Mastro's Steakhouse — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

First, i have never written a bad review on a restaurant, in my whole life. Second, i’m really familiar with upscale steakhouses like Larsen’s, J Alexander’s, Born and Rise, etc. I’m familiar in general with high end restaurants, as i love to eat well during my frenquent travels.

I had a terrible experience yesterday, having dinner at Mastro’s, Costa Mesa. I ordered a Porterhouse steak, and a glass of red wine. The waiter said “only the steak?”, yelling at me that sides were not included. I found it funny, as the steak price was 72 dollars, but, again, as i‘m used to go to classy restaurants, it’s ok, i ordered french fries as a side (roasted potatoes, my favourite side, were not available).

One of the things that made me crazy is that they served me a portion of french fries for 8 people. Not 4, i mean, 8. I’m used to have big portions, but never seen anything like that. Just a stupid unuseful waste of food.

The steak was ok. Nothing extraordinary. The fillet missed a piece, but could happen. Just average. Same level of the Porterhouse of Texas Roadhouse. Nothing more. The other steakhouses above mentioned performes much better. The wine (i picked an italian sangiovese red, 20 dollars) was below average. I use to drink good wines, this one was a cheap one. The waiter didn’t show me the bottle before pouring me the glass, as the common way to serve it in a classy restaurant.

When they gave me the bill, there was a mistake. I ordered one wine, they put me another one in the bill. Of course, more expensive. They put a Chianti riserva, lol, i had a lot of Chianti riserva. The one I drank was not even close. I noticed the mistake to the waiter, and they corrected the bill.

Given my card to pay, the waiter came in and said “Do you have another card? This one was declined“. I was really unpleased, cause i paid all of my bills in Usa, since 2018, with this card. The waiter and the manager started acting as i was lost for money, lol. I explained them quietly that sometimes, taking the european credit cards, you have to insert the card instead of swiping it. Have they ever seen an european credit card? Are you based in LA or in Myanmar? Nobody told you that in the past? I said “sometimes it requires the pin, no problem, let me insert the card and the pin”. The manager asked me to write the pin on a paper (….) i said “what’s wrong with you? I can pay with this card even at the gas stations. Let me come to the payment desk”. Magically, to the joy of all other costumers that ,after all, were following the theatre commedy, i inserted the card and the payment works. Without even putting the pin. I was completely lost for words.

Some general considerations for the owner/person in charge:

a. The policy of the sides is kind a fraud to make more money. Not classy b. To justify the price for the side, you make portions for 8 people of cheap stuff like fries. Not classy. I tell you a secret: inside the upscale restaurants, people want to eat well, not A LOT. The policy “portion for 4-6-8 people” works at Norms, Denny’s etc. I can also pay 15 for a side, like in your restaurants, if it is great and well presented. c. related to b. Just a quick tip: make yours servants ask to costumers: “do you want a small, medium or big portion of this side?” Believe me, at the end of the year, you will purchase a new Maserati. d. Not sure about the quality of the wine you purchased. Could find better, or you are already aware of that? Anyway, the crew have to pour the glass from the bottle in front of the costumer. And eventually, not making mistakes with the bill. e. It’s strange that in your restaurants they have never seen an european credit card. They saw a lot of them even at Arco and Chevron gas stations. Nevertheless, in case of simple misunderstanding like this, then solved in a while, your crew would not have to act as they are in presence of an international terrorist. Ask the pin of a costumer’s credit card is not, as you can imagine, gently.

To make it simply, to have a classy dinner,...

Didn't live up to the hype!

I've always heard great things about Mastro's but never had been. Tried to get into the Newport location weeks in advance for a client dinner and client birthday but settled on Costa Mesa since it was available and close to our hotel.

I booked the reservation for a client dinner 3 weeks in advance so there was a bit of a buildup / expectation for all involved. Had to revise our party of 5 to a party of 6 a few hours prior and everyone was very accommodating which was great. Arrived at 7:30p and were seated right away. Restaurant was loud and buzzing which made it difficult to chat but was just fine.

Our server (David) was great, greeted us warmly, inquired about our visit and then proceed to bring us a cocktail menu and wine list. Upon David's return we all ordered a cocktail and some wine to breathe. We were all pretty hungry at the time, so we decided to forgo appetizers and order our dinners upon his return.

