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    Boathouse Collective

    3.9 (532 reviews)
    Closed 4:30 pm - 10:00 PM

    Boathouse Collective Photos

    Business Info

    BOATHOUSE COLLECTIVE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Hipster
    Moderate noise
    Live music
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Boathouse Collective

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    Papaya salad
    Aileen K.

    Such an adorable place. We came more for the live music and good cocktails we had heard about but ended up being hungry and ordering food as well. The food was just okay. We ordered the papaya salad, ital vital (probably my favorite of the bunch), and the shaken filet. The filet was wayyyyy overcooked, shockingly so. I was a bit surprised that they ended up serving it but we ended up not eating it anyway. It was a complete waste. We ended up still hungry so we ordered the belgian fries which got us full almost immediately. Bang for your buck at its finest. I tried the boathouse sour and the first class. They were both really well crafted.The live music came later in the night and was quite the entertainment. Ultimately, I'd be back for the drinks and music, but I'm skipping the food next time!

    Here for lousy little dogs  and the food!!
    Sylvia T.

    Omg.. can we say whaaaaa?? The food here is exceptional and delicious. I'm Vegan and thier vegan dishes are to die for. We firstly came to see lousy little dogs. But when we had the food we were sooo surprised. I cannot recommend this place enough too others. The place has a kool vibe and is so cutesy and hip. I would recommend reserving a spot for sure, this place gets packed our server tam was excellent and attentive. This is a great to go to place for outstanding food and entertainment plus good service

    Spencer H.

    Really cool space, delicious (but not quite great food), terrific service, and fun programming (e.g., open mic night on Tuesdays). Came here for a mid-week dinner, 2 people. There was no crowd so we were quickly seated. Our server (and everyone else we interacted with) was incredibly friendly and contributed to the awesome vibe of Boathouse Collective. We ordered a lot of different stuff on the menu - burger, chicken katsu, hamachi, yakimo, shishitos. The food was excellent except for the french fries - extremely salted and near burned. The menu is quite diverse so there's probably something for everyone. To boot, the open mic night added to the ambiance. Great spot that I'd recommend. I'll be back!

    Basil Greyhound and a Margarita
    Czarina D.

    Came here on a Friday night around 6:30 pm. This restaurant looked ambiguous on the outside, but was very cute on the side! The ambiance had a slight hipster vibe but was pretty cool and chill. I had a party of 3 and we sat at a large community table. I didn't mind the seating at all, but I did think the music was too loud and we couldn't hear each other talk. Our server Jennifer was super fun and friendly! The servers came off as more of our friends rather than people working, which I enjoyed. Now for the food. I found the food to be good, but not amazing. The food was slightly overpriced to me, but maybe we just ordered the wrong things. I got the burger ($15) which was cooked well, but didn't amaze me. The fries has a good flavor but were kinda soggy and the aioli was tasty. My boyfriend got the special which was a ribeye steak ($40). It was a hefty piece of meat served with what tasted like a horseradish cream. The meat was cooked well, but was unfortunately over seasoned and pretty salty. Still enjoyable though! But for $40, I'm not sure if I would get it again. For drinks, we got a margarita and a basil greyhound. Both were tasty but also STRONG! After a drink and a half, I was on a good level. Overall, this restaurant is good. Really cool vibe! But based on price, there might be better out there. Still a fun night though!

    Butterscotch Panna Cotta
    Ruby L.

    The food here is so good!! Food/Drinks: Try the Band Bowl or the Deluxe Bowl!! My friend and I ordered both and shared. The medallions and salmon were cooked perfectly and they come with crispy rice (which I thought was unique). The poke tasted fresh and the katsu was also really great. They come with some rice topped with a special sweet & salty sauce. Our server had some fruity mocktails made for us since we're under 21 and we really enjoyed them. Dessert: Their Butterscotch Panna Cotta is my new favorite dessert. If I weren't so full already, I would've ordered a second one. I'll definitely be back for some more. Service: Our server was really attentive to what we wanted. We made a reservation for 6:30PM on a Sunday night because we weren't sure how busy they would be but it was quiet and anyone would've been seated immediately.

