SET Steak & Sushi — Restaurant in Newport Beach

My bestie wanted to try this spot for her bday so made a reservation here for 7:15pm for Sunday night before Memorial Day. First of all we noticed valet parking and it looked upscale so expected it to be pretty expensive since there was no price listed anywhere so we parked at a structure close by which was $20 for the whole day. We found out later that if you dine at SET, the valet parking is $15 flat but $15/HOUR without it. INSANE. And just wish that was a little more clear with signage. Clearly you can tell it caters to a clientele given this is in the Pendry Hotel that either don't pay attention or don't care how much things cost.

So we get there and check in ON TIME. I get told we would be seated within 5 min. 20 min past and I have to go up again and get told sorry it's busy and peak time (do you not know how to manage your reservations then?). By 7:45pm I'm a little fed up since we're both hungry and my bestie is pregnant so go up there and suddenly they say we can be seated right away indoors. I did overhear seating at the patio outside would've been an hour.

We got water but I had to flag down the waitress after 20 minutes about being ready to order and she said oh I'll get your server. I was confused that she wasn't our server in the first place when she said "I'll be taking care of you". So our server finally arrived after another 20 minutes. We order the steak set ($175) was a mix of the prime filet, NY strip and black opal bavette wagyu, a surf and turf sushi ($29), the lobster tempura ($57) and wild mushroom side ($14).

Side note in my reservation I noted we were celebrating a birthday and that a guest was pregnant. We asked for the steak to be cooked medium just to be safe for her and it comes out pretty much medium rare. Finally flag down the server to confirm it was communicated to be cooked medium and she was like "it should be". Ummmm if you even looked at it you could tell that was not medium. It was absolute very pink and you could see the blood juice on the serving board. I generally prefer medium rare but was fine with medium to accommodate her so she just took her half of the steak to have the kitchen cook it some more. Which then took another 20 minutes to do so I felt bad eating the steak while waiting for hers.

At this point we're prob like 2 hours in. Everything took forever to do. We got the dessert menu and takes server 20 min to get back to us and we decided to go with the carrot cake. I had told 3 separate ppl at the restaurant we were celebrating a bday and I had seen other guests get desserts with a sparkler candle. So you can imagine how extremely frustrated I was that when it comes out, no sparkler. UNREAL. They apologize and come back with it after but I just couldn't believe it.

I've literally never tipped less than 18% anywhere. I was more than disappointed, I was bordering on furious. The dinner took about 3 hours which is already unacceptable but literally everything they could do wrong they did. Late reservation, long waits in between everything, steak not cooked properly (which can be dangerously for someone who is pregnant), no candle, had to flag ppl for every little thing, they forgot almost everything. Did not provide steak knives immediately or serving utensils for dessert until we asked. And worst, barely any acknowledgment of the abysmal service other than a "sorry for the wait".

I don't want to speculate why our service was so terrible. We saw so many tables around us get served and finish their meal and it's not cause we were just chilling around. But I will say we weren't quite dressed as well as some of the other guests and didn't fit a certain look if you get my drift. Not surprising being in the OC. Would never come back here and would not recommend anybody to do so. I have never had such terrible service for an upscale place like...

Update: We decided to give SET another shot after our initial visit. I'm glad we did because this is definitely going to be our annual anniversary spot. Our overall experience was amazing; from our server (Mike), our food, the aesthetics of the restaurant, everything was perfect. Mike was so welcoming and always came to our table with a smile. My boyfriend got the 12oz Westholme ribeye with the bone marrow add on and he said it was the best steak he's had. I tried some and it literally melted in your mouth it was so good. We enjoyed everything we had, but we HIGHLY recommend the PNB roll and the westholme ribeye.

There is street parking available, but it's only for two hours so be mindful of that!

