Level

Level will always hold a special place in my heart. So many friendly staff members, great drink specials (not to mention stiff drinks), and great music from a great collection of DJs.
People can say what they will about Level, but everyone should also credit Level with bringing upscale, safe nightlife entertainment to Tucson. There simply was no nicer interior design in the city. No one that I know can really argue that.
After 6 great years, they closed on a high note with two fantastic parties which I attended. So many great guests enjoying one last weekend and paying thanks to a place that helped redefine nightlife in Tucson.
Cheers!

I’m not sure if this was place was ever fabulous. In fact, the seemingly cool interior and lounge vibe is totally misleading, because once you’re in, it’s the furthest thing from classy, sexy, and fun. Drinks are boring, service is poor, and the overall vibe is somewhat aggressive.

Bottom line I haven’t been back in over a year, and not really planning on it.

I live nearby, and have never gone in because this place seems like douche central. But I walked by around midnight on the Day of St. Paddy, the patron saint of drinking, and at most there were *five* customers inside. OUCH. A club packed with douchebags is unexciting, a douchebag club *without* the douchebags is just sad.
The idea of this place was a tad absurd to start with; $ 200 bottle service in LA-​style clubs is charmingly silly in LA, but in Tucson it’s delusional. With the (also silly, but well-​executed) Union Public House absolutely eating Level’s lunch, Level will surely close its doors soon. Good riddance! I hope for a downtown-​style local bar in my neighborhood, but maybe that’s too much for the foothills to deliver.

Sticky floor.
Unaware bartenders.
People that fight in bathrooms.
Bouncers (common it’s Tucson) that are anything but welcoming.
An atmosphere that makes me want to curl up in a corner, shut my eyes and hope that when I open them I’ll be transported to a lounge that has a vibe, an energy, good drink specials, and people I want to be around.

Come on. One word. Cougars.
The patio is okay. The drinks are not mixed very well and not a bargain. And the dance floor is small.
If you foothills men are looking for easy pickins, look no further. If that’s not your scene…

I’ve heard a ton of good things about Level, and none of them were true. I don’t think I will be going back to this place. It was completely dead when my friends and I got here. We decided to go to 4^th Ave, where it was already pretty happening. I do not recommend this club to anyone.

I must have gone on the wrong Saturday night, based on the other reviews of this place. When I went, it was a bit after midnight, and the place was dead. There were about 3 girls standing at the bar, maybe two other people sitting in another area, and then nothing else. It was very dark inside, it looked nice enough, but where was everyone? Must be a secret room inside this place that I didn’t find.
As we left, the owner and two guys standing at the door said to come back in an hour cause it really picks up. So I guess the time to go there is between 12:17 and 1:17am.

Level used to be of my favorite places to go in Tucson, before the downtown scene kicked back up.
The venue itself is beautiful. A lot of places in Tucson had to find a quick option for smokers once the law was passed, and most places just gated in a small area out of the way. Level, however, has a great open patio, with a lovely fireplace centerpiece, a lot of seating, and serenely lit for a great vibe.
I’ve never had a problem with the staff. The bartenders may be a bit on the slow side some nights, but the waitresses and bouncers are always friendly.
I love to hear House music in clubs, especially when you’re in one of the nicer areas of town. You can go to any «college» bar in town to hear the latest Akon track, so I loved it when Level promoted good clean fun House music. They bring in good local and national DJ’s, which I respect.
The clientele is definitely hit or miss. Either college crowd, upscale lounge crowd, cougars & the businessmen who love them, or Caliente Ed Hardy/​Affliction crowd. Depends on the night, and what you’re into.
The main gripe I have with Level lies within their «Theme» nights. I’ve been to a few, I love a theme night. Lingerie, Masquerade, Disco Night, White Party, Black Party, Pink Party, whatever. However, when I put in the effort, and when I get a few friends to dress up like Mardi Gras or Disco, I would expect the staff and the décor to look the part as well. At one «White Party», where I expected maybe White Russians as the sponsored beverage, I was instead assaulted with Black Hennesy concoctions. No white tablecloths or candles or balloons, and none of the staff was decked in white. It’s like this with every «theme» night I’ve been to here. While this might seem minuscule to some, it’s highly aggravating to me. Just don’t bother to have a theme night if you won’t put any effort into your establishment.
Haven’t been a while. Downtown is more my spot lately. Better music, more options, more reliable clientele. But I’m not over you yet, Level. Just waiting for you to step your game up.

I have been here on several occasions. It is typical of a small town effort to have an upscale bar. It has a strange vibe like they can never quite get the party started. The living scenery can be quite good sometimes given this is Tucson. All in all they are trying to be like the good bars in real cities and not pulling it off too well. The interior was most likely dreamed up by a recluse 13 year old. The bar tenders are most likely failed students who latched on to whatever job title might make them experience some remote feeling of self worth. All in all a really bad uneducated attempt at trying to mimic LA. Pssst… I’ve got a secret for you. This is not LA it’s Tucson. You try too hard.

