Level 8: Downtown’s new sensory overload

BARS & NIGHTLIFE • First Word

The Skinny: An eight-venue extravaganza atop the new Moxy Hotel Downtown L.A. from the all-fun-all-the-time Houston Brothers. 

The Experience: Approaching the entrance, a long line of decked-out revelers wait their turn to be brought inside the 30,000 square foot circus and through a labyrinthine of hidden alleys and doorways.

A few highlights from the dizzying experience:

• Mr. Wanderlust, a dark, brooding piano bar/library accessed through a bookcase, serving braised wagyu beef ‘cigarettes’ and chicken karaage, with close-up magician Micah Cover entertaining the bar.

• Maison Kasai, an upscale version of Benihana. Go back three spaces.

• Lucky Mizu, through another secret door (this one in a fireplace), a shabu shabu restaurant with ethereal live music via a 40-foot earth harp that hangs from the ceiling. The menu was confusing if satisfying; sake helps.

• Around a bend, Sinners y Santos (above), Level 8’s nightclub with its own wrestling ring that lowers over the main bar. Amazingly, the juxtaposition works.

• Outside on the roof, Golden Hour with a fantastical rotating carousel bar, a pool, and sunset views. Breathe deep.

The Verdict: The theme here is bewilderment. Or astonishment. Or sensory overload. Or all three. –Paul Feinstein

→ Level 8 (Downtown), 1254 S Figueroa St.