Koullshi

Visited Koullshi yesterday evening after a friend and I had an urge to go to a hookah bar. In our early college days, we’ve been to Nile and Sheesha lounge but i was looking forward to having a light meal and drinks so I googled alternate options. Koullshi popped up and I was impressed by the ambiance and menu.
Got there yesterday (a Sunday) around 7pm and we were the only patrons in the entire restaurant/​hookah lounge. I appreciated the attention from the waitstaff and the opportunity to have conversation without eavesdropping neighbors as the tables were very close. We were debating between the calamari, moroccan sliders and sticky wings, ended up sticking with the sliders and calamari.
Food: The calamari was below average, flavorful, breaded perfectly, but soggy. I appreciate my calamari on the crunchier end. The moroccan sliders on the other hand were AMAZING. Full of flavor, cooked to perfection, and it came with fries that were equally tasty.
Drinks: Our drinks were tasty, but tasted as if there was barely any alcohol in it, watery even, so we didn’t bother ordering a second round. Paying $ 11 – 13 for a cocktail, a buzz is a requirement. Just didn’t do it.
Hookah: We ordered the Peach Hookah for $ 30 with the Prosecco base for an additional $ 6. The hookah was in great condition, I kept commenting on the beautiful hose that continued to capture my attention. It came out smooth and when the smoke got difficult to inhale, the waitstaff came over to attend to the issue. We were there for about 2 hours and the hookah lasted the entire time so it was well worth the money. (keep in mind, there were only two of us) For a larger party, more hookahs would be required.
I’d go back, but would stick to the sliders and wine, instead of a cocktail. Hookah and sliders was well worth the visit.
Sidenote: They also had a belly dancer but I learned long ago if I don’t have anything nice to say not to say anything at all. She neither added or subtracted from my review of the establishment. (lol)

I’m a huge fan of hookah and really sad about the lack of options in Boston. With that said, I love this place as well as the restaurant upstairs. The food is phenomenal and it’s a great spot to relax and smoke good shisha. It’s not grimey like some other spots so it makes for a fun night out. It doesn’t feel or look too smokey even though it is located in the basement of the restaurant, basically you don’t leave smelling like smoke.

I have been smoking hookah in lounges and at home for well over a decade so I know a good bowl.
These folks make a good bowl. The flavor is good and strong and the smoke is decent. Also like the ambiance and the staff is real nice. This doubles as a cigar bar and tapas joint if you want something.
My problem is the cost and what you get for it. A head is 30.00 and that’s for one flavor only. Want to mix? That will be more money. Want a refill? That will be another 30.00. In Seattle where I am from a hookah is 20.00 and a refill is 10.00 plus you can mix up to three flavor s. Look, I know the tobacco tax in Boston is ridiculous so I am ok paying higher prices but I feel I should be able to mix and I should be able to get a refill at a discount.

This is a great place to go for some drinks and mingle. I don’t go as often as I would like parking can be a pain and I should just walk it’s close enough. They do offer valet parking but I had a problem once with another valet service at a different place so I am valet shy. LOL If you don’t mind the smoke the atmosphere is great. I am not a smoker and usually smoke bothers me but the smoke from cigars and the hookas don’t seem to be all down there. The only thing I would recommend is to get there early like every place in the area they have a 1am liquor license so last call is around 12:30am.

Very slick place with good service and attentive hostesses. Shisha was very well made and regular coal refresh. Did not eat this time but food on next table looked good. Going back for sure — probably tomorrow!

I have been to Koullshi twice and I will never go again. Here is the summary of my opinions:
1) Unreasonably expensive for no legitimate reason (hookas are about $ 40. Drinks way more expensive than any lounge in the area).
2) Bad business ethics (they started serving us after midnight, without mentioning that they were about to close. In 20 minutes, they started collecting the items form our table, including unfinished teas and hookah).
All in all, this is a huge rip off.

Worst service. I’m 40 and they wouldn’t let me inside the hookah bar because I didn’t have an ID. Ridiculous

I would go here often because it’s a cool spot however it’s nasty overpriced & it feels like I’m always getting ripped off when I leave — $ 70 for a hookahsnd 2 drinks? Get over yourselves! Over it.

This is such a splendid place and the staffs here are superlative with the customers. You won’t go bad with regards to the choice if you decide to lounge here for the moment. I highly recommend here for anyone in Charlestown or for that matter, the Whole of Boston!

