Genie Lounge Cafe, Northridge

Though most people avoid smoky bars, patrons at Genie Lounge Cafe often come for the smoke. That's because guests aren't smoking cigarettes, but instead puffing on colorful hookahs filled with sweet-smelling, flavored tobaccos. Patrons sip on espresso as they pass around hookah hoses to friends seated on pillow-lined couches, enjoying the combination of flavors woven from drinks, pastries, and the fragrant smoke. On special nights, guests can even watch belly dancers sashay their way through tables to music as exotic and elegant as a zebra in a silk pantsuit.