    Inside
    Susan H.

    This place is so cool I will be making a tradition of visiting this place anytime I'm in the area! I loved it! Lots of ambiance, just fun! Music, entertaining bar area, lots of seating, great for kids earlier in the evening it's loud enough they're not going to disturb anyone, and to top it all off the drinks and food where SO GOOD! Our waitress was a little slow to check on us or bring us our check but we where not in a rush so it didn't bother me. We love this place! Try the salmon you won't be disappointed!

    Michael B.

    So much potential....inconsistency was comical. Six of us went to Boathouse on Saturday evening. We sat down and waited a little bit until the server came over. We ordered a round of drinks with two people in the group ordering the basil greyhound. Drinks were served and the basil greyhounds looked completely different; one was yellowish with basil in it, the other was ruby red and no basil in it. The server says, don't worry, they'll taste the same...they were just made by different bartenders. Well, they tasted completely different. We were about to order and the server asked if the host had given us the specials menu. Answer, was no. He brings us the specials menu with some interesting, but diverse options; Cuban sandwich, uni pasta, etc. Meanwhile, we order another round of cocktails, with three of us ordering the First Class (Templeton Rye I China China I Vanille De Madagascar I Lemon $14), as that was a favorite from the first round. It was served differently than the first one. First one, no ice, great flavor, well balanced. Second one, ice, watered down. Server says sometimes it is served on the rocks, sometimes not. Strange. We ordered our entrees and I went with the server's recommendation of the Cuban sandwich. Wife went with the filet tips, rice, and arugula. We also ordered the uni pasta for the middle of the table, to share. While waiting, we order another round of First Class cocktails, asking the server to have the bartender who made the first one make it. Score! The drinks were delivered and they were awesome. The ladies were tired of the inconsistency, so they opted for a bottle of Pinot Noir. Options were $30, $70, $80. Strange price breaks/options and they went with the $30 bottle. The food was served, except for the Cuban sandwich. Server says that the Cuban sandwich was taking longer than normal. 2-minutes later, it comes out; cold hunk of pork belly, cold cheese, avocado and cold, dry bread. It was horrible. I would of rather the server said they forgot it, waited another ten-minutes and had it done right. Wife's filet tips plate was cooked super rare...meat was super chewy. Uni pasta was good. Others at the table weren't impressed with their food. Oh well. We ordered another round of First Class and another bottle of Pinot Noir....surprise, we received a different tasting cocktail than the previous ones. Not bad, but just not great, like the initial cocktail. Auto gratuity of 20% on a party of six. Aggressive.

    Neela S.

    Driving around one Saturday evening, we stumbled upon the Boathouse Collective. I've never visited any place like it before. There is a hipster vibe to it and the decor makes it original. There is valet parking but you can also opt to park on the street. It's an unsuspecting restaurant in the middle of a residential area. Our server was very free spirited and friendly and we were attended to promptly. We ordered a couple of cocktails and sandwiches.Not bad at all. If you are looking for healthy menu options I noted none. I'm pretty sure my arteries were clogged after eating my sandwich but it was so worth it. There was a live band and the layout of the restaurant is quite unusual. Everyone had a great view of the stage. In all it's a different experience and I will recommend to try at least once. P.S please make reservations especially on the weekend!

    Erik P.

    Location - I consider this place a hidden gem in Costa Mesa that is only known by worth of mouth. Parking - Some street parking and affordable Valet parking. Venue - Very chill place with cool decor, lighting, and patio. Service - Staff here is very nice, wuick and efficient. Food - All the food was cooked perfect and had great taste. Price - Dishes and drinks are fairly priced. Music - The day I came they had Indie/pop/folk and it was very good. Even if thats not what you listen to its cool to just come and enjoy. Overall great experience and would highly recommend it to others.

    Menu
    Jeff T.

