Went in on a Saturday night(830/9) restaurant was closed sat at the bar. Took more than 10mins for someone to even say " be with you in a minute" There was a couple who came in with a wagon and 2small kids 2/3 maybe younger sat at the bar to drink while the kids screamed threw the bar ( WTF) the staff clearly was used to them coming in knew them by name ( when did it become appropriate to drink at the bar with toddlers ? Get a babysitter) Not good vibes will never go back !!! read more

Went for my bday brunch with the ladies. It wasn't too busy so we were seated right away. The cocktails were excellent, service was on point and everyone really liked their food. It's so nice to have some great dining options in SEH with great food as well! We will all be back for sure! read more

Sets Kitchen & Bar - New American Near Me - San Marcos, California

We have been here a few times in the past year or so and had pretty good experiences with both the service and the food. Today, the service was pretty good, but we waited 45 minutes for cold food. I'm not one to attack the waitress over something that she has no control over so I don't. The place was at about 25% capacity, we ordered a turkey club, and a shrimp Poboy sandwich which took them 45 minutes. When the food finally arrived, my sandwich and the tater tots were room temperature at best. I really wish things were better as this is very convenient to our home, and the menu is pretty good, but to wait 45 minutes for cold food when a restaurant is not even close to busy is inexcusable. read more

Food was excellent, the service was very good. And I love the ambiance of it. It's open and airy. Very nice place to celebrate my son's birthday. read more

Flies and bad service Went to have a weekend lunch with the wife and was seated inside however the restaurant had so many flies. We were constantly swatting them away while we were eating. I do not know why restaurants don't try harder to prevent flies from coming in especially if you choose to have the windows open. Another complaint was that I was asked what kind of burger temperature and specifically asked for a medium rare burger and definitely did not get that it was well done. If you're going to ask me what temperature then make sure you provide that. Quality of food was alright. Wife and I shared the Brussel Sprouts. They were okay, wife got a sandwich and myself the burger. Disappointed and annoyed is best way I could describe the experience. At least the waitress was very nice and kind when taking our order. read more

I'm debating writing this review, because I'm not sure how much longer this place will be in business. Ah well, what the hell, let's get into it. I really, really want to like this place. I need a good lunch joint in my neighborhood that I know I can get a consistently decent meal, and this place opened a few months ago. It looks awesome, modern and sleek, and the menu looks a little foo-foo, but that's expected in my Stepford Wives neighborhood. Unfortunately, I've run in there on more than one occasion around lunch to have a litany of excuses fired at me as to why I couldn't get service, ranging from the server is late to I'm the only one here and I'm too busy, as I'm the only customer in the joint. A couple of times I walked in and stood around for 5 minutes while the bartender sat and talked to a patron seated at the bar, and ignored whoever walked in. It's fascinating to watch the dumpster fire that's supposed to be customer service in action. They're so bad at it - I even had a conversation about it with another patron while we were standing there with our thumbs in our nether regions waiting to be seated. It's a joke. I have never been served at this place, so I can't comment on the food. A couple of friends have been able to get served here and said the food was middling in taste and quality, and seriously overpriced. I hope they fix this place soon, because we could use another option in the town center. read more

First time there and had a incredible experience. They gave us a private booth in front of a large TV so we could watch the football game. Staff was overly pleasant and knowledgeable and fun to interact with, especially Tanya! She was was so friendly, knowledgeable and kind and courteous and made some really good recommendations. I had the short ribs and they were out of this world and my wife said her salmon salad was the best she's ever had and that is saying a lot. Their drinks were fun and and tasted amazing and I highly recommend the churro with Nutella deep fried with ice cream, oh my! The owner interacted with us throughout the meal and we couldn't recommend this place more. We will be back:) read more

Stopped by to grab a bite after the beach. Beautiful location and awesome service from Alexus! The fried chicken sando was crispy, you could record an asmr video with the sounds of me eating. Fries were hot and well seasoned and I topped it off with the spicy primavera cocktail. Prices are normal for the area but everything I ordered hit the spot! The drink was even better with the lovely company of the bartender. Highly recommend! read more

Drinks and bartenders are great, but food is hit or miss. I think these potatoes were killed more than once. read more

Sets Kitchen & Bar - Breakfast skilled with home fries - New American Near Me - San Marcos, California

Was just passing through, so glad we stopped in! Our waitress Abbie simply the best, and the food and drinks were amazing!! read more

Wasn't a perfect visit, but management response made it wonderful. Some of the best pretzels I've had in a long time. I highly recommend the coconut margarita. read more

They're $15 steak and egg breakfasts on the weekendends and bottomless mimosas for $15 is the best deal in town. Great service great vibe and delicious food. Highly recommend! read more

