Cloister Cafe

This place is wonderful!! The atmosphere is awesome and the hookah lounge is so much fun. I'll be back!

I really enjoyed cloister cafe! i came in just for drinks + hookah and I had a great time. The hookah was nice, the staff was really friendly and wasn't bothersome... I ended up staying and just hanging/talking for a while! The decor was beautiful, the atmosphere really laid back....

Restful music and relaxing atmosphere. Good food. It had been many years since we were here and did not realize the outside garden was now a hookah lounge. We were square and ate indoors to avoid the smoke. Our server was friendly but overworked and slow. Still, we enjoyed it.

Friendly staff, great atmosphere and good hookah every time. I'm glad that I stumbled upon this place.

Pretty decent place for hookah, or just to grab a couple of drinks. The outdoor garden is pretty awesome, and they have Pilsner Urquell on tap. The staff (especially the hosts) tend to be a bit standoffish for some reason, but this isn't a huge problem.

I LOVE CLOISTER! Have been here a good number of times and have always been satisfied. Okay so. Here are some things to note about Cloister:



1. It has a large outdoor section which is PERFECT for the current New York summer weather. Came here with a friend yesterday; we were both in comfortable summer clothing, it wasn't too hot nor cold (there was a light breeze), hookah was delicious-smelling, drinks were nice and cold, it wasn't too loud etc etc etc...super chill and SERIOUSLY a great way to spend a summer night.



2. Hmm perhaps I said it all in 1. Oh oh. I like the the peach and watermelon combination for the hookah itself. Apple and grape was good the first time I tried it.



3. Best place for conversation. I ALWAYS enjoy the conversations I have there...there's really something about Cloister. It always leaves me happy! Haha.



ALRIGHT. See you there guys.

I've been here many a times, and I know I'll keep coming back. I love this place, but, my experience here always varies. Sometimes, when the stars align and they seat you in a nice section, the hookah is strong enough and the waiter is kind enough to keep changing the coals, I have a great time. It has character, it has good hookah ($20 per hookah) and a nice vibe. The music is upbeat and their hookah flavor list is extensive. You can even mix flavors! The drawbacks are that some areas of the place are nicer than others, the service itself can vary from good to terrible, you have to keep buying drinks to for them to keep changing the coals, and they limit one hookah per four people. Also, the food is expensive, but hey, that shouldn't be what you go here for. Overall, this is a good go to place for hookah that you might find yourself returning to.

Fittingly, the decor inside Cloister matches what you would expect to see at a church. The pleasantly sacrilegious ambiance for smoking hookah and drinking fine wine adds to your inebriating experience.

Cloister is a term ingrained in the Catholic church, if you're curious regarding it's meaning, check out Wikipedia. I'm here to preach, not to teach.



The pride and joy of CC though is the outdoor garden. When the weather is warm and the vineyard has grape leaves draping over slivers of sunlight, you forget that you're still in New York. The ambiance is amazing and the patrons can be very pleasant, even striking up a conversation with your table.



The pricing is often ridiculous, and sometimes when our lovely waitress brings us "shots on the house" I swear we've had them show up on our bill. This adds to the charm albeit stings the first two times you see the bill. It's very European how they handle their business, complete with real Russian waitresses!



So yea, Catholic stain glass, Mediterranean garden, New American cuisine, Turkish Hookah and Russian staff. It's not ideal, in fact it's all over the place in terms of brand identity. Given that I'm a regular, they treat me a little better than a first timer (My real rating for this spot would be a 4 by the way, but I want to counterbalance the bad ratings)



On a wintery night, I came here with a friend, we were both sick and we asked them to make us honey mulled wine, they did it. They charged us whatever they wanted because it's not a standard menu item, but the fact remains, they do care about their regulars. Like many places in NY, you have to know when to come and when to avoid this spot.



Some tips if you want to have a good time:

- Come during warmer weather and sit in the garden.

- Start drinking here, continue at your club/lounge. Not the other way around.

- Order a pitcher (or 2) of Sangria rather than drinks for groups smaller than 4

- Order Hookah with a mix, always keep one part leafy (Mint, Jasmine) with one part smooth (Vanilla, Apple, Coffee).

- Practice self control when ordering shots.



If you follow these steps, you'll have a good time

This is a great place to go for brunch when there's nice weather. Unlike so many places where you have to wait for an hour or two to sit outside for brunch, there is tons of outdoor seating in the cloister garden. The garden is such a nice atmosphere and relaxing since it is removed from the street.

I like to come here and enjoy some hookah. It is $20 for 4 people and they have tons of flavors. There is also a 1 min. beverage charge but that is nothing. I just got an iced mint tea to go with my hookah. The hookah lasted 2 hours without changing the coal.

Went to see Stomp and just picked this restaurant by chance. What a great find! The food was very good, service great and a cool place insde! We will definatly go back! Enjoy!

We had a good time in the backyard garden and the waiters did not rush us or anything. It was very relaxing.

Recently went here with my boyfriend for a relaxing saturday night dinner/hookah. We absolutely loved it! The outdoor seating sets a good atmosphere and the food is delicious, I am a calamari fiend so I ordered the calamari with sweet and spicy thai sauce..it was even better than the calamari I've had fresh from Boston!