    Very cool place to come for a date or hang out spot. I think the restaurant was built in a hanger or something, but the decor and ambience is pretty unique with surfboards on the ceiling. I wouldn't say its a romantic setting, but it's definitely fun. You can either valet for $5 or easily find free street parking. There's a live band area and sitting near it can get pretty loud and hard to hear your table conversations, but nonetheless the band is a great aspect of Boathouse. One thing to improve would be to maybe add some sort of purse hooks to the tables. For small parties, the little tables and stool chairs leave no place for the ladies to put their purses. As for the food, we started off with the Poke ($9) and Ital Vital veggies, and finished with the special (16 oz steak). The Poke worked well with the rice, greens, and avocado aioli but was a little lacking in size for the poke portion. The Ital Vital, which was essentially a large plate of seasonal veggies, was really flavorful; only part I didn't like were the peppers in it. Some were not spicy at all and some were spicy af. We ordered the steak medium-rare and were pleasantly surprised at the size when it arrived - I guess we forgot what a 16oz steak looked like! It was really well-seasoned and flavored, but the cut wasn't as great as I had hoped, with some portions being a little stringy and difficult to cut. The fact that portions of it were still a little on the rare side didn't help either. I would like to try their outdoor patio on a nice day eventually. The whole place gives a very hipster vibe and the food has a slight asian fusion twist to it. Would recommend.

    Deluxe Bowl. Pieces of salmon and Filet with slaw and sticky rice
    Danny O.

    Great spot! Love the ambience and the food. Kind of a hipster vibe buts it's cool. Prices aren't bad either. We ordered the Poke for an appetizer and it was a very good portion which my girlfriend and I split. I got the Deluxe Bowl which came with salmon, pieces of filet and a slaw. My girlfriend got the grilled salmon filet entree and it came with Brussels sprouts and a very good sauce at the bottom. Poke was $10, Deluxe bowl was $19 and the grilled salmon was $19. Overall, good pricing for very good food. I would definitely come back The place is hidden and you wouldn't really notice it if you were to drive by, but it's worth going in and grabbing some food and beer.

    Short rib
    Nick H.

    Well blow me down and shiver me timbers! I had to lift up my eye patch to believe what I was seeing!! Live Music, Great Unique Ambiance, Great Vibe, Eh Food. Shipping containers create the façade of entering some type of shipping or junk yard. On entering, you walk through a covered dining area with heat lamps and have the option of eating indoors. The décor, quite frankly, reminds me of some of the places you would eat at in Hawaii after surfing. Yup, they have Grilled Cheese, too. So, I am torn about this place and am rounding up to four stars because: ~Ambiance/Setting-5 Stars! Love it. Completely different. It is something new and different. A very mellow and casual environment and the ceiling is garnished with surfboards. The inside has a stage with live music. They have individual tables, long group tables and a full bar. There's no real way to describe this. You have to see it to believe it. ~Service-5 Stars Service was excellent. I could not ask for better. ~Food-2.5 Stars I came during happy hour and the menu is amended. I had everything on the menu but for one item. The Chicken Katsu, while tasty, had bones in it. The Pork Belly--well the sauce was too overwhelming. The ahi was extremely dry on the sandwich. Even the lettuce was a tad wilted. What did I like? Well, I liked the chips and dip and the grilled cheese was pretty darn good. The little one liked it, as well. So, I wish I could have tried the entire menu. I love the set up here. I was just disappointed with the food. They have a full bar for those of you who booze it up. Gotta love the vibe here and live music! 3.5 Stars and rounding up. I would like to return to try the rest of the food. I am almost a fan,

    Trina D.

    I attended a private party on Sunday at the Boathouse Collective. My friend is a local artist; she had an art show at the Boathouse Collective, so I attended to support her. I hadn't heard about Boathouse Collective before but it's a great space. Very hipster, like the space at the LAB or the Packing House. The Boathouse Collective is a restaurant that serves tapas, but I didn't get to try any of the food. The art show was during it's off business hours so the only thing open was the bar. The bartenders were busy so I asked for a white wine. He looked at me quizzically and asked if I wanted Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Riesling. Normally, at these events, they have a limited offering of drinks but apparently, the full bar was in force. My glass of wine was $10. Not bad but not cheap either. Having arrived shortly after half past 7, the place was buzzing with people. There is a stage next to the indoor dining area where they have live music. The outdoor space has communal tables surrounded by succulents and string lights. The decor is very industrial and urban. I look forward to revisiting so I can try the food.

