Loved this spot so much, stumbled across it tonight and the hostess was so friendly, she sat us immediately and let us pick our spot. The restaurant is so cute and beautiful. The service was really good and all the food was really incredible. The arnacini was a little bland with too many peas, it the lobster bisque was the best we've ever had and would truly go back for, the osso bucco was also incredible!! read more

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Had a lovely time catching up with friends at Lala. It is such a cute little spot and the napkins folded into a heart shaped was a nice touch. The service was amazing as was the food. We got the beef carpaccio and the bibb and Bleu salad to start. Both really hot the spot with our drinks. I remember really liking my drink, but I don't remember what I ordered. For our mains, we got the gnocchi rosa and the bone marrow cavatelli. Both were delicious and would order again. Looking forward to checking out more of their menu on a future visit! read more

Lala - Bone marrow cavatelli - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Food was basic, and not well executed basic. Drinks were overly sweet. It was extremely loud, and the vibe is all of last month's trends at Home Goods in one room. To add insult to injury, the restaurant marked me as a no-show with Open Table, so I had to go through a dispute process to resolve it and avoid having marks on my account that could get it closed. Perhaps if their hostess greeted us at the podium rather than immediately walking away, she may have accurately recorded that we showed up for our reservation. Cannot recommend enough that you avoid this trendy waste of money and an evening. read more

I came here a couple weeks ago for a girls night out and it was genuinely the best night of our lives. The gnocchi was the best thing I have ever tasted and the guy (I think he was a busser, not our server) was so friendly and funny. He made the experience amazing. Don't remember his name but he was from chicago. The server was chill but nothing too crazy, just took our order, the other guy did the rest. Highly recommend! read more

Layla is perfect for a girls night out. We made a 5pm reservation and the food was delicious. The drinks were even better. The only bummer was that we came during happy hour, but we could not have happy hour unless we were at the bar and they would not serve us dinner at the bar. The server gave us a free lemon cheesecake since that was the case. Overall good experience and good food. read more

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One of the cutest, best decorated restaurants I've been to! Don't let the unassuming front keep you from visiting Lala, this was a great night out with my friends with incredible food and drinks. Portions are a good size, the cocktail menu is extensive and delicious, and the service was great! read more

Lala - Gnocchi - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Looking for the perfect girl's night out? Look no further than Lala. The ambiance was 20's mobster vibes, I read about that in some reviews and dressed the theme of mob wife which made it even more fun. They had craft mocktails that were delicious, I got the Passionate Virgin, it tasted as good as it looked! We also shared a spicy Caesar salad (a must!), I got the Gamberi Busalacchi and my friend got the Osso Bucco. We both loved our meals and the vibes were on point. read more

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Fun Fact: --- Sister restaurant of Barbusa - which is right next door --- I had the best birthday dinner experience here. I was a bit nervous due to the reviews (new-ish restaurant), but it seems like they really got their food and service down! Valet was $12 (Oct 2024) and definitely worth it for how busy Little Italy can be. Be sure to save your Service: spectacular and timely. The girl (dark-haired) who greeted me and sat our party of 12 was amazing. She kept me up to date on the short wait as much as possible and made us feel extra welcome throughout the night. The servers were also great, very attentive and handled a large group well. Ambiance: GNO! Perfect girl's night out spot (boys welcome!). The restaurant is on the smaller side, so reservations are recommended. With cute girly decor, darker ambiance , and lots of "Instagram-able" moments , it's perfect for date nights, celebrations, or a quick drink before heading out on the town. Food: wonderful place to share! Arancini was delicious and perfect for sharing. Burrata was amazing - the pistachio pesto added to the wonderful classic. Got good reviews from my friends with the pasta as well. Tried the Lasagne pinwheels (Pork and Beef Ragu, English Peas, Bechamel, Mozzarella, Marinara) and the FAZZOLETTI PESTO ( Handkerchief Pasta, Pistacchio Pesto, Cream, Parmigiano) - TASTY! Definitely would come back for a good time paired with good food. read more

Lala - Burrata - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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I initially learned abot Lala from an article by Troy Johnson, in San Diego Magazine. The review was breathy and complimentary, in particilar about the "speakeasy-club feel". Lala is located directly North of Barbusa Restaurant, with, of course, the same ownership. The waiters wear plaid pants, which add to a festive air in the two dining rooms. The dining room itelf is divided into an enclosed front terrace section, crowded with little tables, and the back banquettes by the bar, which are most comfortable and preferable. When Lala first opened, the menu was quite complex and varied. Sadly, it has now been "streamlined" of many of the best dishes. Gone are the Caviar and potato chips. The Calamari used to be offered in a Kung Pao style, but now all of that has been banished. read more

