The New York Times Covers Mocha Hookah in Brooklyn Heights

By on September 6, 2014 12:32 pm in Brooklyn Heights

The New York Times covers Mocha Hookah [183 Atlantic Avenue] today. Brooklyn Heights residents’ first reaction might just be “is that place is still there?”

Is this truly a “neighborhood joint” as the Times’ series suggests? Are we missing something? Apparently, yes. But we’ll get to that after this quote from the Times’ piece:

NYT: “There’s no drama here,” said Melissa Melendez, a student with cheek studs and a smattering of tattoos. Ms. Melendez learned about Mocha Hookah from her older half brother. “He’s half Palestinian, half Puerto Rican,” she explained.

“That’s hot, right?” Meghan Santos, 21, said enthusiastically. After a pause she asked, “Anybody want cheese fries?”

At Mocha Hookah, the eclectic cuisine is part of the draw. In addition to meze plates and traditional Yemeni dishes like lamb ghallaba, the menu includes gelato, cappuccino, even bubble tea.

All of these items populate the table tops, around which sit a mix of first-generation Arab-American 20-somethings, Yemeni men in their 50s, yuppies on a date and fashionable real estate agents.

NY Times photo

RELATED: What Do You Think About Racked’s Recommendations for a ‘Perfect Saturday’ in Brooklyn Heights?

Update: The original POV of this post was pointing out that the hookah bar, hardly ever discussed here in comments by readers, was called out as a “neighborhood joint” by the New York Times. Citing the fact that Atlantic Avenue has long been home to Syrians, Lebanese and others from the former Ottoman Empire wasn’t really the point of this one post, but next time we’ll make sure to put more context into coverage like this (especially for infrequent or new readers).

While infrequent commenters didn’t get the point, long time readers David on Middagh and Joralemon did commenting:

David: I’ve popped into Mocha Hookah a couple of times in the afternoon to read the paper with a coffee and a square of spinach pie. The front room was light and spacious, and very relaxing. (I’m not a hookah person, but the mildly perfumed steam from others’ smoking didn’t bother me—watching others smoke is part of experience, as far as I’m concerned.)

Joralemon: I’d guess that unless you enjoy hookah pipes or their second-hand effects, it’s not a place for you (hence, why I haven’t been). But maybe I’ll have to try their delivery. It could be a good alternative to Waterfalls or Tripoli for Middle Eastern food.

However, as one commenter points out, we should have been noting this NPR report about other goings-on at Mocha Hookah. Which wasn’t our aim for this post, but may have been more relevant than our simple curiosity about the hookah habits of our readers.

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  • reader1

    What a bizarre tone to take in response to this story, which shows that all kinds of people go to this place and love it. That you and the other people in your social circle are not among them doesn’t mean anything — just because you don’t gather there doesn’t make it less of a gathering spot.

    To answer your question, yes, obviously you are missing something — you can read the article to find out exactly what.

  • Jazz

    Tone deaf comment, especially for any Bar Rescue fan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e52Vfx9XDSY

    And aside from C students at D level colleges, who else goes there?

  • Jorale-man

    I’d guess that unless you enjoy hookah pipes or their second-hand effects, it’s not a place for you (hence, why I haven’t been). But maybe I’ll have to try their delivery. It could be a good alternative to Waterfalls or Tripoli for Middle Eastern food.

  • David on Middagh

    I’ve popped into Mocha Hookah a couple of times in the afternoon to read the paper with a coffee and a square of spinach pie. The front room was light and spacious, and very relaxing. (I’m not a hookah person, but the mildly perfumed steam from others’ smoking didn’t bother me—watching others smoke is part of experience, as far as I’m concerned.)

  • David on Middagh

    Wish I hadn’t watched that Bar Rescue video. (BTW, Mocha Hookah is nothing like that, for those who were wondering.)

  • Teresa

    What an embarrassingly elitist thing to say.

