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Z-Bar..the one good thing I have to say about you is that I got inside of you for free. F-R-E-E. And, it literally takes me 2 minutes to get to your front door from the hotel we stayed at, so you kind of win by convenience. That leaves me little room to complain. Plus, we don't dare risk getting pulled over (or excuse me, "walked over") close to Ale Wai like last time we attempted to drive elsewhere. Damn those Nissan Altima rentals headlights! lol
But seriously, wow..you need a new decorator. I can't tell you how incredibly cheesy your smorgasbord of brass statues are. It resembled a peculiar gaudy collection of different treasures from 'round the world. Hello King Tutankhamen's head. Hello, vase carrying European beauty. Hello, little cougar. All that marble and plush pimp furniture..wow!
Luckily we already came slightly tipsy and were in good company, so in any other state of mind we would have probably not hung out for as long as we did. Don't expect to come to a party, you have to BE the party..so bring the right group of people with you if you intend to have fun. Let's face it, with the right people, you could be anywhere and still have shits & giggles.
The "VIP" area felt like a Champagne Room in a strip club. I've never been in one, but this is what I imagine one would be like. My friend jumped up on a piece of furniture plyometric style (don't ask me how or why she gets such urges), and an asian man in a suit wagged his extended pointer finger at her as he reprimanded her saying "This is not your house". We laughed, as it was followed by one of the cocktail waitresses saying "I though that was pretty cool!". Take that, wagging finger dude.
Back in 2004 this place used to be awesome, but after they made it 18 and over I can only explain this to be the most ghetto club in Waikiki. There are always a million people here, but they look like they traveled too far past Kalihi. I see fights there all the time. Clubs are places to have fun, not a place to prove how angry and manly you are. You know its bad when the cops hangout outside to make sure people don't shoot each other
Drinks are cheap, decorations are a bit 80's for sure, If you enjoy hangin out with douche bags all night then this is the place to be.
If you have any sense of class, I suggest you stay away from Zbar
Zanzabar was one stop in my friend's bachelor party. I've been here a few times. Yes, it's touristy, but it's big and located conveniently near most of the major hotels in Waikiki.
If you're looking to party with the locals, this is NOT the place to go. If you could care less about that, then Zanzabar will suffice. Try to obtain a discount card from a promoter to avoid paying the hefty cover.
I go here Tuesdays for the Latin night. It's one of the better (best?) places to dance salsa, bachata, and yes, merengue in Hawaii. They powder the dance floor so it's nice and slippery, and the decor is classier than any other club I've seen in Hawaii (eg it HAS decor). Bathrooms are usually pretty clean.
On the weekends, it's just like any other club--sketchy. I'm so glad I discovered salsa. I don't have to dance amongst sketchy men at clubs when I want my dancing fix anymore!
Get in for $5 before 10pm.
Salsa/latin dance music til about midnight, when they change it over to reggaeton and I leave.
I went here one night while on vacation in Waikiki and it gets three stars alone for the pure people-watching entertainment aspect. Yes, I am kind of an asshole like that and I am content to sit in a corner and laugh at people all night. But whatever.
I'm not sure why people paid covers, I went on the website and got in free. It's very easy to avoid covers. And compared to the prices of the drinks at the resort I was at, this place was a bargain and a half. I never waited long for drinks at the bar, and the few times we ordered from a waitress she was very prompt.
Yeah, a lot of people dressed sleazy and there were some creepy guys, but seriously, what do you expect at a club? I have been to some of the more upscale places in Miami, Boston, and New York and there's plenty of sleaze no matter what kind of bar you're at.
I thought it was a fun time, and the entertainment factor is fan-effin-tastic!
Ok, so here's the deal.
If you like:
-being in small confined areas with too many sweaty people and not enough ventilation
-a group of unattractive people and way too many drunk military guys
-underaged girls dancing like sluts to steal drinks from unassuming guys over 21
-overpriced drinks that taste like the alcohol has been married and is no longer the actual liquor the label intends
-obscene lines for a $10 cover or a short line for obscene cover $20-30
-a terrible DJ that plays the good songs for a good 10 seconds and a weird ass, shitty mix of songs that makes no effing sense
-creepy guys that have no problem putting their hands all over you and trapping you in a corner to dance with them
then this is the place for you!
if those don't sound fun, i would highly suggest going elsewhere. don't let the lines fool you. we thought, "oh wow, look at that line, looks like an awesome place to go" and then we went in and thought, "oh shit, it's a whole bunch of little 18 year olds trying to act hard that think they're super cool". pass on the babysitting and go to a real bar.
