Cafe Ra

After moving From Brooklyn where there are tons of Hookah places I was disappointed that there were not many near me in NJ UNTIL I found this spot. It’s everything I can ask for. Great hookah and the staff and owner are very friendly. Great for groups and great if you just want to get out and relax!

This place is an absolute joke. I remember coming here 2 years ago. This shoddy little «hookah lounge» has 2 «VIP» sections for 6 or more people. On the table are «reserved» signs. When we got there they told us our party of 3 could not sit on the leather couches because we did not have enough people, even though the place was dead. We agreed to sit at the regular tables and the service was awful. No one came out to serve us for at least 15 minutes.
Two years later it’s the same exact story unfortunately. Before we even walked in, the owner and his party were sitting outside giving us unwelcoming stares. My party of 3 sat down on the leather couches, just like 2 years ago. After 15 minutes the waitress comes over and tells us we have to move because we are not a party of 6. There is clearly not enough business in the place to warrant this. We ask if we can sit there until they get a «party of 6.» They tell us we cannot and the other VIP section is reserved for the owner. Then the owner tells us the same thing, even after we ask him to accommodate us and we would be willing to move if they got a big party in. He said no. This guy clearly does not know how to do business. He would rather send money out the door, then let us sit in his laughable «VIP» section while the place was dead. He just lost 3 customers for life.
Also the décor in the place looks like someone’s basment. There are crappy little wooden tables for «average customers» to sit at (not VIP). The leather couches and dim lighting add to crap atmosphere. Do yourself a favor, take a drive 10 minutes down the road to New Brunswick. There are real hookah bars in that area. I will never go here again.

Definitely my favorite hookah place around! Over the years it has gotten pretty packed from when I started coming here, but that just proves to you how good of a business it is.
The waitress Michelle, is so sweet and literally knows my order every time I come in. The owner is a young guy who is always there to make sure everything is running smoothly, he is very nice and welcoming. I have personally complimented him a few times on his café because it truly is run differently. I remember having issues with my hookah and he just took it back and let me choose a different flavor free of charge. The hookah here is reasonably priced, it is A LOT cleaner from any other hookah places in the area which is a big PLUS! As for the men who bring out the hookahs they constantly are walking around making sure your hookah is okay. This type of service you cannot find anywhere.
They are cash only unfortunately, so bring cash or use their ATM machine.
During the summer time they have outdoor seating which is really refreshing on a beautiful spring/​summer night.
Im sorry but if you have any bad reviews about this place you obviously did not speak to the owner who would’ve made your experience better, or I just personally think you were paid to bash on the café because it is stealing business :).

Used to be a great hangout. recently went back for the first time in a couple years. Was treated poorly the first time, but cause of my history there decided to give it another try. Second time was even worse. As a group of 3 we got there 7pm on a Saturday there were exactly two customers there so we asked to sit on the couches and were told they were only for groups of five or larger. Being that the place was empty we asked to sit there acknowledging that if a group or 5 or more came in we wouldn’t hesitate to move. Another group of 3 comes in and now we were asked to move for them! All while there was an empty couch sitting next to us. Which we were informed was reserved for the owner. When asked to speak to the owner he wasn’t even there. We were there about an hour and no one came around to blow out or replace our coals once. Now after being harassed about the seating in a still half empty café, we asked for the check, which conveniently has gratuity included on it. Being that we were treated so poorly we disagreed with the 21% tip that had been added and spoke with the tardy, ego-​maniac owner who didn’t flinch at his bogus policy. WILL NOT BE BACK HERE EVER AGAIN and would never recommend it to anyone from now on!!! Save your money! there are much better places in the area.

Small Cozy café with a nice atmosphere. The wait staff and service is attentive unlike some other hookah bars. I have had wraps from there before which I had no complaints. The hookah is very good even though they don’t use natural coal, they use quick light but they do it right. The owner is very friendly and will walk around or sit with you and make sure everything is going well.