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The place was very beautiful decorated all things Christmas. A bit loud not a first date kind of place. We had oysters for starter. Very delicious good flavor. The risotto fescatore was not my favorite... it was an acquired taste I didnt warm up too. The spaghetti and meatball was one giant thing that nobody can't finish. The fettuccine Alfredo was ok just needed some protein. Service was quick and efficient. read more

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Excellent spot in Little Italy, one of the best Italian spots I've been to in SD. It's a cool, intimate spot with great service and delicious food. Went for a birthday so we got to try a ton, the spicy caesar salad was solid, an amazing lobster bisque, bone marrow pasta, lasagna, all amazing. read more

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Had a great time at Lala! I ordered the squid ink pasta (spaghetti Nero con aragosta) and I am still dreaming about that dish. My friend ordered the gnocchi rosa which was delicious as well but the squid ink pasta definitely took the cake. Will definitely be back to have it again. For drinks I had the stiletto, which I liked but a tad sweet. The ambience is perfect for a romantic date night. I felt like I was dining in a cute European restaurant. Since it's in the heart of little Italy, parking is tough if you're trying to find street parking but they do have vallet! Service unfortunately was just a bit slow which is why I had to take off a star. We prob sat for a good 25-30 min before our order was taken but it could've just been an off day or understaffed. TLDR: come for the squid ink pasta read more

One of the best Italian dinners I have ever had. The wife and I decided to have a fun night and found Lala on OpenTable. I was blown away by the food...full stop. The restaurant and staff were amazing and we loved our server. Great for date night or Monday, Tuesday, etc... read more

Lala - Bone marrow Pasta with fennel sausage - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Went during happy hour on a Friday, so it wasn't too busy yet. Sat at the bar and ordered one of their espresso martinis, which I really enjoyed. They are one of the specialty cocktails that are at a discount during HH, so that was a plus. They have a few HH snacks that I don't think are on their regular menu, but the other food items on the HH menu are just regular prices. We had the short rib arancini, which were good, but very little short rib in them. The decor there is interesting. Unfortunately while it's intimate, it almost feels a little like a fancy basement with the low ceiling. Service was very friendly and helpful. Overall I feel a little mixed about the experience, but felt like 3 stars was too low. I would come back to try a whole meal and update it then. read more

Lala - Espresso martini at the bar - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Been here few times.. small place but vibe is vibing . Food is good and we've ordered the usual. Service is fast and staff are nice read more

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I cannot recommend lala enough! I've come here for drink and their iconic oat milk espresso martini and it was amazing. This time I came for the food and Christmas decorations and my husband and I loved it. Our server was so knowledgeable and super friendly too! We will definitely be back. (Side note the Spaghetti & Meatballs probably had the best sauce I've had in awhile.) read more

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Shoutout to Jamie for being a truly sweet and attentive server. The vibe I was on that night was very mellow and low-key, and Jamie matched it perfectly with warmth and kindness. She really was the bright spot of the night. The restaurant itself is cute, very small and intimate, and Ferris was also great. As for the food, I'd give it a solid 3.5 out of 5. It just didn't hit the mark for me. But the service? A clear 5 out of 5 thanks to Jamie. Sometimes, it's not just about the food, it's about the people who make you feel welcome. And Jamie definitely did that. And shoutout to Rosana as well, who finished up the night with Jamie and was our server once upon a time ago at Barbusa read more

Lala - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Food amazing! Service was over the top! Ambiance was relaxing, and just perfect. Loved that we got last minute reservations, well worth it! read more

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Great gin martini and fun speak easy. I would recommend for a drink on a date night or girls night out.

This place left a lot to be desired. We arrived for our reservation and the table was not ready. We waited at the bar in the meantime and it was pretty crowded. There isn't much space to navigate around the bar and tables. Service up to that point had been lacking. Folks at the door were not very friendly nor at the bar. Eventually we were seated. While seated, our server was better. She was friendly and helpful. Though it did take a long while to get our check after we finished out meal. I ordered the seafood risotto and my friend ordered the lasagne. My risotto was pretty good. The portion was sizey. My friend said her lasagne was also good but was confused by the addition of peas as an ingredient. Overall, nothing particularly special especially for the price. read more

Lala - Risotto - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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All the staff here were super sweet and welcoming. Highly recommended this spot espresso for gnocchi lovers. Every item I tried was perfection read more