Koullshi means everything in Arabic, and they do have everything. Went here with a group of friends on a Saturday night for happy hour and we had an awesome time. We got there just before they were opening and they kindly let us in early and allowed us to sit wherever we wanted. I loved the romantic Moroccan set up and feel of this lounge complete with middle eastern music. We ordered two hookahs which the staff recommended and they did great setting them up, they were perfect. We also ordered the mixed appetizer platter and they were very attentive to my one friend’s food allergies and made sure to separate and point out things with sesame in them. The staff was awesome, very helpful and friendly, they kept coming over to check and make sure everything was good. Side note: Koullshi is right by the Bunker Hill monument which you can easily walk to if you want to do some sightseeing before of after. I would definitely come back again!

Nothing but great things to say about Koullshi. We did two hookahs, one mint and the other mango. Both were awesome. When they weren’t pulling well the staff brought them back immediately and fixed them. We also did some hummus and olive platter which was great as well. It’s the perfect environment to relax and catch up with your friends. The drinks here were out of this world. Bartender was awesome.
Would love to come back!

Great ambiance! Great service! Awesome hookah! The wine was good !! delicious food and dessert! We went with a group of friends on a Saturday evening! We tried to reach at about 8 and since it was early we got a good seat. We were not rushed since we ordered hookah, appetizers and then went on to dinner and dessert! Everything was great though a lil pricy! Would definitely be going again!

This is our go to place for life. We are so regulars. They make the hookah so good it never gets rough and it stays strong. This is the best in Boston, and even better than hookah places in Hawaii, miami, and most of nyc. The ambiance is romantic, moroccan style décor. The servers are awesome when you get the right ones –Fanny & Alicia.
Drinks are not to strong so go for a bottle of wine instead.
Food is amazing. Flavorful and spicy. The chicken bastilla is good, and the salmon dish as well. We haven’t tried anything else, the salmon is just that good.
Would recommend to anyone who loves good hookah and good food.

So the first time I went here, I was a bit more of a fan. The next three times, not so much. Most recently, it was awful — so bad that I will never go back.
My boyfriend and I were leaving a festival with two other friends (so only four people in total). We called ahead to ask how long the wait was and were told only 10 minutes, but they don’t take reservations, which is fine. We got there shortly after that call and were told it would be about 30 minutes. Still, no big deal it was a Friday night so we were expecting and okay with waiting a bit. We hopped over to the bar and grabbed some over-​priced beer and cocktails. 45 minutes later we still had no been seated so I checked in with the hostess who told us we were next in line and it would only be about five more minutes. I watched as she brought two more groups of 3 and 4 people to sit in the area behind the bar, and when I asked her about it, she was very rude and dissmissive. I then proceeded to ask the manager when he thought we’d be seated, and he told us it would be another hour or more.
At this point, we were all aggravated and decided to go somewhere else. As we were leaving a different hostess or waitress, came up to me and told me they were clearing our table. However, after waiting for more than an hour on what was initally indiciated as a ten minute wait, we weren’t really in the mood to give them our business, especially for the price they charge!
As irritated as I was about the wait, I was more disappointed in the attitude and service (or lack thereof) that we received from both staff and management.

went with a large group on a wednesday night. overall — for the price, i’ve had better.
given, i am out of town so maybe this is the only game in town for hookah. the food was ok at best — lots of couscous, not enough of anything else. for the price, i would not have expected to be leaving hungry. the hookah was good though the selection is a little weak. the waitress was professional enough but it was not very crowded, i think she only had one other table. when we said we didn’t like one flavor we picked, offered to exchange it for a different flavor.
a good variety of cocktails if you are into paying $ 13 a vodka drink. group favorite was the ‘bedouin cave’ which has now become an inside joke about. well, i mean take a guess.
if it was cheaper, i might go back — but i think i’ll be eating at home for a while to save up.

Went to Koullshi for a birthday party with a party of 12. the wait was a little long as expected for such a large party but the hostess Jenn (witht he bun =)) WAS AWESOMMMEE not only did she keep us posted and get us the vip area but she was so friendly and made it happen for such an amazing night there and it was her first week Koullshi made a great choice hiring here thanks so much again