    Steak tataki

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    Page 1 of 14

    Ask the Community - Boathouse Collective

    Is this place permanently closed. The number is disconnected?

    To the best of my understanding, and broken heart, yes. The number is shut off. I messaged them online months ago, no response. The Boathouse Collective was magic. They're missed.

    Will there be anything happening on New Year's Eve?

    Are reservations recommended on Saturdays?

    Definitely

    I'd like to know if there is a dance floor... also if there is a buffet style menu what type of music and is this venue good for groups?

    No...but can move around in front of the stage.

    Can this restaurant accommodate a small wedding for 40 to 60 people?

    Yes! Nice eclectic atmosphere

    Is this place kid friendly?

    Absolutely! All ages welcome!

    What is crispy rice?

    Sushi rice which has been grilled to perfection over our charcoal grill, which gives the rice a soft warm inside and crispy outside texture. YUM! My favorite dish is the CATCH OF THE DAY which features seasonal local caught fish paired with… 

    What is the corkage fee here?

    Looks like corkage fee is $15.

    Are dogs allowed on the patio?

    Yes

    Are we able to reserve the patio for a large group? And is there a minimum or maximum capacity?

    Hey Taylor! Of course! We can offer several spaces for private parties and large group, from our full dining room, to our spacious patio, and our adjacent gallery space. I would be happy to discuss options with you more in detail at your… 

    What time does the kitchen close on the weekend? Can I get dinner at 9:30?

    Kitchen usually closes at 10pm, but if people are still ordering, we love to keep it rockin!

    Is it 21+?

    Yes it is

    View All 18 Questions

    Review Highlights - Boathouse Collective

    We ordered a lot of different stuff on the menu - burger, chicken katsu, hamachi, yakimo, shishitos.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    We made a reservation at Pioneer and really enjoyed this little spot! It's tucked inside a diner,…read moreso it can be a little hard to find at first, but it's just inside the back patio area with a cute wooden saloon-door entrance. The space is small, cozy, and intimate with just a few tables. Our waitress was super friendly and took the time to explain the menu and different options to us. - Guava Y Queso (4.5/5): I loved this! It was really unique with the cream cheese topping, but the combination worked so well. Definitely a fun spot for cocktails and something a little different!