LOL... what a joke.
$10 cover?
Edited music?
Small-ass dance floor?
TV's on ESPN?
WHACK.
So-So place. and they charge you for water.
It's very similar to clubs here in the bay area, so as a tourist coming from the bay area, it wasn't a big of a change. The club gets packed though, so it wasn't boring. the music was okay too. Get here at around 11, or the line will be long.
Two of my friends and I came here late at night after a wedding on a Sunday. They charged us $10 cover per person and the bouncer claimed that there were 250 people inside. Uh huh.
Drinks are cheap - my gin and tonic was $4. The crowd is rather ghetto though. There were streetwalkers there on break! Some would say that adds character to the experience.
The music was pretty good - the DJ spun some decent hip hop. The place is huuuge but really feels ghetto. I thought I was in some bad 80s movie. Haha. However, my friends and I still enjoyed ourselves - so that was enough for me. Besides, watching all the crazy people dancing was rather entertaining.
I didn't notice the people here being more ghetto or sleazy than the usual caliber of people you'd run into at a club.
*shrug*
Nothing special either way. Just this one creepy guy in VIP.
After Bar35, a lot of people still wanted to see what else was in store for us that night. This is where we ended up. It was our 3rd and final stop. This place is located in the Waikiki Trade Center and the entrance made me believe it was nice and all upscale.
However, I was completely disappointed. The place was way too ghetto and a lot of the people there were sleazy and very inappropriate. The BF probably noticed the sleazeballs and we ended up not staying long, maybe 20 minutes. Then BF grabbed me and led me out all the while sleazeballs grabbing me in very inappropriate places. If I wasn't being led out like there was some sort of fire, I would have drop kicked someone. To think that I even had to pay cover for that. Lame.
The only thing they had going for them was the size of the place. It's spacious but it's not enough to get me to go there ever again.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
No dress code.
No cover.
Decent music.
All good components for a fun night out? Hmmm...
A tad too ghetto for me with the locals tryna pick up on the tourists. Single ladies do get descended upon so make sure you go to the bathroom in pairs (See fellas, there is a rhyme and reason to why we go in groups). The VIP lounge is chill but the type of place I would def not leave my drunk unattended. Feels almost like you're dancing in a cave - a cave with mirrors all over the walls and ceilings like a crazy funhouse.
But I was there with good company...and well, 2 girls find a way to have fun anywhere we go. Doesn't hurt that we drank two-thirds of a bottle of Henny before heading out either...
They say it's not the place you go, but the company you keep that makes the night exciting.
Zanzabar has a staff of college students who are very friendly and attentive. Cover is cheap, maybe $5-10, but get on the guest list for a waiver. You can wear liberal attire here, but no flip-flops or hats. If you have a hat, it will be checked at the door. Make sure you validate your parking ticket, as it will save you about $4.
Zanzabar used to be a great club. Over the years, it has begun to decline into oblivion, with Friday nights bringing a tiny crowd (if you could call it a crowd), and Saturday nights only drawing a few more customers. It's 21 and over, so Fashion 45 nightclub upstairs siphons off a lot of potential customers with its 18 and up policy.
On Thursdays, the local radio DJ Rick Rock from 102.7 "da bomb" hosts Thirsty Thursdays, which features obscure drink specials on beer I don't like. It's closed Monday, and Tuesday is Latin night, which on some occasions has had a really good crowd dancing to salsa & merengue. Friday and Saturday have a moderate turnout, but the crowd is a little ghetto and usually rowdy.
The VIP area is generally open unless there is a private party. There are two dance floors, the main floor pumping the usual chart-toppers with a mostly hands-off approach to DJ mixing. The other dance floor has a bar that is only open when it is busy (read: rarely open) and features Latin, Raggaeton and occasionally some house or mash-ups.
A final thought: If you are drunk, drive with extreme caution while exiting the parking structure, since there are usually about four Honolulu Police Department patrol cars camping the exit, with maybe six to ten police officers hanging out, checking your tags, your tints and your muffler.
