Coda

In response to Perladelmar, I have checked out "the hood" near CODA since I have been living around the corner from the club for several years and I agree...the neighborhood is not bad at all. However, it does tend to get kinda sketchy on Friday and Saturday nights because of the class of clientele that Coda attracts. These club patrons are very ghetto...they tend to get really stupid drunk and be very loud and obnoxious when they leave the club. They litter and are disrespectful towards the neighborhood as well as their fellow club patrons. Arguments and fights are commonplace, someone was stabbed behind the club a year ago and the police have taken people away in handcuffs on numerous occasions. Thankfully the police having been patrolling the neighborhood more often at night around bar time to look for DUIs but regardless the club is a blight on the neighborhood because of the type of people it attracts. These type of incidents don't occur when the club is not open! The club itself is just an average dance club with a bit of pretentious attitude (by the staff) thrown in...a place to go if you're looking to hookup and aren't that choosy. Don't let the velvet rope fool you though...they'll let in anybody that has the cash for the cover charge. As far a bar, it's not really a good place to go to hang out with friends...the music is a bit loud for having conversations. There are better dance clubs (and better bars) all along Ventura Blvd. Pros: Good dance music and no cover before 10pm Cons: The class of people who go here more

Cheezzzze in Van Nuys. Hard to find this place. It's so cheezy. Everything about it. The bouncers and idiot bartenders. I saw a coc*roach on the floor. They should clean the place once in a while. It's ok for Van Nuys I guess. You could say that it's like Sherman Oaks Post office, because technically it has the zip code, but everyone that lives around there knows that this place is really Van Nuys. Take my advice, go to bars that are south of the 101, preferably "South of Ventura". Pros: OK for Van Nuys Cons: Dirty more

Be very Scared. This place is flat out scary. The bouncers are rude. The drinks are very cheap, and there is no reason to wait in line for this place. You might as well call it Yuck Coda. My friends went there and they all wanted to get out of there immediately because they were scared. We ended up going to Studio City instead, there's way more choices than "Yuck Coda" which is in the middle of nowhere. I would recommend going to Clear or right next door to it, Laurel Tavern, or Wine Bistro or even just hang out at the bar at the Daily Grill, or Mexicali. All of those places are walking distance of each other and the crowd is way better. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH YUCK CODA. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Pros: Cheap Cons: Yuck Crowd they don't brush more

We arrived at Coda around 10:15pm. There was eight of us. With no cash... and none of us wanting to go to the bank to withdrawal any cash for the stupid cover. I decided to give my other friends, already inside of Coda a call to tell them... we're just gonna head out to another bar or some place else. Two of my friends decided to come out by the entrance and try to talk me into coming in. At this time... THERE WAS NO ONE IN LINE WAITING TO GET IN. My best friend feeling I guess outta place wanted to call it a night...at this time it was like 10:30pm, call it a night?!! It's barely 10!! The stupid bouncer/doorman appears...and starts yelling at my group to line up against the wall and show our ID's if we wanted to get in repeatedly, over and over again. I was trying to convince my best friend to lets just go in... I haven't seen nor hung out with these people in a while and I wanted to see them...but I also wanted to hang out with my best friend also. As I was talking to my best friend I could hear this stupid obnoxious bouncer getting louder and louder and closer to me... repeating the same sh*t over and over again. ANNOYED and FRUSTRATED at the STUPID BOUNCER and my friend wanting to leave... I told the F*CKEN DOORMAN "that when we're ready to come in...we'll line up against the wall!! But until then relax!". That LIL B*TCH got all BUTT - HURT and told me that I wasn't allowed in. Hahahahaha... I found this extremely funny... me a girl... hurting the stupid bouncer's feelings. HE TOTALLY FELT DEJECTED!! =) So F*CK CODA and it's p*ssyass bouncers and their power trips!! You're only a f*cken doorman!! RELAX!! So my friends and I went to SPRINGBOK (my first time there) instead!! And we had an awesome time!! They have a band that plays coversongs... there's an outdoor patio for drinking and smoking and the place is chill! It's a restaurant/bar... food, service and the bartender was great!! VISIT SPRINGBOK!!!! Pros: Nothing Cons: DO NOT PATRON more

I have not been to CODA bar yet, but I am happy to hear there is a bar walking distance from my house. I needed to say something to the person that wrote about the "bad neighborhood." First, let me tell you the bar is not located in Van Nuys, but in Sherman Oaks. Second, Sherman Oaks is not "the hood" as you said and third, the street around the corner is Chandler...does it ring a bell? Chandler, where you can find the famous Chandler Estates....It's obvious you didn't drive around the neighborhood quite yet, but for everybody else, the neighborhood is quiet, very nice and safe. I was pleasantly surprised to hear we have at least one bar to walk to and I am planning to check it out. Hood dude, you should honestly drive around Chandler (just around the corner of the bar), so you can see the nice houses around the area...I bet you can even afford them! more

