Pizzeria Delfina
3611 18th Street
(between Guerrero St & Oakwood St)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 437-6800
- Hours:
Mon 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Tue-Thu 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri 11:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sat 12:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sun 12:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
174 reviews
Neighborhood: Union Square
"Delicious! I am new to the neighborhood and a tasty pizza is important... I don't even have to leave my block to find that with Uncle…" read more »
512 Reviews for Pizzeria Delfina
Throw some mozzarella and sauce on me and call it a day. I have found my holy grail of pizza. The queen of all Margheritas is here so bow down and show your reverence to soft chewy crust, pliant cheese, and bright, flavorful sauce.
i have nothing else to say except "let them eat pizza!"
"Air Pizza"
Pizza? Air? Same difference? Well, Delfina seems to think so. Not only did my friend and I order different pizzas and they both came out looking EXACTLY the same, the pizza tasted like absolutely nothing.
I took several bites before reality sunk in. I looked over at my friend and he at me. We didn't have to speak to know what we were both wondering. "Where exactly did the taste go? Did someone steal it? Or did it just pack its bags and disappear."
Around my third bite I just wanted to taste something, anything. Even if it was bad. But there I was thinking maybe I had taken taste for granted. Wishing she'd come back to me. I swore I would do her right this time.
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Mmmmm.....Margarhetta pizza.
Here's a rated breakdown of the ingredients:
Sauce 10! .. fresh tomato,sweet,light
Crust 10!...thin and slightly crispy
Cheese 8 ... more please!
A dish of dried oregano, grated pecorino cheese, dried red pepper condiments were available, but I didn't even need them.
Next time, I'll have to add a glass of red wine and cannoli dessert to my order.
The place is small and parking is limited but it's definitely worth a visit.
I miss it already.
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This place sucks. As you wait forever for your pizza, you hear the cooks burn yet another pizza and the people in the background saying words like "authentic" or "unique". They try really hard to say something positive and but it just isn't there. Instead they come off as pretentious.
"I enjoy this finely hand stretched mozzarella"
No it sucks. Its amazing what people say to justify their expensive purchase. A four year old could do better by pouring some tomato sauce on a piece of bread.
Perhaps I'm being a little too mean.
Pizzeria Delfina needs another great review like the neighborhood needs another uber-popular restaurant, well actually, I wouldn't mind seeing something else in Craig's Place, but anyway.... Yes, it's fantastic! In fact, if my BF had his way we'd be eating there every single night, so I thank God that it's not my hood anymore, otherwise I'd have a serious pizza and prosecco belly! So to my point... I'm actually Yelpng all the girls who work there, especially Jill & Jackie, who are the best, they really make it a neighborhood destination for us. Thanks ladies!
This pizza's really good, but I don't get what the big deal is. If I haven't wet my pants in happiness (and I haven't), it's not worth an hour's wait for a table.
That said, I think there are a number of positives about Delfina Pizzeria. The place is true to Italian style, with a wine list comprising only Italian wines, with matching appetizers and pizzas. The waiter was very knowledgeable, and I liked his recommended choice of red to match a lighter pizza Margherita and tricolore salad (with mozzarella) to start. I shared both the food items with a girlfriend, and it was just the right amount of food for a light dinner. I like the long breadsticks, too, and the place smells amazing.
However.
Minus a whole star for the surroundings - the place is way too small, and therefore really irritating to be in, whether you're waiting or (finally) eating. People, including mostly well-meaning patrons and servers, are constantly running into everyone in the tiny space, and once you finally sit down, you're armpit-deep in that awkward Craigslist date going on next to you. People are always walking by, amazed by the crowd of waiting, would-be patrons lining the sidewalk, jealously staring at the eaters in their heated outside section. This probably drives business and desire to eat here way up, but Tara says no, especially if you have little patience like I do. More patient folk will probably do better here, to be honest.