A final, final thought: If you are drunk or hungry, go to the Jack in the Box down the street. Not only will you get a delicious Chicken Ciabatta (well, what else would you get?), but you will also enjoy the dramatic patrons loudly fighting, making out, or both at the same time while waiting for their fries.
if you want to be gang banged and deal with stuck up club promoters, this is the perfect club for you. Be careful people, my friends and I went there because we had nothing better to do, she was drugged! Its a dirty dirty place where the djs play crappy music and the dancers are shetty. At least our guy friends paid for us to get in, so not worth coming back.
It's nice inside but fully crowded!! Located behind the strip of waikiki so you know alot of out of town folks come here also military ha! Ok music..Drinks are average..If you party here make the best of it!
Hmm, not surprised to see how Zanzabar has such low ratings, but I figure I'd write on it to serve it some justice.
So yes it's trashy alright, especially on the weekends. This is definitely a tourist spot, locals rarely hang out here especially now that the Shack is right next door. It seems like the crowd flocks in around 1am then the club is all of the sudden packed like sardines.
Why I still come? well, cause on thursdays local id get in free. Drinks are relatively cheap ($5 per cocktail), decor reminds me of a hostess bar in Asia (in a good way though ha), also it's spacious compared with most clubs in Hawaii, and music is great!
So no, Zanzabar is not a hook-up spots, nor would you see much sexy bitches (go Hanohano room for that.) But it's kinda nice to hang out with friends, shake your booty then head home on mini fridays.
For Hawaii, Zanzabar is spacious and when it's slow (especially before 1am) it seems cavernous. The decor is also outdated; there is far too much brass and mirrors everywhere.
Also, gals who are brave enough to come here without male escorts, be prepared for the onslaught of pick up lines and lame attempts at getting your cell number by drunk military men and pimp daddy wannabes. And gals who come with male partners, when he's away using the restroom, be ready for the same unwanted attention from these bozos.
Ugh!
2.5 stars
I want to give this place a good rating because my friend's uncle manages this club. Buuuuuuut, to be fair to all yelpers, I must state the truth.... this place is ghetto with lots of not-so-good-looking people. This is a touristy spot, with barely any locals to be found. My Hawaiian cousin shook his head when I told him where we were going that night. I have to say, he was a trooper for coming anyway!
The DJ who was spinning that night was realllly old and as a joke, I had my friend go up and ask for his business card. He mumbled he barely gives it out so he shuffled around for it. When my friend finally got it and passed it to me, I was so surprised. His business card was so outdated, he had to use white out to edit his new number! Who does that????!
Anyway, this place can be fun if you come with a large group. BTW, be prepared to pay for cover.
Zanzabar will go down in infamy as the place where we spent the whole night taking pictures of sad faces because it sucked so bad, but we were too cheap to leave because we'd already paid a cover and bought overpriced drinks.
It will also be remembered as the place where I saw a guy who looked like my high school math teacher dancing his heart out with his eyes closed. Hey, at least one guy was having fun. Where's his review? Nowhere to be found on Yelp, I suppose.
New years eve...a funny night that is. Its the one night of the year everyone is expected to go out, kinda like how Easter is the one Sunday everyone is expected to go to church. I dont consider myself a club hopper by any stretch of the word (im a houseparty kinda guy), but i do go out every now and again if for no other reason than to make sure my friends get home safely. Still, i was optimistic when my friend called and told me he reserved a table for us all at Zanzabar's. Yeah, i had gone before, so I knew it was gonna be a less-than- classy crowd. Still, i figured "hey, its NYE. Surely people will bring their "A" game tonight. Besides, it beats staying at home, right?".
After an excellent meal (see my review for Arancino), we rolled down to Z's, got in and say at our table. Lets see, the drink menu. Really? Seriously? I dont drink, but even i know a bottle of Grey Goose doesnt cost $250. Seriously? Hey, its NYE. Oh well, no matter. Alcohol does not interest me. Lets have a look on the dance floor.
Girls at clubs are funny. Careful study shows they usually fall into one of 4 catagories:
1) Look @ me's - these are the girls that come half dressed to a night club with a pack of other look @ me's "just to dance with their girls". Approaching one may result in receiving appaulded looks, mocking laughter, or just down right getting ignored. After all, she bought that napkin she's wearing just to dance with her girlfriends and didnt have guys in mind at all. I watched a few poor saps have a go at them with no success. I give the guys credit for trying, though.