As an update, I have to add that my last review was two years ago. I gave this place a 5 star rating then due to my initial impression. I had a great evening that night, it was wonderful, went on a date, stayed all night, and fell in love. You know the story, and the ambiance was the cherry on top. I returned many times, on different days, hours, etc… and honestly the service slacked. The music was too loud, I had to scream to be heard in a lounge of all places. Koullshi underwent a slump, as all restaurants do, to be fair. Had I been as avid a Unilocaler as I am now, I should have updated the review to a three.
I had a good 6 or 7 month hiatus, and I returned twice last weekend. I went the second night, because I couldn’t believe the experience.
THIS PLACE HAS MATURED!
The service, the atmosphere, the wonderful playlist that added to conversation, instead of drowning it. It was like seeing an old college friend, all cleaned up and competent at life.
The place was PACKED. At first, it looked like I wasn’t going to get a table to partake in hookah, but let me tell you, I would have been more than happy standing. Despite the overload of people, the service was efficient. Damned efficient. It was the fastest I’ve ever been served a drink, at probably the least likely capacity to be served in under five minutes. Less than thirty seconds, I swear it.
The drink menu has been updated, they added a late night variety, and the place rocks.
I have my new favorite lounge, all over again.

I had a great experience in this place tonight. The server was very knowledgeable about the hookah and the food, she learned the names of me and my friend, and used our names throughout our time there. The food was excellent, the place was very clean, and the shisha was quality. The server took good care of the hookah and changed the coals with good timing. We were in a lounge with a couple of TVs which was cool, and the drink menu had quality liquor as well as quality beer options. They also had an array of cigars for purchase in a room next to a fully-​stacked bar. As a nice touch, a bellydancer made her way throughout the place– and we appreciated that (naturally).
This was my first time to this place but I will DEFINITELY be back. If you like hookah or cigars or lounges and/​or authentic Moroccan cuisine and cultural flavor, you need to check this place out. Doooooo iiiiiitttt!

Hookah places are a rare thing in the Boston area, rarer that such a place serves alcohol, so Koullshi stands out.
Crowded on a Saturday, interior is exactly what you’d expect. Took about 15 minutes to get seated (took almost as long to find parking). $ 45 gets you a hookah bowl, where you can also mix flavors. Server was relatively attentive and got our stuff fast.
Still, not sure if I like the atmosphere too much. Also the place closes at 1:30, but they started to make everyone leave around 1. It’s fine, but just another overpriced hookah place.

I wanted to like Koullshi, I really did. My boyfriend and I are frequent hookah smokers, and we love to try out new places. We ventured over to Charlestown one Friday night, of course expecting somewhat of a wait. We got there around 8 PM and put our name on the list. My BF asked the hostess approximately how long it would take, and she gave a very vague answer. We thought, «That’s ok. They have a bar, let’s get a few drinks while we wait.»
Fast forward an hour and a half later, and nothing. BF goes to ask hostess, and she says «Give me 5 minutes.» We start thinking perhaps she’s working her magic because she knows how long we’ve been waiting. Another 30 minutes (and another drink) pass, and the hostess still has not come back to us. Keep in mind we’ve made sure to stay within her field of vision so she didn’t forget about us. BF goes back up to ask how long, and she says she doesn’t know. By this point, it’s been over 2 hours. We decide to leave.
However, we didn’t completely write off Koullshi. We understand that weekend nights can get crazy and sometimes hostesses have a fluke night. Two weeks later, we make the trek back to Charlestown, totally expecting another wait but deciding that we’ll be a bit more assertive this time.
Again, Koullshi is crowded, no big deal, we put our names on the list and venture to Tangierino’s upstairs to get some food. For those wondering, don’t bother with eating at the restaurant — the dishes were lukewarm and can best be described with «meh.»
A little over an hour passes, and we go back downstairs. Our name is still on the list, but we are told that it shouldn’t be too much longer. We go to the bar, grab a drink, and about 30 minutes later (hallelujah), the hostess comes and seats us at a table.
We order a hookah and some dessert. The dessert was pretty delicious and the hookah was good — a bit on the stronger side but I was a fan. The kicker that made us decide that we would never go back to Koullshi is the fact that they also allow cigar smoke in the lounge. I’ve never been to a hookah bar where they also allow cigars, but I would think that if a place actually does that, they would either 1) have a better ventilation system or 2) keep the cigar smokers in a separate place. NOPE. Koullshi does not do this nor is there a sufficient ventilation system. The guy sitting next to us by himself was smoking the nastiest smelling cigar I’ve ever come across. Even my BF, who has been known to occasionally smoke a cigar, was getting sick from the smoke.
We left after an hour since we couldn’t take it anymore. We probably won’t be back unless Koullshi makes some changes, but I doubt it will really hurt the business. We’ll look elsewhere for better hookah lounges.