Apple Lounge

This place is loud and the seating is kinda awkward. Came here with a coworker after work to meet friends and was met with blaring music and an awkwardly shaped space. Trying to talk to people across the hookah was more then difficult to say the least. The whole time I was there I had to walk to the bar to get my drinks because the service wasn’t the best. We also had to keep requesting assistance with the hookah. Not a place I plan on visiting again.

Their service is TERRIBLE! I had a party of 6 people, and they gave us the smallest table. There was two people whom were seated at the biggest table. They got our order completely wrong. The food portions are very small. The waiters very rude and careless. I would never recommend this place.

I have tried this place 3x each time
They disappoint. Each time I have a table of at least 5 – 7. Tonight I had 2 drinks myself by 8pm I had to walk to the bar to order a glass of water 9: 30 pm (ordering a glass of water from the bar was fine at this time) I had to walk back up Again around 11:00pm To asked for a glass of water mind you, our server had been absent ! So when I walked to the bar I was wondering what is going on here. So when I ordered a glass of water they told me NO! You have to order from
Your server! They absolutely refused to give me water they said I had to
Go back to my table and order from
There! The manger was standing right there and acknowledged our table had been there and we had been tryin to order and he simple did not care ! I told him I also work in hospitality so I understand the ups and downs but our server had been absent and I did not understand why a glass of water was hard to get from the bar,
he just shook his head and said different places have different rules!
This is inexcusable. Ordering a glass of water is a right! Especially if I have been paying for food a drinks and my Server has been absent especially if the manger as said yes I have seen your table and you have been trying to order !!! This place is terrible and I will never go back. There are plenty of places on U st to go stay away from here!

This place has nice people, but the service sucks. We had to asked the server several times for service. This place is also very dirty. and the lights are lowered for a reason. They also don’t give you the tongs needed… and the quality of their stuff is poor.

I have been to Apple Lounge a total of three times. I’ve gone on 3 different nights, too (a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). I have never been disappointed.
The music, drinks, and hookah/​shisha are always on point! There’s also an excellent vibe… just good people having good fun. I have definitely made the decision to become a regular at this place.
I see that in some of the other reviews people have complained about slow service and about stains on the wall. The service isn’t really slow… there are just tons of people there at a time and the waitstaff is super busy. If anyone is expecting to just sit down in the midst of a very large crowd and have people come and seek them out, they’re being ridiculous. This isn’t the type of place where you’re going to come and wait for a hostess to seat you… so why would you expect first class restaurant service? It’s a lounge/​fun spot that’s pretty much clublike. People are so weird Lol.
The other thing… I think that the «stains on the wall» just add to the charm of the small establishment. It’s kinda grungy, but cool looking and well-​lit. I love it.

(+) Great music!!!
(-) No where to sit, EXPENSIVE drinks, and POOR service.
Definitely a 2 star

**came here after bar hopping a couple of spots with my cousins #family (we were visiting from va and nyc) after having dinner and several cocktails we took a stroll down u street one of the happening areas in dc to be on a friday night
we came to the apple lounge it was packed and very mixxy
lots of hookah bar area was packed which i could understand at first till i realize i had been standing there for 25mins waiting on to place my order the 2 bartender were so sssssssslow!!! (what would help them would be to have drink specials) the cocktails were strong and not over priced… i hate how they had seating at the bar who does that like!!! there were ppl seated and doing hookah and that just prolonged the fact that several ppl were standing there waiting to order
the music was good nice urban dj
we later left and took on another spot
can say we will be back but they definitely need to work on getting drinks made and out to there customers the faster the drinks served the faster they are drunk the faster u find urself back at the bar but noone wants to wait 25mins on each drink they order
will be back on a friday night next time we are in dc might have to hit this place first then go considering the lack of bartender service
but all in all a good lounge for dc on u street
signed
we love to eat and party & we do it consistently
mr.von teese & family
xoxox

