Dinner date with my son at Gale's Restaurant in Pasadena. I had the Cacio e Pepe Spaguetti, it was delicious and so cheesy and my son had the cheesy and meaty Lasagna. Staff was so friendly and our food came in quickly. Lots of parking, however the place was packed so not a lot of parking. Make sure to make reservations! read more

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Wear your stretchy pants to this place!! Authentic Italian food with great service. We ordered the seasonal pumpkin soup and rustic Ceasar salad to start, then for our main course we had the everything pizza and spaghetti, shrimp lemon pasta. It was absolutely delicious. For dessert we had to save room for the coconut cake, which tasted like a yummy homemade cake from your grandmas kitchen. We couldn't eat it all, came home with plenty of left overs, that I am certain my kids will devour when we get home. read more

Gale's - Coconut Cake - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Happened across this place on OpenTable, was not disappointed! Super cute place, we were seated indoors and it was very intimate, perfect for a date night. We started off with two flutes of champagne (celebrating a birthday), I forget the name but it was $20 a flute. For starters we had the crab cakes, think I'm a little bias being from the east coast but I asked the waiter if they were made with lump crab meat, he said they were but they were shredded; left a bit to be desired. For entrees we had the Chicken Piccata and the steak. Steak was amazing! Overall it was a great experience. Finished off with a cup of coffee and a cheesecake. I'd definitely come back again, curious to try their pizzas. read more

Piping hot freshly baked bread - such a big welcome. Raul could be misunderstood to be rude with his stern face. He's actually a good guy. Great place to bring the family. Good fresh food and reasonable prices. They do take reservations. read more

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We did takeout and ordered the fettuccini Alfredo, the rotini with bolognese, and the soup of the day-- creamy chicken and rice. Everything was absolutely delicious. Even the bread was warmed and they added olive oil for the bread. Now I want to go to the restaurant in-person! -- the ambiance is lovely, with lovely lamps at each table, and I saw some delicious looking cocktails. Can't wait to check it out! read more

If you're craving Italian, this is the spot to go to! It's definitely a hidden gem in Pasadena. LOCATION - It's easy to miss because the front looks like all the other stores along Fair Oaks Street, but it's between Bellevue and Palmetto Drive. PARKING - Yes! I love how there's a parking lot dedicated solely to this restaurant. This is SUPER RARE in Pasadena. AMBIANCE - Very nice decor inside. You get the vibe of a fancy restaurant, but the comfort of casual eating. PRICES - Decent. FOOD - They give you complimentary bread with olive oil & balsamic. Their pasta options are absolutely delicious. The portions are huge, so it can definitely be shared with another person. Someone told me they also make their pasta in house, so you can really taste the quality. They even have whole wheat and gluten free options. One thing I also really liked is that they have Daily Specials, so you always have the chance to try something new. Desserts were incredible as well. We ordered the mix berry crumble and you know it's made fresh when it just comes out warm and just melts into your mouth. SERVICE - Probably the best I ever experienced. They were all friendly and super attentive. We never had to chase anyone down because they were always on stand by. OVERALL - Yum. Yum. Yum. What more can I say? I will definitely be coming back. read more

it could have been a five star experience but there was a server that was so rude + dismissive. the food was great, es read more

Visited in March 2022 Can't go wrong coming here if you love Italian food. Definitely one of the better places in Pasadena for Italian food. The entrees are large and well prepared. Some of my favorites include the Mussels with white wine and garlic, Italian Tuna Salad, Beef Short Ribs and Chicken Cacciatore. Love the unique way the Tiramisu is served. Excellent customer service!! read more

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Came at the tail end of lunch service but wasn't rushed. We ordered the shrimp scampi & the tuna fish sandwich, ministrone soup & salad. Service was attentive, white linen tables. I modified my shrimp scampi with the broccoli & sun dried tomatoes on the side. The olives gives the pasta a salty but delightful finish. Good portion sizes - so much so didn't have room for dessert - next time! read more

