It’s four o’clock on a Saturday morning, and the regular crowd shuffles out of CODE nightclub in Astoria — usually accompanied by the sounds of drunken fighting, blaring car stereos and general mayhem, according to disgruntled Astorians living nearby.
For over a year, residents on the mostly residential block where CODE is situated have been placing hundreds of 311 calls to raise concerns about a number of issues, including persistent noise complaints in the small hours of the morning and allegations that the club has been placing traffic cones in public parking spaces to reserve them for valet parking.
The club has vociferously denied allegations, stating that it has done “everything” to be a good neighbor.
Neighbors express anger over persistent noise complaints
Residents have expressed anger at the police for allegedly failing to properly deal with persistent complaints about the venue, located at 20-30 Steinway St., off 20th Avenue, in a quiet part of Astoria. But several residents said it was a “slap in the face” when the NYPD’s Hispanic Society held a fundraiser at the club before Christmas despite months of community complaints.
The NYPD, in turn, said it would have been “egregious” if the 114th Precinct had organized an event at CODE, but added that the Hispanic Society was likely unaware of neighborhood issues with the venue when it organized the toy drive because it has no connections to the 114th Precinct.
Neighborhood complaints go far beyond a holiday fundraiser, however.
Emily, a resident who did not provide their real name out of fear of retribution, told QNS that almost every person in her building has called 311 multiple times over noise complaints but accused the police of “ignoring” complaints. She alleged that the NYPD also adds to the late-night cacophony by blaring sirens in a bid to move revelers along when it does respond to calls.
“At 4 a.m., NYPD was driving down Steinway Street blasting their horns trying to get double-parked cars to move, instead of getting out of their car and saying ‘move.’ It just adds to the noise,” she said. “I don’t believe they want to do that much about it. They’re just going through the steps.”
The NYPD pushed back strongly, stating that the 114th Precinct regularly responds to incidents at the nightclub. A spokesperson for the NYPD said officers issued sentences for underage drinking at the venue as recently as New Year’s Day, while officers also used a sound inspection meter outside CODE on Dec. 27 after receiving multiple noise complaints.
The spokesperson said the inspection returned “negative results” of noise violations from three different locations.
“In response to 311 complaints, officers from the 114th Precinct have issued multiple summonses at 20-30 Steinway Street in the past year for various quality of life conditions,” an NYPD spokesperson told QNS. “The 114th Precinct continues to work with the community and the establishment to address any complaints and will conduct enforcement as conditions are observed.”
The 114th Precinct issued eight criminal court summonses and four OATH summonses relating to violations of city rules and quality-of-life laws in 2025. Cabrera disputed the police response, stating that the club has only received three tickets in 26 years of operations as Central and CODE.
“We don’t have any underage drinking. That’s a lie,” Cabrera said. “We haven’t received any summonses. Those are lies.”
Residents say they are fed up with what they described as persistent noise levels when events at the club comes to an end and a perceived lack of police response, particularly early on Monday mornings after Sunday-night events.
“People will come out, sit in their cars, blast music, drink, smoke weed, and then drive home,” Emily told QNS. “Another source of the noise is drunk people fighting. We’ve had groups of about 10 men fighting just outside our property.”
One resident, approached by QNS during a daytime tour of the area, told the publication that he did not have time for an interview but gave the following response.
“I don’t have time today, but it’s f***ing awful.”
‘We don’t have any problems,’ CODE manager says
CODE manager Cesar Cabrera strongly disputed the claims, stating that the club has met with the 114th Precinct and Community Board 1 to devise strategies to move guests away from the area after the club.
“There’s no police in the morning because we don’t need it. We don’t have any fights. We don’t have any problems,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera added that the club deploys bouncers to disperse guests when events at CODE come to an end. He also said residents had no problems with the club when it operated as Central prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and believes that people had gotten used to living on a quieter street before CODE opened after the pandemic.
Cabrera said the crowd at the club has changed since the reopening, which he believes is a source of neighborhood annoyance.
