I've lived near this place for many years, but only been once. It looks kind of dark from the outside, and it's not much better inside. It could use a big spring cleaning. I was there for the lunch buffet, and I was underwhelmed by the selection and quality of the food. For the buffet price, I was expecting something better and fresher. The service was mediocre, and the food was sub-par in my opinion. read more

Horrible customer service! Ordered food through Uber Eats and didn't get what we had paid for (missing 2 Chicken Shawarmas). After calling the restaurant all they had to say was "Sorry, there's nothing we can do". After speaking with the Manager, who should have attempted to redeliver what was missing on their dime, I got the impression that he could not give two shits about what I, the customer, had to say about this. Two people ended up having to walk over to McDonalds to get their dinner. And I had to take the time to call Uber Eats myself and get my money back. Server at Jerusalem: "I'm sorry this happened, please come in some other day and we will compensate you..". What the hell am I supposed to do about dinner tonight? Manager: "We're too busy right now"...and hung up. Suffice to say I will never order from this place again. read more

This place is good only if you wanna get amused and entertained with the Music and Belly dancing! :) I am not a great fan of buffets because they mostly have bland, low quality food! We went here for a special occasion because we heard a lot about their shows and music. They have 2 seating times for dinner buffet: 1- 5:00-7:30 2-8:00-10:30. I reserved a table for 7:30 because the person over the phone told me they have more dancing than the first one... The restaurant looks not very good from outside, looks like there is no light in there. No host/hostess available when we arrived! Nobody was in the front! We waited and I went inside the restaurant to find someone to have us seated. Nope! Finally after 6 minutes, a guy came over and asked us if we have reservation. I said yes and we waited another 6-7 minutes for letting them prepare the table for us and all the time there was no customer ahead of us! All were behind us! It was a Saturday night and restaurant was kinda full. Our table was facing the stage, so far not bad! The worst part was the food..... bland! First off you need to stand in a line to get a plate and the line is not very well specified and some ppl got confused as where they had to stand. My plate was wet :( yuck, I changed it with another one. The items in buffet were not clearly labeled! Some of them were handwritten, some didn't have labels, so we had to ask the servers behind the counter what the foods are! Their food is flavorless, dull, cold and seemed like they reheated them over and over, looks like the foods are there all day long!!! blaaah! Never tried such a bad buffet before! I couldn't finish tasting one of them! The appetizers and salads were better! I could only have those as my dinner! The desserts part was disappointing! Most of the serving plates were empty when I wanted to get some and I had to wait for them to bring desserts! The music which is either Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish or Farsi is good for those who are enjoying these types. The belly dancer was the best part out of all. We ended up paying $270, almost $30 per person, yet we did not enjoy much that we were thinking! The food and service was horrible! Do not waste your money over bland food! read more

Below average, bland tasting spread at our dinner visit. I visited Jerusalem after perhaps 6 or 7 years and got reminded, of why not to come back. Loud music, so loud that we could not converse. Bland tasting food Average service $29.95 person buffet dinner! (pricey) for the quality Probably won't be back for many years again. read more

Good food, always freshly prepared. It's an open buffet style, so it's essential to have everything fresh and warm at all times. It's been open for so many years so it's a great established business. Depends om the time of the day, it can be busy at times especially on weekends/evenings. They usually have a singer or two and belly dancing shows, which is a nice add-on to a typical traditional middle-eastern restaurant, without pushing the knob onto a club/lounge type of business. The restaurant is licensed, so serving alcohol is also a good add-on to the whole scene. My best favourite items are their grilled meats and chicken and salad bar. Nothing wrong about a good old hummus and fattoush! read more

Some of the reviews on here are just crazy! C'mon people! Some of you are describing how delicious everything is and giving them THREE Stars, lol morons. We had a company dinner here last night. I'm giving this place a FIVE because in my opinion, it's the best tasting buffet in the entire Toronto area. (We drove from Mississauga) The food quality is top notch. The variety is jaw dropping. Its impossible to try everything! Everything is so tasty. The staff is efficient, genuinely nice and friendly. Our empty plates were always cleared before we returned with another round of food. A side note: the live music and belly dancing seem to be on for only around 30 minutes a day. We caught the show from 8-8:30pm on Thursday. The show is worth checking out so, confirm the timings. I will return with my family as soon as I can! read more

