their staff on accessibility laws and the rights of individuals who rely on service animals.

Until this issue is properly addressed, I can no longer support or recommend this establishment. Discrimination—whether intentional or due to ignorance—has no place in the...

I do like this place and I give the service a five star rating because Basil and Anastasia are amazing. Also for transparency, they do ask you to leave a review, so take the reviews you read that are 5-star with a grain of salt.

I give the food a two star rating and the atmosphere a two star rating. Here are the reasons why:

it's expensive! One shisha and a bottle of water will cost you over $40. I am not sure if they include gratuity on the bill, but they do ask for a tip. It's possible that people are double tipping (gratuity + tip) which is morally and ethically wrong **ASK FOR A RECEIPT PEOPLE

the temperature of the place is very hot and uncomfortable; in the winter, they put the temperature to 24 or 25C which is extremely hot especially if you're wearing a sweater (which is expected in the winter). The recommended temperature for commercial establishments in Ontario is 18-21C, three to four degrees hotter is a huge difference

The food is not the greatest, likely because they don't really have a fully functioning kitchen in the back. It's also expensive and the quality doesn't justify the cost.

I can't complain about the shisha because it's great, just...