Came here with family and had a great experience. We ordered a pepperoni pizza for my kid, the woodfire oven roasted salmon, and the duroc pork chop -- everything was delicious and the portions were really good. The place itself is awesome, we got a table outside and the vibe was perfect. Service was on point too. I had a mezcal drink called "I Love You Beary Much" served in a bear-shaped glass -- super fun and actually really good. Shoutout to our waitress Bella, she was great and made the whole experience even better. It looks like they have a menu for dogs, which was a nice touch. read more

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We love to come here for dinner with friends! This location is full of laughter anytime we visit. Their servers always make us feel welcome. They give awesome recommendations and I thoroughly enjoy how festive this restaurant is. We love coming here around Halloween time but this year we went for valentines also! A great place to enjoy time with special people and enjoy great food! Near the beach, which helps walk off some of those carbs! read more

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Made a reservation here for galentines dinner! Such a festive and cute environment!! My bestie and I got the calamari, funghi pizza, prosciutto & burrata pizza! The pizza were very delicious!! We also had a few glasses of wine. Def such a cute place to get together with friends! I believe they change the decor according to the holidays! read more

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My first time at Barbarella was wonder-filled and I love their Holiday Spirit. This restaurant is decked out to the Tee with beauuutiful decorations boosting this holiday cheer for sure. All I can say...is wooowww! My inner child appreciated it a lot :-) When we arrived, it was a full house. Luckily, we had reservations. We had a chance to look around the restaurant admiring the festive decor. We even walked to nearby restaurants to discover that they were not "on-n-poppin" like Barbarella. Barbarella definitely attracting the crowds. Because of the busyness, we did have a wait. It was worth it though. We were taken to an overflow room in the back which was also nicely decorated too. Once our waitress appeared on the scene, she was on-it...answering our questions and making recommendations. My yummy refreshing Santa Special Cocktail made me feel sooo special. I can tell the bartenders are working their magic at the bar. Cheers!! My Ricotta Ravioli with half Bolognese & Lemon Cream sauce made me feel sooo saucy but in a good good way. My adult self appreciated it a lot ;-) I'll definitely return to this super cool Italian spot. read more

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Food: 4 Service: 3.5 Ambiance: 4.5 We visited Barbarella during the holiday season, and the restaurant was fully decked out with festive Christmas décor. The lights both inside and outside really added to the lively, cheerful ambience and made the whole experience feel extra special. We had a 5:00 PM reservation, just before the dinner rush, and were seated promptly. The service at the front desk was okay, but our waiter more than made up for it. He was attentive, friendly, and checked in on us often. Our water glasses were always refilled, and we felt well taken care of throughout the meal. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how good the food was. We ordered the bread and butter, calamari, lamb medallions, and broccolini. The lamb medallions were absolutely the star of the show, cooked to perfection, and paired beautifully with the sweet potato, which was delicious. The broccolini was also very good. The calamari was just okay, a bit too breaded and not as fresh as we would've liked, so we probably wouldn't order that again. We also tried two holiday cocktails, the Ornamentini and the Partridge in a Pear Tree. Both drinks were super cute and festive, and they were light and refreshing. I'm glad we tried them. For dessert, we ordered the mint lava cake topped with mint gelato, and it was very, very delicious. We enjoyed it immensely. The location is another big plus. After a heavy dinner, we took a nice walk down the street and ended up at the beach, which was the perfect way to end the night. Overall, we had a wonderful experience and would definitely return. I highly recommend Barbarella for a girls' night out or a date night. read more

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Food: Funghi Pizza (9/10) - i love mushroom pizzas but i didn't expect how well made this one was! it came out hot and fresh with the perfect amount of cheese and mushrooms. so tasty! Pasta Al Forno (7/10) - be sure to mix it well because my scoop ended up not having enough sauce haha the sauce eventually disappears and lacks flavor. overall decent but i do think the sauce was a little separate from the noodle and felt less together? wasn't enough sauce and meat but still good! Fettuccine Bolognese (7.5/10) - more on the creamy and toasty side. pretty good flavor and you can taste the bacon bits. wasn't mind blowing but decent! Service: We had the most helpful and conversational server! Flagging someone down was a little hard at times because no one was around for some reason for a long time for us but they would be very nice and helpful once we did Ambiance: I went during christmas times so this place is fully decked out in so many christmas decorations! Such a nice place to visit especially at night with all the lights turned on. Very spacious with the patio seats and multiple rooms/sections for more seating read more