“Central was mainly Greek, and now it’s not,” Cabrera said. “Sunday, we have one urban event, and they hate that event.”
Emily said the club does engage with neighbors about their complaints but insisted that the venue only does so in order to “gaslight” local residents.
“Yes, they do have bouncers, but it’s just a guy yelling at people,” Emily said. “There’s noise from people fighting, noise from cars outside, in addition to bouncers yelling at people and adding to the noise.”
Evie Hantzopoulos, chair of Queens Community Board 1, said the board has been receiving complaints about CODE for over two years. Hantzopolous said the board had written to the State Liquor Authority (SLA) asking for the club’s liquor license to be revoked.
“For over two years now, we have heard complaint after complaint about CODE,” Hantzopolous said. “Last year, Community Board One sent letters to State Liquor Authority and NYPD 114th Precinct asking for revocation. The letters outlined the various grievances against CODE including cases of disorderly conduct, assault, noise violations, parking violations, and general lack of respect for the surrounding community. Their license was renewed and the problems continue.”
Parking problems
Just as irksome to residents as frequent late-night disturbances has been an ongoing battle over public parking spaces.
Residents allege that CODE’s valet drivers have been regularly placing traffic cones over public parking spaces to ensure they are free for valet parking, which forces residents to park a significant distance from their own home. CODE again strongly disputed the allegations.
NYPD officials said police issued 170 summonses for parking violations in the immediate vicinity of the nightclub in 2025.
Annie, a local resident who asked for her last name to be omitted, said she has also come home on more than one occasion to find a valet driver urinating on her front door or in her garden.
Annie also accused valet drivers of parking on sidewalks when there are no available public parking spaces.
Felix Peres, the owner of Stop & Enjoy Deli on 20th Avenue, said he has witnessed valet cars parked on the sidewalk on several occasions when he has opened his store early on a Monday morning. Peres said cars are regularly parked over the entrance to his basement, limiting how he can take-early morning deliveries.
“It’s too much,” Peres said. “I have to go talk to the valet guys every weekend.”
Peres has been placing cones over the basement doors in a bid to prevent valet drivers from parking there but said drivers simply move the cones and park there anyway.
Cabrera again pushed back strongly, stating that the club only offers 15 valet parking spaces outside the nearby Steinway Motors auto shop, with which it has an explicit written agreement.
He said the club had previously received complaints about using public parking spaces elsewhere in the neighborhood and ceased the practice after a conversation with the Community Board.
“Drivers don’t do that (park on sidewalks or in public spaces. They would get fired if they did,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera said the club also employs security personnel to patrol the area and report any signs of wrongdoing, while the club also employs cleaning teams to clean the surrounding streets.
Emily said parking issues have improved significantly in recent months but alleged that valet drivers still park on the sidewalk when they are parking in front of the auto shop, which is located adjacent to the Stop & Enjoy delay. She also questioned whether the auto shop had the authority to give away public parking spaces or sidewalk space.
‘It’s consistently every weekend’
Meanwhile, Peres said the deli, which opens at 4:30 a.m. on Mondays, must also deal with dozens of late-night partygoers leaving Sunday night events at the nightclub, Peres said. He alleged that drunk stragglers often shoplift on their way from the nightclub and said he does not confront them out of fear of provoking a dangerous incident.
“They steal things. I don’t want any trouble,” he said.
When he notices that crowds are particularly boisterous on the street, Peres now keeps the doors locked until people have dispersed.
Annie added that rowdiness peaks at around 4:30 a.m. when people begin leaving the nightclub.
“It’s just traffic jams, people honking, people fighting outside, screaming and yelling,” Annie said. “It’s just very frustrating.”
Emily said she has contacted the club on numerous occasions to report people fighting in the street or having sex in her driveway. However, she believes the club can do little once guests leave the premises and is instead disappointed in the response by the police.
Annie was similarly annoyed by what she described as a lack of police presence outside the club late at night.
“It’s consistently every single weekend. I just don’t know why they can’t be here.”