I went here for my friend’s birthday bash which began with a bottomless brunch, so mind that we’ve been drinking all day and my perception was slowed. I’ll just list the bullet points to highlight my Apple Lounge experience (+ = good, — = bad):
–Doors open at 6 pm on Saturday. However it took them until 6:30 pm to open up the door. We also called them twice at 5:30 pm (promised to open at 6) and 6:30 pm (finally came down).
+Décor was nice and modern, couches and chairs were comfy with a good lounge vibe.
–Bathrooms seemed like they were never cleaned since there was grime build up on the urinals/​toilets/​sinks, and the door was always open (I’m assuming to ventilate).
–SERVICE WAS SLOW and very hard to wave down. I feel like they saw me wave them down but instead continue chattering with each other. It was easier to go to the bar and order drinks rather than get a waitress to deliver the order.
+Music was good. They played a bunch of Top 40 hits along with some other hype songs. Didn’t get to experience the DJ but kudos to the station or person handling the music.
–Drinks were mad expensive. Waters are $ 3.50 each… I feel like water should have the option to be served from tap. unless you have a water sanitation problem.
–The walls were stained and quite noticeable. I was in my slowed state (drunken) and managed to notice that. Now that is indicative of how you take care of your establishment.
–There were flys/​gnats or whatever you call those pesky fliers AND this was winter time.
Now I don’t smoke hookah, and I heard from my friends that they enjoyed the hookah. I did hear them complain about how expensive the hookah was. Overall, the negatives overwhelmed the positives of this place. This would’ve been a one star if I didn’t like the music and didn’t start dancing to every headbanger played.

The place is super crowded all the time. Most people know each other here and it makes for an unfriendly environment. Made two attempts to come to this place but couldn’t get a seat for hookah. Just is not the place to go. Chi Cha hookah lounge just a few blocks away has become my go to when I visit dc.

This place is a nice spot to attend for a chill weekend night… but! There is a catch!
You have to get to this place early if you want a table. If you do not go early you will be standing for hours until someone is finally freed up. After 8 the service goes to complete hell. The atmosphere is nice but unless the servers know you they will disregard you. The prices of food, drink and hookah are pretty reasonable. Oh and you can buy a bottle for $ 250 if you really want a table.

GREAT GREAT GREAT ATMOSPHERE!!! That alone gets 5 stars. However, the service here is HORRIBLE!!! extremely SLOW and the waitresses don’t care whether or not the customers are upset simply because st of the crowd is willing to put up with the crap service and they just want a table. So, definitely enjoy yourself here if you have great patience lol.

I had a fantastic time. The music and prices were so right! The bar tenders were a little overwhelmed, but each drink was made perfectly.
Based on the review of the wings, yes hunty they are absolutely everything!
The guys were very attentive with the hookah coals. Thank goodness for them because I was too fried to even know what to do lol. The drinks and hookah were continuous.
My only concern was with how packed it got at certain periods. I started to feel super claustrophobic because it is a very small space. And it got suppppper hot. I would’ve dressed less or for the club had I known. Lol.
The only spot my girls and I had was at the bar, which was cool because we made tons of friends in one night. Great vibes. Great atmosphere. Get there early if you’re not into standing or mingling for a lounge spot
I am definitely looking forward to going back.

Apple Lounge is pretty cool. I came here with my husband and a group of friends for a chill Friday night. We had a good time. Great vibes with great ppl. We had a little section/​area so there was plenty of space for us. The DJ was playing good music. They also have good food. There are not many options but we all shared the chicken saltimbocca and chicken wings. The chicken saltimbocca was really good. I had never had that before but it was good and something different. I’m not a big fan of chicken wings but I must admit their chicken wings were so good. They did have a tad to much fat on them but they were fried and seasoned very well. They came with ranch and BBQ sauce that were also good. Overall, Apple Lounge was nice.