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The staff seemed irritated that my group of 6 came for a drink and app at 9:30pm on a Saturday night. There were multiple open tables. I'm hoping we just hit a bad night because our server was super rude after we ordered 6 cocktails and two appetizers. While ordering apps, she removed three of our place settings to the table behind us. The French bread appetizer we had was delicious. The drinks were unique and good. The atmosphere was great. We loved all the unique artwork. We just loosely felt that the waitress hated us. read more

Lala - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

LaLa is the perfect addition to San Diego's Little Italy scene . Food/drinks are top notch, super instagram -worthy ambiance, and perfect for a girls night out -- A girlfriend I were out celebrating Aries Season and decided to randomly drop by last Friday night . We arrived around 430pm and was greeted by the super sweet host who said they only had bar seating available, which was totally fine ! When we walked inside, we were surprised to see all the empty tables lol-- I'm guessing you should make a reservation in advanced to save a table . There were a few other duos at the bar, so maybe they wanted to fill up the bar seating first ? -- I honestly don't know . As soon as we sat at the bar, the bartender poured us waters and gave us the menu-- I'm sad I didn't get his name because I absolutely adored him ! Here's what we had-- Paso Robles Cabernet-- beautifully smooth and all I needed was one lol. 9/10 SidePiece-- tequila based and gingery . 6/10 Night in Milan-- refreshing, strong, zesty, yet fruity . 8/10 Steak Tartare-- literally my fav bite of the night . Rare steak was tender and well seasoned . Melt in your mouth deliciousness . Lots of herbs and flavors . Honey Dijon mustard horseradish kick in the background for that tart bite . Quail egg yolk for creaminess . Served with crispy chiccarones for texture . Must order ! 9/10 General Joe's calamari-- insanely addicting . Calamari was lightly battered and cooked perfectly . Sweet, mildly spicy, and delicious to snack on ! 8.5/10 Loaded potatoe gnocchi-- chewy, bouncy, and so fun to eat ! Bacon, cheese, white sauce . A bit basic, yet such a bougie bite ! 7.5/10 Overall such a fun night ! Service was grand, vibes were everything, and food/drinks are definitely worth checking out . Ps-- bathrooms are legit the cutest !! read more

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Pros: Very sweet service(i loved our waitress) Beautiful ambiance Candy cigarette as a to go gift Cons: Antipasto tower didn't have enough bread, only 3 small slices. It honestly ruined the experience of the tower to not have enough bread to match all the different tastes going on. The gnocchi was just okay. Overall: i definitely think this place is more of a cocktail bar than a food restaurant, but it's a very great cocktail bar! I'd return for a drink, but not for the food. read more

Lala - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Wow. I had an intown friend invite me to meet here for dinner. This is a place I wouldn't know about since I'm from out of town. This place was so awesome. The server at the bar was seriously so perfect and kind and gave a great vibe. The food he helped give me suggestions to order were all super perfect. The food and ambiance in here was perfect. read more

Lala - Fries were amazing - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

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Pretty darn tasty meal and terrific service team. I'm in town for a work meeting and our team of six secured a reservation for dinner last night. Cocktails were well prepared and tasty the starters were overall quite good - the short rib arancini in particular were delicious as was the fried calamari and my main was also ample and yummy - pork ossa bucco. Colleagues had the squid pasta and eggplant parm that looked yummy. All and all very good and recommended ! Glad we had dinner here. read more

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This is a fairly new spot in Little Italy. Went last night for dinner. The decor is really cute. The menu is very small and leaves a lot to be desired. None of the entrees come with sides and they dont offer any. How do you serve a steak with a garlic bulb as a side?? No potatoes, no veggies. Now the food we had was very flavorful. However, this place is grossly overpriced. And on another note, they allowed a girl to come inside and sit at the bar with a big dog on a leash. The dog was jumping up trying to get on bar stools and jumping up on the kitchen door. Several workers also pet the dog and then proceeded to go back into the kitchen! This is beyond unacceptable for a restaurant. I wont return here and don't recommend. I'm read more

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My girlfriends & I went here after seeing their spotlight on San Diego Mag. I booked a resy for Friday night & trying to find parking was a nightmare! I circled for what felt like a gazillion times, gave up & ended up parking in their valet. The restaurant is hard to spot because it is deeper inside from the street because they have a small parking lot. The restaurant is small but gorgeous. However, where we were sitting, we kept on getting bad whiffs of something, the sewer maybe? We shared numerous dishes & all of them were good except their Chargrilled Oysters. They were overly chewy & tasted old... We should have asked to swap it out with something else but the service was already rough from the start so we just left it as is. read more

