Omar's Hookah Cafe: An Adventure on the Main Line

I love the food of the Middle East because it's a melange of so many different cultures and so multi-layered. You will never get a simple piece of meat. There will be citrus elements, dried fruit, spices, nuts, herbs and more. It is with high hopes that I took my friends to for some Middle Eastern fare.

We arrived and were pleased with the sumptuous setting—the pillows, the dim lighting, the various colors, the beaded curtains. It was like being transported to a foreign land even though we were really still on Lancaster Avenue. We noticed the write-ups from the Philadelphia Inquirer and other publications on the walls. Given the choice between remaining indoors or heading to the roof deck, we chose to go outside.

The roof deck does not have nearly the same charm and ambiance of the interior, but we couldn't say no to the warm breezes in the open air. The cheap white plastic furniture left much to be desired, but we enjoyed the views regardless.

We were given a quick introduction to the ways of the hookah. Everyone was charged $10 each even if they were not smoking. There are 13 standard flavors of tobacco (rose, apple, caramel, orange, grape, cherry, vanilla, coconut, etc.) and then five special flavors for a $5 upcharge. My friend chose a pina colada variety—a special flavor. I wasn't expecting to like it but it was surprisingly good. I am not a fan of cigarette smoking, but the whole point of smoking from a hookah is the more mellow smoke that results from the cooling effects of the water. The taste was subtle and pleasing. I feared it would be the hyper artificial taste of cheap drinks and chewing gum, but it was not.  Slightly creamy yet distinctly pineapple, each inhale was refreshing.

We ordered the Mediterranean sampler, a plain pizza and falafel wrap. The sampler had some delicious, extra thick tzatziki with feta sprinkled on top. The carrot and cucumber sticks were especially fresh and crisp. The olives were rich and savory. I could have eaten the carrots and tzatziki all day long. Though the hummus was creamy and garnished with pine nuts, it paled in comparison to the tzatziki. The dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) were a bit heavy. The most dominant flavor was oil—I wasn't loving it.

The plain pizza was described to us as an individual-sized pie made on flatbread. It tasted fine. The tomato sauce was decent, and the cheese melted nicely with some golden bubbles on top. The pizza tasted exactly how it looked, which is to say not bad but not great. It reminded me of the pizza at .

The falafel wrap was tasty. Instead of deep fried chickpea balls, the falafel was formed into thick disks and then fried. The lettuce and wrap were both fresh. There was a good combination of textures and flavors in each bite. The falafel was a bit underseasoned, but a touch of salt would fix that. Opt for the tzatziki instead of the hummus as the spread on your wrap. 

The service at Omar's is excellent. We were greeted immediately and escorted upstairs. All of our numerous questions were answered politely and patiently. At least three different people checked in on us throughout our evening clearing plates, refilling our water glasses and checking on our hookah. The staff is extremely professional, which was a pleasant surprise at such a casual place.

I felt very much at ease and peaceful that night. The food was not all that exciting, and my hopes for some delicious Middle Eastern cuisine were a bit dashed. But the focus at Omar's Hookah Cafe is on the hookahs, so I was a bit naive to expect so much.

The crowd is mostly college students and the occasional older couple enjoying an atypical date night. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for an adventure on the Main Line. As I said earlier, I am not a fan of cigarette smoking, and I do not plan on smoking from a hookah on a regular basis. Let's not forget that it is still tobacco and you're still inhaling smoke into your lungs. However, it is something fun to try and a unique way to de-stress.