Level Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in New York

At Level, they’re not just checking your name at the door—they’re ready to check your pants, too.

On Saturday, December 14th, while I was using the restroom in a locked stall, a staff member aggressively knocked and, without warning, forced the door open, invading my privacy in one of the most vulnerable and intimate moments imaginable. This was done on the manager’s instructions—an absolutely unacceptable justification.

What makes this even more outrageous is that just one day earlier, I was at Level with friends, where we had a large table, spent a significant amount of money, and enjoyed a great night. This wasn’t my first visit, which makes the treatment I received all the more insulting.

The issue began when I arrived with my group and we were allowed in, despite a private event taking place. The hostess asked someone from my group (not me) if we were part of the event, and due to a misunderstanding, they said yes. I was never personally asked for my name or informed about the private nature of the event.

Shortly after, we were asked to leave, and I immediately complied, taking my coat and heading for the exit. Before leaving, I decided to use the restroom, where this disturbing invasion occurred.

When I tried to explain the situation to security, they ignored my concerns, rudely repeating, “Ma’am, you have to leave,” and “Get out” without letting me speak. Outside, the manager interrupted my conversation with my friends, defensively blaming me for “lying” about being part of the event—something I never did.

Regardless of the misunderstanding, forcing open a locked restroom stall is inexcusable under any circumstances. The unprofessional, dismissive, and humiliating treatment I experienced completely ruined my evening and left me deeply upset and traumatized. This level of behavior is shocking for a restaurant that claims to offer a high-end experience.

Edit:

Thank you for your response. However, I must address several inaccuracies and the tone of your reply, which I find unprofessional and offensive. No one personally asked me for my name or ID upon arrival. While some members of my group spoke with your staff, it is unfair to hold everyone accountable. I was at the back of the group and unaware of the initial conversation about the private event. When informed we needed to leave, I fully complied, retrieved my coat, and headed to the exit. Before leaving, I quickly used the restroom, which is a reasonable action in a public setting. Inside the restroom, the attendant was silent. As I closed the door, I heard yelling but assumed it was directed at someone else. Forcing open a locked stall door was an unacceptable violation of personal boundaries. Even if there was a misunderstanding, your staff could have waited until I exited the stall and then politely asked me to leave. Instead, I was subjected to an unprofessional and humiliating invasion of privacy at one of the most vulnerable moments imaginable, demonstrating a complete lack of respect and discretion. When I exited the restroom, visibly upset, the manager interrupted my conversation with friends in a rude and defensive manner. Instead of addressing my concerns, he accused me of falsely claiming to be part of the private event—something I had never done. Only at the very end of the conversation did he apologize, but by that point, the damage had already been done. The offer of complimentary shots on the street following such an incident felt dismissive and inappropriate. A casual gesture like this does not address the severity of the situation or acknowledge the unprofessional behavior of your staff. Your response, accusing me of “lies” and calling me a “trespasser,” is both offensive and uncalled for. My review was an honest account of my experience.

It is disappointing that a misunderstanding led to such disrespectful treatment. Guests who spend significant amounts at your establishment should feel valued. I urge you to take this feedback seriously and handle such situations more professionally...

THE GOOD PART I'll start with the good and then I'll move to the disappointing part of my experience. First off the decor and the performances in this place is 10/10, from the singing to the dancing, it was just great entertainment overall! Staff is friendly and accommodating, Irina who is the hostess was very kind to my party. The establishment had a ton of cute spots for pictures! MINIMUM FOR 7 OR MORE Keep in mind If you have a party of 7 or more people they do require you to spend at least $150 per person totalling 1k for the table ...you can split it amongst the table however you want but they want 1k for the table. SERVICE AND FOOD The appetizers came out and were decent, drinks were also good! As for our main courses, they came out 1.5 hour after we ordered and it was COLD and happy meal size....we had to walk up to a manager who promptly responded and then our food came out shortly after. The order was incorrect and also the order was missing items. The waiter told me that they are very busy and thay we needed to pre order which no one ever told us about. He offered to replace my food but it wasn't only my food it was everyone's food at my table and at that point I had already eaten and been scolded about how they're very busy and have alot of people to serve, my appetite was done. CONFUSION WITH THE BILL One person in our party left early because she wasn't feeling well and she paid her portion of the bill. When the bill was presented ....my friend's food was still included and it took about 30 minutes in going back and forth with our server and manually adding it up on my phone calculator! In front of him to prove that her meal had not been taken out of thr bill. Once he finally realized his mistake he then corrected the bill. Also guys if you do book a party of 7 or more, they require you to make a deposit of $100 which by the way they did not take off the bill, so make sure you carefully look over your bill. After all the going back and forth I then had to remind my server to deduct our $100 deposit. The whole thing was just a headache I didn't want to deal with on my birthday. I would recommend visiting.this place with a very small group of maybe 3 or 4 persons, order some small bites and...

I was extremely excited to try this restaurant that I found on TikTok, the process was easy . I made the reservation online . First , I showed up and the Valet person acted in a manner as if he didn’t want to assist me and my girlfriend, my girlfriend was able to get his attention and he helped us. That kind of raised an eyebrow but I brushed it off . After I was checked in by the security guard , I proceeded to go inside to check in for my reservation. I was then told by a woman in the front ( I think her name was Victoria) that my outfit did not comply with the restaurants dressed code. To be clear I had a on a nice sweater with designer jeans and designer sneakers . Under no circumstances was I under dressed . She said something to a lady next to her and asked her if my outfit was okay , the other lady said yes she’s fine at the point a SECOND eyebrow was raised because I was confused as to what the Second Lady saw that the first woman didn’t considering I didn’t have an outfit change. But due to the excitement of trying this restaurant I again brushed it off . After I checked in I sat in the lobby , I asked her how long until we were able to be seated and she said I DONT KNOW. TO MY SURPRISE… as I continued to enjoy my evening I noticed SEVERAL CAUCASIAN MEN ! In nothing but t shirts Jeans and sneakers . At one point of the evening I was standing outside smoking and three Caucasian men stood online to be checked in , one was even wearing Nike sneakers with ripped Jean and a varsity jacket , and nothing was said to him at all . At that point I was extremely OFFENDED!! Why was I singled out ? I wasn’t the only person wear jeans and sneakers , but I realized that I was the only BLACK person wearing jeans and sneakers. The managers were great even after waiting almost an hour to be seated. The food was good , the place is really nice, but the staff in front are judgmental and Racist . I was really hoping to find a new spot that could become a regular place to enjoy good food and good music but that way I felt after leaving , I WILL NOT BE RETURNING.

My advice to the staff in the front : Treat everyone the same , nobody is better than...