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Karma

51 First Ave., New York, NY, 10003
nr. 3rd St.
212-677-3160

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"Mixed Reviews"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

60% would go back.

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Displaying 1-4 of 4

They will steal your money

By NYCResident222 on 10/3/2009

Overall Rating: 1
No, I would not go back!

Make of the $5 and $6 domestics what you will, but these people pretty shamelessly ripped me off. Last week, somehow a single beer and a hookah that was split (on the check) amongst several turned into a $25 bill. Of course, they took my credit card and my ID before the order, making the conversation harder to hash out. I made sure beforehand they assured is this was not one of their "3-drink minimums" areas (not advertised and another sneaky unattractive ploy), and even if it was I had three drinks through the course of the night in this place. Hookah lounges in general have a dubious reputation for this sort of stuff, and this is one place where it's the case.

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74 out of 122 people found this review helpful.

OK atmosphere, very poor service

By nb2020 on 7/3/2009

Overall Rating: 4
No, I would not go back!

There are some good things about Karma--you can smoke hookah there (obviously), the music is good, and the seating is comfortable (especially for laid back hookah smoking)--but they're heavily outweighed by the bad or mediocre. For one, the service is awful... I've been there a few times, and it took at least 20 minutes to get my hookah each night. The last time I went, it took more like 45 (we had time to go through almost three drinks each). That, combined with a LONG wait for the check (not what you want when out on the right kind of date), and a surprise 20% gratuity added to the bill which they wouldn't let us remove (why would they do that after a night of particularly bad service?) has convinced me not to go back.

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74 out of 126 people found this review helpful.

Really good, but not the cheapest...

By gazmanjones on 4/8/2009

Overall Rating: 8
Yes, I would go back!

Really hip little place and also it is very nice being able to smoke inside when it's freezing out. However it is not the cheapest place in the world. For example if you ask for a shot, the bartenders will automatically make it a treble and charge you $9 accordingly...

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57 out of 106 people found this review helpful.

For the Dancer or the Smoker who likes to chill

By EAron on 2/7/2009

Overall Rating: 8
Yes, I would go back!

Went here on a Friday, the party was downstairs, so I had to check my coat and my hoodie, much to my surprise. Other than that minor setback, Karma was awesome. DJ played the best music I've heard in this town - from good hip-hop to 80s dance to 90s Jock Jams. For a Fri. night - enough room to dance. Hookas are ample and sitting is a nice luxury for a NYC bar/club space. Everyone was chill and ready to dance to the atypical beats. What really made this place though were the sweet beats. Drinks are average NYC prices. Beware smelling like smoke when you leave.

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66 out of 130 people found this review helpful.