I'd come back if in the mood for a lighter pizza (i.e. not Little Star or Pauline's), but I'm not in any great hurry.
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Pizza gone gourmet!
Oh yeah. I have been here 4 times, had a different pie each time and never been disappointed.
Last time I was there, it was quattro formaggi with tricolore insalata, and nothing was wanting. Also: friendly staff, plus sitting right at the counter overlooking the kitchen we could ogle other delicious dishes voyeuristicly.
Many readers may not think of pizza in a gourmet setting, but you will not be disappointed.
I know I gave it 5 stars last time but I had to come back and sing Pizzeria Delfina's praises once again. We somehow snagged a table on the street which made for AMAZING people watching. Definitely worth the wait to get outside.
To start, we had the hand stretched mozzerella which was drizzled with their orgasmic olive oil and served with a small salad of arugula. Also ordered the fennel sausage, red pepper, onion pizza and I was so sad when it was gone. Combine with a cold Sudwerks beer and my 4th of July was complete...ahhhh.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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02/19/2008
This place is deeeeeeee-lish. Ventured out of my 'hood because I heard the food here is to die for.… Read more »
It's a nice little grab and go pizza place.
Our order (just a simple pizza) was going to take about 20 minutes, which gives us enough time to wander over to Bi-Rite Market to grab some drinks and/or antipasti for Dolores Park.
When we had everything ready...we just crossed the street, found the perfect spot and enjoyed our delicious pizza. It had the perfect amount of sauce and cheese but the outer crust was a bit thick for my taste. All things considered, the quality, flavour, and price was a winner for me!
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Meh...
My friend treated me to pizza from this place today. We phoned in our order and picked up so we didn't have to bear the long wait to be seated. The fennel sausage pizza was good but not amazing. The arugala and radicchio salad was a bit soggy and not worth the $8 for such a small portion. I would have rather headed next door to Bi-Rite and pick up an assortment of sandwiches and snacks.
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Nice place to get varieties of Italian appetizers as well as pizzas.
Best part of Delfina pizza is its crust.
Light, crusty outside, chewy inside, and very moist.
Seasoning varies greatly depending on the topping.
Overall, I think I can easily find a pizza that suits my palate better.
Still, this is a pizza that I can eat everyday.
You can avoid a long lunchtime wait, if you go around 3-4ish for early dinner/late lunch.
All the service you get is just a nice smile and no more than that. Then afer all, this is a just a little pizzeria.
De-lish! Had a lovely lunch here with some of my fave boys + one
adorable dog on Friday. Sure, it was hot, hot, hot outside, but the
bottle of wine we downed while waiting for our patio table had us
barely noticing the crazy temps. 30 minutes later, seated at a fab
table (in the shade) with prime people-watching views,we were
revelling in all the pizza choices. Oh my!
2 salads (the tuna is divine), 1 sardine special (who knew sardines
could be so tasty?!) and 2 pizzas later, I was stuffed, happy, and
totally over the guilt of breaking my St Trop diet. That's how good
this place is.
-1 star b/c the wine was just meh and they don't take AmEx.
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I feel sad for people who don't live in Sonoma County where all the food is excellent. Sometimes you SF or Oakland people are fooled into thinking a place is fabulous when it really isn't. Maybe trendiness counts too much for you?
To start, when going to sit down, one will hit the long breadsticks sticking out from the close-together tables with their hips and/or purse, which made me think twice about eating them. The menu was too limited. The prices were ridiculous; there were $10 pizzas that were too simple, and then the price shot up to $17 for the only one that sounded decent.
We got some pizza that was a joke - it had very little sauce, a light layer of cheese, and a mere 4 basil leaves for the 6 slices. How chintzy. The whole thing was super watery, which made the thin crust soggy. The outside crust was good, but not good enough to keep me from declaring it to be the lamest pizza I have ever eaten.
One plus - I had enough room in my stomach to get the best ice cream ever from Bi-Rite across the street.
