About Crazy Joe's Shisha Cafe

With 40,000 or so people of Arabic descent in London, Joe Alomeiri—a native of Jordan—knew a Middle Eastern restaurant would be well received by the city. He also had a feeling that non-Arabs might be curious to explore some traditions of his culture, including shisha. So, in 2008, he opened Crazy Joe's Shisha Cafe, naming it with the moniker he earned from his years working multiple jobs at once, often with very little sleep.

Joe allows himself to spend more time counting sheep, now that his sole focus is on his authentic shisha cafe. Free from tobacco, tar, and nicotine, herbal shisha—smoked from a water pipe, also known as a hookah—comes bathed in fragrant flavours, from fruity apple, guava, and peach to more indulgent tastes, such as chocolate and whiskey. Guests at Crazy Joe's can sink into a cushy sofa as they puff shisha and sip hot tea, or slide into a table and enjoy Middle Eastern favourites, such as chicken shawarma and falafel. On Saturday night, every seat in the house gets a full view of live belly dancers, who twist and shimmy amid the cafe’s vibrant, curry-coloured walls and blonde hardwood floors.