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This place is so festive! I honestly felt like I walked into a Hallmark Christmas movie. I love the holiday spirit here. I started my meal with a nice cup of hot chocolate, and it set the tone perfectly. I really enjoyed the vibe, the service, and the food. It was definitely busy, but our server was super nice and totally on top of everything. I ordered the seafood linguine with the white sauce -- it was good, but I think I prefer the red sauce. The bread and butter was $5, and it was worth it... the butter is what makes it! My friend even ordered one to go, lol. I highly recommend the mint ice cream lava cake. So good! This place is very family-friendly, and I'll definitely be back with my kids so they can experience the winter wonderland too. read more

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I was SO excited to try this spot for Christmas vibes but was extremely disappointed. Only reason for 2 stars is for the Christmas decorations which were very jolly indeed. HOWEVER the service was SO poor and the food was even worse. We had a reservation for 5:30pm on a Sunday, and we didn't finish dinner till close to 9PM. I do realize it was very busy since this is a popular spot, but everything was slow and things came out wrong too. Now onto the food: Charcuterie Board: was afraid of food poisoning honestly, seemed like it had been sitting out for a while (cute plates though) - also the meat was touching the cheese so my vegetarian friend couldn't try it. Caesar salad: actually not too bad! Pepperoni pizza: can't expect much from pizza in California but this was gross - crust was sloppy and undercooked and way too much cheese. Cocktails/wine: Specialty Christmas cocktails seemed super cute but I learned the espresso martini is batched so I couldn't get tequila instead of the vodka. The other tequila option was VERY blue and way too sweet. Ordered white wine and it came out warm - gave me a massive stomachache and headache due to poor quality. Maybe the food and service is better when it's not so busy during the holidays, but do not recommend the Christmas pop up as it is overpriced, slow service, and poor quality. read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - Inside decor - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

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We decided to try a dog friendly restaurant. We sat outside under the heat lamp. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. My son brought his 6 month lab. They even have a doggy menu. She brought him treats and water also. It was a great experience and I definitely will go back. read more

The food is baaaad. We tried to give it so many chances but each plate that came out just missed. The best thing was the bread and vanilla ice cream. They do have the cutest Christmas decoration!!!! Indoor and outdoor was covered head to toe and we loved it. They had delicious Christmas cocktails with the best one to me being the partridge in a pear tree. It came in a cutesy bird glass and was perfectly balanced. Service was good for being a busy night. Inside did smell like piss and the bathroom line was long so I didn't even get to see the bathroom door and you can still smell the pee. Overall--- maybe come for cocktails and bread ?? Take pictures with the decor. Hopefully you have a better experience if you try. read more

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We recently celebrated our annual Christmas dinner here. We chose this place specifically for the holiday cheer and decorations that are displayed throughout. It's like stepping into my Christmas past of the 80's with tinsel, yard lights, and trees and garland galore. We had a reservation for 12 and were happy to accommodate us even by adding an extra table for more elbow room. Service was excellent with close attention to making sure we got what we needed. I had the their specialty egg nog cocktail which was delicious as well as a class of Daou cab to go with my dinner. The Brussels sprouts were tasty. The food was okay. I ordered the Fettuccine Bolognese & my husband ordered the steak and both agreed they were okay. I tasted the Funghi Pizza which was delicious. Four stars for the ambiance and the service. I think improvement on food would make this place a frequent spot for me read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - Prime Steak - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

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I came here with my boyfriend last weekend for a late valentines celebration. We came for brunch and the food and mimosas were super good! It wasn't crowded, really cute decorations and our server was great! We had the pancakes, scrambled eggs, their signature potatoes, sourdough toast, and the French toast. We both the bottomless mimosas and tried peach, pineapple and cranberry flavors. Pineapple was my favorite. Highly recommend checking this place out! I will be back to check out their dinner menu read more

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A friend and I enjoyed dinner here after sunset on a Thursday night. Our server Carly was very attentive. I had the burrata and prosciutto pizza, it was delicious. We easily could've shared a pizza, but I was unsure of my friend's choice with the Pizza Max. It was also delicious, and my first time having salmon and capers on a pizza. Thank you again Carly for taking such good care of us on the patio this evening! read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