Do yourself a favor and visit Rosso in Santa Rosa for some excellent simple, fresh and gorgeous Italian food.
It's tough to find a good cheese-less pizza, except at Pizzeria Delfina. We called in an order for a few pies to chow down on during our Scrabble game. The Napoletana was Yum ME. We also ordered the Salsiccia and Panna. And for dessert... the chocolate biscotti were very good. The cannoli were EXCELLENT. Never disappointing. NEVER.
Yeah, the wait can be long. Yeah, it's not crazy cheap. So what. Relax and enjoy the neighborhood.
I would have given this more stars but I love Delfina Restaurant so much I had exceptionally high expectations for the pizzeria. Also, I waited for what felt like nine hours to sit down and I was seriously hungry.
The menu is limited so we ordered a few pizzas, some wine and a few small plates. Everything was really good, but not spectacular. Our server seemed totally apathetic. We would ask for something simple, like water, and then place bets on whether she would remember. She did not.
My advice: When you are a server and you know that people have waited almost TWO HOURS to sit down and eat you should at least PRETEND to CARE a LITTLE.
Pros: Cool neighborhood vibe, good pizza, reasonable prices.
Cons: Absurdly long waits, no reservations, apathetic servers
I found the pizza to be alright in flavor.
Crust is thinner than thin if you like that texture.
Service is pretty horrible.
Strangely enough, I went in when there were zero customers and ordered a Margarita Pizza.
The guy making the Pizza had no orders before me and he put one leaf of basil on the entire pie. ????
When I asked for more, he passed over a plate of browning basil leaves.
Wow.
I'd rather Arnell's on Valencia any day. It may be a hole in the wall, but it's a good slice with no attitude for half the price.
Mmm, Pizzeria Delfina makes a pretty good pizza! If Yelp had 1/2 star ratings they'd be a solid 3.5, leaning towards 4 =) The Insalata Tricolore was excellent, and the Salsiccia pizza had the perfect combination of ingredients: fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions and mozzarella. Unfortunately the toppings had a tendency to slide off due to excessive oil or water, and the edges of the crust were too fluffy and a bit burnt. Still, one of the better pizzas I've had in SF, in a very cute restaurant, and with very friendly staff. Thanks!
With over 400 reviews, why would I even bother? Because I think my opinion counts. That's why.
I love the spicy cauliflower here. Love it so much that I the cyber-stalked the recipe, tried to replicate it at home and got oil marks all over my arms from deep frying cauliflower. I've since decided this is best left to professionals or someone with a home deep-fryer (call me). That said, Delfina Pizzeria is the place I go when I have a pizza craving.
The crust is magnificent: chewy and crispy at the same time. The neopolitana is perfect for those who can't have dairy or those who decide not to b/c it makes them break out (yeah Marcus, I'm talking about you, my vain lil bro). I prefer the margherita. I have simple philosophy about pizza, "if you can't make a good margherita, you have no bitnitz being in bitnitz." Delfina Pizzeria's is perfect with fresh cheese, tomato sauce and basil. The salciccia is also delectable when I'm into sausage and red peppers.
I've also been lucky enough to try the mussels when they have them on special. Delicious. The peach almond crostata is almost good enough to make you forget that Tartine is a few steps away. Almost, cause I'd run down an old lady for the last slice of lemon meringue cake any day. Try me.
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Geez..this place is popping with folks all the time!
Having eaten next door, I've been meaning to try the pizza. I ordered the Margherita to go. Just the atmosphere of music and people enjoying good food just filled the place. Looking at the open kitchen, I could see a clean, fresh ingredient workplace with such a laid back attitude. Very cool in a busy and frantic business.
The pizza was good, but not the best ever. Excellent flavors in the cheeses and sauce. Although everything was fresh and tasty, I like my pizza a little crispier. The chilies, fresh oregano and parmesan added an extra kick. Not saying I wouldn't want to go back, I saw the fennel/sausage pizza as I was leaving and it looked awesome!