Jerusalem Restaurant - Desert! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We had our holiday gathering on a Friday night and overall, everyone had a great time! When you're trying to suit the needs of 20 people, you're in for a challenge! You must consider location, cost, food, etc. Leslie and Sheppard isn't exactly the liveliest of all intersections, but given its proximity to the 401, it was the perfect location for those who live in all ends of the city. I live downtown so by the time I went home, it was an easy drive along the 401 to the DVP. Holiday pricing was $29.95 per person. After tax and automatic 15% gratuity, we came in at just under $40 per person. As with most restaurants, individual bills was not an option. That was completely fair as that would take away a lot of time from the server (who was very efficient by the way). Knowing this fact, all attendees paid $40 cash in advance and I paid the final bill at one time. The extra dollars collected will go back to our social fund! Additional drinks were charged to each person separately but it was pretty quick to settle up the costs. Free fountain drink refills too! Now to the food! I must admit, the food selection was decent, but some dishes could have been better prepared imho. The dips, salads, and cold appetizers were pretty solid. I especially enjoyed the roasted cauliflower and the baba ghanoush (sp?). Fresh, warm pita was served to the tables. Was there seafood? Yes. The shrimp really should've been deveined. There were mussels, calamari, and fish in two ways. There was a big lamb which I thought was very well cooked, tender and flavourful. Some of the hot dishes were over cooked, for example the okra. I love okra but this recipe didn't do anything for me. The stuffed chicken was so tasty but the pieces were quite large. Eat one of those and you're done! Lol! The falafels were crispy on the outside and very moist on the inside. I had to have two! There wasn't a huge selection of desserts but you know what? It was just right. Some traditional sweets and fruit actually was enough to end off the meal. Let's move on to the entertainment. The singer and The live band were very good. They set a wonderful atmosphere for the restaurant. The belly dancer was fab! She engaged with the patrons and she was lovely! She had some mini lessons taking place table side and at one point, a conga line was snaking around the tables! It really was a memorable evening! Booking my reservation was a breeze. I was given some options and suggestions which were quite helpful. It was a full house on Friday night with birthdays and work celebrations. Although I'd give the food here about a 3, overall, I'd definitely recommend this place for a large group gathering! read more

Craving for shawarma? This is a great place to get it if you live in the area. The plaza has tons of parking and the restaurant has plenty of seating. I came here for take out. They have an entire different section and entrance for take out. The staff is nice. And they give large portions for the chicken shawarma dinner. It will definitely serve two people easily. You get salad, rice, meat, bunch of pickled stuff, 2 breads and sauces. I am a big fan of shawarma garlic sauces. This one is more dense then foamy. The taste had horse radish which gave it a bit of spicy, I could also taste sour cream and finally garlic. It was good but I prefer the foamy garlic sauces from other places. There was also no hummus included!! The rice was very plain - I love cinnamon rice which they didn't have. Overall, 4 stars for pretty good tasting meat and large portions. read more

Jerusalem Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

By far the BEST shawarma sandwiches I have ever had. I've been coming here for years!!! Highly recommend!

What a wonderful surprise this place was! A family member had heard about Jersusalem and organized a group outing - not one of us had ever been. Walking into an old-school packed restaurant, one feels at home and welcome. (Why fix what works?) The clientele was predominantly Middle-Eastern - a good sign. While the buffet area was a little cramped, they offered much selection and I was pleasantly surprised that everything I sampled (which, uh, pretty much was EVERYTHING) was very tasty. They offered kid-friendly food like pizza for those who aren't so adventurous as well. Then, live music came on and out came a gorgeous belly dancer who offered free lessons, then a group of customers got up and started a small dance floor! A great time, family-friendly and delicious food. I'm going back soon. read more

Good value for AYE. Large restaurant with middle eastern decorations. Fresh bread and kabobs were my favourites.