So San Marcos has been hiding this hip little old-town-downtown-college-town area in plain sight this whole time? What a cute little area. Great elevated comfort food here. Had the bison bolognese which was super tasty and served in staggering quantity; also had the braised short ribs which was unfortunately a little light on quantity of meat but overall fantastic flavors. No frills cocktails are well-balanced and generously poured. Will definitely be back to try the brunch. read more

Sets is new restaurant/ local bar and is a great addition to the San Elijo community. I went to explore this new restaurant that was open in my neighborhood. The drinks looked and tasted great. The food had great flavor and presentation. The ambiance was a local feel because I ran into about 3 different people I knew from my community. Overall this was a great addition to the san elijo area! I am happy to come back knowing I could make this place a regular spot for date night or just drinks with friends. read more

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Solid first experience! Came here on a Saturday for lunch with my 1 year old son. Great service, delicious beers, food was on point. The server was super friendly and gave my son coloring crayons and a stencil to draw on. Fired up to try the brunch and entrees for dinner! read more

Great place, great food. The staff is friendly and the drinks are excellent. Went here for brunch and it didn't disappoint.

We live in the area and were excited about this restaurant opening. Sadly, it didn't meet expectations. The floor was sticky, it was hot with little ventilation and the vibe was a Panera with a bar. My burger was so salty and the dressing on the beet salad looked liked pepto bismol. They didn't have an entire side of the menu after being open 3 weeks and the Manager/owner seemed more concerned with hanging out his buddies in the bar vs. customer feedback/satisfaction. The cleanliness is also very concerning. read more

Sets Kitchen & Bar - Beet Salad - New American Near Me - San Marcos, California

Took my stepdaughter here to give it a try. I had the Ode' de Colorado which I felt was very good. She had the Mac and Cheese from the kid's menu (her favorite food) and she felt it was not creamy, more watery and lacked flavor. She didn't eat it. The place is really nice inside. We were there on a slow night. The waitress took 27 minutes to check with us the first time and never came back to refill drinks or check on us. She didn't mention her name. She had her face half pained for Dia de Los Muertos. She was very nice but not attentive. I will go back and hope to have a 5 star experience next time. read more

Sets Kitchen & Bar - Our first try. Hoping for better next time and we will go back. - New American Near Me - San Marcos, California

Food was absolutely delicious! I would come back here in a heartbeat! Don't miss out on this place!

At last, we are able to dine and drink at Sets!! We were excited to check it out and we're very impressed by the tasty beverages, delicious food and fantastic space. No joke, the Sriracha Honey Wings might be the best in SD county. Cocktails in San Elijo Hills!!! Very tasty cocktails and good beers on draft. Nice vibe inside and out, plus they have those little drains under the urinals . We will be back... often, great staff too, nice to see young locals with great attitudes. Thanks Ryan! read more

Sets Kitchen & Bar - Restaurant - New American Near Me - San Marcos, California

We've been enjoying SETS as a local San Elijo restaurant since it opened and I'm finally writing a review! We come for drinks and/or dinner 3x/mo on average. The food is always consistent & the service great! We're loving the new menu & trying something new each time... So thankful the Filet Mignon is a regular menu item now... tasty & love the shrimp & béarnaise on top! My other new fave is the Artichoke Ravioli - delicious. Tanya & Alexis are you excellent servers & always welcoming. Thanks Kevin for giving us somewhere yummy to enjoy in town center!! Oh and don't forget Sunday Brunch! read more

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Good and device is excellent here! Had a great birthday lunch with some good friends.

Everything we ordered was good but could've been better. The Caesar wrap had close to no dressing making it dry and in the end it fell apart. Their sandwiches were pretty good though and the beer selection is nice. The espresso martini was also pretty watery read more

Nice place but they were way understaffed. There were 2 empty booths and 10 empty tables inside and tons of tables available outside. We are still waiting with 2 parties ahead of us. We had to leave after waiting for 30 minutes. We went next door to eat, incredulously. read more

This restaurant is amazing the food is soooooo good and the waiters here are so nice me and my family come here every week I definitely recommend this place and me and my family love come to sets to have a amazing time read more

I have to say this is the first time I've walked into a restaurant and asked to wait 20 minutes then after waiting and at least eight tables open been told it would be another 40 minutes because they were backed up on orders. This was very disappointing as we had family at the bar waiting as well. We went to Leucadia pizzeria instead. read more

pros: young attentive staff family friendly and community oriented during the day local hangout for middle aged housewives at night great drinks and service cons: San Elijo is a pain to get to unless you live in San Elijo. The food is really bad. Have been on several occasions and the food ranges from "yeah that is what you are paying for at a local Americana bar and grille" to flat out head scratching bad. Such as why the hell would you cover a breakfast burrito (egg) in lettuce ? Where is the meat ? and were these tots reheated via heat lamp from the previous day ? Did these Brussel sprouts sit in a deep fryer that was not at temperature yet ? . The owner was nice enough to reach out and ask about my experiences. I do understand staffing and employee retention is really difficult at this time and would have to attribute how bad the food has been to handling, preparation and general lack of knowledge in the kitchen more so than sourcing quality ingredients. All in all cozy little neighborhood joint that we love to support. read more

Love the food and service at Sets! Always a pleasure seeing all the friendly faces. Ambiance and atmosphere is a plus. Trust trust!

