Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe & Hookah Lounge

We opened our doors in 1988 as a small cafe featuring Middle Eastern delights paired with robust Arabic coffee. Our founder, Paymon Raouf, envisioned an intimate local spot offering an ethnic cultural experience not readily available in Las Vegas at the time. In 2000 we partnered with Jeff Ecker, President of Restaurant Consultants of Las Vegas, to oversee day-to-day operations and lead business development, a partnership that remains intact today. From the outset we have pursued a health-conscious approach, avoiding trans-fat oils, artificial additives and preservatives while limiting saturated fats. Long before the terms became mainstream, we offered vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes made from the freshest ingredients. In 2020 we renamed the business Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe & Hookah Lounge to reflect our commitment to sourcing the freshest available ingredients for creative dishes drawn from global cuisines. Over three decades we have grown from a dozen menu items and 900 square feet to four pages of options across two full-size restaurants and two lounges that transform into dance and music venues on weekends with nightclub-style DJs.

Despite our growth we continue to prepare everything from scratch, using a small refrigerated space to force small batches and keep every dish as fresh as possible. Our chefs explore cuisines from across the Mediterranean and beyond, adding American, South American and Indian specialties while our house favorite remains the award-winning Athens Fries. The lounge offers a unique ambiance of elegance, comfort and charm, complemented by a beverage menu of specialty cocktails, Happy Hour promotions and live entertainment. We take pride in extremely low turnover of guests and staff, believing that loyalty begins with trust, and we have been honored with over thirty awards, including the Review-Journal "Best of Las Vegas" thirty-times award and Zagat recognition.