Was in the area and was in the mood for some Mediterranean food so decided to give Jerusalem a try. Was greeted by friendly staff and seated at a nice table. Sometimes when your eating by yourself they tend to stick you at the worst table but this wasn't the case here. I had the buffet which had a wide variety of foods. The Kofta wasn't the best but I found a variety of items that were quite good. I quite enjoyed the fresh pita, humus, baba ganoush, and tabouleh. The Buffett was reasonably priced and so with the variety of items offered was quite a good value. read more

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Excellent service and polite servers. Food was delicious during the lunch buffet but we wished the meat selection as well as the dessert & fruit selection had a bit more to offer. Overall, we had a great experience. read more

Jerusalem Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This is a first for me - a buffet that's not Chinese. Crazy right? I found this place out from the wife, who was curious to try this restaurant out for the past two weeks. It's a bit off the beaten path for us, but with an open schedule, we figured we'd try it out. We went on a weekend for their lunch buffet.... with only 30 minutes left.... The front desk service was mediocre - we waited a couple minutes before being asked how many people would be dining. Our waitress, on the other hand, was wonderful and had a great sense of humour! Now, on the to the food. Their buffet area is pretty small - about maybe half the size compared to Mandarin, but then again comparing the two is like comparing David to Goliath. Despite the size, their food options are quite good. They've got an appetizer/salad island in the middle, several vegetarian dishes and main dishes around the sides, and a small dessert station. You'll often find yourself grabbing the same things after round 2 or 3. If they have some available, I recommend their falafels! Jerusalem Restaurant is a good choice if you're looking for a different buffet cuisine, and depending on when you go (ideally weekdays for lunch, if not weekend lunch), you can't go wrong with the price. read more

Went with friends cuz we were in the area and heard it was good... not bad for a buffet. Not a fantastic selection but what was there was good... not overly great but still good... read more

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I have only done takeout and I always call ahead. They are very quick, usually have the order ready in 10-15 mins or less. Food quality I find always very good. Pricing is very reasonable. You can get a solid shawarma sandwich for $10. The takeout manager is awesome and very friendly. read more

I've enjoyed dinner as well as take out food here dozens of times, and can't believe I haven't reviewed the Jerusalem Buffet yet! This review is specifically about the dinner buffet, and especially on the weekend, when they are featuring the delicious whole stuffed roasted lamb. And if you are vegan or vegetarian, don't let the whole roast lamb or the whole fishes trouble you, there's also a wide range of grilled veggies and salads and non-meat options to suit anyone. And in response to a couple of whiny reviewers below, YES, many grilled veggies, dips, and salads are served at room temp, not as hot entrees! (Duh?!?) From lamb to kebabs and Seafood, Pizza to hummus and baba ganoush, as well as tabbouleh and Tahini and fresh-baked pita and garlic pita, this place features a full range of Middle Eastern Foods as well as some surprises. Don't bother with the falafel from the buffet, they don't hold very well in steam trays. But DO ask your waiter or waitress to bring you some fresh chicken or lamb Shawarma meat from the grill area and make sure you ask for lots of their intensely fragrant garlic sauce. SO good! That moist, falls-in-shreds-off-the-bone, whole roasted lamb stuffed with rice is worth the trip alone, plus an assortment of all-you-can-eat yummy seafood, kebab, shawarma, and that killer garlic sauce and I'm already a happy camper. Throw in some fascinating Middle Eastern music from the keyboard player, as well as the belly dancer and you've got a really nice dining experience that may not be 5-star dining but is definitely a nice change, and a slightly more upscale experience when compared to your typical Chinese food buffet. Go! ...have fun! The Mandarin will still be there when it's Grandma's birthday next year. read more

Went for Friday night dinner. It was pretty OK actually. I was impressed by the lamb, which was served at the carving station and told it's only available Friday and Saturday nights. The belly dancer came out at 8pm and put on a little show, but the (live) music gets SUPER loud so if you want some enjoyable conversation at a decent decibel level, I would recommend going around 6pm. The rest of the food was nothing special. A couple of things were over-salted in our opinions, but to their credit everything was actually pretty fresh and refilled often. Also, there are a lot of vegetarian options which is great if you have any herbivores in your group. OH! And if you check in on Yelp, then you get a free pop! DO IT! read more