Gale's - Shrimp Scampi Linguini Rapini & Tuna Salad Sandwich Minestrone Soup - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Well it's a shame I'm on Yelp. I emailed you weeks ago so my issue/s would stay private. Without drawn out details, service was inattentive and very rushed. Yes, we also wanted to stay for coffee and dessert! Wish we didn't because (for the first time), the three coconut cakes to-go were awful. Really awful! Such a waste of money. read more

Overall very good dining experience There is a lot of parking space behind the restaurant, which is a huge plus for me There are a lot of great pasta restaurants in LA, and this is one of them My favorite was Penne al promagio. The sauce is a killer. Its extremely smooth and flavorful, no gimmick. I also ordered clam linguini, however it was very salty. It felt like pasta was made out of salt water with 2 drops of extra virgin oil. It does however contains a lot of clams. I would definitely revisit, but if you typically eat less salty, dont order clam linguini read more

Gale's - Clam linguini, stay away if you dont eat salty - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Came I Here after Volleyball Tournament. My daughter wanted pasta and this place didn't disappoint. Great service and treat food read more

Gale's - Pumpkin tortellini - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Service was 5 star... Food, much to my surprise, was not at all. Now I'm thinking the "classy" service was all to cover the god awful food coming out of the kitchen. Steamed white wine muscles tasted gamy, and sauce was extremely watery, and only emphasized the gamy flavor, apart from being under seasoned and more like a bowl of water. The "hot/spicy" pizza meats tasted off, and almost certainly was frozen and otherwise it was extremely bland. All the flavors, from the sauce, to the cheese, to the crust, were so unappetizing, I couldn't eat more after forcing two of the smallest slices. The Lasagna bolognese was all meat, but lacked in any layers of ricotta cheese, and again, some of the bolognese sauce tasted sour, as if not fresh or just going off.. unsure about it. All the above has left the diners with upset stomachs, and an entire rest of a pizza that will very likely be thrown away. The Blood Orange Mule drink was the only thing that was good. All the above cost just over $122.00. Towards the end, we realized majority of tables were full of senior citizens, so maybe we missed the memo on that as well.. maybe something to do with why this place is still in business-none of the customers can taste in their older age? Who knows.. TO BE VERY CLEAR-THE FOOD WAS ALL TERRIBLE, and WE THREW EVERYTHING UP ONCE HOME-not making a judgement based on age of other unfortunate diners-as NO ONE should eat this food, young or old. To top it all off, once home, we actually threw up because of how bad the food was. to Summarize: Would NOT go again, would sadly NOT recommend at all. read more

I ate lunch at Gale's. They have a diverse menu featuring items you don't see everywhere. They have great choice of wines and the food tastes good. Service is attentive. There is road construction and the parking lot in the rear is limited, so arrive early. read more

bland! Bland! BLAND! This place does not deserve anywhere near 4****. Maybe 3 at best. Had it not been for ambiance I was ready to respond with 2** Ambiance is more than deserving of 5*****. Very sanitary and perfect temperature. Staff more than accommodating and courteous. From the moment we were served fresh bread with Olive oil which tasted bland and dry I was concerned. I ordered Lasagna which to me any establishment I visit if this get this right I will be returning promptly. To my disappointment it tasted bland. I was soo disturbed I took a few bites and put it away to try my gf pizza. Again, her pizza was also bland. I will mention both plates were perfect hot and appeared fresh. My ADD kicked into play and I was ready to leave this place to wash the taste out my mouth. What a shame! read more

