We are very lucky to have friends who have great taste in music and in bars. Friends that, when they say they're going to a bar (that we've never been to) to listen to a band (that we've never heard of) and do we want to come, we go. And we always have a great time! (In fact, I probably need to start a list of places we've been to with these friends, as it will be a listing of awesome bars...)
Coda is one of the places that they suggested, and I'm glad that they did! We met up last Friday night to check out a couple of bands, including the awesome and interestingly named Deep Fried Squirrel (a bluegrass band that I am now definitely a fan of).
Coda is an interesting place, and I would like to learn more about the building's history. The bar is not very big, but the space is cool, the bartender is friendly and quick to get drinks, and it really is a very good place to listen to live music. The sound was excellent, and it was never so loud that we couldn't talk if we wanted to. Our friends had snagged a table near the back, and while the bar wasn't very full when we first arrived, by the time Deep Fried Squirrel had finished their set, we were very happy to have had the table and extra space as it filled up quickly.
The crowd was a mix of just about everything you can imagine - hipsters, older couples, "cool" kids that looked barely old enough to drink, hippies - Â you name it, and they were there. What's awesome is that everyone was having a good time and the crowd just seemed to fit well together - Coda seems to be a bar where anyone can come as they are, and no one will bat an eye.
As we had already had dinner, we didn't eat, but the menu looked decent, if typical for a bar. What's interesting is that the "kitchen", so to speak, is right there out in the open, at the end of the bar, so you can see everything that's going on. We also didn't partake of any of the cocktails on offer, but a lot of them did sound good, and I would certainly try one...or more than one...the next time we're in.
The ladies room is a huge single stall that is very clean, and quite nice. They even had a space heater in there on this cold January night, so that you don't freeze when you're doing your business.
All in all, I was definitely a fan of Coda, and my first visit most certainly won't be my last!
The only positive I can think of for this review is that the food, when we finally got it, was not horrible. It was not great, but it was average and filled us up, but was not by any means a treat or great food. Everything else was not good and we couldn't wait to leave after our meal and having paid a cover to get in to hear a bad band. Their website also said if we came early there was no cover, but when we showed up there was a cover and when we told the door man what the website said, he simply said that's wrong. Needless to say that started the experience out on the wrong foot. Actually, I take that back, it was bad before we arrived, we had actually tried to eat here a few times before we finally were able to. A few times the place was not open, one time we came by it was a private party, and we couldn't eat there. The fact that we came by many times to try and eat here to try it should indicate that we were wanting to really try it as it looked interesting and the you can't get in to eat here was kind of a challenge. Sadly, it was a challenge that was once overcome, that lead to a let down in every way, other than being able to check eating here off the list.
The music was not good, that we had to pay the cover for just to get in, even though the website said there was no cover if we arrived early. The service was slow, and I mean very slow. Not only was the service slow, but the lady was rude and took her sweet time to take our orders, bring us our drinks and she had an attitude. We got the vibe that this is a place where regulars come often, but if you are new, they do not treat you well. We did not feel weclome and it is rare that we have not felt welcome eating at a place like this.
The music was also very loud, and we could not really hear each other while talking. If we had gone to a concert or a club I would expect the music to be this loud, but not at a bar and grill that is projecting the look and feel of this place. The food when we finally got it was not all that great either and it was expensive for what we got. A place like this we did not expect to pay as much as we did for everything and it was certainly not food at the level of quality that would be expected at that price range it was.
Over all I am giving the place a one star because I would not go back nor suggest it to anyone.
Coda is a unique place, off the beaten path for this Johnson County girl. Â The old brick building looked to have the original wood inside, which I found quite beautiful. Â My husband and I shared a cheeseburger and a philly-steak cheese with fries. Â We both enjoyed our dinners. Â Mostly, we enjoyed the place itself though! This place is original...kind of a hole in the wall, but that is what made it so appealing to me. Â The service was somewhat slow, but that gave us time to visit and relax. Â The evening weather was perfect so both corner doors were wide open with a fresh breeze blowing in.
A couple of issues that I would mention is my mayonnaise (on the side) was dried on the edges and tasted sour/bitter - I believe it was bad. Â Thankfully, I tasted it before I ruined my entire burger. Â Also, the beer was not as cold as I like it. Â Probably, it would be OK for most people because I tend to like mine extra cold.
All in all, I felt adventurous trying this place. Â The experience was fun and memorable.
Oh, Coda. I want to like you more, I really do, but I can't lie about our relationship and give you a higher rating.
The good:
-Coda's sound is EXCELLENT. The mix is right on target no matter what style of band is playing, it is nice and loud but never unbearable.
-Coda is nice to the bands that play there and run the lights very well.
-The location is great - just north of Town Topic burgers on Broadway downtown.
-All ages venue since they serve food and alcohol.
The not so good:
-Their food seems a bit overpriced and conventional. $6+tax+tip for onion rings? Okay, you're not killing me, but you're also not winning me over. Yes the onion rings were good but I'd like to see maybe a mini-menu with lower prices for those late nights when you just want a little something cheap to soak up the alcohol.
