I showed up on a Saturday night at about 10:30 with about 20 friends for my birthday party, kinda supposed to be a fun one Dirty 30. Stupid me we didn’t all pile into my murcielago and my helicopter was in the shop, had we arrived via one of those options this story may be a little different, oh wait but I still have a very big obstacle to overcome (I’m white). So 4 taxi’s dropped us off and we saw a decent size but manageable line, we all jumped in. While in line I noticed that we slowly were getting closer to the front but I was then reminded that we were only getting closer by default, everybody in front of us had left pissed off. We endured the pain for a little while longer watching the lambo’s and mazzi’s roll up. Guess what? They (the Persians) walked right in. We approached the Gestapo at the front of the line who stated that if we got bottle service we could get in right away. Let’s do the math. 20 people, 3 people per bottle at 375.00 plus redbulls sodas ect.. So were looking at a minimum of $2250 to get the entire party in the door. WTF this place is in Newport Beach they need a little reality check. So as we watched the shinny suited, slicked back hair Gestapo prance about in front of us or anger as a group grew very fast, but like dumbasses we still waited in line. Finally we advanced another spot in line and we were now in poll position. We waited and waited then the bomb gets dropped, Gestapo comes by and tells us after over an hour of waiting in line “tonight is reservation only”. That would have been extremely useful info about an hour earlier. Needless to say and I feel I speak for my entire party, this place absolutely sucks. That was the first and last time I personally will ever visit Code.
Below I have attached some reviews that are remarkably similar. I encourage you to take a minute to read them and by all means we would love to hear your story.
What a shame! My friends and I always have a decent time here but it sounds like their "let's try to make it seem like da shit/exclusive by keepin people as long as possible in the cold" and "if u ain't a baller, don't hollah at your boys" elitist attitude is bringing this place down.
Laguna Niguel, CA
1 star rating2/1/2009
I'll be honest. I went here last week and thought it was fun. I had been drinking pretty heavily most of the night so really, any place would have been fun. From what I do remember the place was never packed, or full. The dance floor was small and the guy girl ratio was 4:1, not in a good way. Tried going here again last night. Got there at 9:45 with couple of friends. There was a bit of a line, just one couple standing out side so we got behind them. 20 minutes later, the line pretty big now and still no movement. The couple in front of us had left already. I, very politely, asked the guy how long the wait would be, his response "At this point, if you don't have a reservation, you're not getting in." We left, but being in the the week before and know what its like inside I can say, this is that place that makes people wait outside forever to make it seem like a cool place to be. Its not. The music is okay, the people are the typical newport crowd and drinks are 11 bucks a pop. Do yourself a favor and skip this place.
Irvine, CA
1 star rating2/2/2009
I'd like to give Code in Newport Beach/Irvine a rating of negative 5 stars! I was just out to have a good time and celebrate my friend's 30th birthday. My friends and I arrived to Code at about 10:15pm and there was a line, but it was short and manageable. Some other friends were already inside waiting for us. The door man, this guy who supposedly works as security for executives and dignitaries, but who is a bouncer on the side, told us that we had to wait in line because he was only allowed to get a few people in at a time. My friends who were already inside told me the place was empty. The other door guy, this guy with greasy, slicked back hair and who was wearing a silver suit was letting other people in who had bottle service or who rolled up in Ashton Martins and Range Rovers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating, I drive a decent car and live in a decent community, but the whole scene was disgusting to me - especially in light of the current economic climate. Haven't we learned our lesson!?Needless to say, my friends and I waited until after 11pm and had we not asked the door guy to be up front with us about whether or not we were going to get in, he would have continued to make us wait, FOR NOTHING. The guy finally caved and told my friend that no one was getting in unless they had bottle service or a reservation. We only waited in line for about an hour, there were others in line who had been waiting even longer. By this time, all of the other local clubs had lines and it was going to be impossible to get in anywhere else. I will never go back to this place. First of all, there was a total lack of diversity and the crowd was totally pretentious. This place left a bad taste in my mouth and made me sick to my stomach. I think it's time for some of us to look past the orange curtain, there is a whole other world out there, it's too bad you don't know anything about it, because it's beautiful and you are totally missing out on it.
