Level Five Cafe

I, first of all, need to note that many of the reviews I read about this restaurant aren’t even reviews for the RIGHT restaurant! Level 5 Café is a restaurant that is open specifically for full service pre-​show brunches/​dinners. Around the corner from the café is Express – the deli which many people have negatively reviewed!
Level 5 is a great restaurant for pre show meals – service is fast and friendly and the food is FANTASTIC! Reservations are definitely a good idea, since the place fills up crazy fast. If you need a quick bite to eat but don’t want to settle for fast food or a bistro, you should absolutely try this restaurant! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Very convenient when going to the theater! Food was good and the service was exceptional. Our server, Brigieta could not have been any better, helping with selections from menu, bringing food, and timely preparing our bill. Nice to deal with a server with a great personality and does her job very well!

The Level Five Café is located on the 5^th Floor inside the Guthrie Theater.
I hit this place several times over the course of a week for the post lunch double shot espresso machiatto to stave off the post lunch food coma and keep the old eyelids propped open for any number of IT sessions I was attending.
The espresso was rather average. Nothing about it wowed me, it was enough to get me through the day though!

Ordered a couple of salads and drinks. The chicken in one of the salads was pink, not cooked. The chicken in the second salad was like cardboard, very dry and cold. Service was efficient and prices fair. But, the place is very noisy and hectic. I’ve had better cafeteria food. We will not go back.

I’ve been here twice. It’s convenient because I work in the area, and their prices are reasonable. The first guy who served me was a young and enthusiastic man who was the picture of politeness.
The man who just served me was the opposite on nearly every level. There were two customers before me when he set up his ‘Back in Five Minutes’ sign, which I was going to respect, but then he asked what I’d like. Again, I deferred to his break and said I could come back later. He insisted, and I told him I’d like the panini.
Seriously: he rolled his eyes, sighed heavily and moaned (moaned!) that he wouldn’t be going on break any time soon.
I said to forget the panini, he deserved a break – I’m within walking or biking distance of a dozen other restaurants, so it’s no problem. He waved that off, informing me that this was simply the story of his life. Because that’s how you talk to customers. Once more I told him to cancel the order and I walked out.
There is nothing for sale in this café that’s worth the risk of running into him again.

Not only did we not get water for 10 min. when we were seated by a grumpy Asian host, we had to ASK for a server to take our order and then, NEVER did they check back about our «fish and chips» which were 3 fish sticks and a plate full of jo-​jo fries.
Way over priced for poor food and service. NEVER will I give them a penny again before the superb shows at the Guthrie.

I actually laughed when the 8 $ «mixed greens» salad came out on a tiny plate, with a pinch of dried cranberries, a handful of onions, and a pathetic sprinkling of pear «juliennes» (nothing that would be considered actual pear slices). Maybe that would be acceptable if it was a side salad or if it didn’t cost as much as an entrée… I’d say order something else but your vegitarian options are limited: Mac and cheese or French toast?

Whoa! People hate this place?
I had an acceptable entrée prior to the show along with two superb cocktails (the Mr. Darcy Martini and the Bev’s Bubbly) and a delicious and creative deconstructed carrot cake. My server was nice and attentive. I didn’t wait too long for anything. The portion was filling. The restaurant was busy, the people next to me seemed to really enjoy their food and were commenting on it. Perhaps Level 5 has stepped up its game in response to all of this here criticism shouted from the rooftops. I would return there, if I’m in the area again.

