Guava

I am bummed this place is closed. Went there and had a good time and the food was good and the service was excellent. Hopefully they will figure stuff out and re open somewhere else.

Style over substance. Attractive décor/​colors, great waitstaff, pretty food. Unfortunately the food itself was lacking. Shrimp ceviche was overpowered by the spicy ketchup sauce to the point of nothing having any flavor… just spicy ketchup. The carmelized onion/​pork quesadilla was good… but nothing special. The grilled chicken salad with cilantro vinagrette was underwhelming as well. Tiny cubes of tough, flavorless chicken lost in an ocean of typical greens.
I very much wanted to like this place… I did not.

Had a good dinner here a few weeks ago. Was one of the better restaurants around and we’ll be back.
Pros:
Drinks
Chicken Skewer
Fish Tacos — tasted even better the next day as leftovers
Enough plantains to fill the wife
Not a chain (Thank God)
Not so Pros:
Seemed like they were short staffed, but we weren’t in a rush.

Yum! I happened upon this place by chance while I was waiting to get my oil changed at the dealership down the street. I only wish that I hadn’t come here with my non-​adventurous husband and small child. This would be a great place for a girls night out though.
They had a great selection of mojitos and sangrias, but since I would be soon driving I wasn’t able to try them. I did however try the tapas and loved every one of them. I asked the waiter for his suggestions and I ordered the Mexican Chorizo & Potato Empanada, Carnitas & Carmelized Onion Quesadilla and Shrimp Diablo. I was expecting smaller plates and was plenty full after I finished my meal. With the empanadas, you get two good size empanadas, so I would only get this one if you were sharing with someone else. All of the tapas were very good, and would recommend all of the ones that I ordered. My husband got a Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Shrimp. His only complaint is that he was still hungry after eating his meal, but I think most people would have been satisfied. I was worried that this kind of place wouldn’t exactly be «kid-​friendly», but I was surprised that they did in fact have a kid’s menu complete with crayons and a hot pink high chair!
I would definitely go here again but next time would probably take people with me that like tapas so I can try more.

as we were headed to the chinese mall for dinner with the kids, we were drawn here as we saw the signs on the window that said fish tacos $ 2.25 all day. fish tacos? they’re awesome here and my son was hankering for some the other night while he was at la cabanita.
very smart move on their part, as although we ordered 10 fish tacos, we still ordered other stuff because our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. so this time, we ventured further and ordered the mussels appetizer, the mexican chorizo empanada, the tortilla soup and the sweet corn grits.
man! not a bad lot in the bunch. it was all good. and while we didn’t finish all the fish tacos, they were great the next day for lunch.
the service can use some tips though. smile a little. be a little more welcoming.
but overall, great place to have in the hood.

I had seen that Guava opened recently in the old Cucina Roma spot and my interest was definitely piqued once I heard it was a latin fusion type of restaurant. My wife and I went here recently and were immediately impressed by the totally re-​done interior space. It has a very open feel to it and looks much more trendy than the previous tenant. We started off with two of the many different mojitos offered (Green Tea, Pineapple/​Coconut) and we thought the drinks were not only tasty, but also very affordable ($ 8) for the large glass it was served in. I later had the Caparinha which was also good, but the mojitos were top notch. For an even better deal, Wednesday’s is $ 4 mojitos with salsa dancing lessons.
For our dining portion of the evening, we had two ceviches. The shrimp ceviche was outstanding and the bay scallops were also good. For our main courses, we had the Roasted Salmon and Seared Scallops respectively and both enjoyed our entrees. We capped off the night with the Banana Crème Pie which was awesome and so big we even saved half for another night this weekend.
Overall, I was very impressed with Guava and would definitely go back. The ambiance was very trendy and inviting, the drinks were tasty and plentiful, and the food was tasty, unique, and definitely within a good meal out on the town’s budget.

Utterly horrible. The food seemed to be microwaved and was completely cold. The service and décor were okay, but the food is completely inexcusable. The worst part is that the tapas is $ 6 – 10 a plate, which means my group of 5 paid almost $ 90 for microwaved dinners. Avoid this place at all costs!