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West Covina, CA
1 star rating2/4/2009
OMG!!!! Where do I start with this place... Negative 10... I went there to celebrate my big sister's 30th BDay.. Big deal right.. well the people at CODE could care less.. We showed up at 10:15 with a group of 5 girls 4 guys...now I don't mean to toot my own horn but we are definitely some hot girls.. well we had a reservation under one of my sisters friends name. We went up to the two bouncers that were there one that I nicknamed Luigi because he was wearing a tacky silver suit he probably had since the 80s with greasy slicked back hair. Needless to say he took his job way too seriously. The way he made it seem I thought I was trying to get into the White House to meet Obama. He told us that if we didn't have bottle service or a reservation we couldn't get in...Again we did have a reservation!!! But he made us stand in this line that he stated was for the party we went there for. The other bouncer who made it seem like he was doing us a favor by "trying to get us in" let all these other skanky, over tanned flat chested or faked boob females in..in hopes that UGLY might mean he would get lucky for letting them in.. Luigi let all the douche bags that looked greasy old and just pathetic guys in obviously his friends.. We stood in the front of the line for over an hour as I watch all these other people who I saw and heard did not have reservations nor bottle service in... Finally I asked what was taking so long and he said that there was too many people inside..WRONG!!! We had friends inside and it was EMPTY just like the airheads that were getting in. I asked him politely to be honest if we were going to get in and he said NO! I asked if we basically waited in line for nothing and he said YES!!! I'm sorry but I go to actual clubs in LA, Long Beach, San Diego and have never been treated this way, not a club that looks like a box in the middle of business buildings...I let the bouncer know exactly how I felt about the club, the wait, and the people inside.. I only hope no one goes here and it closes down... Sorry you don't make a club hot by making people stand outside for over an hour, charge them $11 & over for drinks, play crap music and have ugly people there.. Word a mouth is the best and from the looks of it CODE SUCKS!!!! NEVER EVER GO HERE IF YOU WANT TO HAVE FUN MEET CUTE PEOPLE AND DANCE PERIOD!!!!!!!
San Francisco, CA
2 star rating1/7/2009
There's a bunch of things that threw me off about this place: 1. The location: it's amidst a bunch of corporate buildings (but then it's Irvine, so that's understandable). 2. The line outside even though the club was definitely below capacity (me and my homegirl just walked right through, hence half an extra star and another half for no cover)3. The $11 beer. Seriously? This is why girls don't buy drinks. One night of light drinking = price of a spa mani-pedi.4. The recently turned 21 crowd5. The boy:girl ratio = 4:1. Not in a good way.There's some things that I expected and Code didn't let me down.. most of this I attribute to the city of Irvine.1. The 4 cop cars patrolling the parking lot at 22. The bouncers and ushers herding people out the door at 2 (I'm guessing because of Irvine's legendary ordinance that allows the city to charge businesses open beyond midnight an incredible amount)3. Constantly running into UCI Alum4. Cramped patio, cramped dance floorI'm glad we didn't do dinner there, seems like the food's crap from all these reviews. They did have an almost naked girl dancing in a little space behind the bar, which I presume is entertainment for some. I feel bad for UCI kids, if their choices are Still limited to Tapas and this place.
Chino Hills, CA
1 star rating12/21/2008
I wish I could give this place NEGATIVE STARS, but unfortunately that's not possible. One star is TOO GENEROUS.Went here for my sister's birthday. All I could say, is that it was a disaster. We had two tables set aside for us, that was a plus, but why shouldn't it be; the place was absolutely empty.The food, mostly horrible, some things were somewhat passable, but extremely overpriced. Portions were incredibly small. Service, what service??? Waitstaff was no where to be found, again, the place is empty. It took nearly 40 minutes to get our food. Did they have to drive to another restaurant that serves bad food to pick up our order?We brought in a cake. What they failed to tell, even before they cut the cake was that charged a cake cutting fee, at a ridiculous $4 a slice. They cut the cake into extra small pieces so they could rack up their cake cutting fees, even for those who didn't want any cake. "Cake cutting" fee, an insane $88 plus tax. Thought you aren't supposed to charge tax on services??? We tried talking to the manager, but that jackhole had his head up his ass. Acting like he's to cool in an empty place.When we finally left, the place was about a quarter full. The laughable part? They actually had people standing outside in the freezing cold, trying to make it seem like it was crowded and the "in" place to be. Told the people not to waste their time at this DUMP, and neither should you.
