After an afternoon of traffic from Pasadena, my husband and I enjoyed dinner at The Set inside the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront on May 22, 2026. Because of their limited staff, we waited 20 minutes for a table when only a third of the tables were occupied and no party was ahead of us. The server was friendly and checked on us periodically throughout the meal. We decided to split a salad, a pasta entree and dessert. The kitchen was kind enough to split the Avocado & Citrus Salad for us - ripe avocado, crumbly & creamy goat cheese, bright citrus grapefruit, and pops of nutty pistachio. The Spicy Burnt Chili Shrimp Pasta did not disappoint! Flavorful and enough heat on the shrimp to water the nose but not sweat, and the roasted heirloom tomatoes added an acidic burst of freshness. And the dessert rounded out the meal - Lemon Ricotta Cake - wasn't too sweet, lemon lightness not tart, and a hearty ricotta cake crumb. Definitely order the pasta! read more

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We enjoyed The Set for dinner this evening at about 8:15PM, as we were staying at the Hilton Santa Barbara. Our overall experience was very nice, with only slight oddity. We checked in with the hostess, and it was kind of an odd experience. The restaurant was about 60% empty, so I imagine the reason we were quoted 20 minutes for our party of two, is because they were short staffed. There couldn't have been any other explanation. This was happening with everyone that was appearing in person. However, once we were seated, our server was great. I forgot his name; however, he was very pleasant and worked very hard hopping from table to table and maintained his friendly demeanor. The restaurant is well decorated, and is a beautiful addition to the end of the lobby. They also have a lot of outdoor seating as well. We shared the Avocado and Citrus salad, the spicy burnt chili shrimp pasta and the Lemon and Ricotta cake. Everything we had was delicious. The salad they were able to split into two portions. It was so good with avocado, grapefruit, pistachio and goat cheese in a light vinaigrette. YUM! The spicy shrimp pasta was equally as yummy. It smelled and tasted so good. It had a smokey flavor and was surprisingly a bit spicy. The lemon and ricotta cake topped off the meal. The cake was dense, but had that light lemon which was a great complement to the heavy ricotta flavor. Very well balanced. Overall, a great experience with just a notch off for the weird entry experience. read more

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Had a waterfront family brunch at The Set, great ocean views and a laid back coastal setting. Brunch menu is California casual with solid food and drinks; a bit hit or miss, but good overall. Finished it off with an Easter egg hunt for the kids, which made it a fun family outing beyond just brunch. read more

The Set - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Staying at the Hilton Beachfront, and checked out The Set bc it's a pain in the ass to get in and out of the property. Plus I love a hotel restaurant. Gorgeous views of the Pacific and attentive service. Ordered the coconut lime lentil soup bc that sounded interesting. Surprisingly flavorful and rich in veggies, yet the coconut flavoring was muddled. Also got the tacos: 2 fish and 1 chicken. Very impressed w the fish taco. Tortilla nicely grilled and the protein was generous. Chicken taco was pretty good too, not the best I've had but solid nonetheless. Had the burger and chicken wings the night before. The burger was flavorless and forgettable, but the chicken wings were noteworthy. Cocktails are decent, nothing to write home about. read more

The Set - Lentil soup w coconut and lime - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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No Iceberg lettuce for the expense. I ordered the shrimp dish. Service was excellent. Can eat outside and see the beautiful water. read more

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绝佳的酒店餐厅，视野开阔，还有一大片草地。菜品味道也不错，虽然我吃到了一根不算小的鱼刺（附照片）。非常适合和朋友、家人聚会，让孩子们在户外的草地上玩耍。我们的服务员也非常细心、耐心且周到----尤其是考虑到我们聚会人数多、孩子也多的情况。如果你住在这家酒店，我会说这里是家庭聚餐的首选之地。 Excellent hotel restaurant with great views and a massive grass area. Food was good as well although I encountered a not so small fish bone (picture included). Definitely a great place to meet up with friends and relatives and let the kids play on the grass outside. Our server was also very attentive, patient, and accommodating - especially given the size of our gathering and number of kids. If you're staying at the hotel - I would argue that this is the go-to place for family gatherings. read more

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We arrived for a quiet dinner and it was absolutely perfect. We were seated outside where we could savor the stunning sunset on Thanksgiving day. They offered a Thanksgiving day menu which had a limited amount of entrees and appetizers. I ordered the salmon which came with a sauce and a small portion of vegetables. We also ordered the steak which came with a little more sides. We were impressed with our meals, though I was craving some bread with my meal. When I asked the waiter for a side of bread, he said due to the limited menu they had no bread. That was unfortunate, but they did have a little cholula when we needed some more spice to our meals. Our dessert was the ultimate ending to our experience. The carrot cake was so light, soft and moist with nuts to add a crunchy texture. Our server was so helpful and kind. read more

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The food was tasty, but a little bland. I was expecting the "extra hot" guacamole to be spicy, and it wasn't. However, it did taste good and the homemade chips are to die for. The servers were very polite and the guitar player they had for Mother's Day was wonderful. read more

We ordered there NY steak medium and they give us a medium well. There sidings was worst, my roasted potatoes was a burnt potatoes all the way not just the skin that is burnt?!?! We are check in here at Hilton thinking that it would be good and convenient. We will just drive out to have our diner at a lower cost! read more