2.5. I was so excited waiting for this place to open because it looked like a unique, Latin influenced restaurant, and something new is always much needed in the burbs. IF it’s done well. Guava, in my opinion, is in need of some help. Everyone remembers their first impression, and mine was lacking majorly.
My daughter and I came in on a whim while running errands. We uncomfortably sat while a full staff in an empty restaurant ran around like maniacs-​they were «open», but obviously the entire staff was late to work that day. Finally they sat us outside and we waited forever to order… annoying. The sangria was TERRIBLE. I mean tasted like what you think bong water would taste like. It sat in front of me, full, for the entire meal. Never once was I asked if anything was wrong with it. Sweet. My husband and I returned, shaking the 1^st time off as it being new and working out kinks. It was a tad better, but not much. Service is very WEIRD. They seem out in space and like none of them have ever waited tables before. Anyway, onto the food.
1) Tilapia Ceviche– blah, boring.
2) Scallop Ceviche… the one w/​the tomatillos– Once again, very bland.
3) Tuna Ceviche (I really, really like ceviche) — It has sweet potato in it!!! Ew. Nothing spectacular, and once again, missing spices.
4) Shrimp Ceviche– It once again was so oddly bland, but the bonus was my toddler could eat it because she LOVES shrimps and avocados.
5) Tortilla Soup– This was DELICIOUS. Maybe the best tortilla soup I have ever had.
6) Turkey Meatballs– They were good, no wow factor.
7) Fish tacos– Way too fried. We are not in California– If you can’t manage to batter a piece of fish without masking the freshness and flavor, then grill it. Fried fish tacos are never good in Chicago.
8) Enchiladas– Husband seemed to like.
They need to work out some major issues to make it in this town in this economy.

This place is very pretty inside, and it felt calm and relaxing. We started at the bar drinking several of the specialty mojitos (dragonberry, pineapple-​ginger, etc.), and they were delicious! (For anyone interested, the bartender and servers we had were very attractive and charming!) Once my group of 8 was seated, we were served warm (complimentary) muffins with bacon and cheese inside. They smelled amazing, and they were warm and soft. Yum! We tried a lot of dishes, and I have to say that the portions are GENEROUS compared to the tapas restaurants in the city that I have visited. Here is a summary of our fabulous dishes at Guava:
Fried calamari– very crispy on the outside, and perfectly cooked! Nice seasoning, and a hearty portion. Some of the best I’ve had.
Chorizo/​potato empanadas– They have a kick to them, and lots of flavor. One of the favorites at the table!
Crab cakes– this is tough because crab cakes are prepared so differently in various places, but I found them to be excellent! Not overly– breaded, lightly pan-​sauteed, served with a bangin’ lemon aioli. Cannot wait to go back and get some more of these!
Spinach and mushroom croquettes– I would skip these, they were quite bland and dry, and way too filling.
Ceviche trio– I guess the best word is average/​adequate. One of them is quite spicy. It is served with homemade chips, which were excellent. Not the best ceviche I’ve ever had, but decent.
Maduros (this is listed under «SIde dishes» on the menu) — WOW! So great!!! These are fried plantains– so sweet and caramelized and flavorful. Ooooooh, everyone loved these!
Carnitas and caramelized onion quesadillas — Um, yeah, they are as good as they sound. Awesome!
Definitely give this place a try. It is romantic, the service was outstanding, and the staff was awesome. The drinks are fabulous, and the food is full of flavor. Generous portions for tapas. Can’t wait to return!

