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Fairouz Mediterranean Cafe
Rating Details »
Categories: Middle Eastern, Greek, Mediterranean [Edit]
3815-A S George Mason DrFalls Church, VA 22041
(703) 845-7929
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
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18 reviews for Fairouz Mediterranean Cafe
An excellent shisha joint in a very nondescript location (a strip mall off George Mason Drive).
The shisha is excellent, the kind that you can smoke for hours without it getting too harsh on the lungs. Prices are reasonable, too, $10 on weekdays and $12 on the weekends. The food isn't spectacular, but the hummus is good and the shawerma sandwiches are fresh and tasty.
A few reviewers have said that the service here is unimpressive. That's true. Fairouz is run by Arabs, though, so you should *expect* the service to be unimpressive; that's part of the atmosphere. You wouldn't want a shisha place rushing you out the door, would you?
One other plus: Non-stop Arabic music videos. Though last time I was here, inexplicably, they muted the music videos and piped in... Spanish music.
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I give it a 3.5 Fairouz was recommended to me from my friends new roomate while we were helping him move last night. Not being new to DC but the area we wondered what was around and as soon as the roomate heard we both liked shisha this was the first place they said we should go.
We walked in and I wasn't disappointed by the decor but not overly impressed either. Typical to any other place, except there were some neat paintings on a few walls. They weren't professionaly done, just some neat paintings of some scenery in the Middle East. The shisha actually never got harsh and tasted great, the hot mint tea (a pot for only $5.50) hit the spot, and the food was tastey. I got the lamb kabob which came with a side salad and rice with some vegetables on top. Nothing mind blowing but good nontheless.
The only downsides to the whole night was that they turned the soccer off the tvs and put on the football game, I don't wanna watch the NFL at a shisha bar come on!, and at the end of the night we had to go up to our waitress both to say we wanted to pay and to actually pay. Up untill that point service was great though.
I have a love hate relationship with Fairouz in that there is some inconsistency with the hookah bowl packing. I've been going there for more than 2 years now and can say that it has been declining. They sometimes try to sneak small bowls onto the pipes if you aren't careful, they seem to have forgotten to clean the place in a long time, and they pack the tobacco too tightly so that you don't get a good smoke without requesting for them to give you a new bowl.
When I first started going to Fairouz, it was a little smaller (pre-renovation) and mostly frequented by middle aged and older Arab men drinking coffee and playing backgammon or reading the paper. Now the clientele is younger and those authentic scenes of middle eastern men smoking as they would back home, is all but absent. I miss the old Fairouz, the one that reminded me of my time working in North Africa.
Now a days I would rate it lower than three stars, but honestly haven't found a better place to smoke yet aside from Babylon Futbol Cafe (on Route 7 nearby), but they don't have wifi (which I want for my laptop). Fairouz is a good place to smoke, but I have a feeling that it's only a matter of time before the place is eclipsed.
I've been here several times and I love it. They have the best sheesha and cheap hookah rates. They're clean, flavors are great and the food is awesome. The environment has a lounge feeling with music playing in the background. This is one of my favorite spots. The owner is very friendly as well as the waiters and waitresses. They are very quick at exchanging coals and pack the flavors very well. I definitely recommend this place for hookah.
There was a special event once where they had a bellydancer entertain everyone. Even the owner is there most of the time and remembers people who come often.
The only downside is the price of the smoothies haha.
I couldn't decide between 2 and 3 stars so I gave it the third because as a hookah bar its probably better. I went to this restaurant the other day to eat, not to smoke hookah and while the smoke didn't bother me and the ambiance was nice the food was unimpressive and the service was TERRIBLE. WE had a table of 10 in the middle of the restaurant and it took us an hour to get the check! And this on a tuesday night when the place wasn't THAT busy. They also charged for bottles of water (apparently no free water available) and at $2.5 a bottle I'lll admit I felt a little cheated. I mean if you go to the middle east you pay for bottle water because the tap water isnt' safe to drink but at least its no where near that expensive! My food was OK, I've had better and nobody else at my table seemed that impressed with theirs either.
We got the hummus because I heard other people talking about it on here, but I wasn't impressed, it was very average.
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It ranks #2 for my favorite hookah places anywhere.
They're always friendly and their hummus and other food is amazing!
I love when they have 1950s era middle-eastern movies on - they are hilarious to watch.
I love to take friends who visit the area here to chill and talk for a few hours.
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Soooo.... what to say about my first Hookah experience? Well, it was pretty fun. Jose and his friend Lisa apparently come here a lot, so on Saturday I drove to DC from Richmond and this is where I ended up.
We ordered hot tea for the table and I had a steak and lamb sandwich. I guess it was supposed to be pita-esque because it was wrapped in a tortilla (or whatever a more authentic name would be). It was pretty good, although the large steak fries reminded me of a carnival.
The Hookah was okay (the cinnamon burned, but the melon was fresh tasting) and I only got slightly nauseous later that night (apparently it could have been worse).
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I am not from the area, but turned to Yelp to find a kebab place near Falls Church. I ended up here.