MUST TRY HOLIDAY THEMED RESTAURANT Barbarella is a charming, super fun and festive kid-friendly restaurant in La Jolla, that goes all out with holiday spirit! We came for the decorations and the vibes, but the food was also a hit. Our favorites were the French Onion Soup (with a hefty amount of melty cheesy goodness) and the rack of lamb (full of flavor and cooked to perfection). They offer a special holiday cocktail menu with a ton of options, including a martini served out of a Christmas ornament (the ORNAMENTINI). The Christmas Spirit is OFFICIALLY making its appearance and we're HERE for it! Ornamentini Whiskey for Santa Partridge in a Pear Tree French Onion Soup Chicken Parmesan Pasta Al Forno Grilled Lamb Rack Medallions KId & dog-friendly! Follow @allthingsfoodinsandiego for more must try San Diego restaurants, date night ideas, food experiences, kid friendly spots, with a sprinkling of home-cooking! read more

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Just returned to Barbarella's for Valentine's season. It is always so beautifully decorated, and one of the popular restaurants during holidays. Indoors and outdoors seating. Reservation is definitely recommended especially during holidays. The food is always so tasty! We shared the Brussel sprouts, Fritti (fried calamari), Funghi (mushroom) pizza, Prosciutto and Burrata pizza, seafood linguine, and woodfire oven roasted salmon. Their festive drinks were good as well. Service was friendly and on point, even though it was busy. Recommended! read more

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Visit trés! I have visited Barbarella's three times and each time it's just as great as the last, from the service to the food to the festive atmosphere. People were dressed in Halloween attire having a great time, waiter was super awesome and attentive despite the very busy time and my food was amazing! I've tried both mushroom dishes in the past, and loved them, this time opted for their steak. Did not disappoint! Green beans were crisp and flavorful, whipped mash was amazing 11/10 for me! Restrooms are always a fun time too haha. Can't wait to visit again soon before the end of year. Worth my hour commute to LJ. *lots of patio seating out front, bar area and take reservations. read more

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They go all out for Valentine's Day here. Super pretty vibes. The food was great and service was very nice but a bit slow. read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

I love this place for the decor and the customer service is always great. My most recent visit, there was a mishap with my order that had to be sent back and then my order was brought out when most of my party was almost done with theirs. The Orange Juice tasted thick and there was an unfamiliar aftertaste. Other than those two things, I enjoyed my time there. read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

Says open till 10.....closed before 8:30pm....oh well....lots of other places aren't LAZY! On Saturday night BTW. read more

Really cute restaurant located right by the beach in La Jolla. Only downside was that drinks and food were on the pricey side. Came here for the holiday drinks and we got the holiday cracker things that was honestly such a disappointment. There were really cheap toy maze and a small notebook inside. ($7 each ;-;) read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - Drinks - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

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This restaurant is more about the decor than the flavor . The Chaquitterie board , $27 for 2 pieces of 3 different meat and 3 different cheese . Make one at home and save yourself the money . Drinks were decent . Steak was ok not as tender as I thought it would be . The pasta was absolutely a disappointment , needed flavor , maybe even some salt . I felt like I was eating noodles for my kids , bland. The Brussels sprouts were dry and lacking something maybe balsamic . The fan favorite at the table was the bread and butter no joke . We asked for sharing plates with our appetizers and we didn't get them and had to ask 15 mins later . Had to wave down the waitress for more water and drinks . Service was slow . Good pics though unless you're sitting in the back on cafeteria tables . read more

My second time here. I love that they go all out decorating for the holidays. So far i've been for Christmas and Halloween. The ambiance is great and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. Also loved how dog friendly it was. We brought my friend's dog and got her a bowl of plain chicken. I got the pizza and added grilled chicken to it. It wasn't super memorable and definitely took a while to come out. read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - Pizza Margherita - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

My ghoulfriends and I went to Barbarella to celebrate an early Halloween since we heard all about the décor on social media. It did not disappoint!! Everywhere you look, there's something spooky!! The ambiance was perfect for Halloween! All the employees were dressed up which was awesome. Our waitresses were super nice and helpful. They were patient, made suggestions, and took photos of us. We ordered family style, so we shared a salad, pizza, charcuterie board and 2 desserts. Oh, we also ordered 2 cocktails each lol! They were super cute and yummy! Everything we ordered was delicious! We sat outside and it wasn't as cold as we thought it would be as we were so close to the ocean, but they have heaters which was extremely helpful! I'm not sure if they decorate for each holiday, but I'm going to keep Barbarella on my radar and check back. I highly recommend you do the same. read more