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    Brooklyn Heights is not only a white upper class community as your piece painfully suggests, but tradiotionally around Atlantic also a Yemeni/Arab community of seamen, because of the harbor down the Avenue. The fine and welcoming mosque on State shows that history. That you exclude or don’t acknowledge that community and specifically its youth who gathers at this place as part of our community shows your limited and white privilegef perspective. Your lack of journalistic professionality shows in the fact that a few days ago NPR had a piece on the place in relation to one of its Islamic costumers, who radicalized is now fighting in Syria.

  • Jazz

    So you’re saying that because Homer watches Bar Rescue and was curious about the hookah joint he’s a bad journo because he doesn’t listen to the liberal drivel on NPR or worse didn’t thing to google mocha whatever and terrorist?
    http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/08/28/343805340/brooklyn-man-fights-in-syria-officials-unsure-of-the-threat

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    The author read the NYT as far as I can see. You watched Bar Rescue. (Do you have a real name? Ranting is so easy anonymously)

  • ann
  • BKNYnative

    I have to agree with most of the comments so far – odd and obnoxious tone to this piece. Of course it’s a neighborhood joint and while personally have not been a customer I am very glad the owners are able to succeed when seemingly every commercial space is being occupied by huge national chains.

  • Moni

    Too many commenters unfortunately have no clue as to the history of this neighborhood and the generations of Middle Eastern descent who contnue to add their flavor (3 cheers for Sahadi’s, e.g.). My guess is they are wealthy and dumb enough to shop at Barney’s.

  • BrooklynBugle

    Clearly, so we’ve updated the post.

    And to add “information” – this is Homer.

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    Fine you updated your post. However, you still see a neighbourhood joint as a place where ‘we’ come, and not ‘them’. I am pretty sure you would identify Tazza as a neighbourhood joint, as you would restaurant Queen. The implicit exclusion of Mocha Hooka in your piece is, sorry to say, borderline racist. To brush critical comments away as the innocence of infrequent commenters, doesn’t make it better: one has to be part of your in-group to understand a post like this?

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    I only now watched the Spike hookah video. How despicable to connect this video with the ‘our’ place on Atlantic. To make fun or even worse to demonise other culture’s customs has no place in Brooklyn and surely not on this blog.

  • BrooklynBugle

    Thanks for your comment. You’re still misunderstanding the intent of the post and projecting a political and – worse yet – a racial argument onto this post. We don’t have an agenda, do you?

  • BrooklynBugle

    Now you’re just trolling. Feel free to call or email me and we can discuss your concerns offline.

  • BrooklynBugle

    We didn’t post the video, a commenter did. It’s been flagged by the community. However later in that episode, Tapper brings up the fact that the hookah “trend” is over. Of course that is not the case here with those who grew up with the custom but might be accurate regarding others. Hence ASKING THE QUESTION.

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    You obviously don’t like criticism. How about spelling the name of the joint in your first line correctly to start with. Yes, I have an agenda: I want my islamic Middle Eastern friends in my neighbourhood feel welcome and at home, just as they welcomed me and made my gay, multiracial family feel at home when we moved here to live next to the mosque. To have a fine piece in the NYT just questioned and not celebrated in my neighbourhood blog is just wrong

  • BrooklynBugle

    Are you volunteering to copy edit? We can always use the help. And please stop trying to make this into an “ist” argument. Do you still live in Brooklyn Heights btw?

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    Of course. Still close to the mosque, where we with many other Clinton and State Street neighbours and religious leaders from the area – Christian and Jewish – were recently invited to beak the fast.

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    One more thing: look at the votes to see how your piece is valued by its readers.

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    Oh, the blog was about trends and the hookah trend is out, Now I get it :-)

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    This is trolling. My other comments are, indeed, comments, critical comment. ;-)

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    And thanks for correcting Hooka to Hookah ;-)

  • BrooklynBugle

    They’re all guest votes.

  • Jazz

    WE’VE FOUND THE NEW GERRY!! THE NEW MR. CRUSTY!!! REJOICE!!!

  • johnny cakes

    You mean, Joe A?

  • Frank Ligtvoet

    And they don’t count since you re a club

  • Simon Cranwell

    Is everyone in Brooklyn Heights devoid of a sense of humor? You seem awfully tightly wound.

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