Level 8 is like the board game Candy Land but for adults. Instead of Lollipop Woods and Peanut Acres, guests can visit Japanese eatery Lucky Mizu and Mr. Wanderlust piano bar and jazz lounge. This first-of-its-kind dining, drinking and entertainment experience, which spans 30,000 square feet indoors and outdoors, occupies the entire eighth floor of the Moxy and AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles. It includes eight establishments, ranging from The Brown Sheep food truck serving street food favorites to Sinners y Santos, a cathedral-inspired nightlife playground.
Inspired by their travels around the world, twin brothers Mark and Jonnie Houston of Houston Hospitality partnered with Lightstone to debut Level 8 in 2023.
Celebrated L.A. chef Ray Garcia helms both The Brown Sheep and Qué Bárbaro, a steak and seafood live fire grill restaurant. He was drawn to the opportunity to create a concept that could bring live-fire cooking and a strong point of view into a larger hospitality experience.
“Qué Bárbaro was exciting because it allowed us to build something with energy and theater but still rooted in craft, generosity and the kind of food I love to cook,” explained Garcia, who is best known for his own Broken Spanish and BS Taqueria and was previously at Asterid at the Walt Disney Concert Hall before joining the Level 8 team.
Qué Bárbaro’s most recent addition to its menu is the Asado Experience ($79 per person), which is “rooted in one of the most meaningful culinary traditions I’ve come to know: Argentine asado,” Garcia shared. “What has always stayed with me is that asado is not just a style of cooking; it is a way of gathering.”
Garcia first encountered the asado experience in his in-laws’ backyard here in the United States, where they carried the tradition with them.
“On Sundays, the fire would be lit early, and the table would slowly fill with grilled meats, vegetables, salads, warm bread, wine and conversation,” he explained. “It was never rushed. There was just this steady rhythm of food, laughter and connection.”
Qué Bárbaro’s Asado Experience is a reflection of that feeling. Guests can expect a generous flow of grilled meats, seasonal vegetables and thoughtful touches that honor the tradition. More than anything, it is an invitation to slow down, pour another glass of wine, pass plates and connect. The food sets the tone, but the experience is shaped by the moments shared around the table.
Highlights include grilled selections such as entraña (skirt steak), tira de asado (flanken short rib), brochetas de hongos (grilled mushrooms), chorizo (pork sausage), langosta (Maine lobster tail), pollo a la brasa (chicken thighs), morcilla (blood sausage), mollejas (sweetbreads), panceta (Kurobuta pork belly) and langostinos (Caledonian prawns). Garcia has also added new dishes like remolacha (coal-roasted beets with buckwheat honey and pistachio) and coliflor frites (citrus-marinated cauliflower with golden raisin agrodolce and yucca fries).
“Los Angeles has taught me that food needs a point of view, but it also has to listen,” said Garcia. “This is a city where people bring their own memories, expectations and experiences to the table — whether they are longtime locals, part of a neighborhood community or visitors trying to understand LA through food. That range keeps you honest. LA diners can feel when something is coming from a real place. They are adventurous but also discerning. They respond to food that has craft behind it, that is generous and that feels connected to the city around it.”
Located directly across the street from the Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center, Level 8 serves all walks of life: locals, residents, tourists, business people and entertainment enthusiasts. As a chef, Garcia has to figure out what they all want to eat.
“Los Angeles has a freedom that feels very different from many other cities,” he said. “There is no single definition of what LA food must be and that makes it such an exciting place to cook.
As a chef, that freedom allows you to cook from a place that feels personal and honest. For me, that means bringing together the influences that have shaped me most: my Mexican American heritage, my California upbringing and the energy and diversity of Los Angeles. In some cities, there can be a stronger expectation to stay within a particular lane. In LA, diners are open to discovery, as long as the food feels thoughtful, honest and delicious.”
“As chefs, we put a lot of ourselves into the work, so it can be easy to get attached to an idea, a dish or a way of doing things,” he continued. “But at the end of the day, the restaurant has to work for the guest, for the team and for the business. If something is not connecting, you cannot take that personally. You have to listen, adjust and do what is right to create the best possible experience.”
Qué Bárbaro is located at 1254 South Figueroa St., 8th Floor, Los Angeles, 213-789-7854; quebarbarodtla.com.