I am a little offended that a reviewer commented on the "bad neighborhood" surrounding this bar. I live around the corner, and have to strongly disagree. The neighborhood is made up of mostly single family homes, with a park nearby. The houses are kept in shape, and lawns are well manicured. It is quiet, and in my frequent night time jogs, I have never felt threatened in any way. In fact, the only disturbance our neighborhood has is from the occasional drunk patrons of the bar screaming on the streets and blasting crappy music from their equally crappy cars. Please be respectful of this neighborhood and the fact that several of my neighbors have young children that need their rest. But I wouldn't worry about encountering muggers and thieves on your walk from the bar to your car! more

My first experience at CODA will be my last. The first thing you notice upon entering CODA is that it is very dark with a low, sickly yellow underlight- there was no ambiance to the place, it is just DULL, and boring. I attended this bar with a group of girls for a bachelorette party, and some shots were ordered which the bartender did not know how to make or said he didn't have the stuff to make them. He wound up making 2 shots and then went on leaving the rest of us with money in our hands, still ready to order. I think it's pretty lousy service as a bartender to look at a group of 6 girls, serve 2 shots and then move out- it doesn't make sense. He proceeded to dance around and ignore us, it wasn't a packed bar so he wasn't busy enough to leave us all hanging there for 15 some odd minutes. I finally caught his eye and asked if I could get a drink, albeit with an expletive in my question. I admit that was my bad, but nothing to cry about, but he proceeded to have a screaming fit about it. Needless to say we moved on to No Bar,and had a great rest of the night there, with a great bartender who knew what he was doing and how to serve a crowd. The bartender at CODA should get some lessons, he clearly still has his training wheels on. However, I should say I'm sorry for offending him, I'd hate to think of him still chomping his bit over it. Pros: None Cons: All more

his place was TERRIBLE!!!!! My friends and I went to this bar for a bachelorette party wanting a place that we could dance at and from the moment we walked in we all got a bad vibe. The clientele are all the wannabe's who aren't and are all extremely pretentious. But the worse part is the bar staff. There were six of us, all who had planned on spending LOTS of money here and the bartender was terrible!!!!! First he was spending more time behind the bar talking and drinking himself then he was actually waiting on people. He came over to us and my friend asked for a BJ shot and he had to go ask someone else what was in it and if they had what it takes to make it. He came back and said they didn't have the ingredients. Mind you my friend is sitting there staring at everything on the bar that it would require to make the drink! Then I asked what exactly the drink special on the board was and he responds "oh it's not good". Did I ask if iits not good or did I ask what it was? After he walks away from us and then comes back I ask him again what it is not if he thinks it's bad. So he tells me, and I think it sounds good so he makes us one and it ends up being shots and not a drink. You think that would be something you would specify. But the best part is he then walked away again and we sat there for 15 mins waiting for him to come back while he talked to his friends. My other friend finally had had enough and asked him for a drink in a not polite manner when he came back and the guy FREAKED OUT! He started screaming and hollering at her from behind the bar and was running over to the manager screaming and hollering making the BIGGEST scene. Everyone around the bar started looking. At that point we just got up and left and went to Bar One. I told the manager it was the bartenders fault and he said he would talk to him. So to make a long story short. Unless you're a pretentious LA type with something you think you have to prove, don't go here. Pros: There aren't any. Cons: The entire establishment. more

this bar reminds me of new york, it's a dark place with beautiful wood decor. During the week, Coda acts as a sports bar/ lounge, it's a nice casual place for locals to have a couple of drinks and participate in engaging conversation. the weekends are usually packed and turns more "clubby"- they have djs and dancing. the vibe here is always great and it's a fun spot to have birthday parties. Pros: Music, drinks, and a great place to have a party, locals don't have to go over the hill to have fun Cons: it's in the valley, more

There's no place like this in the valley. Although the music may be loud at times, the djs always seem to know when it's time to set it off. Local hipsters and indie types are going to love this place because its so fun, they won't have to drive over the hill, and it's not pretentious like hollywood more

This bar in the valley is so low key, that you might not even find it. Friends of mine say it's been through a lot of changes recently, but I wouldn't even know it, I just had my birthday there last weekend and my girls and I had a phenomenal time. The music was really good, the place wasn't too packed and the manager was able to reserve an area for me and my friends to sit in. The drinks are a little pricey but fair ( I don't remember how i got home)- Must have been a good night right? more