I went here with the girls for a night out in Tucson, after several other places were either too dinnery or too «i just turned 21». Two of us were wearing black dresses, and a dude sent a drink to the girl in the black dress. Soooo — he ended up buying both of us drinks. Then he sent the waitress to say he wanted to talk to my friend. Then he sent his number. He never did identify himself or come over so we could properly thank him. Oh well. The dance floor was kinda small but we weren’t really trying to dance. They also have an outdoor patio area. There were also a lot of men with women young enough to be their daughters…

This place is a hit or miss. Was not around when I was in college but is the default place to meet up with friends when I go back. Is one of the few only upscale bars in Tucson. The music has gotten progressively worse over my trips here and the dance floor is tiny and packed. The only place you can really talk is on the outside patio which is full of smoke.
Is great place to catch up with friends and socialize. The crowd is a hit or miss, can be U of A students or people in their 40’s and 50’s.
Prices are ridiculous for Tucson, $ 10 or more for a drink with a $ 5 cover which is pricey for Tucson. Used to enjoy it when there was no cover and the place was not as packed or uptight as it is now. Would still go there if visiting friends since Tucson does not have much to offer since I have had some great nights and some horrible nights here.

Level is weak.
They have not yet mastered some concepts which are basic in bar management. First, I was given a «warning» for wearing for wearing the wrong shoes. They’re basically saying… we don’t want your kind here but we’re desperate for money so we’ll let you in anyways. In retrospect, I wish they kicked me out before I had the chance to step inside. Then, I am sitting on a foot stool to be near my group of friends and I receive a second «warning» that another party may need that stool soon when they show up. Bear in mind that there was NO ONE in the vip area at this point, yet they continue to broadcast flames on all of the TVs to indicate that you should be heating up… any minute now. An hour and a half later this mysterious party had still not arrived. Then, we made the mistake of moving our party to the dance floor (god forbid!). Is it really that difficult to transfer a tab from the table service area to the bar? I successfully ordered some drinks from the bar and later was approached by the bartender on the dance floor… and he says «I don’t have your tab?» Well, he found my tab after talking to Miss Table-​Service. Then, a short time later, I go to close my tab with the same bartender and he can’t find me in the rolodex of credit cards and he gets furious and tells me to find the table service girl. It’s a good thing I am such a calm dude or I would have flipped my lid. I found the table service girl, gave a small tip (probably too generous), and we got the H out of there.
PLUS the DJ was mediocre at best. It was mostly techno versions of girly songs with virtually no excitement or bass in the mix. I expected more from an «upscale» place like that, so I will probably take myself back to places like 4^th avenue where you can have fun without feeling like you are being assessed based on your Level of club-​ability.
Hope this helps somebody

I went here recently with a gaggle of California beauties for my girflriend’s bachelorette party on a quiet Thursday night. Even with my limited Tucson experience, I could tell that Level was considered ‘upscale’ for the area. And that’s not just because my Tucson girlfriend said to me, «Level is considered upscale for the area.»
When we arrived, we were the only patrons there. The guys at the door gave us all drink tickets redeemable for one well drink each at the bar. We sashayed over to the bar to start our rounds, but unfortunately, the main bartender wasn’t very receptive to us. My girlfriend — the bachelorette — wanted Patron, and asked if we could pay the difference between the well and the Patron, to which the bartender curtly replied, «I wouldn’t do that even for Jesus.» Dramatic much? I mean really, Jesus got his hands and feet nailed to a wooden cross for us, the least you could do is give the man a Patron upgrade.
You would think that a male bartender would be a lot more friendly and accommodating to a group of half-​naked girls with loose wallets and even looser morals, who are clearly on a mission to get wasted. But maybe he pays his bills with cactus leaves instead of dollar bills.
Ah, well… despite the frost. we pushed forward with our Mission, paying for our first rounds and proceeding to the dance floor. The DJ was very accommodating and played my gf’s request song («Get Low»), to which we all danced to like we were being filmed or something. Except he played the clean «radio» version, and that bugged me a little. Where are we, highschool prom?!
Just a few blinks later and… the club was suddenly packed. I met a prominent Scottsdale businessman who was enamored with my *vibe…who generously provided all future imbibements for my entire crew from then on and even paid random boys throughout the club to give our beloved bachelorette lap dances. He definitely cherry-​topped our night off.
Level has a bit of a tiny dance floor, but I like the lighted shelf area, a perfect place to put your drink, purse, or whip. Nice seating area which probably serves as a «VIP» section on busier nights; this is where we spent quite a bit of time doing our civilian lapdances. The outside patio area, although a bit smokey, is also a nice place to relax. I really love those warm Arizona nights. Imagine trying to decompress on an outside patio in SF without your parka and ski mask. No thanks.
We left drunk and happy and piled up 10 deep in a way-​too-​small car to go to Denny’s. It was like my last name was Lopez. Awesome.
*ass