A little disappointed with the experience considering this was such a highly rated restaurant in South Pasadena. My sister (the foodie not from SoPas) wanted Italian food, so we selected this highly rated restaurant on Fair Oaks. I liked that they had a reservation system online via Open Table, but seemed to only take reservations for the next day. Strangely, I could've sworn it said Tuesday and I selected Tuesday, but the date was for the 11th, Wednesday. I booked it and on the way to the restaurant, I tried to confirm our reservation, and true enough we were reserved for Wednesday. The hostess still put us in any way and got our table of 4 + a high chair ready by the time we walked in. At this point of the pandemic, dine-in guidelines and customer capacity for restaurants have relaxed, so this place (indoor and outdoor) was swinging come 6 pm. The outdoor dining area was FULL, and tables were almost too close to each other. On a Tuesday! Of course, all patrons outdoors already had their masks off, with their food served in front of them. My family each selected a different type of pasta dish and, seriously, none of us liked our food. The seasoning for each pasta dish was pretty bland. No one, not even the baby, finished their portions of pasta. You know a restaurant is lacking when a non-foodie as yourself (I'm no Michellin-resto-only food snob) can claim to make better pasta than a $$-$$$ restaurant like Gale's. Service was pleasant, not the best, but just okay. A tad slow, which is surprising for a week night. We got there before 6pm and the place was still pretty packed by the time we left an hour later. Parking in the rear. It may be easy to miss the entrance... if you are coming from the northbound lane of Fair Oaks, the driveway to the parking lot is right before the restaurant. So slow down. If you do go, hopefully you go when it isnt too busy and during the kitchen cooks gets their mojo back. It's definitely swanky enough for a dinner date, so there's that (but dont order the sangria, it was kind of terrible too). read more

I ordered a pasta carbonara. I'm very disappointed. Fettuccine was overcooked, and broken pieces of pasta were on the plate. Sauce was watery. Looks like they just poured some cream into a pan and called it a carbonara. The guanciale was just thrown into the sauce as an afterthought and was limp. All together, I got a flavorless plate of overcooked, watered-down, limp guanciale plate. read more

This is my first time visiting Gale's in Pasadena and I'm so very impressed. The service was outstanding. Both our server Raul and the hostess Amelia went above and beyond making sure that we had everything that we needed. I will definitely be back. read more

Charming setting. Very good (and generous!) meals. Poor service. These characteristics present an interesting quandary to the diner who enjoys dining out but is totally turned-off by unprofessional service. The waiter was (pick one) a) dismissive, b) neglectful, or c) both a & b. The correct answer is "c." walking past and gazing at the table several times but turning away when eye contact was sought. Not supervising the bussers, who were totally inadequate (never refilling water glasses, even when repeatedly asked; not replacing used eating utensils, not clearing empty cocktail glasses that sat on the table the entire meal, etc.). But the waiter -- seemed to treat our table and others more as "pests" than guests. It turned what could have been a splendid meal into one that was barely endurable. read more

Food was amazinggggg !!! Service was great also. When it came down to get the check our server was no where to be found. Pretty sure she went on break but no one else checked on us. Maybe they need more coverage? I'm definitely coming back, felt so welcomed. Thank you. read more

Gale's - Lasagna Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Forget about it, My 7 year old nephew makes better Cacio e Pepe and doesn't charge me over 20 bucks- forget about it how bout a little Pepe on my cacio e Pepe read more

Consistent and good - big local favorite. Been coming for years. My biggest complaint is the noise in the dining room. When you dine in the open kitchen, you expect the hustle and bustle of that venue. However, the noise is unbearable when it's busy. It's actually ridiculously loud. I know that the cooks are cooking furiously away to make sure that plates are arriving in time to orders but they are oblivious to the diner's experience. They are throwing the pans/pans, trays, with no regard for the racket they are causing. The noise of the plates being thrown about adds to the cacophony. You dine with your eyes, your taste buds but also with your ears. The peacefulness of a dining experience when you're want to go out to eat. is also important. Service is good, food is good but the ambiance takes a big hit when you eat in the open kitchen. In addition, the a/c wasn't working, with only the ceiling fans on. It was really, really hot and uncomfortable. read more

Always a must when in Pasadena, great food, service, drinks and atmosphere. Gales is a staple!! Enjoy

I got an order to go of linguine with clams and it was outstandingly good‼ It was so good that I was thinking about it all the next day and wanted to go back the next night to try something else and I would have but was out of town and didn't make it back in time. The staff was excellent, so friendly and helpful! They were very busy but I didn't have to wait long at all. The parking is easy. Can't wait to go back again when I can sit there, relax and have another delicious unforgettable meal‼ read more

