Hookah Lounge Proposed for Cameron Street

Alexandria Planning Commission signed off Tuesday night on plans for a new Middle Eastern restaurant at the corner of Cameron and N. Henry streets in Old Town that will have a second-floor hookah lounge.

The property, located at 1024 Cameron St., formerly housed Sultan Kabob from 2005 to 2007.

The new applicant plans to offer a menu of Iranian food, kabobs, sandwiches and salads. The second level, which was not previously used in former restaurants at the site, will be transformed into a lounge-type setting. A separate ventilation system will be installed—a requirement under state law—to allow the smoking of hookah pipes upstairs.

On-site alcohol will also be sold. The entire restaurant will have a total of 80 seats.

Despite not proposing any live entertainment or DJs, nearby residents at the Prescott condominium expressed some concerns about noise and late hours.

The applicant agreed to scale back its hours of operation from 1 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.

The restaurant will keep hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

The proposal will go before City Council on June 15.

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