Guava in Westmont was a good destination for folks converging from Naperville and Berwyn. 4 diners on a Saturday night partook of Latin-​influenced cocktails and tapas with positive result.
Drinks were kicky but the fruity ones, um, didn’t really taste of the fruit they advertised. I had an El Gato Negro caiparhina (blackberry compote with the Brazilian sugarcane liquor and lime); it was clearly blackberry-​y from the color but the flavor was lacking. My friend who got the Guava mojito said the same; not especially guava-​y, though it had the boozy and minty kick. Maybe it’s because it’s winter and the fruits aren’t at peak?
Tapas. These were fairly big «small plates,» so we went through two rounds and were pretty well set. The rundown:
— Turkey meatballs with red mole and cotija cheese. This was the surprise hit with me; I would not have ordered turkey meatballs ever if someone else hadn’t suggested it, but they were sweet and smoky and of a size that they could be split so there was plenty to go around. The «cheese» was tiny crumbs or gratings that looked more like breadcrumbs on top.
— Steamed mussels with spanish chorizo and saffron butter. If you like shellfish, go for these. Tender, succulent, and the sauce they let off into the bottom of the dish was to die for!
— Mexican chorizo & potato empanada: Yum! Crust was so flaky that it had to be full of lard, but damn was this good.
— Carnitas & caramelized onion quesadilla: for the fans of pork. Nicely crisped in a tortilla.
— Warm goat cheese with peppers and roasted tomatoes: This was good but goat cheese is… goat cheese. Also, did not come with enough bread (we agreed that it was more about presentation, with small strips arranged artfully around the rim of the bowl, than about you being able to consume everything in the bowl with the amount of bread they give you. I guess so you’ll pony up for a bread basket off the side dish menu for $ 2.95?)
— Guava BBQ glazed chicken skewers: This was a bit weird: apparently ground chicken reformed around a wooden skewer with a thick guava sauce (I would not call this a «glaze,» which in my mind is much thinner and glossier) coating all sides of it. Not bad tasting, but strange in appearance, and not what I expected from the name.
— Ceviche Trio: two shrimp ceviches (one with tomato, one without), and one with shredded bay scallops. This is of course the seafood dish «cooked» by the acid of a citrus fruit, usually lime. Not bad tasting, but presentation was a little awkward: they came in three small cups of an odd shape (you might see a dessert served in them) with a large spoon provided to divide them.
— Plantain Fritters: I did not try these, but there were mixed reviews: a couple of the party thought they were «ehh,» one person really liked them.
All this added up to about $ 100 total. Not bad to fill up four people including drinks.
Service was a little weird; our waiter had a slightly brusque table-​side manner, as if he just wasn’t used to dealing with people. Kind of odd.
There’s also a party room in the back, where a class reunion or something was going on, and there was NO sound buffer between there and the restaurant, so for the second half of the meal we were treated to what you might think of as shitty wedding reception music. Everyone in the place kept looking back toward that area because it was so distracting.
Décor was nice and understated; lighting got dimmer and dimmer as the evening progressed (and that wasn’t just because of drinks, haha).
It was pretty chilly sitting by the huge windows in January; if this bothers you, ask for an interior table.
It was funny to see people repeatedly try to go in/​out of the non-​functional «door» behind our table throughout the night.
The ladies’ room was pretty and clean.
Overall, an enjoyable meal (minus the ‘80s prom music at the end…); take a taste of Guava soon.

Yum! Brazilian/​Cuban/​Latin-​y goodness in the ‘burbs. A little pricy but well worth it.
Their «tapas» are really appetizer-​sized portions, meaning larger than tapas. My mom and I were more than full with just three of these dishes, whereas at a tapas place we generally order a couple more.
Yay!
+ carnitas and onions quesadilla
+ turkey meatballs
+ shrimp cervice (in a cocktail sauce — sounds odd for cervice but it was awesome)
+ service was great, not many people there for lunch on the Tuesday before Christmas
+ décor is nice, clean and bright without being overly modern
Ok!
— Cuban wrap. Actually it wasn’t bad at all, served cold, strong pickle flavor (no problem for me!), but in comparison the smaller dishes blew this one out of the water. And the peppered potato chips served with the wrap were blah.
Darn!
— no plantains on the lunch menu?!
Guess I’ll have to return for dinner the next time I’m in Westmont, to try the plantains and more of their great appetizers!

I went with a group of 8, since I got a coupon from
, so we have to spend 200 dollars to get 100 dollars off, well, sounds nice since I can try different dishes.
We ordered most of their Latin tapas from their menu, I love their Sea Scallop and spicy pineapple and Peruvian-​style tuna with sweet potato the best, really tasty and good combination. Turkey meatballs must try, very juicy and I love their sauce on that. They serve good mojitos I think, my friend try it and he said it was very good. Also got Coriander Seared Tuna for entrees, standard and not bad.
Kinda disappointed of their guava lemonade, maybe I should put the impression of they named the restaurant Guava doesn’t mean they would serve the better guava lemonade.
Atmosphere is pretty good, roomy, and some night they do have live band music, good location, I like it!
Service was so so since it was a busy night, but in general will go back!

