Level One Restaurants in Washington DC – GayOut Guide
restaurants LGBTQ+ Friendly

Level One

GayOut (2) 3.5
Google (10) 4.3
Tripadvisor See reviews ↓
What reviewers say

Visitors praise Level One for its great sound system, big dance floor, and potential as a large industrial venue. However, a common complaint is that the lighting is too bright and distracting, detracting from the intended rave atmosphere. Some also mention the drinks are expensive.

77
/ 100
GayOut Score
3.5 G4.3
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Address
1639 R St NW, Washington
📞
Phone
1 202-745-0025
🌐
Website
www.levelonedc.com

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About this place Level One

Level One, in Dupont Circle, serves American food and hosts drag shows with a largely LGBTQ+ crowd.

It’s a casual spot, the kind of place you drop into for a quick meal or a relaxed dinner. They do classic American stuff, but the real draw here is Saturday brunch: drag performances at noon and 2 p.m. make it a weekend party.

Dupont Circle has a lot going on, especially for queer travelers. Level One just feels right in that mix. You can grab happy hour deals on drinks and appetizers from 5 to 9 p.m., or stay for dinner and pick from the full menu.

Find more details at levelonedc.com.

Features

Gay Gay-friendly (straight venue)

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Community Reviews

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Google Reviews

Verified by Google
4.3
10 reviews

Based on 10 Google reviews.

Maria Elisangela
Maria Elisangela Jun 2026
Sherry Fan
Sherry Fan May 2026

cool that this place exists but it could use some improvements. first of all the lighting is wayyy too bright for a rave venue, when the lights flash you can literally see everyone and everything and it feels more like a Costco than a nightclub. also, the venue itself feels a bit incomplete; there’s lots of empty open floor everywhere, wish they would use it to provide some seating or a second bar or something. the drinks are also super overpriced even for a nightclub and they have an extremely limited selection (mostly canned stuff and 1 or 2 cocktails). but the sound quality is great, they get cool DJs, and the vibes are there! probably just needs a bit of refinement tbh.

Angela
Angela May 2026

I really like this venue- great sound system, big dance floor, places to sit, lots of bathroom stalls. HOWEVER the lights were atrocious- it was like someone’s annoying little brother switching on the OVERHEAD BRIGHT LIGHTS every few seconds as well as super bright lights that would flash straight into your eyeballs. People were literally shielding their eyes and turning around because it was so bright. If no one leaves a review saying the lights got fixed I don’t think I’ll come back here for another show because it was that uncomfortable

Marc Rousso
Marc Rousso May 2026

Best club in Seattle by far! Hasn’t been anything this fun since Showbox Market in early 2000’s. Well done Insomniac and Level1 management.

Maria Gotay
Maria Gotay May 2026
Patrick Lacey
Patrick Lacey Apr 2026
James Wilson
James Wilson Apr 2026

really good sound system!! plenty of room for the sub bass, could use wooden floors like the showbox or something for even more rumbling lights are a bit bright and drinks are expensive, but it really just depends on getting a good crowd and it’s definitely a good time

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Last updated on 13 August 2026

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