BlaqHaus NoHo — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Wanted to like the place since it had a nice vibe and found out they had hookah so I was excited.

Ordered hookah, it was assumed that the hookah was on happy hour which means we get it free for classic when app or cocktail is purchased. 5-8pm mon-thurs as per the advertisements placed on the table. Was told that hh ends at 7pm instead of the stated "8pm". We inquired about that and manager told us that theyll charge us only $10 since we got premium. Which I understand. Then manager sent server to tell us that actually they charge us $15 cause the hookah was $40 instead of what is seen online of $35. Why the confusion in prices???? This is when everything went downhill.

The coals were NEVER replaced with our hookah which is included in the price. Asked to get them replaced and the manager gave smart rebuttals. Was told "we were asking for too much" BY A MANAGER... then said that she would replace the coals but she then opened the shisha and said it was completely burned so she couldn't replace it. But I didn't know if that was maybe another one of her smart rebuttals? We then waited another 15-20 min for the replaced coals. Was delivered the check instead and we then inquired about the hookah. Server didn't seem to know anything. Manager came out to tell us that "they couldn't replace the hookah cause the shisha was completely burned and that's not good for the body, we can give you more but we would have to charge you extra". But why were the coals never changed or the hookah checked up on to begin with??

Manager doesn't know how to communicate effectively. She was saying smart remarks and gave plenty of excuses as to why she couldn't address the issues at hand.

The mac and cheese was insanely oily, though it was good, but i had to drain the mac from the oil to eat it. The drink I had, which was a strawberry refresher with tequila, tasted like handsanitizer. Towards the end of my night, I over heard another group complain about the same drink I got. Manager explained to them that "its like when people cook. Some is made with love and some isn't. But everyone is following the same drink recipe" again, the Manager seems to have plenty of excuses as to why things weren't up to par.

I told the manager that I didn't like the drink, she offered to replace it. However I refused cause it was getting late since I was waiting for the hookah replacement that didn't end up coming.

They added an automatic 18% gratuity to our two person check. Which it's not stated anywhere that it is required for all tables.

I was frustrated and confused cause it's not like the establishment was busy and we still we weren't given adequate costumer service, and that's putting it nicely.

I walk in to check out, server told me thank you and to have a good night. But as I pass the bar top where the Manager was standing next to, she seemed to completely ignore me. No "have a good night" or "thank you for coming" were uttered from her.

I was planning to come back with friends cause I really enjoyed the music and ambiance. But after that terrible experience, I can't bring myself to come back again. There are way too many other hookah...

Update: never received the overcharge back, and was in fact charged even more than was on our receipt, so theft now. Thank god for Amex.

EDIT: In response to BlaqHaus’ reply, me rating Trader Joe’s for selling spoiled meat and this one Chick-fil-A for having poor customer service have no bearing on your establishment. I tend to use reviews for stellar experiences (not you) or when people need to be warned (you). You failing to address anything service-related in my review says it all; just more excuses. my “high” expectations are to not wait over double the time specified by your “Rules” or waitstaff. 45 minutes for a basic coffee! I suggest focusing your energy more on restaurant improvements than Google review histories.

This was a wholly disappointing experience. We waited 40 minutes during brunch for mimosas. Juice and sparkling wine. Takes 30 seconds to make. We Waited and additional 15 minutes for a mixed drink. So an hour total for just drinks when it wasn’t insanely busy. It was 90 minutes total for food. The menu states max 40 minutes during brunch, and the server emphatically insisted max 40 minutes for food. Even a coffee took 45 minutes. The server was quick to pass blame to the kitchen and bar (very common nowadays) and then stated he pours the mimosas.

At some point, it’s not just the kitchen. It’s the entire establishment. The food was fine. Nothing special. Incorrect too, but after waiting an hour and a half we weren’t sending anything back (and the bacon tasted awful; like a funny plastic taste to it). When the bill came, we were charged for appetizers we never received, and also had two different servers bring food out to our table that matched our order but we had already eaten. So a big breakdown somewhere. We overpaid due to paying before noticing we were still charged for the appetizer, and getting that credited was a whole another process. Still don’t know if we were compensated for the difference, but that’ll be something for my credit card company to take up if not. Additionally, the menu and website state automatic gratuity for 6 people, but it was added on the online tab even when it was just two people. So it’s an auto 18% regardless of party size (we had a total of 5 people). The menu has “Rules” which are really just a ton of excuses for having bad service (the fact they were compelled to publish so-called rules means they’re used to complaints about service).

I expected so much more from a “southern restaurant” founded in Atlanta, especially as being an ATLien originally. Give it a pass if you’re considering coming...

Okay, their menu is expensive, but I don't mind paying expensive "if" the quality of the food justifies the price. In the case of my wife eating their, we are greatly disappointed. We ordered a $15 burger and fries and we asked specifically about the medium verses the medium-well. We were told specifically that a medium was served with 30% pink. So, we ordered the burger medium. The burger was served to us 90% pink and it was disgusting! Because I paid so much for the burger, I literally forced myself to eat it. We did not have the time or patience to wait another 15 minutes for the burger to ask for the burger to be re-made. In all honesty, at $15 a pop, the burger should have been made right the first time. In addition, we were told that there would be juices that flow from the burger. The burger was moist, but it was NOT juicy!

The second sandwich we ordered was a chicken sandwich at $14. The chicken sandwich was descent, but it was not juicy, slightly overcooked and the bun was toasted to a very hard texture. I would recommend lightly toasted for future customers.

What did we like about the place? The service was energetic, upbeat, and enthusiastic. The restaurant was artfully decorated, as they are near the art district of North Hollywood. The atmosphere was lively and upbeat...a fun place to go to. The fries and dipping sauce gets high praise...I will give them that! I give two stars for the fries and the service, but in all reality, you can have the greatest of service and the active of places, but if your food sucks, you will never have a customer come back. Why would I come back and pay $15 for a burger if they are going to screw it up again? Make the food amazing and you will regain your customers!

In fact, the food did not appetize me at all (except for the fries), After our meal, I literally walked to the taco stand across the street and order a couple of carne asada tacos and it totally surpassed the food at Blaqhaus. I truly do not mean to be mean towards Blaqhaus, because I hope they do well, but I want to provide an honest and sincere visit that my wife and I had while dining here for the first time. May you take the comments to heart.

Lastly, I sent a letter to the business sharing my concerns; however, they did not show me the courteous to reply back with me, so I give them 1-star for a lack of professionalism...