Im not normally a big fan of buffets... but the food here is made with love!! All of my Mediterranean favorites... grape leaves.. hummus.. kafta... yum. yum and yum. Our waitress was fun! Older lady, dont remember her name, but she mothered us and teased us and we loved it!! The belly dancing is also spectacular! read more

I visited this restaurant on a Sunday for the all-you-can-eat buffet and I was greatly surprised! (Around 25$). Nice ambience, well made food, big selection of dishes, authentic traditional flavors. I'll come here again. PS: why would you want to eat pasta or poutine in a middle-eastern restaurant? It's like going to KFC and ordering steak. read more

Came here with some colleagues for the buffet dinner. Service was great, our server brought over a bunch of appetizers for us to try. In terms of the buffet table there were probably around 12-15 dishes to choose from. Chicken dishes were a bit dry, the assorted dips and pickled sides were refreshing and the breads to use for the dip were really nice. There were quite a bit of desserts as well, we really enjoyed the rice pudding! There is also live music and belly dancers at 830. The restaurant was clean, spacious and had a nice atmosphere read more

Had the lunch buffet, a lot of food. It's was very fresh. Come hungry. Lentil soup is superb. All meats are very yummy! Plenty of salads & veggies for vegetarians. Dessert table is dangerous....too good, especially the carrot cake! Great for the whole family! read more

We've been coming to this spot for years, great buffet and entertainment for special occasions and large groups. The hot buffet is always delicious. To start, the lentil soup is yummy - great texture and always find myself going for seconds (or thirds). They have an amazing assortment of meats, kabab, chicken tawoo, but the highlight is definitely the fully roasted lamb with rice. Goes great with the baba gahnoush and house made hot sauce. The fattoush and tabbouleh salad are also delicious accompaniments, plus the okra in tomato sauce is tasty. Our server was splendid and attended to our party of 9 with the utmost hospitality. On Sunday's I'd recommend making a reso for 6:30-7:00pm to catch some live music and the belly dancing entertainment at 7:45. For $28.95/person it is worthwhile and you will leave with a full belly. Interior is a little dated but the lively spirit all around makes up for it. Highly recommend this location you will not be disappointed! Looking forward to coming back again always a treat, great spot to take the family. read more

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Absolutely delicious Middle Eastern food - the falafel, hummus, tahini, baba ghanoush and shishkebab were all phenomenal. The pita bread was warm and fresh. I highly recommend the mezzeh platter. Service was excellent. Decor is a bit old-fashioned. Very affordable. read more

Jerusalem Restaurant - Shishkebab with rice and salad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Anyone who writes a scathing review of an All-You-Can-Eat buffet and can look themselves in the mirror afterwards doesn't understand the concept of AYCE. You're there to pretend like this is the only time that week you plan on eating for 2, even though you already went to Indian buffet the day before, and plan on hitting up a Japanese buffet the next day. You're not there to be a foodie. With that in mind, Jerusalem Restaurant is a pretty damn good spot to check off your craving for some Middle Eastern goodness. I love me some baba ganoush and ate enough of it during my most recent visit to put Costco's family size pack to shame. Plus, their falafels and kebab meats are delicious. Like, I still drool about them delicious. Now, I gotta knock these guys down a star for a couple of details that really should be attended to: - Your pita breads have to be warm. Serving me semi-warm pita bread is no bueno. - Replacing tabouli salad when it runs out with... nothing, is a bummer. I love tabouli salad. I want more. All in all, if you're in the neighborhood and you don't want any Asian food (of which there is an abundance), this is a great choice for some face stuffing fun. read more

***2.5 stars*** My best friend has been going here with her mother since we were kids and I've had some pretty high expectations with regards to the food. - There were never staff at the meat stations - Some of the food trays are grouped on top of each other making it hard to serve yourself -There are barely any signs indicating what you are plopping to your plate - The pita bread was cold, hard and stale Overall I'd say the food was decent but definitely not worth the $33 price tag for dinner. Lunch looks like a better deal. read more