Level had the right idea when it first opened; good, big-​city dance music (mostly house — I mean, they brought a quality DJ like freaking Q-​Burns Abstract Message on a Wednesday to play for like 10 people), interesting specialty cocktails, good dancers, a slick dancefloor and a VIP kinda feel without much pretense. it reminded me of some of my favorite little lounges in places like Chicago, Dallas, New York or Miami Beach and got me excited about the future of dance music and nightlife in Tucson.
The good music and ambiance were apparently not sustainable nor appreciated by Tucson clubfaces and now the place has degenerated into a «wish we were in Scottsdale or Vegas» $ 30,000 Millionaire yayohead snobfest with bad mainstream dance remixes and commercial rap. This probably doesn’t have as much to do with the proprietors as it does with the clientele, who are now apparently being catered to. That I was treated better than others in line for being, in their estimation, an attractive female is sad and wrong — definitely a must if you want to feel like you’re in Vegas or Miami and keep the crowd at upper-​echelon hotness levels, though. Totally no pun intended there, gross.
I miss the old Level from its training wheels days but realize the good funky music wasn’t pulling the heads they needed to be successful. You gave it a try, guys, but congrats on successfully opening and maintaining a new club — not an easy feat regardless of if it’s my cup of kava or not.
On the upside, the bathrooms are freaking cool with modern fixtures and tall stall doors that, judging from all the sniffing I’ve heard in the ladies’ loo, are ideal for a snowcapped pow-​wow with the girls.
Some good DJs still roll through here, but I’d never return on a Friday or Saturday.

Holy crap,
That’s right, holy crap. There’s a bar in Tucson that isn’t targeted toward kids at the U of A?
This place is very nice, reminds me a bunch of LA with the clean lines and upscale attire.
The staff was very friendly and super quick when making drink orders and the people (at least before midnight) seemed like they cared about their appearance before leaving the house, a rare thing down here.
Not super pretentious as Scottsdale playing up it’s «wanna-​be» LA scene, just nice, chillax and inviting.
Check it out on a Weds, they offer 2 dollar pints!

This place is way too pretentious! I understand they want to turn things up a notch for Tucson, but give me a break! Prices for drinks are high and the bouncers/​staff are rude. The layout was not planned out well at all! You have to walk through a small crowded dance floor to get to the small bathrooms. The dance floor could be bigger, but the VIP lounge takes up too much space! This club is so frustrating that the patrons are even rude! This club could of been great, but they really blew it!

Wine selection is very good… and the bartenders will even make an effort to make the most bizzare drinks you ask for. You hardly have to stand in line for a long time… they come to serve you quickly.
The patio is nice. and the misters add a nice touch in summertime. Their themed parties are super fun.

Disclosure: I am a recovering Tucsonan now well-​settled in Phoenix. I enjoy the Phoenix-​area nightlife, and that does occasionally include the douchebaggy, cheesy Scottsdale club scene (you know, my city right or wrong). I guess it has its role to play, so I wish it no harm, I don’t (deliberately) judge those who partake in it, and I even indulge myself from time to time when I’m with friends who leave me no other options.
But none of that excuses the severe dose of lameness that Level pukes on to the Tucson scene (more on puking later), which I discovered for the first time on a recent weekend trip to see some old friends. Level is aptly named, because it somehow elevates Tucson’s nightlife to a whole new level of the wannabe-​syndrome. Simply put, Level is wannabe-​Scottsdale which is in turn wannabe-​LA. Once I was finally allowed in by the thugs jealously guarding the place to give it an artificial aura of exclusivity, I looked around and basically saw what I would in any typical Scottsdale club, except maybe a notch or two cheaper décor, and with only a fraction (if even that) of the extremely hot female creatures that populate Scottsdale’s clubs.
This really aggravated me once I got inside, because of how hard it was to get in. Me and the group of friends I came with (which included some young attractive females) arrived at Level at 12:30 am on a Saturday night. There was no line. Nonetheless, the 3 bouncers hired to keep the riff-​raff out (I saw not one soul other than us as we walked through the parking lot, for the record) told us we had to «wait in line» for a while. This was purportedly to make sure the maximum capacity of the club wasn’t breached. This illusion created by the bouncers was unfortunately shattered when they, before our very eyes, allowed at least 10 douchebags in right in front of us. Why? Because they had «VIP» status. It took everything I had to keep myself from telling those goons, «It’s 12:30. In TUCSON. This isn’t Beverly Hills for f***‘s sake.»
Finally, after an appropriate amount of time to convince us that Level is a very exclusive club where only sexy people are allowed and even then only after waiting for a long time, they invited us in. Insult was then added to injury when they demanded five dollars from each of us as a cover charge.
As I said before, the interior was unremarkable and unimpressive given my expectations after the line fiasco. There was outdoor patio seating where many people were gathered, which is where I spent most of my time with friends. I of course enjoyed the company of my Tucsonan amigos. But the club itself is just a wretched, cheap, and unsuccessful imitation of Scottsdale.
To top all of this off, I somehow reverted back to my irresponsible high school/​college days as a Tucsonan and apparently forgot how to drink. Over the course of the evening I had 4 wines (pre-​Level), two seven-​and-​sevens, 2 shots of rum and 1 shot of vodka. As one final kick in my gut from Level, I puked this toxic combination of foolishness out the following morning and was bed-​ridden for most of the day.
Never again, if I can help it.