Finally a full bar in San Elijio, The smoky margarita and Goose Mule were killer. Kevin, the Owner was there on a Sunday night doing his darnedest to make sure his patrons had a great evening, and the and the rest of the team delivered around him. Kid friendly. Sports friendly (great acoustics and high resolution monitors for watching NFL). They get it, on trend menus - healthy options, comfort options. You'll have a great time. Basically your best choice for good food & great drinks on a Sunday evening in East Carlsbad. read more

Sets!! What are you doing? You're stitting on a potential gold mine. You're the only restaurant on the square with a liquor license. You have a patio that's great.. Hire a real chef who makes everything from scratch. Have some signature dishes, big real salads. Hire a professional bar tender. No offense to the current folks - but I think Sets tries to act like this is a side hussle - you could easily pay for better food/staff with increased revenue. read more

First - the good. Went here on Saturday (March 2nd) with some friends to try something new and close to home. Our waitress was amazing and the food was tasty. Four of us shared three appetizers: chips with guacamole and queso; caprese; pesto with mozzarella. One of us has Celiac and the waitress was very helpful in discussing the gluten free items. So why 1 star? Here's the bad - Yelp lists that the place is open until 11pm on a Saturday. No hours are listed on the door. At 9:30 pm - a lady (not our waitress) yells out at the top of her voice, hand cupped around her mouth, that people need to pay and leave because they were closed and wanted to go home. We had already paid for our bill. There were other people still at the bar. There were two smallish children running around the restaurant. We had no idea they were closed. Rather than politely coming to us and letting us know they were closed, they chose to assume we should have known this and we were deliberately preventing them from leaving. We were aware that the kitchen had closed but thought the bar was still open. There are two other bar type venues close by. While we did think it strange the kitchen was closed but the bar remained opened, we thought maybe they stayed open to compete with the other two venues. Especially since it was a Saturday night. Even though the rest of our experience was good - I won't go back. It was so unprofessional. I would have given 5 stars had they simply come up and said something like "you might not be aware since our hours are not listed, but we're closing at this time." read more

Sets is a great date night location. It provides a great atmosphere if trying to be romantic or if you go to watch a Sunday night game. They offer a full bar and amazing food. Their happy hour is also a treat. read more

Try the Golden Piccata! I always love trying new pasta dishes and this one has by far exceeded my expectations! Mmmm

Good food Good times Liked the drinks Liked the bruscetta yumm will go back sometime soon read more

This was our 1st visit to S.E.T.S. and it won't be our last. We loved our appetizer, salad and entree!! And the service was outstanding. We drove 35 minutes to get there and it was well-worth the time and effort. The setting was nice relaxing with both indoor and outdoor seating. Rick S. Camp Pendleton read more

I really wanted this place to be great. Since it's so close to home. The food was pretty good but I will NOT be back. Our sever was terrible. She spoke to us like we were children when we asked questions about the menu, which I find the ironic since she spoke with this terrible high pitch sing talk that someone her age likes to speak In. She spent more time chatting with her coworkers then she cared to spend at our table. Sad, this place has great potential. Hopefully they get better employees read more

We really appreciated the service today. There was four of us and we were going to be late for brunch. However, they extended the brunch time for 15 minutes so we could get there an order which we really appreciate it. I also appreciated they were able to cater to my gluten-allergy and substitute for gluten-free bread. The serving sizes were more than we expected and we were happily please and left with to-go's :) Kevin was the manager on duty and he was very helpful ! We will be back! My picture below is the avocado toast with GF bread. read more

Sets Kitchen & Bar - New American Near Me - San Marcos, California

It's very frustrating how I called weeks in advance before Mother's Day to make a reservation and was told that my party and I can come in as a walk in. The day of, they turned us away because they said they only take reservations and was told that I had to call weeks in advance, which is exactly what I did. Make it make sense. read more

We had a team outing planned at AR Workshop across the street and decided to try a working lunch over at SETS. The Owner, Kevin, was fantastic and took great care of getting us a set up in a space that worked for our needs. Our waiter was attentive and friendly, portions were generous and everyone enjoyed the shared appetizers and their meals. They have a nice outdoor patio as well. Would definitely recommend Sets for date night, family dinner or group outings. read more

What a wonderful deck/patio to sit back and relax! Sets has a great location, good food and really friendly service. Will definite be back!