This place has gotten some criticism but I was at the Leslie location for a Sunday lunch buffet and I was impressed. Definitely better than any chinese buffet in terms of quality and healthy choices. All the typical middle-eastern items were present however what surprised me the most was the fish and seafood. Sea-bass filets, whole tilapia, shrimp and calamari stew were the options on my visit. Definitely not something I would expect here but they were all delicious. I thought the roasted lamb was very tasty and the rice that was cooked 'inside' of it had a nice unique flavor. The pizza with za'atar is a must-try. The desserts were just ok but I was stuffed at that point and you should be too after indulging in all the hot and cold choices that are available. Service was great. My waiter was very attentive and my dirty plate from the previous round was always removed when I came back with the next one. Sure there are middle-eastern places that serve a bit better food and desserts, but in terms of BUFFETS, Jerusalem is a prime choice. I would definitely go back. read more

Just had their lunch buffet ($20.28) and it wasn't memorable or tasty enough for me to return. Firstly the service was average and not very friendly but who cares right. It's the food that's most important. The mezze were all fresh and solid. The manaqish was mediocore (pepperoni, spinach/feta & zaatar) and not very fresh sitting under the heat lamps. The chicken shawarma was dry, beef/lamb kofta was overly salty and the grilled tilapia was fishy, not descaled & had too many bones to pick out but was grilled nicely. Lastly, I'm not a dessert person and there was a good selection however it didn't have that mouth watering appeal to them. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again and would just go to any of the many Middle Eastern chains in the city to get my fix when in the mood. read more

Tucked in the corner of Nymark plaza sit Jerusalem buffet restaurant. It's been sitting here for years, and I've been living almost next door to it for over 20 years, and today was the first time I came here. I would say its a Middle Eastern 'Mandarin' type of restaurant. It's reminiscent of Middle Eastern food (not just from Israel), but it's just not as tasty or authentic. I actually prefer my mother in law's home cooking to this. Anyway, it was fun for what it was. On a Monday evening, there were barely 4 tables. Every night there is a Belly Dancing show (let's just say, I've seen better), although entertaining, it got a little awkward at a family dinner. The buffet charges $20 pp, you get a variety of cold foods, hot foods (fish, chicken, lamb, falafel), some pizza looking things, and dessert (baklava was decent). The service.... was non existent except clearing our plates and getting us the bill. Most of the time they are standing around, but no one could help us pour the pitcher of water. They do have a take out section, adjacent to the main restaurant. Falafel (was tasty) and Shawerma. read more

Having just moved to the area of Bayview Village, Yelp has been invaluable tool helping us explore local establishments. The mostly positive reviews of Jerusalem had us excited about a planned take out dinner for visiting guests. In short, the food was horrible! The meat was so bad that I could not eat any of it and the rest of the food was an oily mess of salt and fat. I can only think that the positive reviews were in reference to the ability to over eat at the buffet. I did not eat anything the next day as I felt dirty from the inside out. One of the worst meals since moving to the area. I should have known better to trust the reviews of an AYCE buffet. If you don't care what you eat so long as it's a lot and relatively inexpensive...then knock yourself out. If you like good food, then pass on Jerusalem . read more

I've been to the original location of Jerusalem that was just down the street a number of times and loved everything about it ......I've only to this location twice. Tonight, my friend Jill and I went for the buffet.......I think I regretted it soon as I got up to it. And truth be told, I don't think Jill really wanted the buffet, but I didn't think we could order off the menu.....There was allot of food but it was not labelled so for me I was not sure what everything was. There was a great deal of cold (salad type) items, I did try many of them and some of them I never had before, but couldn't tell you what they were, as there were no signs indicating the names of the dishes.. The hot items were somewhat recognizable and the standard middle eastern fair; baked fish. pork & beef skewers, falafel, roast beef, and lasagna (don't know how that last item is middle eastern and it made it to the buffet - kind of odd?), there was rice, roasted cauliflower. They had some interesting flatbread/pizza items.....didn't try it though.....they had baba ganoush which they do really really well here and we ordered the baked eggplant off the menu because-its just wonderful ! There was a very large dessert station. however neither one of us tried it. The buffet was $20 each and we certainly didn't eat $20 dollars worth.....it would have been better if we had ordered off the menu...we would have then gotten exactly what we wanted which was Baba, Ganoush, Humus, Turnip, Baked Eggplant, Kebe, Tubule and all with lots of pita for sharing and dipping (didn't really like there pita - it was made fresh, but it was too hard for my liking..... So all in all, great place to try middle eastern food because there is a wide variety, but you need either have someone with you that knows what everything is or to ask someone. Not sure if I will actually go back ....there are a couple other places I think might be a little better,..... read more