Old review: My boyfriend booked a reservation for 7 PM at Set for our anniversary, but our check-in experience was disappointing. Despite reserving 15 days in advance, we faced a few issues:

Upon arrival, we were informed of parties ahead of us (the amount of parties was not stated), limited space due to patio closure, and the promise of a text when our table was ready. about 35 minutes later (around 7:35-40 PM), my boyfriend asked for an update and were told there were still 5 parties ahead of us. 5 minutes after that encounter (around 7:45 PM), I asked for a time estimate and was told a vague wait time of at the least 30 minutes or more. The hostess then states "I don't know if anyone told you, but you can also sit at the sushi bar right now." To our frustration, we learned about the immediate availability at the sushi bar 40 minutes into our wait. Disheartened by the lack of communication, we decided to leave without being seated even 50+ minutes post-reservation.

This experience questions the reliability of reservations at Set and suggests that booking a reservation does not guarantee you'll be seated at that time (or anywhere near that time which is what we experienced).

Suggestions for improvement include providing estimated wait times upon arrival if you’re going to make reserved guests wait, promptly offering alternative seating options (at the sushi bar or bar) upon arrival, and notifying reserved guests via text or phone call of patio closures affecting seating.

If a restaurant is closing the patio and they know it will affect wait times for RESERVED guests, please text them in advance as soon as you know so that the parties will make necessary adjustments. If we'd known that our reservation time would be delayed and would be waiting over an hour after our reservation, we would have gone somewhere else immediately.

While acknowledging the restaurant's newness and previous reviews, their restaurant has A LOT of room to grow. Our disappointment leads us to not recommend this restaurant solely based on this experience alone.

Set has potential for growth, but it's crucial to address these issues for a smoother...

My husband and I dined at Set in Newport to celebrate our 11 year wedding anniversary. While we had high hopes based on the restaurant’s reputation and were excited for a rare night out without our children, our experience was unfortunately overshadowed by pretentious service and condescending attitudes.

We had a 5 p.m. reservation and were promptly seated, though the table was in direct sunlight during a heatwave. I kindly asked the hostess if we could move to a shaded seat (the restaurant was nearly empty at that time) and was met with visible annoyance and an almost eye-roll. While this might seem minor, it set the tone for the evening.

After being reseated inside, it took a while before anyone greeted us. When our server finally arrived, it quickly became apparent that he had already formed an opinion about us. His demeanor was dismissive, and his tone came off as pretentious, bordering on rude. My husband and I are both easygoing, kind people, I even worked in the service industry for years through college, so we always strive to treat servers with respect. Sadly, that was not reciprocated here.

We started with two margaritas (which were fantastic) and the Toro Toro Toro roll, which was beautifully presented and delicious. When it came time to order dinner, my husband and I mentioned we planned to share one of the large-format steaks — a common practice for us and certainly reasonable with a 40oz cut of meat. The server responded, verbatim, “Well, our guests typically order an appetizer, main course, and side to themselves,” in a way that felt unnecessarily judgmental. He seemed almost reluctant to allow us to share. When we confirmed we were just ordering the one steak — the Holstein bone-in ribeye, on his recommendation, along with two sides (Brussels sprouts and the fried rice)…he pressed again, “So you each want one?” It felt like we were being shamed for not ordering enough.

When the food arrived, the steak was significantly overcooked (we ordered medium rare and received something closer to medium well), but given our server’s attitude, we didn’t feel comfortable sending it back. Even so, it was still quite flavorful. The fried rice was delicious, though a bit too spicy for me (my husband loved it), and the Brussels sprouts were well-cooked but overwhelmingly salty… a touch of sweetness could have balanced the ponzu.

We finished with the chocolate pudding cake, which was excellent; rich, warm, and reminiscent of a molten lava cake. It was the highlight of the night.

In the end, we left full but disappointed. What should have been a special, relaxing night felt overshadowed by a sense of judgment and discomfort. Dining out, especially for a celebration, should feel welcoming, not performative. We don’t mind spending money on good food, but we do expect to be treated with basic courtesy. Unfortunately, that was...