Who knew there was a big Latin flare needed in Westmont? Where the hell even is Westmont?!?
Guava inspires to be a combo of Latin American and Caribbean** comfort foods. The menu is full of eye appealing items; I just wished that they all appealed to my taste buds. I went with a group of six and I can say that we all only found about half the items to be worth a second bite. I think they have the right idea but some of the flavors don’t add up. The plate presentations are wonderful but if the taste if of it’s pointless. They have a great selection of specialty drinks (they have 8 different kinds of Mojitos).
The service was kind of off too, our main waiter barely spoke English which whatever doesn’t bother me but I guess in relaying food items to his servers something didn’t match, we received a couple of items we didn’t order and there were no other tables around us. I guess we were one of the few tables that ordered the special so the chef came out to thank us and asked how we liked it, we were nice about his fish but only had so many fake things to say, he just kind of stood there until the point where it was getting awkward. The atmosphere is very casual with an upscale ambiance. I will give them a lot of credit; it really is a well designed and a great looking restaurant.
Pork carnitas & caramelized onion quesadilla with salsa fresco –pass
Guava BBQ glazed chicken skewer –really tasty
Calamari fritta with peppers and a smoked tomato salsa –not bad at all
Turkey meatballs with red mole and cotija cheese –some were fantastic and some were dry
Duck & Sweet potato sope with peach salsa and queso fresco –pass
Shrimp ceviche –pretty good, shrimp was fresh
Tortilla soup –awful, it was pretty much tomato paste in a bowl
Plantain-​crusted Tilapia with coconut and gandule rice, and pineapple-​ginger mojo –Best item by far
Shrimp & Black bean red chili enchilada –way too many black beans
Special of the day Whole Bass –cooked well but no flavor
I’m not totally put off by the place but if you’re going to charge those prices then the food should be worth it.
**Someone needs to explain what is considered Caribbean food?!? Restaurants seem to plate some fruits like pineapple and papaya or take some exotic fish and grill it then call it Caribbean… I don’t get it.

Expensive and Underwhelming are two words I would use to describe Guava. I personally enjoyed many a meal at the previous establishment, Cucina Roma, so it leaves some pretty big boots to fill.
I had heard enough good things about Guava that it warranted checking out, so being that I was in the suburbs I decided to try it out this evening.
We started out with the Tilapia Ceviche, which looked nothing like ceviche but rather like 6 large slices of tilapia mixed in with salad-​type garnishes doused in the juices one would normally expect in a ceviche. It looked and tasted like no ceviche I had ever had before and not in a good way.
Next I ordered the Coriander Seared Tuna while my hetero life partner ordered the Chopped Steak, which he described to me as a glorified hamburger with pieces of blue cheese on top.
After the disappointing appetizer I was hoping for an amazing entrée, especially after laying down $ 26 for it, sadly the seared tuna just didn’t pack much of a punch. While there was a generous serving of the seared tuna it still ended up being just okay. The tuna itself was seasoned with lemon and pepper and was sitting on a bed of mixed salad garnishes, (just like the tilapia ceviche) the leaves of coriander appeared as if they were an afterthought, despite the dish being called Coriander Seared Tuna.
I don’t know if there was a new cook or something went wrong in the kitchen but others have sworn to me that this place is pretty good. I’ll have to visit it another time to give it a final verdict.

I can’t remember how I came across this great Latin American place but I am glad I did. We are always up for trying a new place that is near home. When I told my boyfriend I found a NEW Mojito bar he was very excited. I think I got a WOOT out of him. LOL.
Located in a strip mall in the old Cucina Roma space right off of Ogden Avenue and Route 83.
Pulling in we were happy with the size of this place because when you hear strip mall you usually think oh no it’s going to be this dinky little place. I did not even know the Italian place closed!
Walking in I loved the atmosphere and the décor along with the dim lighting. Great date spot! We sat at the bar because we were out for drinks and appetizers. Very nice bar set up and our servers were SUPER nice. Good looking staff too. The manager was very friendly as well and chatted with us which is always a plus. I/​we even met the owner/​executive chef! Woot!
We ordered some Mojitos and Sangria which were VERY good. A little pricey though for us. $ 8.00 each but I guess maybe that is the norm for these types of drinks. The Mojitos were in a pretty nice size glass compared to other places we have gone too.
Now the food. OMG so tasty! We decided to order from the Tapas menu. Turkey Meatballs w/​red mole & cotija cheese, Guava BBQ glazed chicken skewers and the Pork Carnitas/​Caramelized onion quesadilla. Now I can’t and don’t normally ever eat onions but these quesadillas were SO good. I think these were around $ 7.00 each and was the perfect amount for two people. We will def be back for more!
They have a very tempting dessert menu too but we were pretty full from what we already had. Next time I will try something off of it.
The staff let us know that on Wednesdays they have live Salsa music along with dancing and $ 4.00 Mojitos. Thursdays they will have a duo that plays regular hits (yay). Sunday’s they have ½ off on bottles of wine. WOOHOO!
So to sum it all up we had a great evening here and we will be back! Best of luck to this place!
CHEERS! :)