    Lets try this again since my original review was removed…read more The night was going great. We just had dinner near by and decided get drinks here. We've been here a few times before and always thought it was decent. So, we made the last minute reservation online and got here 15 minutes early. When we arrived, there was a short line, but per the reservation instructions, one of my friends went in to check in while we waited outside. Friend: Hi, I'm checking in for a reservation. Bartender: What time is your reservation. Friend: 10 Bartender: What time is it now? Friend: 9:45 Bartender: Then I'll see you at 10pm. Friend came back annoyed and explained what happened. The bartender didn't say it in a joking way, but with attitude and annoyance. Most staff would respond "Thank you for checking in, we will let you know when your table is available." We weren't going to let this ruin our night, so we waited and were seated by the hostess. The bar itself is dimly lit and very tight. The music was loud enough that we had to almost yell to hear each other. The waiter came by soon after and was extremely friendly. We said we'd been here a few times before, but it's been a while. He refreshes our memory by saying they specialize making variations of classics. They want customers to focus on the flavors and that's why the menu doesn't list the spirit in their drinks. Also, they only make drinks on the menu because their drinks are prebatched/premade. We ask for recommendations which he was happy to give. We each order a drink and a snack for the table. As we're talking (very loudly so we can hear each other), we lose track of time before we realize that it's been 20 minutes and we haven't gotten our drinks yet. For something that's prebatched, it shouldn't take long. Before we can flag down the waiter, he comes by and apologizes that they lost our order and had to put it back in. We appreciate the honesty and say it's no problem. 5 minutes later, our drinks and food arrives. He again apologizes for the wait and has a second order of our food that he's including for free. Honestly we were ok with just the apology, but extra food too? Hell yea. Sounds like it was turning around. The drinks were okay. Not amazing, but definitely above average 3.8 / 5. The snack, bread and butter, were surprisingly good. 4.5 / 5 When we asked for the check, the waiter brought the credit card reader and told us we can swipe our card any time and left it on our table. We look at the bill and realize the waiter not only gave us the 2nd snack for free, but comp'd 2 of the drinks also. We all agree this waiter is GREAT. So why the 2 stars? Well first let me say, I would leave it at 1 star, but the waiter definitely earned them another. We wanted to pay cash, so we waited for him to come back. Instead, the original rude bartender comes by and realizes we haven't paid yet. We ask if we can pay with cash. He explains that they don't accept cash. Friend: Are you sure? *Proceeds to try to insert cash into the chip reader slot* Bartender: You're pretty stupid, aren't you? Friend: Maybe if I swipe it instead *Doubles down and proceeds to swipe the cash through the magnetic strip reader* Bartender: Wow, you really are stupid. My friend is a 100% a goofball and having fun with the bartender. It was OBVIOUS that he was joking. Was it funny? A little. Was it stupid? 100%. But for the bartender or ANY customer service staff to call a paying customer "stupid", that's simply unacceptable. We're all pretty pissed at this point and simply swipe the card and the bartender leaves. As I said earlier, we've come here a few times. We don't live especially close, but when we're in the area, we would always consider coming here. Now, there's no chance. For any business, even if your drinks and food are great, customer service can easily DESTROY your experience and that's exactly what the bartender did. Note to the male bartender with no hair: You really shouldn't be interacting with customers. You were rude from the start and have no sense of humor. Could you be having a bad day? Sure, but that's not an excuse to be rude to customers. I know management saw my original post because it was removed, probably because I referred to the bartender by his hairstyle (or lack thereof) multiple times. If they rather remove my post than deal with their bartender, that's another sign to avoid this place.

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    Cowboys and Poodles - Dirty martini, a tequila drink, and a ube drink

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    CALVIN IS THE BEST BARTENDER EVER…read more Summary: Fascinating place; wonderful drinks; adorable setup (confession booth; actual carriage...); on-theme decor (don't drink every time you see a cowboy with a poodle for your liver's sake, please.) Review: My partner & I were across the street at the shopping center & I wanted to hit up a bar since we don't know the area. I was the one who found this on Yelp, and he was like ...yeah, idk. I thought it'd be cool so we crossed the street & walked over. Okay, he literally fell in love with this place. A coworker recently asked him for a bar rec & he mentioned Cowboys and Poodles!! The concept is very cute (being a speakeasy) & when we came in we were greeted by Calvin who is hilarious & who makes excellent drinks. They had this very intriguing drink on the menu & he helped me decide. I would for sure come back & have it again + try the others. My partner noticed the very extravagant and peculiar decor here. The ceiling of the confession booth literally has cowboys ON poodles (!!!). He hypothesized it's all custom-made bc this is just too random. We loved it! My partner found himself counting down the seconds until these guys got out of the carriage, LOL. We swooped in immediately. It was sooooooooo cute! & strange! We pretended to be some kind of royalty in a different century. Whaaaaat a vibe. Saying again that Calvin is the best Even if this place wasn't so cool, his banter + his drinks would've still led to 5 stars. Come see for yourself!!

    We wanted to stop at a random bar in the area since we were out here for our friends birthday (you…read morecan take a look at the previous review). I searched Yelp and this came up a couple miles away and we liked the name of it. Haha! Cute little place. And I mean, LITTLE. Not big at all and hard to maneuver once inside. Pretty cramped. Hard to get a drink. Had a group of 4 people totally cut in front of me and my husband. We went to the other side of the small bar and waited several minutes.... Fortunately, the girl in front of me was sweet to offer to order our drinks for us. The decor was fun and festive but we won't go back. Not our style, not our type of bar to hangout in. Plus we pretty much surpassed the general age of the crowd. Like probably by at least 15 years. HA!