Then yo, you are gonna love this place!!!! Seriously though...to all those reviewers who blathered on about how great this club is, let me just say this: I didn't realize all of you CODA employees were smart enough to use a computer, let alone form complete sentences. Ok, I've tried to fair....I've been to this place 3 different times but each time it was worse than the last so no more. You want specifics??? Let's start with the pretentious velvet rope entrance guarded by a mental midget bouncer. A velvet rope....in VAN NUYS??? ARE YOU KIDDING???!!! Then there's the ridiculously expensive drink prices...if your looking to catch a buzz at CODA bring lots of cash!! The music is ok but why does it have to be so freakin' loud??? I like loud music but this is ridiculous and I get tired of having to scream at people! Oh yeah...the people who go there, well let's just say that this place attracts Van Nuys finest with maybe some people from Panorama City thrown in for laughs. If your looking for a hookup you better lower your standards or start pounding those high price drinks! Hey, I don't mind dive bars and the people that frequent them but I expect a better looking crowd if I'm paying $10 at the door get it? Then again...this is VAN NUYS and you can put up all the velvet ropes you want and charge an expensive cover but it isn't going to make your club a high class establishment. So yeah...no more Coda for me. Life is too short and there are way too many good clubs (even in the valley!) that are way better than this place. But hey... if you don't believe me, see for yourself. One last thing though if you do decide to go there: don't park on the side street behind the club unless you like to live dangerously and don't care if your car gets broken into. They are way too dark and there are too many places for people to hide. Pros: There is no sign for the place so you might not be able to find it (yes this is a pro!!!) Cons: Dangerous neighborhood outside the club, pretentious attitudes and high prices inside the club. more

It doesn't help that it's hard to find Coda at night (the place is painted black and there are no neon signs). But once you do, you will find a place that is sophisticatedly dim and sensual. Dj's play groovy tunes in the background while late 20 and 30 somethings enjoy a sheik ambiance, friendly staff and stiff drinks. There's a cover on the weekends but get there before 10 and it's free. It's the perfect place if you live in the Valley and don't want to hassle with the overpretentious hollywood crowd. Pros: Good vibe, fun, local bar Cons: Cover After 10 more

Feels like a dive bar, but the pricing is like a nightclub. It is gross. The music is ok. The bouncers are awful. The most important flaw of this place is the crowd. If you like to lap it up ghetto-fabulous than this place is good for you. If you are looking for something a little more sheek, go somewhere else. Pros: Cheap Cons: Cheap more

Me and my girlfriends decided to check out this place after we had heard the CEG ( a promotions company) was doing a stiletto night there. They offer $1 off for every inch of your heel for all ladies. We heard that they will be doing this every thursday :) we went two weeks ago when they launched it and had a great time....good crowd, good music and stiff drinks... We will definetely be going back every thursday...You should call for the promotions company guestlist, because it was pretty crowded when we went..All in all, a good place to be in the valley on a thursday Pros: Discount,Crowd, Music, Thursday Cons: Might get crowded more

If you live in the valley and haven't heard about Coda.. it's not your fault. For whatever reason they do not advertise or even have a sign out front. That's fine with me because I love this place! It's just a great little lounge with great energy. And by the way.....on this listing it says there's a cover on the weekends, well there isn't. Just another reason to go I guess. Pros: music, service, drinks, no attitude, and NO COVER. Cons: none more

A friend recommended that we check out this bar after reading a feature article on West magazine which described Coda as a "hidden gem" in Sherman Oaks. My girlfriends and I didn't know exactly what to expect. The reviews on this site didn't seem very helpful because the reviewers either really liked it or hated it. Let me just clear the air...CODA ROCKS MY SOCKS! The night started off really loungy and groovy. It was nice because the dj gave everyone a chance to just relax drink and chat. The music picked up once the place was full and when the drinks kicked in. DJ Dirty was awesome! I liked that he didn't play too much of that radio stuff, the music was really ecclectic and fun. I haven't had this much fun in years. Good music, diverse crowd, stiff drinks,friendly staff and I don't have to go over the hill to party...what more can a girl want? I wonder if they have an 80's night.......... Pros: It's fun, close by and the music is great Cons: the place gets packed... more

I remember going to Coda a couple of years back and feeling that I was in a room full of ghettoness...Since then, I lot of changes have been made to the staff, the decor, floor layout and cover charge at the door. I think all the changes they've made so far is great. There is no other place in the valley for young people to go out that isn't trashy or just another meat locker. I could tell that that Coda will ultimately be where are the local scenesters will end up in the very near future (all they need is 80's music and some indie rock and you'll be set). It is a very groovy and seductive lounge without the hollywood snobiness. The djs are really good, I wish the music was a little deeper and more eclectic than the typical radio club stuff....but hey, let's not forget that we're talking about the valley. Pros: No cover, cool vibe, good music Cons: watching people dance to "lean like a cholo" more

candlelit, sultry, loungey bar with the best DJs ive ever encountered. Great place to meet friends for a drink. There is no cover, even on weekends! The staff was so great, even the door guys were polite and professional with no attitude. I didnt want the night to end. Very much looking forward to summer nights on the patio... Pros: Ambiance, staff, music more

Terrible. The bouncers were terribly rude. Bottom line, the place is not fun. The music is ok, but the crowd isnt any good. There is quite a few places to go in Sherman Oaks that I would recommend instead like the Chimney Sweep. There is no parking for this place, you have to park in the neighborhood behind the bar, which is dark. I was afraid to leave my car there. Can you say GHETTTO? more