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If you don't have a lot of time for lunch and are starving don't go here!
Went really hungry
and waited,
and waited,
and waited.
20 minutes to sit.
1.25 hrs. later, our food finally arrived.
We only ordered 1 tricolore and 1 naploetana.
Salad good. Napoletana was flavorful, but not worth the wait.
I'll stick wtih take-out.
Date & Time: Sunday June 1, 2008 @ 2pm
Company: Michael
Crowd: Young Mixed Neighborhood Hipsters & Families
Atmosphere: Chill
Decor: Cozy Contemporary. Tightly-packed Bench Seating along the Wall and Small Tables w/ Cute Green Chairs. Bar/Counter Seating. Menu written on Chalkboard. Open-Kitchen. Six Roomy Aluminum Outdoor Tables.
Service: Very Friendly and Efficient and With a Smile!
Imbibe: Anchor Steam or Pilsner
Devour: Pizzas! Individual-sized and so Yummy! Faves are Proscuitto, 4 Formaggi & Salsiccia. Pizza comes with small plate of Fresh Basil, Parmesian & Red Peppers. Monterey Bay Sardines & Soup.
Total: $42 w/o tip
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God's pizza joint.
Salumi plate - they had lardo, which was awesome
Chicken and cardoon soup - A
Grilled fennel with bottarga - A- only because it was mullet and not tuna
Clam pie - A+
Hen of the woods, taleggio pie - A+
Cannoli - A+
Had this with a nice glass of Ischia Blanco Superiore 2006
Hard to have a much better lunch.
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There's always a long wait (it's small and they don't take reservations), but maybe there's a reason for it. I love the grilled fennel, the lasagna and stuffed shells specials (as well as the homemade meatball special) and the 'Iripinia' red wine by the glass. I eat there on a regular basis, though, and the staff still doesn't recognize me.
I'll never be going here again due to the insulting service. People are extremely unfriendly, it takes 10 minutes just to get seated when a table is available, and another 10-15 minutes to actually have someone pay attention to you in order to place an order. Another 30 minutes for the actual pizza to arrive.
After waiting patiently for 10 minutes and being completely ignored even though my name was on the board and there was an open table, I had to ask to be seated. After waiting at the table with my menu closed for 10+ minutes, I got up and let my server know I was ready to order. Another 5 minute wait, and she took my order.
It's not just what happened, but the attitude that all of the employees were doing me a favor by taking my order, and that I was inconveniencing them with my requests to be seated and to place an order.
The pizza that finally arrived was decent, but didn't compare at all to 2 other favorites: Pizzaiolo (in Oakland) and Little Star Pizza (17th & Valencia, San Francisco). The flavor of the toppings was boring and lacking depth, and the crust was too doughy.
Finally, the service and the place are devoid of character -- the servers have no personality, are extremely aloof, and are extremely robotic.
They also didn't tell me about the $1.50/person Healthy California surcharge.
There are so many choices, and I find it extremely offensive that the staff here feel that they're entitled to the foot traffic that goes by, so much that they don't care about welcoming their guests or providing a hospitable experience.
What they don't realize is that service is one reason that people can swear off a place even if the food is decent (in this case it's boring and not worth the wait or insulting service).
I'll definitely be taking my business elsewhere.
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Honestly? Eh. I've had much better, more flavorful pizza, with more artfully done crust. They don't have a large selection whatsoever, and what they do have isn't that creative. As far as their sides go, they have two vegetable dishes, Fennel and Cauliflower. Is fennel even substantive enough to ever constitute a side dish? As for the cauliflower, it was overcooked and soggy. We also ordered the Tricolore salad which consisted of about 10 leaves of Spinach and some shaved Fennel. Stupid. Waaaay not worth it for the price and the wait.
if you want some seriously good pizza and good vegetable sides, not to mention amazing cocktails, go to Beretta. I miss the Last Supper Club, but I'm glad their replacement is top notch.
