Hookah Bars in Suburban Los Angeles

With the great variety of places to see and things to do in Southern California, there is often the case that many local retailers and specialty shops get lost. Particularly in the shadow of the war between Peet, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and the Siren as places to "hang" and with the propensity for people to just opt out of all three and stay home, it's tough to get people to come out and spend any money.

Fortunately for the numerous hookah bars in the greater Los Angeles area, not only can you do things at these places which you can't do just about anywhere else anymore (smoke) but they also have some enticing menu options which can have you driving a long way just to get certain local flavors.

We'll start our tour at Up In Smoke Hookah Lounge (14426 Ventura Blvd) in Sherman Oaks. As a hookah lounge, this place is totally lounge-ish! Check out their website (http://www.upinsmokehookah.com) and click on the gallery page to see what you can see and draw your own conclusions about this place from their pictures. In addition to the hookah they have a full menu which includes such favorites as babaganoush, humus, a few different house salads, and baklava.

Another little gem of a hookah establishment which is actually located in broad daylight is called simply Hookah Lounge (829 E Colorado St) just east of Glendale Ave in Glendale. Renown for their customer service and their awesome smoke, the Hookah Lounge is worth your attention.

One additional great spot if you're further along Ventura Blvd in Encino is the Hookah Lounge Inc. (17705 Ventura Blvd) Known for attracting both hip guys and gals, this is a great spot to meet up, hook up, or just flirt depending on your level of involvement. The hookah is pretty good too!

Finally, way up Ventura Blvd in Tarzana is the Corbin Hookah Lounge (19657 ½ Ventura Blvd) This place is relatively new, a mere two years young, and they offer more than 20 different kinds of flavored tobacco. One nice thing about the Corbin Hookah Lounge is that they serve many distinct kinds of Middle Eastern and Indian food for the displaced customer.