2) Chase me's - these girls sit alone in one spot most of the night looking great. They make eye contact with a guy and smile at him repeatedly just to get him to come over and say something to her. When he does, she's very dismissive and one-word answerish. If a guy feels like investing time and energy into it, he may come away with her phone number, which usually leads to more chasing in the form of "he has to call me 3 times before i answer" and whatnot. Many guys fall into this catagory, too.
3) Salary seekers (aka gold diggers) - self explanitory. Yeah, they will talk to you, but mostly about where you live, where you work, what you drive and how much you make. And with so many guys using that to impress women in the first place, they never run out of men to talk to.
4) Around-the-way - these are your cool as hell girls that are easy to talk to about whatever, approchable, and just really there to have fun. The guy has to come correct cause they have no tolerance for nonsense, but they dont go out of their way to brush anyone aside. At Zanabar's, these are few and far between.
"What, Steel...you bashing women?", you may be asking. No, in fact quite the opposite. When a pretty girl goes to a place like Zanabar's, she has to do what she has to do to protect herself and have a good time. I understand why she does what she does, no matter what number she falls under. Look out for yourselves, ladies. Its all good.
Being that i was not in the mood to deal with 1 - 3, and didnt feel like searching for a 4, i just stayed to myself and talked to my friends and the passer-by's. DJ was pretty good, i must say. Things werent so bad until around 10:30. Some sloshed guy decided to share his drink with me...all over my shirt. He then has the nerve to say "oh you need to by me another drink". Really? Seriously? You run into someone that, for all intents and purposes, was a picture on the wall and I should be YOU a drink? Disregarding him and his request, he walks off eventually. Im drying off at this point though i reek of what i think is jagermeister. Good luck not getting a DUI if i get pulled over on the way home. But wait, whats this? What to my wondering eyes should appear than this guy and girl adamantly and vigorously "pleasuring"each other in the corner right next to our table. I mean full on, damn near XXX madness. A security guy walks by. I look at him, he looks at me, smiles, shrugs, and walks away. Really? Seriously? I mean...really?! This was a new low even for Zanzabar's. Once finished, the couple in question took napkins from OUR table, cleaned themselves up and walked away. I wish i were exaggerating, but im not.
Really? I mean was all this really better than my bed, microwave popcorn and late late show? Im really ready to just go home now, but i cant.
"STEEL! HEY!" I am suddenly embraced by the arms of a woman that im not quite sure i know just yet. Her face is buried into my chest and i was still getting over the shock of the "show" i just got before looking to see who she is. Ahh yes, i remember her now. I met her a while back at a restaurant. She's one of those #4's i was talking about perviously. She's drunk as a skunk, yet she remembers me. Man am i glad 2 c u. "So, do you have anyone to kiss @ midnight?" she asks. No, but if you are offering, far be it from me to turn down a woman's affections. HNY, all.
I used to come here often, but there's been a huge transformation of some kind and since then, the crowd has gotten even skankier and more ghetto. I feel like I'm partying in East Compton or something (never been there but just trying to make a point). I noticed the change starting from when Fashion 45 was closed for remodeling and it hasn't really turned back. It was pretty ghetto before but now it's super super ghetto. I don't mind the layout, the music, the bartenders and other staff...if it was a completely different crowd then I would consider coming here again...otherwise I'll stick to the classier but slightly snobby crowd of Pearl.
Probably the only club in Hawaii I've been to that I actually have fun at. For me, good music =… Read more »
This place look really nice, but damn, does the club in general SUCK ASS. I went on a trip to Hawaii with a group of friends last year and we came to this club thinkin' it was gonna be crackin' as hell because of all the fliers and stuff on the sidewalks.
uhh, WRONG!
We got inside and the place was almost completely empty. Maybe 20 people total, and that's including my group of about 8. The music was okay..the DJ couldn't play most of the songs we were requesting because they were too profane. WTF!? this isn't a high school dance! Anyway, we waited and sat down, and tried to dance at times until a group of gangster dude wannabes came in trying to get all up on us. We teased them for a while, said "oh hell no", and bounced.