My previous review still stands, but I wanted to give an update after coming here a few more times. My friends like this place for a pre-​show dinner because it’s so convenient… I don’t think it’s worth it. I thought maybe my first visit was a fluke. Nope. This is one of my least favorite places ever to come for a meal. It’s about tied with The Spaghetti Factory at this point…
Here are my key points:
–Often the service is slow and absent, even when they’re not busy. At our last dinner there it probably took 15 minutes to get a beer, and when the food finally came no one ever checked to see if it was ok. (It wasn’t.)
–I ordered a medium-​rare cheeseburger for $ 12. Yes, $ 12 for a basic burger. The bun was stale, the burger was burnt on the outside and so incredibly well-​done on the inside the meat was grey. Or maybe it was grey because it was a frozen premade patty? They put raw red onions on the burger (last time I was there it was caramelized onions) and a drop of tomato jam (thick ketchup). My burger and fries were lukewarm when I received them.
–For dessert I had the carrot cake with ice cream. The ice cream was nutty with some caramel type flavors, which was nice. The cake was beyond underwhelming. When I order carrot cake at a restaurant I expect a cake with at least two layers and have decadent cream cheese frosting. There was no frosting or layers. It was a naked piece of cake. Beyond sad.

Level Five was a great lunch option! Unique décor and a relaxed feel. The service was wonderful and everyone was pleased with their options. We started with walleye cakes and cheese curds and both were great. For entrees, we had the avocado turkey sandwich, a bbq sandwich and a burger. All were great. Delicious and meaty. We were all happy with the meal and will be back. Its a nice option when downtown.

The food was delicious. The service was unbelievably bad. We started the meal with Manhattans (all meals should start with Manhattans, I say). Unfortunately, every single person remarked that their drink was too sweet (we each ordered a different type of whiskey/​bourbon). When we were all nearly finished with our drinks, we finally were able to order a bottle of wine to keep the spirits flowing.
I had the Tomato Chickpea Tagine, which had amazing flavors. It was incredibly filling and I was able to eat about ½ of the entrée. We ordered espressos to cap off the meal, but had to leave before they arrived at the table because our show was starting. We were waiting for at least 15 minutes before we decided to give up on the espressos. I was shocked that a restaurant that is IN THE GUTHRIE was so inattentive to the time constraints of the patrons who are attending the shows.
I would pass on this restaurant, despite the easy commute to the theaters.

The food we had was really, really good, but you don’t get much for your money, and it takes a while to get there. Also, the martinis are excellent, but a bit pricey for me at $ 11.00 each.
They can seat you here quickly, and it is conveniently located in the Guthrie for pre-​show dining, but it’s not really a place I would go out of the way to visit if I weren’t going to the theatre.

arrived at 6pm before a 7:30 show and it was pretty busy. while our drinks/​salad came out quickly, we waited over 30 minutes for our dinners! no explanation, limp apology, no comp/​free dessert — tho there wasn’t much time for dessert after waiting soooo long for our food. our meals were fine tho a bit pricey, the tables are too small yet workable, but the delay earns my one-​star review.

Powered by a captive audience trying to get some food between the end of work day & the 7:30 pm curtain time, Level 5 café is a mishmash of success and mediocrity. Highlights included Truffled Tater Tots (I am a devoted potato fan, so these were a hit), and the Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Spicy Andouille were both hits.
Service is only acceptable, as the wait staff try hard to fit 2 seatings into a very short time. With the hard deadline of 7:30 yipping at the server’s heels, I see why attention to table dining is lax.
Best thing I have to say about Level 5 is you can now take your drinks into the theater (at last!) to help you through their often lame presentations.
All in all the meal was okay but I’ve had much better and for a lesser price. As I said before: captive audience.

The good:
— Tasty wine
— Hot dinner rolls
— Tasty dessert with the prix-​fixe menu
— Cozy atmosphere
— Incredibly rich and delicious risotto main course
The bad:
— We had to ask twice for more bread, and it took over 15 minutes to get it.
— My beet salad had about two specks of goat cheese and almond on it, and not good quality stuff, either. Also, crushed almonds???
— Water refills were few and far between — we often had empty glasses.
— Our server brought out the check before we even had a moment to take a bite of our desserts. The bill waits until we are nearly done, missy!
The ugly:
— The food runner obviously didn’t know her table numbers, or our server rang it in wrong — she tried to serve our food to three tables before deciding it was ours.
— server was largely absent, to the point where we wouldn’t see her for 15+ minutes at a time, and when we did see her, she would breeze past our table without checking in.
— due to her absence, we had to request that our empty plates be removed, and our next courses be served.
— 30+ minutes between courses. We sat down at 5:30 and ordered right away. We weren’t done with dinner until 7:15.
There are a hundred other places around town I will go before even considering coming here again. It’s a darn shame, since my family has had season tickets for YEARS. We’d love to eat here before every show so we don’t have to rush around town trying to get to our show on time. There’s a LOT of room for improvement, Level Five.