Based on great reviews from my Yelp friends I decided to come with my husband for our anniversary & so glad that I did! The service was amazing , the server was great in giving us suggestions on food and drinks. We ultimately ordered the meatballs as an appetizer and OMG is it delicious!!!! You really need to try it out. We then decided to switch it up and have the lemon shrimp scampi which was incredible! It was light but very filling and the taste was not over powering, it was just right. We also ordered the pasta Al Forno which was hearty and saucy. It had great flavor and easily a shareable dinner and lastly, we also ordered a small chicken pizza That was great! The dough wasn't too thick and just right! And as far as drinks, AMAZING!!! Overall this was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for yummy Italian food with great service! read more

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Food and service were great! Staff was very attentive without being overbearing-- always made sure our glasses were full of water and gave us the perfect amount of time to look at the menu. We sat outside which was really cute! (though a bit uneven so be careful!) Caesar Salads were amazing and everyone seemed to really enjoy their food. I got the pasta al forno-- so tasty! Portions are generous. Friends took us here, but will definitely be back on our own, too! read more

Perfect in every way. Every dish we tried was great ... the spinach lasagna .. the gnocchi bolognese and a few of the seafood dishes including the risotto. The service was great and the ambiance in the outdoor tent was perfect. The only thing I thought was a little odd was we were celebrating a birthday and she has Celiac and mentioned several times that she is unable to have gluten ... the wait staff was knowledgeable about the menu and made sure her dishes were okay for her but then they brought her a complimentary piece of coconut cake she couldn't eat, as much as I hate to be the person who doesn't appreciate a nice gesture ... I felt bad for her. I know it's their signature dessert but maybe not the best choice... still five stars for everything else. read more

I can't believe I've only recently discovered Gale's! They've been on my bookmark list for a while and on a whim, we wanted to discover a new and good local Italian eatery. They offered both indoor and patio seating and have a parking lot in the back. We ordered a few things to share between the hubs and myself including a salad, chicken dish and pizza. Just with the delicious house bread, salad and chicken dish alone, we were stuffed and had to take our pizza to go! We loved all of the dishes and will definitely be back to try some more items on their menu, particularly some of the pasta dishes they have to offer! read more

Wonderful service from Amelia. Large group for Easter and we had wine, baked ziti, meatballs, spaghetti lemon shrimp, lasagna, bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, baked chicken, etc we had a lot and everyone thoroughly enjoy everything we ate. Then dessert! We had of course the coconut cake and cheese cake were out of this world! read more

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Food was Great. Order food to go and was very prompt and on time. The price, however, was extremely different than what the menu said on yelp. Probably not the fault of the restaurant, but of yelps app. Please see attached photo. read more

Gale's - Yelps menu price has lasagna at $15 clam linguini at $19. Big surprise when you get to the restaurant. - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Co-vid April 16 2021 update. Having lived the lockdown life for the past year this was my first eat outside dinner. It's so exciting to get hot food on a plate with wine and service and not have to do dishes after. We had the calamari fritti appetizer, I had lasagna and hubs had pizza. Lasagna and pizza were sufficient and tasty. I think the calamari serving was undersized, I would have liked more especially for the price. Our server was great and there are overhead heaters. There were some guests who were moving around the restaurant without masks, which I consider rude behavior. All in all an ok to good experience. read more

I really wanted to like this restaurant, but couldn't find anything special about it. This is my second time. This time, my husband took me there to celebrate my birthday. We made a reservation and made a note about my birthday but they didn't take any special note. Complementary fresh baked breads were bonus and husband's simple salad was very good, but my Cesar salad was lacking in flavor. My husband's New York steak was very tough and the knife was also dull. One of his sides, mashed potatoes, was missing. My braised lamb was just okay. read more