The only upside of this was that we only paid $5 to get in..but I would've rather spent that on 4 more pieces of spam musubi..
We're on our way to The Shack for some late night eats...It was the only place open.... more on that review...
Walking past the trash on the line to get into Zanzabar made me happy not to be 21 anymore.... icky, icky boys who weren't quite sure if they were pimps or those guys from A Night At The Roxy... seriously... I was afraid to touch the anything on my way through to get to The Shack for fear I'd catch something needing antibotics to exterminate.... the girls all looked like prostitutes... so I guess it was an equal pairing.
Maybe I'm just an old grouch.
Ok... if you're truly looking for a shady meat market then you'll probably like this place. I thought this place totally sucked. First off I am in no way racist what so ever but let me tell you I thought it was a 50 cent convention going on in there. I mean, if you're a black guy you'll love this place... it's totally perfect for you because you'll find a smorgy of f.o.b. hootchies.
Me, I like to be in an atmosphere with more intelligent looking people. I think I've said enough about this place... time to move on (heh).
I had an alright experience here the times I've went. I've been here maybe a few times when I visited Waikiki.
Line wasn't long at all, free entrance, and the club was moderately filled. I can assume most were tourists since it was very mixed. I actually saw the same older couple that went to the same Luau we went to earlier in the day! Yeah the crowd was a little off, but that was alright. I was there with good company.
The decor was actually alright. It was different, but a good different. True that there was some cougars and panthers, but decor is decor. If you are paying attention to that while drinking and with the dark lighting and the red lights, then you should just leave and go across the street to that rainbow bar... you know the one. It just had one large dance floor that was recessed into the floor, so you had too take a step down into it.
Overall though: Drinks were priced alright. Decor was kind of corny but it didn't take away from the atmosphere. Alright music. FREE cover on some nights. Mixed crowd. No real gripes.
I can't explain how much i hate this place.. the club is totally ghetto... makes me feel like i'm at city nights in San Francisco.. even though i've never been there, but i'm going my friend's experience at city nights back in the days.
Another club for low lives, for men who haven't gotten laid in awhile, for girls who think they're the shit but they're actually. Most of the people here are tourist who don't know how to dance.Ton of non English speaking Japanese girls who can't dance with the rhythm.. and a bunch of rippers as well.
This place was empty as well... but it was the closest place to our hotel without a taxi cab ride. They even charged us a $10 cover to get in on an empty night. I'm so disappointed with this place... i believe i even saw a hooker inside, because i saw her on Kuhio trying to find a guy to play.
My friends and I went to this club a couple years back and from what I remember, it was pretty gross. TONS of military guys who just want to get laid. I had a couple guys who were pushing 50 buying me drinks (I was 18 at the time.)
Ew.
Even worse than Fashion 45, but the decor was interesting.
We went here before Fashion 45 as it was cover free. We went in and went out.
-Lots of cougars and panthers
-Fobbie Asian women dancing with no rhythm
-Tacky decor to go with the cougars and panthers
-Could be good if you go with a large group, but don't expect much otherwise unless you like that sort of thing
I'm surprised other reviewers ripped on this place so badly . . . maybe it's because i went there a while ago and it deteriorated since then? My roommate and I went to Honolulu for a week and partied 3 nights at Zanzabar . . . having clubbed in NYC, SF, LA and Shanghai, I was still pretty pleased with this club.
First and most importantly, my roommate and I love to dance, so music is our #1 priority when we go clubbing, and Zanzabar always played the best, most danceable music compared to the other clubs we visited while were out in Honolulu. Also, I'm a big fan of this whole "no drinks on the dance floor" policy . . . I've had too many clothes and shoes ruined because some drunk idiot has no motor coordination whatsoever. If you want to have a drink in your hand all night, go to a bar, not a dance club.
The whole charging cover thing doesn't bother me at all, I actually prefer to frequent clubs that charge cover because it usually means that: (a) I don't have to wait in line to get in; (b) the club isn't completely packed with cheap people who can't bear to part with $10 for a few hours of entertainment; (c) the bartender isn't watering down the drinks because the club needs to make money off liquor; and (d) I actually have room to dance
The last 2 times we went to Zanzabar we got to go into the VIP area, they have the yummiest chocolate covered strawberries there!
cheesy, i get mad on the dancefloor because it gets too crowded. High cover, top 40 from 6 months ago...well it is Hawaii...alot of military, and tourists...anyhow, the decorations are cheesy too, but nice with the marble...too bad this place needs a new manager/promoter or something. it's stale.