When I walked in, I felt like I was entering a restaurant in a third world country. I don't mean this in a bad way, it just felt authentic. The decor was dark, they had bizarre middle eastern TV on and people were smoking hooka pipes.
I had the mixed kabob plate. Everything was wonderful, the lamb especially was tender and very tasty. The food was top notch. We also had hummus which was the best hummus I have ever had.
Their hooka bar and belly dancing at night looks like a great time. Sadly, I had to fly out that night so I could not return. Maybe next time.
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i went here with high hopes after reading some good reviews but i left disappointed.
had the chicken schwarma sandwich and it was ok at best. the lettuce they put on the sandwich was spoiled and had brown spots on it. i picked it all off but it was such a turn off i had a few bites and couldn't eat anymore.
maybe i hit them on a bad day, but any place that serves brown lettuce is not somewhere i plan to return
I'm very excited that this place is near me, since I'll now be frequenting it often after my first visit today.
I went for lunch and loved it. The location is in a small off the beaten path shopping strip in the Skyline area close to 395. There are lots of tables and even a few people on their laptops during lunch.
The food was authentic with generous portions. I had the hummus nicely dowsed in olive oil, the chicken kabob and a banana pineapple smoothie. They were extremely accommodating (gave us an extra extra large salad) and great with customer service. One of the staff members had a shirt that said, "The customer is #1" and the employees were so nice and friendly.
The let me know that typically on weekends they serve food as late as 2 or 3am (might make for some great late night grub) with live music and belly dancers.
I saw the hookahs lined up in the closet so I'll definitely plan to return one of these weekends and continue to support our local establishments!
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I've never been to a hookah bar before so I don't have anything to compare this to, but I enjoyed my first smoking experience at Fairouz. It is located in a weird strip mall that you don't see right away if you are following google map directions, but it's pretty easy to circle round and go back in. that said, the parking lot is a cluster and when we got there at 11PM one night we couldn't find parking so we left and came back at 1AM when some of the traffic had died down.
Fairouz itself is rather un-atmospheric and loud, but the serivce was prompt and we wore out before our hookah did. We tried Mandarin flavored tabacco which was nice and my friend CJ showed me how to smoke and I tried to enjoy it while thinking of all those anti-smoking ads with the shriveled blackened lungs.
But really, it was interesting and there were loads of people there and everyone was having a good time, and a college guy hit on me which was charming until he asked how old i was an i realized i was an old woman and should not be out after midnight anymore.
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This is certainly one of the best places to eat in this shopping center. The kibseh (kind of like a spanish rice) with chicken is delicious. The rice is well seasoned and the chicken is very moist and tasty. I recently split the large combination platter with my lunch companion. It was 30 bucks, but it was a ton of food. I would recommend this for someone who has never been here as most of the things are very good and you can get a feel for the place. The ground beef kabob was excellent, even though I normally think they are dry and lacking flavor. The meat pies and hummus are also good. The down sides are that it is very dark, and they give you a bottle of water when you ask for water. If you can deal with the smoke, I would definitely recommend this place.
C'est la creme de la creme.
C'e la migliore alternativa al Cairo.
...or I guess I should say al Libano, in respect to the cafe's name.
Don't mistake this for yet another hookah bar amongst the six or seven that already exist in this strip-mall-o-middle-east-slash-north-africa-slash- token-salvadorean-restaurant-too... because it really is better than all the rest. It has delicious Lebanese food. It has a relaxed, comfy, down-to-basics-in-the-homeland atmosphere. It has the (legal) smoke. It has the music... the (non-alcoholic) drinks... the people.
Really, the biggest difference between this cozy spot and the others is the people. It has an older, more relaxed, sophisticated crowd that come to truly enjoy the experience with all the wonderful ammenities that Fairouz has to offer. No longer does one have to watch obnoxious kids take pictures smoking their hookah in hopes of getting one new cool myspace picture... no no; there's none of that here.
Instead, you can enjoy watching a belly dancer... or a live musical performance... or your fellow patrons getting up and dancing to the music because they just can't help it... or Nancy Ajram or someone of the like on the Arab music videos that are put on repeat on TVs around the cafe... I think you get the idea. But yes, all the while you can and should do this while enjoying a pot of freshly brewed hot cardamom tea and your favorite flavor of hookah... that's if you're not the one dancing, of course... and if you are the one dancing, PLEASE DON'T SUCK AT IT.
I give you my word that everything's good here, so don't be scared to try something new. Just keep it on the downlow, okie?
And if your friends ask you about Fairouz and you don't think they're vip-cool-status enough to know about it yet, just send them next door to Oasis... or next next door to Aladdin... or if you really don't like them, send them on the other side of the strip to Prince. That'll definitely keep them away.
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I like this place, A LOT! It's a good/bad thing this place is out of the way for me and my friends. If I lived close by, I'd be a hookah/shisha fiend since I would be here all the time.
I've been twice and both times were excellent. My virgin foray involved a friend who had just come back from Iraq, a pal in DC who was obsessed with finding a place to smoke, and of course me, who discovered hookah in Russia of all places....
