Top Hookah Bars: Gazuza

The Scene

Hovering above Connecticut Avenue, the deck of Gazuza buzzes with energy on any given warm- weather night. Neo urbanites gather to talk and drink in this sleek, but friendly, tapas bar/club. While the inviting deck is quite roomy, the interior is cozy. Low seating -- a mix of leather chairs and stools and one very long in- wall bench -- and low tables make this smallish club seem larger than it is, a necessary effect with the square bar taking up almost half of the interior space and the deck nearly doubling the club's size. Cooler weather makes Gazuza all the more snug. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

An international crowd gathers here to talk and share tapas, both activities enhanced by closeness. A DJ (who at times doubles as a doorman, a not-so-easy task when the door is a flight of stairs away) plays ambient house music while the sound of clinking martini glasses bounces off the slate-gray and blue floor tiles. This is definitely a chill-out kind of place.