If service would improve, I’d jump this review up to 5 stars. Like previous reviews stated, our server started out friendly, attentive, informative, and wonderful – and ended up disappearing for 15 minutes at a time, leaving our drinks empty, and leaving me with a slightly turned off impression.
Thursday nights they have AMAZING $ 4 mojitos, some of the best I’ve ever had, and a GREAT DEAL!!!
They also have coupons on
, which I brought and used, so perhaps that’s why the service turned negligent. But I still tipped over 20%, so I’m not sure what the deal was.
Portions are large and flavorful, I loved the shrimp ceviche, it had huge chunks of fresh shrimp in it– almost a meal in itself. Also the chorizo and potato empanadas were delicious. I wasn’t overly impressed with the turkey meatball – which were recommended to us.
Also, it would’ve been nice to know beforehand that there was a separate dessert menu, which I would have glanced at, if I hadn’t filled up on tapas.
Lovely atmosphere, kick-​ass mojitos, great concept– service just needs to improve greatly. I will definitely check this place out again, in hopes that service improves. Great spot out for a fun, casual evening.

It was hot … we were hungry … didn’t feel like cookin’ … and we were lookin’ for something a lil’ different. After browsing the western burbs’ offerings here on Unilocal we decided on Guava in Westmont.
Guava is in a little mall where Rt. 83 & Ogden cross. The décor is sleek yet still warm & inviting. We sat at the bar and starting perusing the drink menu. Decent selection of beer & wine as well as various takes on Mojitos and something I’d never had before … Caipirinhas. So we started with a white Sangria & a Caipirinha, which is a very refreshing cocktail made by muddling limes & sugar in a glass then adding ice & Cachaca (a Brazilian liquor kinda like rum but has a smokiness like tequila to it). Both drinks hit the spot.
It was early afternoon so we looked over the lunch menu & ordered the shrimp ceviche, the bay scallop ceviche & roasted pork quesadillas. The shrimp ceviche was awesome — the texture was perfect, the avocado chunks were plentiful, and the tomato sauce was slightly sweet yet tart with citrus. The scallops were tender but slightly over-​powerd by the charred tomatillo sauce but it was delicious. The tortilla on the pork quesadillas had a nice crunch to it & the carmalized onion went very well with the tender pork.
After another round of drinks, our steak churrasco & black bean soup arrived. The steak was very flavorful (although next time I’ll ask if I can get it more to the rare side) and the poblano salsa was fantastic. The black bean soup was honestly one of the best black bean soups I’ve ever had. It was smokey, almost buttery, seasoned «just right» and so tasty I didn’t want to share. Luckily, it was good sized so we both got to have some (I just got more!).
The service was warm & attentive. Not once did we feel rushed, we learned a lil’ bit about Brazilian culture, and we had a couple of good laughs with the bartender. We left pleasantly full and intend to return to check out the dinner menu soon.