Homemade Mediterranean foods and belly dancing on weekends, can you beat that combo? Yes, its a buffet! This isn't a gourmet place so don't come expecting fine dining. In a sea of suburban chain restaurant menus, Jerusalem delivers honest food, clean environment and courteous servers. If you live in the area, you can stop by for rotisserie chicken and take homemade middle eastern dips! read more

This place used to be amazing. The food was fresh and there was so much variety. Lunch used to be for $10. Lunch now is $13 and they took away so many favorites (like the tabouleh and the stuffed grape leaf). Not just that, they put left overs from last night's buffet. The quality has been going down the hill, and the prices have been going up. Overpriced on weekday dinners and weekends. read more

I found this restaurants buffet menu really limited for the price. And the cuts of meat were not seasoned and really dry. The sides are also really limited. And if you are going and intend to have a conversation, forget it.... Extremely loud. read more

This buffet is really good if you time it right. As with any buffet, you're going to have the following: obnoxious little kids running around the food counter giggling. Ridiculously large parties where everyone is yelling. People picking at things. And of course, lots of waste. Its always painful to watch. But with that said, the food here is generally quite high quality. Go during a busy time when the turnover is high and you will get great food. One of the cooks there used to work at Sababa (a favourite middle-eastern place of mine) and they have dishes there that are only really possible in a mass-consumption sort of situation: a whole stuffed lamb (really good but horribly unhealthy!), I would steer clear of the seafood (the preparations they have are not particularly middle-eastern - I suspect they are just filler and to have a seafood option). They also have shawarma which is pretty good, but its off the menu. You can ask your server for it and they usually have it. read more

Interesting place. Good selection and some really cool stuff like the entire lamb! I just wish the food was a bit more flavorful. You can cover everything with hummus but a bit more spice would just make life easier. read more

I'm not a big fan of all you can eat, buffet style restaurants, but Jerusalem wasn't too bad. The food is Middle Eastern, and the vibe... very middle eastern. What I like about this place was that it wasn't your typical buffet restaurant, where it wasn't just about eating and getting out. Jerusalem Restaurant offers live entertainment, at dinner time, complete with Arabic pop songs and belly dancers. What takes the cake though was the overall liveliness of the place, and not with just the entertainment, but with the clientèle! During the music and entertainment portion of the evening, people were getting up to dance, clap, and sing along with the band. Personally I felt this made my dining experience coupled with the super friendly wait staff and servers. Fair warning though, if you're there on a heavy birthday night, be prepared to have the same happy birthday sung over and over again. The entertainer could have spaced out the birthdays I think, instead of opting of going through the whole list and going from table to table singing the same song. I won't comment much on the food. It's laid out in typical buffet fashion. It wasn't bad, but nothing stood out either aside from the khabsa (rice cooked in roast lamb) which brought memories back to when I lived in the Arabian Gulf. I would go back to this place, but more for the experience and the good times than the food. read more

Not only i love this place, theirFood is to die for. Am normally not a huge fan of buffets. But theirs is pretty delicious. It tastes like my Grandma's kitchen. Go on the weekends they have belly dancing. Its fun. read more

I was worried that I might not enjoy the food. But when I arrived with my friends and saw what was offered up during the buffet I was pleasently surprised. They had plenty of vegetarian options, though the falafal was really dry. We went when they had a belly dancer performing. It was entertaining. And the staff were nice. read more

This place must have had a change of ownership. The quality of food dipped in a huge way over the years. Their selection is bland, dry and seems recycled from previous days. Their customer service is horrible. I dined here with my wife and we had to seat ourselves. There was one waitress who offered us water once and we declined. Never bothered agin to come and check if we needed anything else throughout dinner. At the end when I was paying my bill. I did not leave a tip and the waitress was upset and said in a very rude way you must have not liked the food since you didn't leave a tip. First off, she hit it right on the nail. But to actually say what she said is very unprofessional. Will never be back here again. read more