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Eggs on a pizza?!? Brilliant!
Who hasn't had pizza for breakfast anyway? Breakfast for pizza?
Broccoli raab and ricotta. Yes, please.
Check the daily specials if the regular menu isn't enough to get you drooling.
Pizzas are big enough to satisfy two (with a small appetizer) but most people would happily gobble up a whole one.
Perfectly thin dough with a nice crust to sink your teeth into.
Outstanding service amidst the chaos.
They're happy to hook you up with a bottle of wine and some glasses while you wait (outside on the sidewalk) or swing over to Dolores Park for a few - expect to wait.
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Only 1 negative:
Delfina charges the "HealthySF" surcharge. I refuse to go to restaurants which do this, and I hope others avoid them as well. They should just raise their prices and stop being whiners about having to cover health care costs for their employees (like all other businesses).
The staff is nice, the food good.
Hot hot day in the city = people scrambling to unearth their skimpiest outfit from their closet
Hot hot day in the city = long long restaurant waits.
Hot hot day in the city = people in their skimpiest outfits checking out each other while waiting for a table
How long did we wait for a table at Pizzeria Delfina? 55 minutes! Was it worth it? No pizza is worth 55 minutes. But the warm balmy weather and several glasses of wine really made the wait outside Pizzeria Delfina less painful. I won't speak for the other 63 people waiting for their table, though.
We had the Salsiccia and copious servings of the Nero di Troia. Very good...but again, no pizza is worth a 55 minute wait.
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I like it and I've had some decent pizza. Nothing special.
Echoing the majority of the sentiments here. My girl and I ate here for lunch the day before and were inches away from a repeat the next day.
If its still available I FULLY endorse their current featured pizza with guanciale, spring onions, and chili flakes.
Ambiance, service, and food were great. My only regret is not ordering a pizza featuring either their house-cured pepperoni or fennel sausage.
In some cultures it would have been morally acceptable for me to murder my dining companion for detouring our trip to Bi-Rite Creamery and standing in the way of me going into a delicious sugar coma after I've packed enough ice cream in my mouff that I could kill a small African tribe with just one burp. Thankfully for him I was feeling very forgiving that day and agreed to having dinner at Pizzeria Delfina instead.
The food was pretty good. The lemonade was the perfect mix of tart and sweet. The salad with oranges and fennel was a perfect summer salad. It was light, crisp, refreshing and had the right amount of dressing. The pizza was the one slight glitch. While it was delicious the middle of it seemed soupy. The sauce was running everywhere and the end of the slice just folded in half.
The location is perfect for people watching. The Mission hipsters were out in full force the day I went. If you sit outside you get a great view for people watching. It made me want to tattoo my entire body with ironic images of guns, hearts, roses, and swallows.
The service was a bit off but I think that may have had to do with the fact it was busy. Everything seemed horribly mistimed and while our waitress was nice enough I think she only stopped by once to check on things and we never received our spice plate.
Dinner for two...$35.92 (incl. tip)
Wanting to tattoo your entire body after an afternoon of people watching...PRICELESS
EDIT: In his defense I did eventually get a pint of salted caramel to take home which I just remembered is still in the freezer :-D
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Amazing pizzas. Very thin, very simple, but wonderfully constructed. Try to get a table on the sidewalk. It's fun to see random people drooling over what's on your table.
The line gets long so get there right when they open if you don't want to wait.
I'm rather undecided about this place. It's very popular and always busy, so it's tough to actually get a seat there.
As far as the pizza goes, it is decent pizza. The main issue I have is that it is not consistent. One of the cooks is in love with olive oil, which is fine, except he puts way too much on the pizza and it ends up being more like soup rather than pizza.
The pizza's are always well cooked and the crust is decent. It is a little dry and lacking flavor.