The atmosphere reminds me of an upgraded school cafeteria. The tables are small and the chairs are uncomfortable. If you go, ask for a table on the end it has what looks like a comfortable bench seat.
The service was very good.
The dinner rolls should be warm, these were cold.
I ordered the Wild Rice soup, it was not hot or warm… it was cool. I spoke to the waitress and she brought one that was between cool and warm.
The pulled-​pork sandwich was a little dry. I little BBQ sauce would help. The fries and cole slaw were average.

My wife and I went to see Mac Beth. The atmosphere was very nice lots of people watching. The food was very disappointing. My wife got a vegetable dish for $ 13 and it was very tiny portions. Green beans, carrots and potato are not expensive and portions could be reasonable. I got the smoked cheddar burger and was stunned it was a frozen patty with McDonalds white bun! I asked if they had fresh made ice tea or lemonade the waitress said everything is from the fountain, aka corn syrup central. I am total willing to pay a few dollars more to get quality foods and expect it in this type of venue. They have the atmosphere down just get the food to the same level.

My friend and I were trying to decide if we should spend the $ 30 a person to eat at Sea Change before our Guthrie show and decided we couldn’t afford it just now. So we ate at the Level Five Café instead. I wish we’d splurged on Sea Change.
Got our bread and water as soon as we sat down, ordered a main, and then proceeded to wait 45 – 50 minutes for a medium burger and a pasta dish. By the time we got our meals, it was 20 minutes until the show started and we had to scarf it down. Not even worth the wait, either. My burger was ho-​hum, middle-​of-​the-​road and it felt like it had been left out for a while after being cooked because the cheddar cheese had started to get hard around the edges.
Our server comped the burger after we complained, which means we paid about $ 10 a piece. I guess that was the one positive. Won’t be eating at the Level Five Café again.

I can agree with a good deal of what the prevoius reviewer said about Level Five.
The waitstaff has apparently improved, but they looked understaffed to deal with the size of the crowd. It was super when we got there early as the restaurant opened a bit after 5 pm. but soon it was filled to capacity and service slowed dramatically.
The adult beverages were superb, and considering it is semi-​downtown Minneapolis, not too pricey. My friend and I chose drinks inspired by the play we were seeing and were not disappointed.
The food, however, was nothing to write home to mom about given the price. The radicchio salad was tasty, but i expected «roasted» pumpkin to be a little softer than the chunks i chop from mine to make the beasties for Halloween.
I ordered Welsh Rarebit as I’ve never had it and wondered what was all about. My friend ordered the bass and muscles. @ 7 bucks for the rarebit and 15 or 16 i think it was, not impressed. A meal at Noodles and Company yesterday was more tasty and filling at about half the cost of the fish.
I was surprised to find a hole about the size of a half dollar in one of my pieces of bread. Did they think I wouldn’t find that because it was the THIRD slice underneath the others with the cheese all over it? And, given the number of excellent bakeries in town, rye bread that looked like it came from the TASTEE folks? come on.
So bottom line if you are interested in some super adult sophisticated style beverages a good choice, otherwise I doubt I would ever return for the food.
I am sure they do good business because there are many like us who will go early to try it out or are out of town. With the various concerts and plays and such they have a built in audience, but I would suggest a visit from my favorite guy Gordon Ramsey.