Hookah Lounge Headed to Newport

Hookah bars have been all the rage in big cities in recent years, but soon Newporters will have a place of their own to enjoy the Middle Eastern smoking pipes.

Farahnaz Shobeiri went before the City Council this week requesting a victualing license for the Genie Hookah Lounge, which she said she and her son, Sina Rezvan, plan to open at 547 Thames Street.

Shobeiri said she plans to move to the island to open the indoor smoking bar, which will serve snacks and beverages to patrons while they enjoy tobacco from the waterpipes. Hookah bars typically offer customers a variety of flavored tobaccos to choose from, which is cooled down by water inside the intrument and inhaled through a hose. Several hookah establishments already exist in Providence. Although indoor smoking is generally prohibited in Rhode Island, these specialty smoking bars are allowed.

Shobeiri currently lives in Fairfield, CT, and her son in Hillsborough, NJ, but she said they have regularly vacationed in Newport and are excited to move here to open a business.

"I was thinking we don't have something like this," Shobeiri said. "It's very trendy, very nice, very classy, not a junk place. Definitely everybody can come in and try it out."

The establishment is expected to be open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Shobeiri said alcohol will not be served for now, but according to her application to the city, she will seek a liquor license in the future.