Azuza Hookah Lounge — Restaurant in Paradise

Hidden Gem in Las Vegas – Incredible Food, Hospitality & Ambiance!

I was in Vegas last week for the RE/MAX International Convention and happened to stumble upon Azuza Hookah Lounge in a small strip mall. There were plenty of restaurant choices, but something about the menu caught our eye, so my friend and I decided to give it a try.

From the moment we stepped in, the experience was top-notch. Our server, Felicia, was absolutely amazing—one of those rare gems in the service industry. The food was fantastic, full of fresh, vibrant flavors, and everything tasted so clean and well-prepared. The ambiance was just as incredible—warm lighting, a great vibe, and the perfect balance of background music. They even had a TV screen, so at one point, we were enjoying a hockey game while the music played in the background. It was such a unique and inviting atmosphere.

We loved it so much that we came back the next night—this time bringing two new people with us to try it out. On that visit, we arrived a little early, not realizing the restaurant didn’t open until 6 PM. While waiting outside, we struck up a conversation with another couple who asked if we were waiting to get in. One of the gentlemen mentioned he might know the owner—turns out, he was the owner! Mazin and his wife, Nancy, were so warm and welcoming. Mazin immediately called his team to open the doors for us, making us feel like VIP guests.

Once inside, he personally recommended dishes to our table. One guest wasn’t keen on lamb chops but took Mazin’s suggestion—and was completely blown away! He even admitted he never eats lamb but had a change of heart after trying it here. Two others in our group were vegetarians and found plenty of delicious options to choose from. The food was nothing short of phenomenal—flavorful, fresh, and prepared with so much care.

On our third night, we came back yet again—this time with two more new people! That’s how much we enjoyed this place. Every single time, the food was exceptional, the service was warm and welcoming, and the atmosphere was just perfect.

While Azuza Hookah Lounge may be known more for its shisha, the food is what truly makes this place special. If you’re looking for amazing food, this is the place to go! Plus, they have great ventilation in the restaurant area, so even though it’s a hookah lounge, the air stays fresh, and we hardly noticed anyone smoking inside during our visits. For those who do enjoy hookah, they also have an outdoor space dedicated for that, so you have the best of both worlds.

They also have a great happy hour from 6-8 PM, and to top it all off, Mazin treated us to the most delicious dessert, even though I don’t typically eat dessert—I couldn’t resist!

A special thank you to Mazin’s sister, who was absolutely incredible on our last night there. Both Mazin and his sister have such beautiful souls and a true passion for hospitality—it shines through in everything they do.

This is truly a hidden gem that more people need to know about (but hopefully not too many, so I can still get a table when I come back next year!). Thank you, Mazin, Nancy, Felicia, Mazin’s sister, and the whole team for your incredible hospitality. I’ll definitely be returning with even more friends next time!

Iolanda,...

Overall: 3.8/5 (dine in)

We came since it was one of the few places open late on a Tuesday night. We came around 10:40 PM and it was packed. We didn't have a reservation so we had to sit outside on the patio where there were no fans so we were melting in the heat. For the patio, it's a U-shaped lounge seating style but with different tables. We got one of the corners of U-shaped which was nice but we could clearly hear all the conversations of the middle party since they were near and loud. The service was also really slow as well. We had to wait 10-15 minutes between ordering, getting our sauces, and paying our checks. For our food, it took about half an hour.

Mixed Grill Plate For Two ($59): This is a perfect plate to share and if you like to try a little bit of everything. It comes with 2 USDA filet mignon skewers, 2 chicken skewers, 2 lamb chops, Thai Jasmine rice, tabbouleh salad, Azuza caprese with warm pita bread, and tzatziki. The chicken was kinda dry and lacking flavor. The lamb chops are a bit small but good. My husband liked the lamb chops the best but I actually liked the filet mignon skewers better. The filet mignon pieces were big, plump, tender, and juicy. The Thai jasmine rice was soft and good. The pita bread was fresh, soft, and tasty. The tabbouleh salad was good, refreshing, and balanced out the proteins. Azuza caprese is a classic Egyptian style dish of chopped tomatoes with fresh dill, cilantro, and cumin topped with Bulgarian feta and a drizzle of olive oil. The feta is the main star so if you're not a cheese person, you might not like the caprese. They forgot the tzatziki so we asked for it which took 15 minutes to come out. It wasn't very flavorful but it was creamy. Still good with the pita bread and even the proteins. We had enough leftover for me to eat for lunch the next day.

Pink Whitney Lemon Drop Martini ($15): This is made of New Amsterdam Pink Whitney vodka, lemon juice, and strawberry puree with a sugar rim. This was much better than expected and was the preferred drink of the two we tried. Has that sour aftertaste after each sip though.

Blue Azuza ($15): This is made of Don Julio Blanco, Blue Curacao, housemade lemonade, and fresh mint. It was okay & was a bit...

Update: You must confuse me with someone else or a different situation as I did not yell or disparage an employee, in fact the tone of the conversation was respectful - I did share my disappointment and personally I also do believe in treating people with respect and kindly as a human so we agree there. However, the frustration and suggestions were towards the business customer facing operation. The review is below valid, it should be addressed as you would customer feedback.

Place use to operate with all cylinders hitting every marker as restaurant and hookah place, but lately it has degraded - I’m not sure who owns the place but they are not paying attention to their business and how it’s being operated.

Reservations are arbitrary, there is a cost to it (which is ok); you get horrible seating based on how the waiter feels and if you try to arrange the seating, it’s an argument, attitude, snarky comments. There is a flaw in how seating is done even with a reservation and saying it’s dependent number of people coming is not acceptable if you don’t warn your customers beforehand when they have paid $10 a head for reserving seats.

The staff regularly ignore customers, it’s common to be forgotten about after being seated and you LITERALLY have to chase someone down to get your order, then Chase them down to get anything additional (charcoal, more food or drinks), etc. The staff give-a-shht factor is way down and it shows, doing bare minimum at best.

Recommend ownership evaluate what kind of a business is being run at Azuza, a premium place or a hole in the wall. If it’s the later, the pricing should reflect it. The food is good and so is the hookah, I’m not understanding how a business could slide negatively into...