Gumbad Cafe Hookah: What Is Reported and What the Law Says

What is reported about hookah at Gumbad Cafe

Three points come up consistently in press coverage and on listing sites:

• It is herbal, according to the press. ThePrint's December 2022 feature described the hookah as herbal and tobacco-free. This guide has not been able to verify what is in it today.
• It was popular. The Patriot reported in October 2022 that sheesha was the most-ordered item. The manager quoted there even said the idea for the cafe came up while smoking sheesha with friends.
• It is not cheap. Diners on Yappe describe the hookah as expensive.

Gumbad Cafe hookah price: reported estimates only

No official hookah price list is available as text. The only figures found are on a third-party menu blog (May 2026) that calls its numbers approximate:

• Standard flavour: reported estimated range of about Rs 600 to 900
• Premium flavour: reported estimated range of about Rs 900 to 1,500

These are reported estimated ranges, unverified. Prices change, and taxes or a service charge may be added. Check the current menu photos on Zomato, magicpin or District, and see the Gumbad Cafe menu page for the rest of the menu.

Delhi's 2017 hookah bar order

In October 2017 the Delhi government said that hookah bars "in any form" were illegal under Section 4 of COTPA, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, which prohibits smoking in public places. It directed the police and municipal bodies to cancel the licences of restaurants running hookah bars.

The Quint reported that the government cited raids in which most samples sold as "herbal" turned out to contain nicotine. That finding is why the order did not carve out an exception for herbal products.

The herbal hookah grey area in Delhi

The question of herbal hookah went to the Delhi High Court during the COVID period:

• 16 November 2021: Justice Rekha Palli of the Delhi High Court allowed herbal hookah in restaurants on an interim basis (DNA).
• 11 January 2022: a Delhi Disaster Management Authority order banned it again.
• 18 January 2022: the High Court declined to intervene in that ban (LiveLaw).

This guide found no final post-COVID ruling that settles herbal hookah in Delhi restaurants. In practice, some venues serve herbal hookah, and police raids on hookah bars continue to be reported. Tobacco hookah in Delhi restaurants is treated as illegal.

So the fair summary is: the cafe has been reported to say its hookah is herbal, and Delhi law on hookah service is restrictive and has been enforced through raids. The position could change at any time through a court order or government direction.

The 2026 Uttar Pradesh ruling

On 29 September 2026, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court (Justices Shekhar B. Saraf and Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary) dismissed about 80 petitions in M/s Aftek Foods and Beverages Pvt Ltd v State of UP. The court held that serving hookah in restaurants, including in designated smoking areas, is prohibited under Rule 4(3) of the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008, as amended in 2017, made under COTPA.

The ruling covers tobacco, nicotine and herbal hookah alike. It applies in Uttar Pradesh, so it affects cafes in Lucknow, including the unrelated Gumbad Cafe in Lucknow. In effect, no restaurant in Lucknow can lawfully serve hookah as of October 2026. It does not directly govern Delhi, but it shows how courts are reading the same central rules.

Points to keep in mind

• Hookah is for adults only.
• Herbal does not automatically mean harmless. Delhi's 2017 order was based on raids that found nicotine in samples sold as herbal.
• Because hookah service is legally restricted, it may not be available on any given day, and the cafe could stop offering it.
• Many people visit Gumbad Cafe only for the view, food and mocktails. Hookah is optional, and there is plenty to enjoy without it.

Planning a visit? The visiting guide covers timings, entry rules and the best time for the view.