David returned with our cocktails and explained that he was leaving the martini shakers behind which was a great touch, explained the menu and we ordered. There were six of us so the guys all ordered individual meals, starters and several sides for the tables. The ladies decided to order starters and split the chef's cut 33oz Rib eye which David thought was a great option.

The night continued and we ordered a second bottle of wine and enjoyed our salads and starters and then it took a turn for the worse. When it was time for the entrees all of the guys received their dinners and the ladies received hot plates for their steaks - BUT it never came. When David returned, we asked what happened to the steak and he was clearly caught off guard that it hadn't arrived. He quickly went back to check and returned to tell us it was on the way. After several minutes we inquired again and rather than a return by David it was the Manager on Duty who came to inform us that they had forgotten the steak, but did we still want it. By now we were all but done with our meals and had shared some of our protein and the sides across the table, so we declined the steak and were informed that it would be boxed up and available for us when we left. Even though we were staying at a hotel, the thought of a nice rib eye to share for lunch was appealing.

We continued to enjoy our evening, wine and company. We ordered desert for the table and then asked for the bill. When we received the bill, we asked if they were bringing out the steak as well. David left to inquire (he was great throughout BTW) and a few minutes later returned to tell us the manager would be back to see us. Upon his return we were told that the steak was not coming, it was taken off the bill, but we had told him that we did not want it. At this point we were all a bit over the situation and proceeded to politely voice our displeasure and the client informed him that his actions were not on par with what was to be expected for a place like Mastro's so we moved on.

We did take very good care of our server, (who was appalled with his manager), but expressed to him that the service the manager provided was unacceptable, especially for a Steak House at this level and price point, to which he agreed.

Maybe he was having a tough night, maybe he misunderstood what we were asking for, but in the end, he should have made it right and he did not. There is a level of expectation on the service you'll receive when you're paying more than $100 per head for a meal and that unfortunately...

Mastros does steak well. It’s a great looking restaurant in a great location. I would probably recommend it if you’re taking someone out on a dinner date. But if you’re planning a large event, I would very much recommend looking elsewhere. We had our company Holiday Dinner for 27 people planned in their private patio area with an 8:30PM reservation on a Saturday night in mid-December. We won’t be going back next year.

To start, Mastros does not have a waiting area for large parties. They’ll say you can wait in the bar, but you really can’t fit 20+ people in their bar on a Saturday night. It’s always packed. There’s no room. And they have to know this. The only place to wait for a party that large was outside on the sidewalk. And it was cold outside. No heaters setup. It’s really poor management. Mastros knew a party of 27 people were going to start showing up for an 8:30 reservation. This was not a surprise. There was no plan for any kind of staging or waiting area? Having your guests wait outside in the cold is acceptable? There was a previous party in our space and Mastros really waited until the very last minute to get them moving out. So much so that they were still cleaning and plating the table when our reservation time started. They wanted us to continue to wait outside, but we all headed to the table anyway. Like I said, it was cold. They could plate around us.

During the time we were waiting outside, I asked the hostesses at the front to see the manager, Jeff I believe his name is, three times to see if there was some way to accommodate everyone. I was told he’d be right out. Never showed. Honestly, the hostesses at the front could not care less about what you want, and it shows. They are not friendly people. I understand it’s a busy place, but it’s not a CoCo’s Diner. There’s a level of service that should be expected.

As for the dinner service, it was decent. Not great. Decent. The servers were nice and they tried. I understand it’s a large party and it was a tight space. Many things were forgotten and requested multiple times. But the servers never seemed put out, and were at least verbally happy to accommodate. You just have to be patient.

As for the food, the entrees (the meat) were great. Well done. The cocktails were good and well made. Their seafood ice tower is pretty cool. The accompaniments (garlic mashed potatoes, cream corn, sauteed asparagus, etc) were business conference quality at best. Really mediocre. They were nothing special and served just warm. Not hot enough to melt butter I would guess, because the butter, though asked for, never came. Luckily most people were happy with the hors d'oeuvres and the main dish entre so the quality of the accompaniments could be overlooked. The deserts were really good. So not a horrible experience, but at this price point I expected more.

Follow up to our event did not exist. We’ve heard from no one at Mastros since leaving that evening. For that size party and that size tab, you’d think you’d get a “How was everything?” from management. But nope. Have not heard a peep.

So again, for a 4 person dinner, I’m sure their great. For a large event, I would look elsewhere. They won’t be on our list...