-There's no stage for the bands. It makes sense considering it's a small venue, but it also doesn't quite have the same feel a joint with a raised stage has.
-There's always a weird smell, kind of like backed up drain pipes. It's not overwhelming and not super gross but it's there.
I really love the owners and know they put a lot of love into the place. It's got to be hard to have a place that tries to be a restaurant during lunch and dinner time and then turn into a club at night. So many chairs and tables, so little room to dance!
Yes, the bar is small but it is perfectly sized to go to hear bands. Â
I think the beer is somewhat priced on the high side. Â But their price for Jameson is right on. Â They have Happy Hour specials for specific food and drink items but then 20% off the rest of the menu.
I snacked on an order of loaded fries which is a good size for sharing. Â The fries were cooked and seasoned well. Â The additional toppings of sour cream, bacon and green onion were yummy. Â The dish wasn't overly saturated with the loaded toppings which was nice.
The bartender, who also waited on the tables, was efficient. Â Overall, the service we received was really friendly. Â It was a welcoming bar unlike some who turn a cold shoulder to non-regulars.
A huge plus, the women's restroom is one of the nicest I have been in. Â It is a single service restroom but very spacious, very clean, nicely decorated and smelled great.
I look forward going back to Coda. Â I had a great time there.
Last night I went and saw Voler at Fringe Central and the Fringe paper said Coda had bogo 1/2 off. The waitress was great and said she hadn't heard that or seen the paper, so I showed it to her. She went and asked the owner and he didn't agree to what the paper had printed and said no.
The waitress said it is happy hour gave me 20% off everything which equaled about the same as the bogo 1/2 off. She was awesome she said this place from getting a 2 star review. The Burger was handmade ok not very tasty, it had no seasoning what so ever on it. Fries were just ok maybe a tad overcooked and my Rum & coke was just well rum, I should have said Bicardi or top shelf.. It is a Dive bar with 9 tables, a few stools at the bad and then a  2nd bar table with stools to sit at.
The waitress so very nice and did a great job, the owner needs to work on his people skills and needs to season the burgers and not burn the fries. The place also had a few flies hanging around that I had to keep waving away from my food. My knife was also drity but I didn't need it so just set it aside.
If I was in the area I would probably stop in again for a drink.
This is a pretty small bar, so Tabitha M. is right -- it is pretty cozy and if you're crowded around a bunch of drunks, probably not much fun. Fortunately, that was not my experience. I'm going to give you both of my perspectives of this place from one visit.
From the perspective of a patron, I was glad that Coda was nothing like its former incarnation, Jilly's, a really loud tiny dance club with some of the rudest service I've ever experienced. Conversely, the bartenders at Coda were very gracious. I found the seating adequate and it had a nice small bar feel to it. Definitely not a place if you want to throw a huge bash, but it had a communal intimate feeling to it. It was also clean, and less divey than a lot of other joints in town (which, to me, can be either a good or bad thing, but good in this case).
My main perspective of Coda was from being in a band that played that evening. I had heard from others that the owners were musicians themselves, so they understood the annoyances that bands might experience from other venues. So I was hoping for the best.
Sound quality was pretty impressive. Clint (one of the owners) ran our sound and it was just as crisp as any other place in town, yet toned down enough not to blow out everyone's eardrums. A really nice change from the bass-pumpin' Jilly's dance parties of years past. I also heard the same sentiment from friends who attended that evening. Best of all, we were treated well, as I had hoped. We weren't rushed out the door and paid with a slap in the face like some other places I know in town whose names I will not mention. Instead, Coda pays bands the full door and gives them a food/drink tab. And they're nice! What a concept.
Of course, I didn't get around to the food or drink, but it'll happen next time. When it does, I hope to up this review to 5 stars.
So I'd be interested in going back here under different circumstances. Our friends band was playing and celebrating her birthday, so it was one of the events that you kind of have to go to. If I had known the bar was so small, and would have been so packed, I would have honestly risked offending my friend, and stayed home. There was literally no where to sit at all, which yeah yeah yeah, I'm young and should be able to stand for 3 hours, but I was starting to get sick, I am pregnant, I was shoved in a corner surrounded by drunks, probably the only sober person in the bar... so i just wasn't feeling it. I couldn't even make it through the crowd to get to the bathroom, that is how packed it was in there. Also, their sound system seemed insanely loud for such a small venue.
The bar looks really nice, and the place looked pretty clean... it was just hard to tell because there were so many people there. Another thing, people were leaning on the paintings on the wall. being a painter myself, this is a HUGE no no. Thank god they were acrylic paintings, and not oil... and that they were stretched well, so they wouldn't warp with the weight of ignorant people. i do understand that under normal operating circumstances, the bar wouldn't have been so packed that people would be leaning on the paintings, but it just hurt my heart to see.
Drinks seemed oddly priced. For my boyfriend's PBR and my Sprite, it was $4.25... but a Boulevard was $6 or something... for a LOCAL beer? What? doesn't make sense.
I will be going back to give it another change. it seems like it has the potential to be a really cool place, I just can't deal with that many drunk people being the only sober person there. haha
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
