Atlanta has a selection of cafes and restaurants offering hookah smoking. Most of them are in the city's outer areas, with only a couple in the downtown district. Establishments offering hookah smoking tend to be Mediterranean, Turkish and Persian restaurants and bars, and some have special rooms set aside for smoking. Hookah smoking originated in the eastern Mediterranean, where it is still widely practiced.
The Divan Restaurant & Hookah Lounge is eight miles from downtown Atlanta, just a mile from Georgia State Route 400. Describing itself as "Atlanta's sexiest restaurant and hookah lounge," the Divan features a daily hookah hour between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., when hookahs, which can be shared by up to six people, are half-price. Flavored tobaccos for hookah smoking include apricot, melon, peach and French vanilla blueberry. The restaurant serves a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu, including duck breast confit, Persian noodle soup and shrimp with saffron rice and garlic butter. The decor features low lighting, Persian artworks and traditional iron-filigree lamps.
Divan Restaurant & Hookah Lounge
3125 Piedmont Road
Atlanta, GA 30305
404-467-4297
divanatlanta.com
Nine miles east of downtown Atlanta, the Cafe Istanbul is set in the Decatur suburb. The restaurant features Turkish-style decor and a dedicated hookah lounge with a generous scattering of cushions in bright fabrics and Turkish rugs on the floors and walls. The restaurant serves Turkish and Mediterranean dishes, with lamb- and beef-based choices predominating. Dishes come with rice and authentic Turkish flat bread baked on the premises. The mezze is a platter of mixed appetizers including tabouli, eggplant, hummus and spicy peppers. For dessert, choices include baklava, layers of paper-thin pastry baked with honey, nuts and spices.
Cafe Istanbul
1850 Lawrenceville Highway
Atlanta, GA 30033,
404-320-0054
cafeistanbulatlanta.com
Located in downtown Atlanta, one mile from the Georgia State University campus, the Alibaba Atlanta Little Five Points is a Mediterranean restaurant that offers hookah smoking with a variety of tobacco blends. Dishes include the Meat Lover Doner Pita Wrap, made with roast lamb, yogurt and garlic sauce and salad; diners may substitute chicken for the lamb. The restaurant offers vegetarian dishes such as the Mediterranean Mix Platter, which includes pita bread, hummus, eggplant and tabouli. Alibaba serves authentic Turkish coffee and baklava. The restaurant opens from 10.30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 10.30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Alibaba Atlanta Little Five Points
1099 Euclid Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30307
404-223-1445
alibabaatlanta.com