It's located in a rather old-school strip mall and we had trouble finding parking. We got there rather early on a Saturday night so it wasn't crowded yet. We ate some really awesome food, some of the best Mediterranean food I've had in the area with really reasonable prices. We were thoroughly entertained by the random Arabic music videos that were playing on two screens. Our waiter, who seemed to be in charge (so maybe a manager or owner) helped us with menu selections, and provided suggestions for tobacco flavors. Guava is my new favorite! He also hit on my friend quite a bit, but hey I'm not complaining he brought us extra coals and kept things going for the hours (like 5!) that we were there. I'm all about pimping my friends out if it gets better service/free stuff. I don't think she minded either....
One note of caution: At night it gets super crowded and service can dwindle, I'd recommend going earlier to secure a place and to avoid the crowds
All in all a good experience, it loses a star for being so darn out of the way. It's hard to convince people to trek into VA, so the only other time I've gone is one quiet afternoon where I read a book, smoked, and ate. Still a good experience.
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I happened upon this place while busy getting lost in Bailey's Crossroads and I believe I found a gem. I had lunch, when they have specials for just under $7.
Best Lamb Schwarma I've ever had (outside of the middle east). Lamb was tender and flavorful. The sandwich is full of garlic and tahini. mmm mm. It could possibly be laced with crack b/c I've been craving more ever since.
You really experience the culture here. The atmosphere is cool - dark lighting, traditional decor and great oil paintings with traditional "homeland" scenes. I really dig the paintings. Also adding to the ambiance are two big flat screen TVs showing news in some middle eastern-origin language and music videos with lots of guys with cheesy mustaches.
I got great service here, too. I was in a hurry to get back to getting lost, so I asked if they could serve me quickly and they pleasantly obliged.
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I was in there this past Sun to have dinner with my girlfriend. The food was great. I have been to a couple Hooka bars in the past but this one tops them all. They had a Disc Jockey playing Miami style music. This was without a doubt the best DJ I have ever heard. Between his lights & the music I felt like I was in Miami. My girlfriend & I will for sure be back for the great food & music. I give this place an A plus
Smoky, cavernous, mysterious and hidden in a strip mall in Bailey's Crossroads. After reading the Yelp reviews of Fairouz, I was determined to visit this exotic "gem" in Arlington. It is a hookah bar so be warned if you cannot handle smoke, even applewood scented. I went for Sunday lunch on a bright and sunny day. The restaurant is located in a brown single story mall with narrow shop fronts strung together like dried dates. There is a wide array of vendors, from stone baked pizza, many Ethiopian markets (small with sparse shelves but much bread, and many videos), and several cafes. Although we (two women) went during the day, the interior of Fairouz had the feel of the kind of place where proper women might not set foot. I loved it! There were many tables (a padded bench along one wall, and around 40 tables closely packed together); velvety maroon walls; large paintings appear small on the cathedral high walls; chandeliers twinkling from the ceiling; and two flat screen TVs. One of the TVs shows music videos from the Middle East (Oh Haifa!) and the other screen shows classic black and white belly dancing movies. There were a few groups of men and one young urban Arlingtonian couple sitting along the wall bench, puffing on a hookah, nibbling on on goodies, socializing on a lazy Sunday. We ordered hummus with pita (it was fine but not over the moon), chicken kebab with rice (oh, my gawd, such yummy chicken! Juicy, flavorful, alone worth going for), chicken with couscous (half a chicken, roasted atop a bed of whole roasted veggies on a mountain of couscous served on a ceramic elevated platter (the couscous was a little overdone but it was okay); and to drink, we had banana smoothie (yum-oh), mint tea (yeah, real mint leaves), and turkish coffee (sweet, thick and bitter - not bad).
So, the food gets four stars (but the chicken is a five). The service was okay. We never got any water even after we asked. But I give Fairouz five stars overall for the atmosphere... lots of groups of men (and some smoking hot women) sitting around enjoying hookah. I miss the Egyptian dive that used to hide up in Georgetown but this place might fulfill my desire for a smoky cafe with belly dancing, live Bolivian band (I can't wait to see the cultural blending going on there), and general anti-yuppiness.
AND A WARNING! Keeping up with the anti-PCness, don't come here if you're offended by the superflurous photos of scantily clad women on the hookah menu and on the drinks menu! Or the groups of men, men and more men hanging out. And, this place is not like the website at all, so don't be mislead, mistaken or misinformed. It's much darker and dive-ier than the website. Thank goodness. I can't wait to come back.
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Great recommendation, all you other Fairouz patrons! I drove across state lines to come and enjoy Shisha here and it was all so worth it. We tried Starbuzz double apple with mint tea before we dived into the Middle Eastern delicacies. And I was finally able to find Kabsa here, we had both lamb and chicken Kabsa and a mixed grill platter with Hummus. Everything was delicious and authentic. Also, watching Saudi soccer on flat screens while you smoke away with occasional sips of mint tea, where else would you get that on this side of Atlantic?
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