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We enjoyed our dinner and margarita drinks at Barbarella Restaurant & Bar in La Jolla, CA. If you're looking for a cute & romantic place to celebrate Valentine's Day or any special occasion, this is a good place to dine. We celebrated our friend's birthday and she loved it!! We enjoyed our pepperoni & margherita pizzas. Their menu also offers pastas, burgers, salads, steaks and sandwiches. There's indoor and outdoor seating. We had good + friendly service. The restaurant is nicely decorated for Valentine's Day. Barbarella is also open for brunch and look forward to coming back. Give this place a try! Happy Yelping :) read more

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Disappointed to say that the only thing this restaurant has going for it are its Halloween decorations. Def a festive place at the holidays. Service was just ok. I imagine when the weather is nice the outdoor patio seating is a benefit. But the food isn't great and it's not cheap. Parking also difficult around there. read more

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Very cute for the Halloween decorations to get into the spirit. This was my second visit this season and on this one the service was notably slower, but our server was pleasant overall. We were disappointed to find that the Happy Hour menu shown on their website (Mon-Thu 4-5p) is outdated and they're not actually doing a Happy Hour anymore. We had purposely booked a 4:45p res for HH. During my last visit I enjoyed the whole roasted branzino, and on this one I ordered the NY strip steak. My steak was ordered medium rare but it was definitely medium leaning towards medium well, but it was satisfactory enough. The accompanying green beans had a nice crisp and seasoning, but the mashed potatoes were a bit grainy and lukewarm. The steak had not even been hot enough to fully melt the herb butter on top of it. read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - NY Strip - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

Came here after kayaking and had an amazing experience! Incredible service, insanely good food and drinks, and a perfect vibe. Thank you to the entire staff for creating such a wonderful afternoon for us! read more

They definitely go all-out for Halloween - the place was adorable. No photos (because I hate taking them, mostly because I hate being in them.... thanks, mom), but you can certainly google the pics. Loads of folks taking photos. That being said, we were seated outdoors by a giant moving something-or-other. No idea what it was, I was seated under his arm. Every so often it moves. The first 6 or so times it moved, it knocked a fake spiderweb down and it kept floating over my head. That was annoying as hell. After a number of attempts, I was finally able to toss the web up-and-over to get the damned thing to stop floating over my head and my dinner. Otherwise, the place is adorable and super fun. We ordered their 'Chef's Pepperoni Pizza'. My hubby is pretty strict and really only likes traditional pepperoni but agreed to try this. We are SO glad we did. It was slightly undercooked but the taste was FANTASTIC. The honey drizzled on it was absolutely perfect, both in the amount of honey and in the flavor. We'd totally order it again! They had a decent cocktail/beer list. I wasn't a fan of their drafts, but they had a couple of good bottled beers. The waitress was very nice and attentive, and knew her menu. It's conveniently located, or at least was to us because we were at the Hilton and passed it on our way to walk to the beach. We got lucky and got seated on a Saturday at 5:15. We didn't have a reservation and they were busy the entire time we were there. So do yourself a favor and make a reservation to make sure you can eat when you want to. We'd definitely go again. Thanks for reading my review! read more

I usually come here during the Halloween season because they go all out and they haven't let me down! The ambiance here is amazing- especially during the halloween season. I love their apple crumble (unsure if it's seasonal) and they're seasonal themed drinks! It's so clever and still delicious! The service is great and there are bathrooms located in the back. Parking can be difficult due to the location being right by the beach. If you're in town or from SD, this place is a must! read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - Apple Crumble - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

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Ambience: 5 Drinks: 4 Service: 4 Food: 1 Don't let the decorations fool you, the food is straight up trash. read more

My friend and I met friends here for an early weekday dinner. We were a total party of 4. Our friends had made reservation. We were greeted and seated under the covered patio which was nice. It's funny the vibe of the casual restaurant reminded me of a Mexican restaurant rather than an Italian one. Our server was very nice and attentive through out the evening. We started off with cocktails while looking over the menu. Our server was very patient with us as we talked and talked to catch up with old friends. After the 3rd come-around we all decided on the Caesar Salad, Greek Salad, Woodfire Oven Roasted Salmon, Chicken Parmesan and Mushroom Risotto. The salads were very fresh and good. The entrees came out hot and cooked perfectly and tasted good. Atmosphere: casual relaxing vibe. Service: good. Food: good. read more