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I used to patron Gale's my high school and college years with friends and it's been over 10 years since I've stepped foot here. The restaurant pretty much looks the same. I had never realized just how old-fashioned their decor was - especially the upstairs area - but we had children with us so it didn't really matter. We just wanted a place that would be suitable for a large family meal. The food didn't live up to my memory but considering that it's been over 10 years, they may have switched chefs or my taste in food has just become more refined (most likely both?). We came in a big party and we ordered some appetizers to start - their bruschetta and their antipasto platter - very small portions but overall, tasted pretty good and as expected. For the entree, I ordered their fettuccine carbonara. While I appreciated the huge portion sizes of their pasta dishes, I was not impressed with the taste. They added tons of pancetta so it was on the saltier side and yet the pasta lacked flavor. Just imagine thick and bland pasta topped with huge amounts of pancetta. It wasn't terrible but something I definitely wouldn't order again. My husband ordered the rotini bolognese, which I also tried, and this was disappointing as well. If we're going to stuff our face with tons of carbs, it should at least be worth it right? Overall, the front part of the restaurant looks like it could be a date night place but the upstairs area looks like grandma's house. The food is mediocre but not terrible, and if you're looking for an Italian restaurant to take granny or the kids (that's not Bucca di Beppo), this might be the place for you. read more

Ambiance 3/5: spacious outdoor patio with ten tables, three smaller tables outside the patio, uncovered and exposed under the sun, three standard tables outside the backdoor, uncovered and facing the parking lot, the extra tables with the cost of downgraded experience may not worth it Service 1/5: long story for short, service differentiation, skip the lengthy story between two (-) marks for concise review Cons: (-) Background: I made the reservation with the choice of patio, and arrived on time. Being guided by one server, and waited in front of the empty usher table. The lady, who had really given me a hard time, came back after quite a few minutes standing there. Showed my reservation, she said I have to wait for the patio or I can sit right away in those extra tables, I decided to wait, as the front smaller tables are next to the drive way, and the back tables are at the wind gap. Both are uncovered and it's a very windy day. DISCRIMINATIVE I barely used this term in my thousands reviews of true experience in restaurants over more than ten years, but when it's mentioned, meaning it's a serious problem. After waiting for a while, I saw a patio table was being cleaned, so pointed that to her, I thought she almost seated me there and all the sudden she brought another group to that table. She said they were earlier, I've no idea where that group showed up from, and couldn't tell whether they came earlier or had an earlier reservation but arrived later than me, I didn't make any assumption back then she let them jump the line, and trusted what she said they were seated in the back and waited to be moved to the front patio. Unfortunately, I ended up being seated in the back though still prefer patio, maybe inherited the same spot from that group, nobody would like cold and windy if better one available, I asked for heater, not yet see anyone moving it over, then I went to the restroom and saw another patio table was cleaned, kindly requested to change as the other group, she said no. I asked why they could be reseated from back to patio if it's truly as she said for the first table, or have they jumped the line with the impression changing tables is not allowed after she refused. She kept saying they were earlier and couldn't really answer why the treatment was so different under the same situation, seated in the back and moved to the patio. She talked to the manager. I don't know what she told the manager, who came and repeated they were earlier with reservation. Somehow he thought I walked in, I showed my reservation and explained what I saw happened to that group, and experienced differently later on the second table. I haven't yet mentioned she had bad attitudes from the beginning, for whatever reason, it can't be the excuse of discriminative service. I emphasized to be treated the same way as the other group, the manager agreed and finally reseated. Sigh, it doesn't have to be so hard! I do not require excellent service, but I expect fair and indifferent treatment, and mutual respect. (-) Disorganized, this is a relatively smaller issue and understandable, it could just be the holiday weekend chaos if not their norm, servers walking through sort of weird route, you could be sitting there for quite a while and no one bothered to serve water or place the order, and then all the sudden quite a few servers came to your tables and checked upon you one after another Pros: Everyone else tends to be friendly and cheerful. The first waiter placed the order was patient to introduce the menu items and provide suggestion, the second waiter was nice too, refilled water and brought box, and cleaned the table adequately, and the last waiter who served desserts must be a part time superhero, all I have to say the sweets saved my day Food 5/5: I would only rate this place an overall 3-star if not because of the desserts in the end, credit goes to the coconut cake, you can't miss it! Tons of choices on the menu, and they also have daily special off the menu Bread - *** too dry SCAMPI FRITTI - **** large breaded shrimp, pesto remoulade, crispy and cream dipping sauce, recommend MY BROTHER JERRYS TORTELLONI BOLOGNESE - **** veal and chicken tortelloni, creamy meat sauce, rich in flavors, recommend ITALIAN MEAT - **** the pizza toppings include meatball, pepperoni, sausage, mozzarella, tomato sauce, savory and layers of taste, recommend CHEESECAKE - **** homemade freshly, recommend FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE - **** rich texture, good combination with whipped cream, recommend Crème Brûlée - *** the texture was too thick, blackberry was good though COCONUT CRÈME CAKE - ***** asked for the sampler plate, available upon request, tried four smaller pieces, and it is the most satisfying one and their specialty, soft and creamy, highly recommend Price 3/5: generous portions and reasonable prices for food, though not worth the unpleasant customer experience, expect around $45~$50 each read more