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    Playa Mesa - Plato del Patron. Roasted Jidori chicken, confit spare ribs, cesina, chile toreados, pico de gallo, ceboilltas, papas bravas & refried beans

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    4.4(3.5k reviews)
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    $$

    Late review but I felt like I should leave this here just in case people are wondering cause if…read morethey closed down cause of the food quality. -- Came back to Playa Mesa for my friend's birthday. The chips and salsa were really good. The aguachile had a nice spicy flavor that made it stand out. The queso fundido was SO good super cheesy, and paired with the handmade tortillas it was one of my favorites. We also ordered the calamari and I was surprised by how good it was. Everyone ordered different rounds of cocktails throughout the night and honestly, not one missed. Service was a little slow, but it was a busy Friday night, so that's somewhat expected. I've been here before and the grilled octopus tacos and carne asada burrito were just as good as I remembered them. They also made the birthday celebration really cute. They sang happy birthday, brought out a small ice cream, and gave my friend a big mariachi hat. Good food, great drinks, and still consistent as I remembered it. So long Playa Mesa. 9.5/10

    Playa Mesa has a great atmosphere with beautiful aesthetics. In the evening, the open windows…read morecreate a nice breeze, though they do let a few flies in. The hostess was friendly, and our server was funny and kind. He was a little less attentive as it got busier, but the staff worked well as a team, so we never had to wait for refills or anything we needed. Parking in the back can be a little tight. The birria tacos were packed with flavor, and I loved the inside-out cheese crust. My husband's fajitas were flavorful, although the chicken was a little overdone. The guacamole was excellent, especially with the pepita seeds adding great texture. Overall, we enjoyed the flavorful food, service, and atmosphere. We'd definitely come back!

    Photos
    Playa Mesa - East Side Sunset

    East Side Sunset

    Playa Mesa - The eastside cocktail - all the drinks here are delish!

    The eastside cocktail - all the drinks here are delish!

    Playa Mesa - Lovely interior...

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    Lovely interior...

    Stowaway - Shishito Peppers (unbattered) $13

    Stowaway

    4.5(817 reviews)
    8.9 mi
    $$

    Definitely recommend reservations and parking can be tight. I recommend parking behind the…read morebuilding. (Update: the staff was very nice and let me know that the other side might tow on weekends!) Even though I don't drink alcohol, I thought it was very cool with the Hawaiian themes and there were so many cool cocktails. Apparently there's a speakeasy in this bar too. The food was very good as we got burgers, sandwiches, onion rings and ice cream. Our servers were very nice and attentive. Food came out quickly and it wasn't too loud. No complaints and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a nice to place to eat and drink.

    Stowaway has the near perfect blend of high end tiki mixed with what I call the "brewers dive bar"…read more Disguised in a dumpy looking strip mall is one of the better tiki experiences I have had. Is it as high end and bougie as Strong Water? No. Does it tickle your fancy and offer a wonderful experience that even your kids can enjoy? Absolutely! Kids- yes they are welcome. In fact mine had the time of their life. Just don't be those parents and bring them after 7. It is a tiki bar after all and unless they follow the rules of Arrested Development then let them chill at home with grandma and grandpa or maybe their weird Uncle Joe. Drink- Delightful. Very fun themed glassware. Presentations were beautiful and well thought out. Our server did a great job at recommending drinks that built on top of the previous one. Food- the weakest part of the experience. While certainly not bad however when compared to the rest of the experience it just was a bit lacking. The Loco Moco looked very nice. The patty was quite dry though. Yes there's gravy but that's not an excuse for a dry patty. Mac salad was very nice. Stowaway fries were fun and tasty. It is smothered in gravy so be prepared to lose the crispy fries about halfway into the dish. All in all I (and my wife and kids(before7) and weird Uncle Joe) will be back.

    Photos
    Stowaway - Dining room

    Dining room

    Stowaway - Pokebombs

    Pokebombs

    Stowaway - Stowaway Fries $17

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    Stowaway Fries $17

    Boathouse Collective - newamerican - Updated September 2026

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