Sorry, I don’t think this establishment will last very long.
Waitress lured us in and sold us hard. Loved the décor and enthusiasm staff. I also really loved one of their complimentary ham and onion biscuit. Sat down, ordered 2 ceviches, 3 tapas, 1 salad and 2 entrees for 4 people. Prices aren’t too bad.
The food is parallel with their service. They both started out so strong, but ended horribly. Our waitress was really informative, nice, and attentive in the beginning but as our dinner progressed, she disappeared for long periods of time even though we were the only table she was waiting on. The food took forever to come out. So long that the busboy thought we were done with our meals when we only had 3 dishes. He would remove our plates and all our silverware. The waitress then walks by 5 min later to give us our next dish and we had to ask her to replace our plates and silverware. Did she not see our empty table? The cons go on and on.
The worst possible dish to ever get is the paella. Paella is a hard dish to cook, I admit. It takes a long time to slow cook the rice in a big pan in the oven. They brought it out and the first thing I noticed was the rice was still wet with broth sitting at the bottom of the plate. It did not have the nice reddish brown color of cooked paella. I was right, the rice wasn’t cooked. It was still hard. How can you serve an uncooked dish. Or is this really their standard of paella? I do not know and I didn’t care. DO NOT ORDER THE PAELLA!
The shrimp ceviche is really the best dish of the whole night. We ordered the sea scallop ceviche but waitress brought us the bay scallop. boo.
They are really trying hard to be a fancy upscale latin american cuisine. They need to focus on the quality of their food over the presentation details. I do not care how good your presentation is. I want the flavor and taste. Sure as hell isn’t authentic. Will not return.

I went for lunch on Friday to this new establishment with a group of friends and I must say that it was probably the best meal I have had in a very long time. I had the Turkey Burger which is prepared with White Cheddar Cheese and Guava BBQ Sauce. It was absolutely divine! Served with homemade chips, the presentation was perfect.
Everyone at our table was thrilled with this place, we all ordered something different and raved about each plate.
Very modern décor, I am sure this place is hopping at night with a trendy crowd. A must for everyone if you are looking for a great meal, good surroundings and friendly staff.
Oh, and by the way… the Banana Cream Pie is just not right! I’ve never tasted anything like it!

Guava has been open for a couple of weeks but if the experience I had here is any indication of what is to come– I doubt it will be open for too long.
Located in the old Cucina Roma space, Guava takes a modern twist on Latin American food. The décor is modern done in browns and greys with the bar being prominent in the center of the room and the tables scattered about. There are some tables outdoors, however they are on the sidewalk next to the parking lot. I wonder what happened to the old patio?
Service here is clearly an issue. When I first made a lunch reservation– they called back an hour and a half before I was due to arrive to say that the chef wasn’t opening that day due to a party that night. The guy on the phone was uncomfortable telling me this but he did nothing to encourage me to come back another day nor did he apologize. So I jumped through hoops to move my business luncheon to another location at the last minute. Just asking me to return another day or offering to buy an appetizer or something for the inconvenience would have gone a long way.
Still wanting to try Guava, I did go back for dinner and was underwhelmed by both the food and the service. Upon entering the restaurant– the host stand was empty. Not a great first impression. We looked around thinking maybe the bartender or someone else (manager, server, anyone?) was to seat us– but no. After waiting what seemed like forever (nothing like standing in a restaurant with workers scurrying about and have no one acknowledge you) — the hostess showed up and finally showed us to a table indoors.
We then sat there for a full 17 minutes before I went up to the bar to ask for my own drink. Servers and bus help were walking by yet no one stopped to see if we needed anything. Finally our server came over after the bartender pointed us out.
I have never seen a server less sure of herself. I asked about her favorites and she had to read them off of my menu– she didn’t have any (hmm. . make it up people!). I asked how something was prepared and she didn’t know the ingredients. What she did know was the specialty cocktail menu. Great. Perhaps we were to drink our dinner? In spite of her we ordered and wondered how this place was going to survive.
The appetizers came up– scallop ceviche, sausage empanadas and potato and cheese croquette. While they were all plated beautifully– the food lacked any flavor although of the three– the ceviche was definitely the best!
As for our entrees– we went with the seared scallops served over corn with bacon and the shrimp and black bean enchiladas. While both were okay– I certainly am not going to be craving them anytime soon. The enchilada was deconstructed with layers of tortilla and bean in the center with the shrimp and cheese in a sauce over the top. Interesting and again it looked great on the plate.
I also thought it odd that the server asked us if we wanted salt or pepper on the table as she said the food was perfectly seasoned. Hmm. .. .really? And we had another wait as we had no flatware as the busser took out flatware with the first course and had not yet replaced it.
The best thing I had was a margarita that I had to get myself at the bar. This had to be the most awkward restaurant experience I have ever had. The server was uncomfortable in her role, no one was helping each other and it seemed that only the bus staff had a clue about what they were supposed to be doing.
I love Latin American food and I was thrilled when I heard that Guava was opening up not far from where I live. But this experience? Memorable, but not in a good way.