Cerritos, CA
2 star rating1/5/2009
Place is too small and the crowd isn't too diverse at all.Plus is that there's no line and no fee to get in...if you're a girl I'm assuming.Would like to try the food...Im just rating the club.
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Irvine, CA
1 star rating2/1/2009
This place is ridiculous!!! We waited at the front of the line for half an hour. I asked, "when will we get in?" and the guy said, "it's a crapshoot, you could get in within the next 10 minutes or you could wait all night and not get in." WTH???My sister told me that her friend was inside and there was no one in there. Why wouldn't they want people to come in so they can make a little money? My boyfriend predicts that this place will close soon! I hope so! Idiots!!!!! Never again for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!
San Diego, CA
1 star rating2/2/2009
Too Cool to be cool. I came up from San Diego for a friends bday bash and thought it would be a good idea to check out a new hotspot - Code in Newport beach. We arrived around 10:15 - 5 girls and 4 guys. Talked to the bouncer at front and he asked us if we had bottle service or reservations. We told him we were on a list - but didn't have bottle service. He directed us to the front of a line near the door where we proceeded to wait for another 45 minutes. Our friends were inside already and said it was empty. We asked the bouncer how much longer it was going to be and he told us we might not get in at all if we didn't have bottle service. Meanwhile, we sat there and watched small groups of well connected douchebags just hug the bouncer and walk in. We left after telling the bouncer exactly what we thought about his management of the line and his club and went on with our night. I can't believe I drove up all the way from San Diego and was treated this way - NEVER AGAIN! DON'T BOTHER! The next day I talked to my friends who made it inside and they said that it wasn't that good anyway.
Costa Mesa, CA
3 star rating11/18/2008
Do you remember Hamburger Mary's??? Well here it is new and improved and straight! ha ha! They redid the inside; the decor is nice, very posh. Lots of dark wood with blue lights. They have a big TV in the center of the bar that turns into half naked girls dancing behind a glass. (Not bad for you boys!) We came here for a birthday party, dinner, drinks and a little dancing. Our party was a little big so some parts of the dinner were a little chaotic. But overall service was okay. The only problem I had was certain wines on the list they ran out of. It felt like everything I was ordering was gone! :( We ended ordering more cocktails than wine which I think there drinks could use a little more work. The food was just okay, I had the Duo of Hudson Valley Foie Gras - sauteed foie gras with peach on brioche bun, riesling-poached torchon of fruit chutney, vintage port reduction. I wish the foie gras with a little more seared. My girlfriend next to me had the Crispy Muscovy Duck - leg confit, wild rice, market vegetables, in an orange ginger sauce. She gave me a bite the leg was a little dry. I understand that they are really new still so maybe the dishes will be more refined in the future? Personally, my favorite part of the whole place is their DJ. He played some old school house that I haven't heard in forever. But don't worry you hip hop kids he added some of that in there for you too. Overall, great place for drinks and dancing not so sure about the whole dinner thing yet.?3 1/2 Stars
Mission Viejo, CA
1 star rating1/15/2009
Great place to chase yachts and meet creepers.I went with my girls and the male crowd here is OLD. Lots of asians and persians. I didn't see a single white guy in my age bracket which is pretty generous.I'm 24 and a 40ish year old dude and his trophy girlfriend asked me if I wanted to go home with them. Not my scene at all.Oh yeah and they played only techno the night I went. I went up to DJ asking if they were going to mix in any Hip-Hop (so people couldn't dance to something enjoyable) and he straight up said no. "The whole night?" I asked. "The whole night," he replied. We left.
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San Diego, CA
2 star rating12/15/2008
Recently dined here with a couple of friends for a nice little get together.The decor was really nice and the food was good (but not great). Definitely recommend to be of legal drinking age to enjoy this place a little more, but unfortunately none of us were haha. I ordered the volcano roll and would not recommend it again unless you are willing to pay $12 for 4 little rolls.