Walking up to LALA's you don't really know what to expect because its in the back of the parking lot, and you can't see in side the building, yet it still looks very intriguing. Once inside, we ordered a few cocktails and throughly enjoyed them. The ambience and decor is really nice inside. Also, I thought it was cute at the bar they have little ice breaker books to keep you entertained at the bar or on a date :)S read more

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This place deserves a 20/10!!! I have not one complaint about Lala and I have already recommended to so many people visiting that they need to try this restaurant. We have the best service and learn so much information. Also, his recommendation on food were spot on, everything we ordered was delicious. It was a group of 6 of us and each dish had so much flavor and came out hot. I got the gnocchi with cheese and we all had a share of Carpaccio for the table. The restaurant itself is gorgeous inside and great ambiance with the light and decor. We will for sure be back! read more

Lala - Gnocchi Rosa - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Atmosphere is nice, and the cocktails are great, especially "The mistress". The food however is quite bland across the board. We had the bone marrow pasta and the Osso Buco - while they were prepared correctly and had great presentation, they both tasted relatively flavorless. The best thing there we ended up getting was the lobster bisque which we ended up needing to get Tabasco to make it flavorful. The service was ok, very disorganized. We had 3 different people checking in on us and it turned into a bad game of telephone where we would ask for something (like the Tabasco) and we would have to ask for it again when the next server approached us because it never arrived. The same thing happened when we asked for the check - keep in mind there's less than 15 tables in the whole place. Nothing extraordinarily bad, just not for me. read more

Lala is the latest restaurant to open in Little Italy. For reference, it's located next to another Italian restaurant, Barbusa both on India Street. The Busalacchi family are a restaurant dynasty and also own and operate local restaurants: Barbusa, Nona and Zucchero. Menus change seasonally and offer limited selections of Italian cuisine. The Lala martini is one of the signatures to try, topped with a peppadew stuffed pepper, added a spicy tingle to my lips! The interior decor had influences of vibrant colors reflective of olive and coral all classic and collaborative. Note the alluring vintage wall Art of nudes. No outdoor seating. Service from the staff and servers was attentive from the moment we stepped inside. The classy ambiance is similar to restaurants I frequent in Bel Air and Beverly Hills. Was excited to see this new restaurant, would have preferred it to be more spacious, but it's limited space and seating makes it perfect for an intimate rendezvous for a cocktail and/or dinner. Business attire appropriate. Will return and definitely worthy of my recommendation. read more

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The Busalacchi restaurant group in Little Italy has opened its newest business next door to Barbusa. Lala made its debut this week in a structure to the north of the flagship eatery. The place holds about 60 seats including the central bar area so it's rather cozy. There was a public valet stand in the driveway if you wanted to use that paid service. Otherwise, good luck finding curbside parking in this neighborhood as I circled the blocks multiple times before coming across an open space. The current soft opening hours are from 5 to 11 pm daily. The one-page food menu consisted of eighteen listings with three sides scrawled across the top margin and then appetizers, shared plates, entrees, and a dessert below. I suspect the kitchen will occasionally rotate dishes in and out of the menu. I picked the Parm Potato Chips from the top and then the General Joe's Calamari and Stuffed Shells. The spuds were double fried and very crispy with lots of grated parmesan cheese sprinkled in. It was easy to polish off this snack as the chips were addictive. The flash fried squid was the lightest batter I have tasted in such a preparation. There was minimal breading used which I thought was terrific. The calamari was dressed with a calabrian chili glaze, soy sauce, fresno chilis, peanuts, scallions, and carrots. The shells came as four pieces of pasta stuffed with ricotta, marinara, pistachio pesto, and parmigiana. If you are a vegetarian, then this dish will be perfect for your taste. Although I don't imbibe, the cocktail list was a highlight of the bar's offerings. The decor surrounding the bar was intricate art from the Renaissance period. My waitress was polite and efficient with her service. The price tags for the three largest entrees were $40+, however they didn't seem out of place for what you received (e.g. 16 oz of meat). Lala certainly doesn't have the scale of its older brethren, but there were enough creative eats and drinks for a satisfying meal. read more

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Cute hidden gem. Next to barbusa and has a tiny parking lot. I recommend valet. The service and food is amazing. I ordered a mocktail since I'm preggo and it was delicious... called Night in Milan. The calamari was crispy and perfectly mixed in the sweet sauce. My ciopinno (sp) worth every bite. Full of seafood. read more