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Another issue to add. The public health department gave Gales a terrible score review, which has dropped down repeatedly, for the last 4 inspections, to 88 out of 100. This is recognized by the County Dept of Health as a B! This is potentially bad for equal illness. This information is also found on Yelp, on the restaurants information site. This is not something that a restaurant would post, especially when it's a very bad review. Obviously linked to the reason I got sick, as did some other people did, from eating here. Don't trust what the restaurant will tell you about their cleanliness and food safety, as this info is official from the Pasadena health department. I've added a bit of the information from a screenshot I took. Please review. read more

Gale's - Review by the health department of Gales, provided by Yelp. - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

We have been to this restaurant several times, and the food is better than average. This time, however, we had a kind of unfortunate experience. My wife, who is Asian, preceded me into the restaurant. She received "the look " from Emma, the hostess. She then proceeded to attempt to seat us in a dark tiny twosome near the restroom. When I declined she gave us a better table near the windows. The room was nearly empty. The next couple, Indian, was seated at that same table . All the ensuing Whites were seated at nice tables . As Oliver Wendell Holmes said about obscenity,"hard to define, but you know it when you see it". The same holds true of racism. read more

Yummm Yummmy!! I had the PORTOBELLO RAVIOLI with cream sauce it was delicious!! I also had some of my friends FETTUCCINI ARRABBIATA it was very good! My boyfriend had the CLAMS LINGUINI, he loved it! I had the red blend, 2 glasses! It was so good! I loved the bread they served at the beginning, fresh and warm! I will definitely be back! Can't wait!! read more

An overdue review -- can't say enough great things about Gale's! My husband and I stumbled onto this gem of a restaurant and it's become our GO-TO for dates and special occasions. The food is simply absolutely amazing. We have tried just about every plate of the lunch menu at this point and we are never disappointed! My personal favorite has to be the Pasta Al Forno but truly, can't go wrong with any dish, they're ALL soo good and and their daily soups are always delicious as well. It's hard to find place that are always consistent with the quality in their dishes -- not Gale's, they deliver every time! We really love coming here, not only is the food great but the staff is also very friendly and attentive. All of them always go above and beyond, the service is truly excellent! read more

Gale's - Inside area - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Hidden gem! Quality food, large portions, fair prices, and great service. It's a cute eatery that doesn't feel too stuffy or trendy. The shrimp speidini app was fantastic (~$15)! The artichoke and mushroom fritto was forgettable (~$15). The eggplant app was a-ok (~$15). The stuffed squash blossom app was also forgettable (~$15). The meat lasagna was chock full of meat and seasoned perfectly (~$25). The Tuscan style steak was crazy tender, a hefty portion, and cooked to temp; it was pretty gray and seemed like it was steamed (~$40). They didn't have a mixed seafood spaghetti on the menu but were gracious enough to make it for me (~$30). The coconut cake was basic, not cloyingly sweet, and tender; but it was forgettable (~$10). Fast facts: blink-and-you'll-miss-it location and driveway, plenty of free parking in lot and on streets, covered tent patio outside, open kitchen, fair prices/portions/choices, high quality ingredients read more

Not a great experience. Food was not as great as it looks. Servers were not attentive and rude. The seating was awful and seemed purposeful. Will not return. read more