That said, most of my experiences here have been good. I'd go again in a heartbeat.
We had spicy cauliflower, which was delicious, and the clam pie and broccoli raab pizzas. The ingredients were great and everything was cooked well, but I have to say they lacked a little soul. They were a bit insipid. Maybe we just ordered the wrong dishes? The service on the other hand, was impeccable, even though the place is very small and it was packed. We also had a glass of the lambrusco reggiano concerto, which was a fizzy red wine served chilled, and it was fun and different. I will probably go back and try different pizzas next time.
Their small, thin crust pizzas are actually quite good. Kinda Neopolitan. I hate most pizza in SF. Delfina is an exception. The Margherita is my favorite: simpler is better. I only get takeout and haven't tried non-pizza items.
1 star off because they charged me a "fee" for the Healthy California thing but did not tell me ahead of time that they would be doing so. I must admit that pissed me off. I just wanted to be notified ahead of time. Before ordering and being charged.
Plus I think of Delfina's as being a pretty successful business so i balk a little at the idea of helping this very successful SF business pay for their worker's health care. Why shouldn't the owners foot the bill? Or at least why not come clean at the outset and tell me up front that you will be charging me this "fee"?
Besides that -- the pizza margherita was the best I've ever had in my life. All the items were great, (cauliflower, tricolore salad, the artichokes) simple preparations with great ingredients. I highly recommend the food. Go early for dinner (like 5:30) and you won't have to wait!
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What is there to say after 470 reviews? Guess I gotta add my two cents. Here's the deal I don't really like pizza. I know, I know, who doesn't like pizza. But since everyone loves Delfina I thought maybe I'd like this pizza. Caveat: We got it to go. It was actually decent. I love the basics so the Margherita was really tasty. We also got the Panna. I love me anything with cream in it. Yummy. For now I'll give this place three stars and hopefully I actually get to eat in the restaurant soon and it'll be even better.
Sigh...I could eat their margherita pizza every day. The flavors are perfectly balanced and the crust is excellent. Stick to either the Margherita, Four Cheese, or Hen o' the woods, and you can't go wrong. The sausage pizza is just so-so (I actually prefer Giorgio's on Clement for their sausage pizza), and their other pizzas are um, interesting. Oh, and this is not the place to go to if you're really hungry as the food is on the light side.
The wait staff could be a little friendlier, but they're so busy I don't blame them for their brusque demeanor. The guy behind the counter is always sweet though.
So I was hanging w/ my friend Sta last friday and we stopped off here to grab a bite to eat for a late lunch. We were actually seated right away, so I guess i didn't experience what others have.
We ordered the plain cheese pizza. meatballs, beer and lemonade and dessert.
The meatballs were very tasty. Nice blend of spices and the texture of the meat was excellent. I'm not sure what kind of cheese they used for the pizza, but I loved the thin crust.
I was disappointed when they ran out of lemonade. but overall this place gets 4 stars.
This place has great service. Everyone is very friendly. I do recommend drinking when you are waiting for your food.
This place I will be returning to again. hopefully soon.
I love Pizzeria Delfina. I wish it was bigger so it could accomodate more people...but I do think it is worth the wait ... and there usually IS a wait. It is really fun to sit at the counter and watch the staff prepare all the dishes and make the pizzas. They have an excellent wine selection- it is worth it to buy a bottle of red to enjoy with your meal. I highly recommend starting with the Insalata Tricolore- a salad with arugula, radicchio, and endive with a light and tart lemon vinegratte (love the dressing). It is simple, but refreshing. The grilled fennel is good too- i heart olive oil. My favorite pizza is the Broccoli Raab- the ricotta is a nice change from standard pizza cheese- but the Salsiccia and 4 Formaggi are excellent too. Make a plan to go to Delfina pizzeria and save room for Bi-Rite ice cream for dessert! It's conveniently located across the street.....yum!
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