IAMA Woman who's been inside the cafe!!!

Seriously, it was fine. The conversation stopped as I passed through the phalanx of smokers outside, but again, as a woman, nothing I haven't encountered before. I smiled, said good evening, and went in. I think the surprise (if that's what it was) was due to my not being a regular rather than being female. There was another middle eastern woman inside eating supper with a man, perhaps her husband.

The guys at the counter couldn't have been nicer to me. They handed me a single greasy menu from which I couldn't decipher anything I could eat. When they saw I was having trouble, they just asked me what I would like to have, and then grilled a whole fish, put it together with some rice, bread and olives and made me a salad. I think the whole thing was less than $10.

I get the impression that a white male could probably walk in there and get served, but there would be ugly stares if I tried to take a woman in there with me.

Was hoping that JC might have a hidden "Sahara East" (1st ave at 11th st in Manhattan), but it doesn't seem that way. We've got the components (Hookahs and beer @ Abbys, the food @ Ibby's), but we just don't have them together in the same place.

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I pass this place regularly on my walk home from work, and I've also never seen a woman inside. I think it's definitely an Egyptian boy club, where coffee drinking, TV watching, and hookah smoking are the most prevalent activities. the place has seemed more lively lately, everyone glued to the TV to see what is happening back home.

it's been a really long time since I set foot in there, but I remember that they used to serve amazing egyptian-style pizza. We used to order pizza with calamari and olives on it. I'm not sure if they've changed hands since, because the last time I went, they didn't have a menu and there were absolutely no females to speak of...

Does anyone here know anything about the hookah place on Vroom st. (between Van Reypen and Bergen)? I first noticed it a few years ago. Looks like they have food and drinks in there, but everytime I pass on the street, it's like 100% old Egyptian looking guys in there.

Just curious as to whether any person off the street can walk in there and get served, or whether it's more or less a members-only club.

Crap! the secrets out!



I thought only locals would know this place. There's also another one in JSQ above Lords Clothing store. The one on Vroom is nice on a breezy summer night to chill out after a night of drinks. I've been going to both for the last 5-8 years. But has been personally replaced (because of bad service) by Scarabs in Bayonne (17th & Avenue E) as my new hookah spot (they server liquor! and good food).
The staff is younger, friendly, and speak english. They have belly dancers and DJs on wekends.

Foo

I think it's about the coolest street name in JC. Vroom is an old Dutch name. Many of the streets around there have similar names as it was the location of the original 17th century Dutch settlement. You'll see the same names on the headstones in the graveyard across from the Old Bergen Church.

On Vroom, just off of Bergen. West side of Bergen.

Did not note what the hookah prices where. Not my bag of tobacco. ;)

yea, ive been there. its pretty cool for such an unnamed place. they not only have hooka and food, but its byob, and its open 24 hours, unless i misunderstood the guy or he misunderstood me which could be likely. but the beer thing is for sure. i passed with flying colors on that one.

I'd seen this place before and finally made my way over for lunch today. (Vroom, just off of Bergen Ave. Look for the red tent.)

OMG.

Get thee there.

Given all the bumbling and uncertainty that came with ordering food, I started to think that maybe they didn't really serve food at all and that they pretended to in order to secure some other license (they do hookah). :) But once the food came, it was fantastic.

Their falafel puts Ibby's to shame, imho. The hummus was phenomenal. Turkey/Czechoslovakia soccer game on TV outside. And lots of hookah, if that's your thing.

There were some weird moments to be sure, a lot of which can probably be attributed to a (large) language barrier; iced coffee came in the form of a piping hot coffee. No iced tea with mint left, so we were offered peach iced tea...which was Snapple. (I guess I can't really complain since technically, Snapple peach iced tea is what it is, but given the juice menu, I was expecting something homemade.)

Lunch for three came to $30 -- three Snapples, three bottled waters (not ordered, but whatever), a generous side of hummus, a big side of eggplant and garlic (with a HUGE pile of fresh pita), a falafel sandwich, a lamb kebab sandwich and a chicken kebab sandwich. The sandwiches came with a side of assorted pickled vegetables. We certainly could have gotten by much cheaper, but our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.

I'm must psyched to have found a good lunch option near my work.

Anyone else ever been?