This issue is all about everything old, but there are also some new things to be celebrated. One of those is Xavier’s Cigar Lounge of Hallandale Beach, FL. Owner, Harris Safra, also owns an embroidery business creating personalized uniforms. He is an avid cigar smoker, who use to run a Cigar Bus Tour around various shops in the South Florida area. These popular tours would take those who signed up from cigar shop to cigar shop where they would be able to stock up on the favorite sticks, as well as get to see some great shops & meet their respective owners. Harris had so much fun running those tours that he decided to open his own cigar lounge.
The Xavier Cigar Lounge is located at 800 East Hallandale Beach Blvd. It’s a quirky little shopping center that appears to be build around the late ‘50s to early ‘60s. All the stores for the center sit around a beautiful small green park, with an ‘X’ shaped walkway bisecting it and a small circle in the center. It is cute & cozy and quaint all at the same time. The retailers of this charming center include a few restaurants , a realtor’s office, Sage Bagels, as well as Sage Deli, a foot spa and a few others. The location is just east of Federal Hwy, on the south side of the road. You enter through one driveway, then there is ample parking all around the shopping plaza. Gulfstream Race Track is the next light east – the center is so small that you might miss it! Xavier Cigar Lounge is located in Suite #11, on the west side of the plaza. You really can’t miss that!
Xavier Cigar Lounge has been in business for six months at the time I am writing this. Harris does a great job stocking his humidor with a nice selection of cigars, although the walk-in humidor is a bit small. There are also some free standing humidors featuring selected cigar brands such as King Cigars, Enki and the house brand, which sits in a humidor on the counter. The seating area, however, is quite ample. There are more than a dozen elegant & comfortable leather chairs, with either tables on the side or trays that can be slid out. The chairs are either black leather or a creamy white leather. The change in color makes the sitting area look very modern. The chairs themselves are extremely modern looking, but not at all modern feeling. When we sat in them, we felt very comfortable. My husband, Boston Jimmie, even remarked how great the chairs felt.
The décor of Xavier’s was very South Beach – lots of neon lights and curvilinear lines. The counter is a raised modern design that mimics sea shells – very appropriate for the location. It had rope lighting under it that beautifully highlighted the design, while giving off a cool blue color. The ceilings were painted red with black accents. The far wall from the entrance features a mural with a map of Florida in front, then a mélange of South Beach buildings. The wall nearest the entrance was light and bright by comparison. It had a mural showing A1A with brilliant blue skies behind the buildings. On the wall outside the walk-in humidor, Xavier’s features works of a local artist who specializes in creating one of a kind pieces of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe. Each piece is for sale, so you can take whichever one strikes your fancy home with you. This same artist also created a unique chair covered in images of Frank Sinatra. It was gorgeous to look at – very high gloss.
The night we were there the shopping plaza was holding an “Art in the Park” event. Various artists set up tables around the plaza to show off & sell their work. There were beautiful domino tables with lovely painted tops, as well as many other great things – so many that it is hard to describe it all. Xavier’s party was also sponsored by King Cigars, and Jimmie had a chance to sit down & talk with Anwar from King Cigars. Anwar is a gentleman and a great person to talk to. I’m sure that Jimmie will let you know about this conversation soon. King Cigars was showing off their unique line of cigars including several that Jimmie has reviewed already, and some new blends that he will cover soon as well.
Overall, we had a great time at Xavier’s Cigar Lounge. Xavier’s Cigar Lounge also offers dominos & poker on selected nights. You can check out their website for more information. If you are ever in the area, please stop by & say hi. I am sure that you will also enjoy yourself!