Shisha Cafe — Restaurant in San Antonio

The is one of that snazziest places for shisha that is definitely not high brow or pretentious. The food is awesome every time and the shisha blends are very smooth. We love being able to smoke cigars while enjoying hookah and great food. Aren't many places that slow cigar smoking except for cigar humidors and they don't serve awesome good or hookah.

Service is always excellent from the staff who are attending and courteous as well as considerate. They make good menu suggestions based on what your interested in and can tell you what the best things they like about a dish are. Their personal knowledge helps a lot when trying to make menu choices if you're new to this food. We've been to parts of the middle East and Morocco etc so this food is a wonderful reminder of those visits even though it comes on fancier plates, lol. The cucumber salad with fixed cucumber and yogurt was cool and creamy with a hint of mint. The falafel was very crispy with a soft tight interior that had lots of flavor. The included hummus was nice, but I'd say it's just a tiny bit too thivk for a falafel filing sauce. The included pickle slices are that Mediterranean / Russian store that are crisp with a flat cut and not super sweet not super vinegar. The hot potatoes are our favorite. Covered in chili oil and lots of minced garlic with bits of parsley, they just pop in your mouth like lumps of popcorn. Save these for breakfast the next day or get another order to go We normally get an ice base with our hookah but forgot and the double Apple mint was so smooth we didn't even notice the forgotten ice base. They happened to be training a new guy in changing the hookah coals and did a very nice job where he was doing it solo within an hour. The atmosphere is one of a place full of local people who are born into the hookah and Mediterranean culture so most people are not speaking English and understand the menu without translation. Many are playing backgammon or card games with friends while smoking their hookahs while the others are on phones and laptops as couples of small groups. If you want an authentic experience, the people and the good are authentic but the only missing thing is the lounge. To have a better experience they really need a communal setting like taking that deck area and putting in 2-3 person couches and oversized chairs with side tables around a long central low table. We have found the best life experiences involve a hookah and a couch or lounge chairs.

Update 07.2023. They definitely fand and more than 3 chillers for an area holding more than 70 people and the decked area when...

Amazing full service treatment for dining! Quickly accommodated an unannounced party of 7. ‘Hot’ bread and flavorful dip within ‘seconds’ of being seated, followed by a mixed greens salad with crunchy greens, cucumbers, Ripe tomatoes, and more tossed in a vinnegerette dressing. Waitress was shadowed by another and they both quickly delivered drinks and had our orders placed within 7 minutes. There was never a moment drinks were dry and never ran out of bread or dips. We started with a mixed platter of five dips and the flavors were distinct that ranged from traditional humus, Grilled eggplant, cucumber based yogurt style, and others that left this family size starter practically licked clean out of respect to the evident love given to its preparation. We had 5 different entrees with the rotisserie chicken (evidently marinated for a great period of time) being the star dish due to the flavors the were hidden deep into the dish, followed closely by the lamb and mixed shawarma platters. Dessert we ate Kunafa—a sweet dish served warm and at a staff recommendation, ate it with more sweet bread — The sweetness of the bread complimented the warm cheese and sweet topping! The pot of Iraqi tea rounded out the evening with hints of cardaman and amble Distinct ethnic flavor. Patrons can dine many locations and good good food for value— but to have exceptional dishes that dance on your senses like what we experienced tonight was phenomenal for the price. Coupled with service that rivaled high end establishments — tonight Shisha Cafe was firing on all Cylinders and they ran our tastebuds buds down a Daytona 500 track like no other to a win us all with flavor, service and took the trophy home with the Iraqi chai tea. Special mention to the General manager tonight who was a pleasure to watch work as he was anticipating and meeting guests needs before the guests even realized they had a need — refreshing, recognized and appreciated. It has been 3-hours since Our meal and we are still talking about the total experience— 3 weeks could pas and we will still be talking. Not every place will hit the mark every time — tonight was a perfect bullseye — we will all be back — and if they miss the target, no biggy as we will still return as we’ve experienced the best. Bob...

I was in search for a restaurant with Lebanese food and outdoor dining yesterday and found Shisha Cafe. They have an expansive covered outdoor area. I had only quickly scanned the listing when I first found it online and had known that this is more Iraqi-style Mediterranean cuisine.

I started out with the rainbow smoothie which was fresh watermelon, banana and mango juices. So refreshing! My husband had the melon juice which was from a honey dew melon. The Mix Dip Plate was a great sampler plate with Hummus, Baba Ghanouj, Iraqi Eggplant Salad, Jajeek and Labneh but I wanted to try Toom and changed out the Labneh for it. After trying this food, I feel that all the other Mediterranean food I had before didn’t seem as authentic or flavorful as this. My Lebanese mentor used to make Jajeek and this tasted just like her homemade version! I was a little worried with more food to come because I was semi-full already with the Mix Dip Plate. I had ordered the Lamb Tikka sandwich and my husband ordered the Chargrilled Chicken. He really wanted to try the Grilled Fish (Iraqi Magoof) but need a 3-hour notice on that one. I had a bite of the Lamb Tikka and it was tender and such flavor! It was not small at all as I had expected. More food to enjoy later. My husband enjoyed the Chargrilled Chicken but it was slightly on the dry side. I had the chicken skin so that was tasty.

I save some room to taste test their desserts so we tried the Baklava, Basbousa (coconut cake), and Halawa Dihiniyya (Iraqi fudge). Everything was delicious! The Baklava was so flaky. There was so much dessert that we ended up taking the rest home too. We realized after the fact that we should’ve ordered tea to go with our desserts. Next time!

Erica was a great server who patiently answered all my questions!

This place is the real deal and is the best kept secret for authentic Mediterranean food! Shisha Cafe is also known for their hookah. Kababchi Grill next door is the same food, indoor seating only and doesn’t allow the hookah. Everything is halal here which is based on how food is prepared. No alcohol is served here or allowed on the premises. Honestly, I hadn’t missed it with all the great food, drinks...