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Tucked away at the back of a parking lot in Little Italy, Lala is truly a hidden gem. Owned by the same family behind Barbusa, Nonna and café Zucchero (other fantastic spots I'll need to review soon), this restaurant delivers an unforgettable Italian dining experience. We went to celebrate a friend's engagement, and the staff went above and beyond to make the night special. They surprised the couple with a beautiful dessert and made sure we were taken care of the entire evening--top-notch service! For food, we started with the short rib arancini, which was perfectly crispy and packed with flavor. For mains, we had the lasagna pinwheels and the spaghetti Nero con aragosta--and let me just say, everything was absurdly delicious. The lasagna pinwheels might just be the best lasagna dish I've ever had! If you're looking for incredible Italian food with amazing service in a cozy, tucked-away setting, Lala is an absolute must-try! read more

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For starters, this place has valet and it worth it! For $12, just avoid the madness in little Italy. Quite a steal. I'd recommend making a reservation but the venue was thoughtfully and joyfully decorated in holiday gear both times I went in December. The drinks are cutesy and the restaurant/bar has a darker atmosphere the some other restaurants. I enjoyed the food although the servers were a little slower then I expected. Overall, the experiences were great and I enjoyed the festive environment. I've recommended this place to several close friends and all have said the same. Enjoyable place to go to celebrate a special occasion as well. read more

Lala - Beautifully decorated inside and out - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

great restaurant concept and the decor is up for the holiday! for starters -- we ordered the "TOASTED BAGUETTE" , "SHORT RIB ARANCINI" and "STEAMED CLAMS". All were delicious, be sure to save some bread to mop up that broth, so tasty! For the mains we got -- "TORTELLONI MARINARA" , "LASAGNE PINWHEELS" and "GNOCCHI ROSA" .. You cannot go wrong with any of these .. I suggest everyone order something diff and the table shares to taste it all! If you sit in the back, the place can get very loud .. but thats only attributed to the "pop up" style restaurant layout .. great music, great atmosphere. Be sure to order a couple rounds of the "THE CASANOVA" to get the appetite warmed up .. read more

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Went to Lala's for Valentine's day and it did not disappoint! First of all, the restaurant ambiance and the design reminded me of a classy speakeasy. Our server was very nice and he gave good recommendations for our drinks. My wife got the Espresso martini and I got The Casanova. Excellent choices to start off. For our starters we got the tomato burrata, a french baguette to pair it with and the lobster bisque. The tomato burrata was perfect and it went very well with the French baguette. The lobster bisque was also tasty and rich and the pastry on top was soft and flavorful. Our main dishes did not disappoint as well. The Fazzoletti Pesto was our favorite as the pesto filling was fresh and it complemented the cheese around it. The Fettuccini Alfredo And Shaved Truffles was good but it didn't meet our expectations for the taste especially since it was the most expensive of the pastas. Lastly the New York Strip steak was tender and was perfectly cooked to our preferred doneness. The mushrooms and onions that came with it were also a good addition to the steak. Overall we had a great time and we enjoyed our date here and we are hoping to be back to try everything else on the menu! Lala can be both a perfect place for a night out with friends as well as a quaint date spot! read more

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I had high hopes for this restaurant, and while the food was delicious and the ambiance was pretty, there were many operational issues and lack of attention to detail that left everyone in our group unimpressed. We had a group of 9 people, however we brought our own 2 bottles of wine and paid the corkage fee so we did not start off putting in any drink orders. - We put in 5 appetizers to start and only 3 arrived. When we followed up about the beef carpaccio and oysters, we were told the beef was coming and they forgot to put the oysters in. The beef carpaccio never arrived throughout our entire dinner. - A few of us ordered salad with our dinner. They didn't bring us new plates, so we had to serve the salad on our appetizer plates which were covered in red sauce from the appetizers. Soggy, saucy salad is not good. Also the croutons were absolutely massive and hard to cut. Absolutely too big to eat whole. - Our table was VERY wobbly and couldn't be stabilized, which was a constant distraction. - The cocktail I wanted was unavailable because they "ran out"? When I asked which ingredient they ran out of (hoping to consider alternatives), the server couldn't specify and just offered other suggestions instead. Are the cocktails pre-mixed? - A $9 sparkling water that someone ordered early on in dinner and also never received was put on our bill. It's disappointing because the kitchen clearly has talent, and the space itself is stunning. But the lack of attention to detail in service and operations made it a disappointing group dinner. Everyone loved their main dish, so maybe this place is better suited with a smaller group, even though we thought we were a very easy and straight forward group. read more

Lala - Lasagna pinwheels - Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing drinks, cute decor and great service but little bit of an off putting smell. Hard to enjoy myself with that smell.