For a night of Vegas-style debauchery without ever leaving L.A., look no further than the Houston brothers’ buzzy new nightlife destination on the eighth floor of the Moxy Downtown. Over two nights, we experienced literally everything Level 8 had to offer (except yet-to-open raw bar Mother of Pearl). While the price of entry is high and the drinks are expensive and quite sugary, the dizzying level of spectacle makes Level 8 well worth the time and money for a dressy night of dinner, drinks and live music. Which restaurant? Take your pick: There’s Qué Bárbaro, which offers Argentine-style barbecue from chef Ray Garcia; Maison Kasai, a refined teppanyaki experience with wandering magicians; and Lucky Mizu, an upscale shabu joint where a live harpist will work the glittering strings extending across the ceiling as you swish slices of A5 Wagyu through a gleaming golden hot pot. All of this is way less gimmicky than it sounds—and trust us, we’re more surprised than you are. We also enjoyed the array of burlesque and live music performers and the speakeasy-style entrances at Mr. Wanderlust, jazz bar and piano lounge; the eye-catching golden carousel bar at Golden Hour, a poolside rooftop bar which draws inspiration from the beaches of Miami and Copacabana; and the ruined cathedral confines of nightclub Sinners y Santos, outside of which you can also grab delicious but pricey tacos from Brown Sheep Taqueria until 3am on the weekends.
