The Shisha Mission

One of our passions, shisha has taken off in Sydney over the last five years! I experienced my first Shisha in Dubai on the banks of the Creek and it was a revelation. I had never seen or tried it before yet here were tents and tents full of Arabic men and women sitting amongst an exotic haze of thick, fragrant smoke. I was mystified and determined to experience my first shisha. My first flavour was Cappucino - strong and intense and I also tried a special Rose blend which was amazing. There is nothing like sitting on the banks of Dubai Creek under a tent with amazing food and completely relaxed with a shisha in hand. After coming back to Sydney, I hunted around and found a place in Burwood had just started serving shisha - Cafe D'or.

Finding good shisha soon became a passion... luckily the range available in Sydney has expanded over the last five years! Whether you call it shisha, nargile, hookah, argyle, or just hubbly bubbly we'll help you find the best places to go to!

The one problem we've found with Sydney is that generally all establishments serving Shisha serve the Al-Fakher brand, which is known as one of the best brands of shisha tobacco but it does get a bit repetitive. There's so many new and interesting flavours being produced in America for example such as Starbuzz and Fumari that it seems restrictive to be limited to Al-Fakher here and maybe sometimes Nakhla. Due to the same flavours being used everywhere the shisha experience comes down to the skill of the shisha maker, premium shisha additions, like ice shisha and fresh shisha, the ambience, the service (particularly frequency of coal change) and other extras like food and beverage :)
  1. Sidnees @ Burwood
    Sidnees used to be a regular haunt. The food is average and overpriced and the service a hit and miss. However this place used to have consistent shisha and they were definitely has a monopoly on the market in this area. However we find that there are better places now to have a good shisha experience with better service. They still have a great vibe due to their fantastic location in an alley opposite Westfield and i do miss the Fruit Frenzy and Lemon Mint drinks her and the convenient FroYo from WowCow next door! I would go here for maybe the vibe or you are near Westfield - but otherwise I'd head down the road to La Plaka where they serve Ice shisha (albeit without the atmosphere and vibe the Sidnees alley has!).  With so many other shisha places serving ice shisha this place has to catch up!
  2. Titanic @ Bankstown
  3. Laytani @ South Strathfield 
    The vibe here is like a dodgy roadside diner - however this place has truly upped their game in the shisha department. I wouldn't travel far to come here but if you live in the area it's a great place to get a decent shisha without the crowd. The best part is they leave a "basket" of coal with you so you can refill at need! Lebanese food here isn't bad at all.
  4. Shisha @ Croydon Park- closed at the moment
  5. Sweets on Queen @ Auburn 
  6. Cushion House @ Glebe  
  7. Pasha @ Parramatta - i do not believe they still serve shisha
  8. Kazbah @ Darling Harbour 
  9. Kazbah @ Top Ryde
  10. Al-Aseel @ Surry Hills  
  11. Cafe D'or @ Burwood  
  12. Habibi @ Surry Hills  
  13. Zenobia @ Leichhardt 
  14. Zenobia @ North Strathfield 
  15. *NEW* Atmosphere @ North Strathfield 
  16. *NEW* El Sweetie @ Granville
    So this place has been around for a while! I think since 2008 but it's been a recent discovery of ours. One doesn't go here for the food, but the Arabic sweets are definitely popular and authentic. A lot of people pass by this place and don't realise that half of it is actually technically "outdoors" thanks to the louvered roof and has amazing shisha! It's become our new favourite and pretty much kicks the proverbial butt of every other shisha on this list!
    Go-to flavour: Grape and mint, fresh with ice. (Or if you are after something different they serve rose shisha here!)

Warning: Shisha contains tobacco! Don't do it if you are under 18 and it's probably best to avoid it altogether. But if you are going to .... then check out the above places!

8 comments:

  1. Hey!
    When did you make this list? Just seeing whether most of these places will still have it!
    Thanks
    P.s- check out my blog, callycoco.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cally! Most places do still have it -

      Shisha @ Croydon Park is closed
      but we have also found a new favourite - El Sweetie in Granville where the shisha is awesome!

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    2. Shisha in Croydon Park is now revamped as Shisha Bar & Grill :) Check it out!

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  2. Hey guys,

    Here's another to add to the list which I regularly attend. They're located in Liverpool.

    http://thespotchocolatebar.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip! Definitely going to try it!

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  3. The best so far... Downtown Bar and grill
    Authentic lebanese food and a huge variety of Argily flavours check it out guys www.downtownbargrill.com.au

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip! Is it Al Fakher tobacco?

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  4. Thanks for the tip! Is it Al Fakher tobacco?

    ReplyDelete

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