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Was excited to check out their holiday decor. They did not disappoint in their decorating, it was completely decked out. Sadly that was the only good thing about this place. After making reservation, we still ended up waiting about 15 minutes after our scheduled time. To make matters worst they sat us in a hidden room almost like a storage room that they decided to use it to get more people in. It completely ruined our festive spirit. To add insult they also served us water in plastic cups while everyone else had normal cups. They later came by and replaced them.... The food was mediocre, I had gotten the pizza with no cheese and the sause was bland and crust had no crunch to it. My friend did enjoy the raviolis though. The drinks were decent and appreciated that they had actual holiday themed drinks. Overall, this is a place for a photo op and maybe to grab drinks, but otherwise there's too many other holiday themed bars that's better than this. read more

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I came here for a Galentine's dinner & was pretty happy with everything. First of all, the Valentine's decor was everything!! Instagram worthy for sure. Outdoor seating looked romantic with the lights, but I preferred indoor seating since it was cold & I didn't bring a jacket. They did have plenty of heating lamps though! Tables inside are pretty close together, which didn't bother me too much. However, just a heads up to people who like their space or carry big tote bags. I had zero space for my small hand bag so I couldn't imagine a big tote. The food was pretty good. My girlfriend had ordered the fried fish & she loved it. I ordered the salmon tartare as an appetizer, wow it was HUGE. The salmon was a bit bland for my taste, but not bad. I give it a 6.5/10. I also ordered the ricotta ravioli which I loved! The server said I could order it half san marzano tomato sauce & half light lemon cream sauce which I did. I'm so glad he said that because I really enjoyed both, 9/10! Service was great, our server was funny & gave great recommendations. I would love to come back & try other items. read more

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I am so disappointed with the quality of the food here and the service. The waitress recommended the steak sandwich and it was so bland!! It says it comes with Chimichurri sauce and they put on the bread which made it so soggy and the steak was very plain. On top of that we waited over an hour for our food and it's just two of us and all we ordered was the sandwich and french toast. Will definitely not be coming back read more

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Service was top notch. We arrived early thanks being able to find a quick spot to park. They were able to seat us 20 mins earlier than our reservation time of 9pm. Inside and out were decorated for the holidays. Every table was filled when we got in. No one took off their coats as it was inside but open to the outside so it was a bit cool. They do have a heater on the ceiling and we should have asked them to turn it on. Mocktail list exceeded my expectations but I had too much sugar to try anything today. Food was good. Had the Jidori chicken it came with pasta and the husband had Fortini Pasta. His was really potent but he liked it. The rest of the place was packed so hope to go back sometime to try other dishes when it's less crowded. read more

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We went for the Christmas decorations but the food was surprisingly pretty good as well. The drinks were Christmas themed, so you might not be able to get it again on a normal day but the mushroom pizza was my favorite. Add some pepper flakes with it and it's something i would get again. The service was nice and the staff was friendly. read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - Pizza con Funghi, Fettuccine Bolognese Pasta Al Forno - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

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This place was really cute. All decorated for Valentine's Day a ton of cute photo ops we did a girls dinner here the service is OK and the food is OK. I think mostly this place is based off of how cute they decorate it. It's a little overpriced in my opinion for the food that was just OK. read more

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Came here on a Saturday for brunch. Sat outside on the patio. Seating was great. Service was okay. Bottomless mimosas were a win! Strongly recommend the pomegranate one, hard pass on the peach one. Steak sandwich was AMAZING! I wish the actual sandwich was bigger because I still felt a little hungry after eating it. But overall this was a great place close to the beach! Ps. Bathrooms are clean which so close to the beach is always a win! read more

I went last night with my family to celebrate my birthday! we were seated outside but really preferred to sit inside. our waitress, Nicole and other staff went out of their way to have us be able to go inside. Nicole took our orders prior so it would be ready faster!! She went above and beyond for my drink and her service was impeccable!!! She truly made my evening amazing!! Will definitely be going back!! read more

Barbarella Restaurant & Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Playa La Jolla, California

Love their Valentine decoration. Staff was super friendly. I made reservations however I got there about an hour earlier and they were able to accommodate us. The bears are super friendly, my buddy really enjoyed taking pictures with me. . Great place to bring that special person for Valentines. I order a Virgin drink (no alcohol) and also had coffee. Great place to get some drinks with friends. Their alcohol drinks looked delicious. The outside seating looked nicer at nighttime . I asked for inside sitting. Happy Valentine month! read more

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