I give Zanzibar 4 stars simply for its decor. Hello, cheesy cougar and lion statues...I luvvv you!
I visited Zanzibar last year, and let me tell ya, I had to review my camera the following day to remember how my night went. There were pics of military dudes, my friends dancing, and loads of those gold, gawdy statues. What more can I say if my night at a club consisted of mostly taking pictures of statues.
All the guys i've ever met from this club remind me of my favorite clerks 2 quote.
They're "Sex nuts and retard strong".
'Nuff said.
How can I possibly top Jeff A's ultimate description of this place???!
I'm not going to try but I'm just gonna give my opinion.
Essentially, Jeff A's completely right bout this place. This is one of the clubs that essentially turned me into an anti-clubber in hawaii.
The first time I went here, I wanted to leave in about 10 minutes 'cause the people were rude (not the servers, they were okay and just trying to understand why they still work someplace with this many assholes). It's full of chicks who think they're better than you, for some random reason, and dudes that think they can pretty much do anything to any chick they want to 'cause they happen to be in Zanzabar.
And they have the nerve to charge to get in??!! Wow.
The only reason this place hasn't earned only 2 stars from me is that they have hosted cool poetry events in the past. (I got to even feature in one of them, hence the small little sentiment that I have for this place)
But if you *do* end up coming here, park at the old Imax theatre parking lot. It's a flat rate and they don't close up at 12am.
I'd rather be at the gay club across the street. Better drinks and no cover.
I agree with these other reviews. It sucked! We had to pay to get in, so we tried to make the most of it. But we left early and ended up going somewhere else. The club never filled up, nor was it going to. Nasty men inside, luckily we were accompanied so that wasn't an issue!
In Vegas this place would make it, but I'm surprised it's still opened!
Kids kids kids. If you miss your high school dances, show up. If you miss sadie hawkins, this is it. If you do not like to dress to impress, you have to be here. You get my point. Young crowd on weekends, and line was long. If you are looking for a classier joint, check out my other Hawaii reviews. With that said, the club is nicely furnished. The bar is very small but they have waitresses walking around the club to serve your needs.
i have to give this place a 4, only cause i had such a good time here. the place is cool. the crowd can be kinda too much military but i was with good people and yeah TOns of fun baby. only go though if you are with coool people, otherwise, yeah you can skip the joint. it proves that who you are with matters.
So I think the only reason we went here was because one of my best friends who's stationed out here recommended it for its music. They do play good music and they play BAY music at that! But the crowd is sort of ghetto and trashy! So if I ever make it back down there I won't be going here again!
Nice club for Hawaii. This was actually the best one I have visited in Honolulu.
Big and spacious, which was nice.
Good music, good crowd. Mostly tourists though, but what do you expect?!?
Weak.
Went here twice. First time, it was dead! 2nd time, it was a little better, but still not worth the cover charge...
You'd think it would be crackin' cause it's right on the strip and it's easily accessible to tourists, but nope. Such dissapointment...
I want to give this night club no stars.
This club sucks. went to the VIP Lounge with my wife and friends and ordered some drinks. then the bartender F**** up the Drinks.He ordered a liqiud cocaine it smell like nothing inside the drinks and when we taste it. it taste like shit.
then her friends went out and ask for the same drinks and the bartender made it better. me and my wife left early and her friends stayed.
That bartender Girl that worked in the VIP Lounge Needs to be fired. all her drinks taste like crap. I can not believe that This bartender is just wasting good alcohol.
the woman in the clubs are ungly. except for the gogo dancer. just the woman coming in to this club. thats is the reason why i left with my wife and friends so damm early.
Honolulu, HI
Category: Hotels
Honolulu, HI
Category: Sports Bars
Honolulu, HI
Category: Restaurants
Honolulu, HI
Category: Lounges
Honolulu, HI
Category: Lounges
...and i'm not talking about sports. well, maybe…
what? they do! "\(^(oo)^ \) (/ ^(oo)^)/"…
I had the best of times, i had the worst of times,…
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