Ali Mama Cafe

Silver Lake, Los Angeles –

A hole-in-the-wall joint seemingly plucked from the streets of Cairo, Ali Mama Cafe is a grungy dive where the only thing stronger than the hookah tobacco might be the pots of authentic Turkish coffee.

The façade is a plain white storefront with only the dull, cramped front room visible inside, but once patrons sidestep their way through the groups of middle-aged Arab men perpetually planted by the windows, they can climb the narrow concrete stairs to a larger room with an entirely different atmosphere.

A domed wooden ceiling lined with black lights and rimmed with Christmas bulbs hangs above the scattered tables upstairs, causing anything and anyone wearing bright colors to give off a cool, fluorescent glow. On any given night, groups of hip young regulars and adventurous friends can be found smoking hookahs from the mammoth colorful pipes, playing cards, and sipping jet fuel-strength coffee as they listen to the pop sounds of Arabic music videos on the wall-mounted TVs.

For those who prefer some fresh air – or at least freshER air – there’s also a small outdoor patio with heat lamps, where tipsy revelers go on the weekends to smoke and joke and rehash the night.

Ali Mama Cafe definitely won’t win any awards from the Surgeon General, but for anyone in need of a heavy dose of Middle Eastern culture and a great place to top off an evening, it’s exactly what the doctor ordered.