I’m in between with this place !
As with anything else the weekends are busy, the later it gets the harder it is to find a seat! Go figure … Weekdays are really chill … good date night !!!
The music is Great ! The weekend DJ is Awesome
The service or lack thereof … VERY VERY SLOW!!! Can be unbearable at times
The food … disgusting … Do not come here to EAT! You will be disappointed and more than likely sick a few hours later
Nice setup! TVS for game nights… Hookahs are great … Drinks are fairly reasonable ! Good place to hangout

Good hookah and the DJ was on point all night. Only downside was the lack of space and the waitress trying to overcharge for the drinks

The DJ at this club is lit! This is my new hang out for real.
The hookahs are only one hose but they give you multiple head (flat and round) so you have choice. The only down side is that you have to wave down the waiter but it’s ok.
The chicken wings are ok. They are fried then they gave you BBQ sauce and stuff. This is about to be my new place

Just recently got introduced to hookah. I had my second hookah experience at Apple Lounge.
Although I enjoyed my experience here, there were two things that were a bit off putting. The lack of attentiveness from the server and the lack of alcohol in their drinks.
I understand this place is fairly new but these are two essential components for a lounge.

This is my favorite hookah place in all of the DMV for 2 simple reasons: 1) DJ here spins some of the best hip hop and R&B in DC, and 2) it’s right next to Dukem, one of my favorite Ethiopian restaurants. Oh wait, also, there’s really good hookah here. I don’t care if it’s just me and my friends chillin’, because some nights it’s dead, or if it’s packed– I love it.
I mean it’s just awesome that they play Drake, Nas, and Jay-​Z while I’m doing hookah smoke tricks. Or attempt to. And don’t let Beyonce come on. Got me lookin’ so crazy right now. I would twerk for you, but it’s hard to twerk and type at the same time. #excuses

Came here with my boyfriend on a Thursday night and this place was simply deserted. We walked in and the female staff in the main room was just chilling on the couch and ignored us for awhile… I didnt even realize she worked there. She took her time to give us menus and take our order.
Apple Lounge offers the standard Al-​Fahker and Starbuzz shisha with disc shaped coals (probably Al-​Fakher as well?). The hookah itself was very well pecked and the flavor lasted forever! The flat mouth tips are much better than the round ones.
I think the place is still quite new so the interior and the waterpipes are still very well maintained. The décor? Well. It’s a pretty cheesy lounge décor with neon lightings, projections onto cheap smoke photos, a few star lights on black ceiling, and of course, the LED illusion mirror at the entrance. I wouldnt exactly call this classy but at least they tried? They also need to fix their sound system. The music kept cutting in and out and I guess they couldnt decide on the music.
Overall, def the best Hookah Ive had in DC but lacking in other departments.

Came on a Thursday night with a large group. The place (upstairs) was full, but a group was just leaving. We sat on two large leather couches surrounding a table and next to a fake fireplace and TV. They played music videos, which we enjoyed. Later, they had a DJ.
We ordered two hookahs. The orange mint was great, but the apple mint tasted like black licorice. Some of us also ordered food; they have a selection of Ethiopian food (Dukem is downstairs) as well as wings. My friend and I shared a plate of 20 wings, which was too ambitious. We also ordered the veggie sambusas– very fresh, tasty, and large.
I didn’t see prices advertised for anything but the food. When we got the bill, we found out that hookahs were $ 16.95 a piece. I’ve had cheaper, but not in as nice of an atmosphere as Apple’s. However, the prices of non-​alcoholic beverages was shocking. The cost of Deerpark bottled water was $ 3.50 a piece (they did not serve tap water), and a can of Seagram’s ginger ale was $ 5! Outrageous.
Another downside was the service. Although nice, they were quite slow. It took forever for our server to take our drink orders, and even longer to get our drinks. My friend waited for her tea for maybe 45 minutes. Also, paying was difficult as we were not splitting the check evenly.