Laguna Beach, CA
3 star rating11/11/2008
Firstly, reviewer adam b. is a tool. (It's OK: he and I know each other and he already knows full well that it's true.) ;)Next: I concur w/ most of what mr. b. had to say (or write, rather). Food was def tasty - spicy chicken pizza - though waiting the better part of 50 mins to get it equates to a vry large kink in need of getting worked out; in reality, if I hadn't asked about its status multiple times, I'm not confident I would have ever gotten it at all. Drink-wise: tasty xtra-dirty Martini, but I did have to ask for it to be remade, which is annoying. Code by no means has a monopoly on this - most places almost nvr get xtra-dirty Martinis right the 1st time, unless I emphasize, "Please make it like me: FILTHY." The saving graces: we were there during Happy Hr, the atmosphere was cool/chill (much more L.A. than O.C., though did remind me of Mesa over in The Camp/Lab 'hood, which is one of my O.C. faves), the bartender - can't recall her name - was seriously cute and friendly, we were offered gratis bevs for the various inconveniences (which is exactly what should have happened and what I would have done, at the very least, if I was the owner), and they have Go-Go and Burlesque dancers on the wkend, which is rarely a bad thing in my book (unless, maybe, it's WeHo Rage-style). Once Code works out its kinks, which I'm somewhat confident it will at this point, I'll almost certainly bump it up to Four-Star-Town, but to state the obvious: that's entirely up to you, Code. Get it tight. Get it right. :) The alternative is that you'll have much more in common w/ dinosaurs than you'd like, if you catch my drift.Oh yeah: Code is having their official Grand Opening in the near future, though I can't recall the exact date.
People thought this was:
Tustin, CA
3 star rating11/25/2008
Went to Code for their grand opening celebration. Complimentary cocktails and appetizers? We're there! =P This place used to be Fury but that got shut down. The layout inside is better than Fury. The waitresses looked like the same girls that worked at Fury. I like the ice, white curtains theme Code has going on. So much better than the typical Asian Fusion theme that all OC restaurants feel compelled to do. (overkill!) The crowd at the grand opening was very OC. It looked like a walking plastic surgery ad, fake tans and cougars (*rawr*). The drinks were either watered down or pure alcohol. Not very good. The saving grace of the night was the food. Yum to the crab, shrimp, cheese balls, pizza, etc.
Jenny L.
Irvine, CA
2 star rating12/10/2008
I was sorely disappointed by happy hour tonight. After seeing the cool new look of the new restaurant off of MacArthur, I was excited to take my friend here for her birthday to try the happy hour menu (4:30- 7PM) that looked very appetizing on-line. With a clean white square shape from the outside, inside didn't have a fresh feel- while it was spacious, the looks was dark and mahogany. At 6PM, it wasn't very populated and we were seated in the a nice cozy corner. For happy hour, we ordered $6 drinks - the mojito was a small glass filled mostly with ice (and mistakenly no peach flavor) and the cosmopolitan was average. For food, we ordered the crunchy roll ($7 and this was the best thing), the avocado crab salad ($7- avocado was ripe and crab was not fresh) and the chicken pizza ($7 -something was missing in the flavor but can't exactly pin point it). Two stars for the service and the crunchy roll but would probably prefer Kimera's happy hour if I had to choose between the two.
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San Jose, CA
1 star rating12/29/2008
Went to Code on a Saturday night for a get together with some old friends and our buddy's birthday. We decided to come early for dinner to bypass the ridiculousness that happens after 10:30pm at the door (i.e. lines for no reason).Food - edible but not delicious, by any means. Too pricey for what you get.Crowd - before 11pm it was a "cougar den" as my friend calls it. After that, it gets marginally better but not really. Same OC crowd you would expect in Newport. Douchebags and ditzes.Music - SUCKED. But I'm partial to hip hop, top 40, basically danceable music that keeps you moving and drinking all night. They played house for most of the night and started to mix in some hip hop but it wasn't good enough for me.BOTTOM LINE: I would only go back here if I had a table, with a solid group of friends in tow. Wouldn't choose to dine here if I had a choice.