This is a wonderful restaurant that creates a relaxing experience with a fabulous ocean view. The brunch offers a wide variety of California cuisine, which is absolutely delicious! Our server Katie was friendly and welcoming and efficient. The service by all of the staff was terrific! Prices as very reasonable, too. read more

We enjoyed a late dinner at The Set. Luis our server was amazing! We enjoyed salad, wonderful wings and the buttered noodles. Simple yet flavorful and filling. Pinot Noir and coffee and on our way to a nice evening out. Thanks for a great experience! read more

The views of the beach when dining at the firepits can't be beat. The food is just ok. My steak and fries came out cold to the point that I used the fire to heat it. The sourdough bread that comes with the chicken was the best thing we ate- it was so good! The service was mostly good. There was a point when I was given the check folder but the check wasn't in it. We waited and waited and finally walked in to find her and get the check. read more

The Set - Steak - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Don't waste your time here. Food is overpriced and bland. Because it was raining and I have 3 kids I thought it would be easiest to go here. Food is mediocre. Not worth the price. The service is horrible. My food which was a NYE special of Prime Rib was horrible! It didn't look or taste like prime rib. The mashed potatoes had no flavor. My food was cold when delivered to me. The manager made the situation way worse. When I notified him of the food being cold but being that we waited as long as we did and my kids ate about meltdown I can't wait for them to remake or reheat. He completely couldn't understand that. I was like I just need to eat and go bc I don't have time for correction. They offered no remedy but to take my plate away. Which I let them. But it was so awkward. The manager handled that horribly! And started to argue with me that he personally checked on the food and it was hot before delivery but yet it was lukewarm on arrival. He couldn't get that. He offered no remedy or comp or anything. So we left hungry and time wasted. read more

we had to return the ceviche. It had absolutely no flavor whatsoever. The ambiance was good and the other dishes were just meh. With so many options in the city, this place should make an effort to raise the bar. read more

This is such a cute little spot inside the Hilton. They have a great patio outside with heaters in case it's chilly. I love the views you get of Cabrillo and all the palm trees along the ocean. Their service is great and the staff are always really friendly. We were staying at the hotel and actually received vouchers for a complimentary glass of wine for both of us while we were at the hotel. Such a nice perk! Others enjoying this place were ordering food and gathering with friends. Totally recommend this spot! You can park on the street nearby if you don't want to deal with paying to park at the Hilton. read more

The Set - White wine and palm tree views! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Food was not impressive. Flavorless ceviche. Bland cauliflower. Drinks over priced, even for hotel standards.

Staying here at the Hyatt. This was our last night and decided to have dinner here. Glad we did because the food was delicious. Our server was impeccable. Wish I remembered her name. We sat outside with heaters above. When we finished dinner we moved over to a fireplace and ordered a s'mores kit. It feeds 2-3 peeps read more

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They should hire more staff. Service was a bit slow. Waitress was very nice and helpful. She was spread so thin tho. :( My friend's food was over cooked. Her poached eggs were boiled and my eggs were overcooked or looked dried out on the top for sitting too long before getting delivered to my table. She also said the hollandaise sauce was really just butter. The bloody mary was served with bacon bc it was a loaded bloddy mary vs a regular one with a celery stick. Beautiful view of ocean from patio tho. read more

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We arrived for our stay at the Hilton in the early evening, and wanted to get a meal without a lot of hassle of finding a good restaurant, getting parking, etc., so we thought we'd try the Set at our hotel, to make things simple. Because we were on the earlier side of dinner, we were able to get a table right by the windows, with a beautiful view of the palm trees, a thin line of ocean, and it was very picturesque. The bar right next to us was quite noisy; I am assuming there was a group there that all knew each other. The menu did not look thrilling to us, in advance, but we thought we'd give it a try. I wasn't in the mood for paying $42 for the sea bass, so went with the carne asada flatbread, which was to have skirt steak, beans, charred corn, mozzarella, onions, cilantro, and avocado crema. I tasted cheese. It was difficult to tell if there was any steak on it at all! I could see a couple of tiny pieces, but most dark parts looked like the tip of an olive or mushroom, which wasn't on my flatbread. (Now that I re-look at my photo of it, I realize those little tiny black tips must have been the beans - also fairly sparse). I wasn't eating the onions. You didn't taste the light sprinkling of green herbs on top over the cheese. If this was an appetizer, and everyone was eating a slice to tamp down the effects of alcohol, it might be okay. As a meal, it was ridiculous! For the list of ingredients, all I could taste was cheese. This was listed for $24. I would never have this again! For it to be called "CARNE ASADA flatbread", and to have about three 1/2-inch flakes of steak on the entire pizza is outrageous. This was not appetizing as a meal, at all! My friend had the roasted corn salad, and seemed okay with her salad, but said it was not one of the better salads she has had, and she has salads all of the time. I would never eat here again, unless I had no other options. I gave it 2 stars, because it had a nice view, the chairs were comfortable, I had a decent glass of wine, and it was conveniently located within our hotel. As for the food, it is nothing to seek out, in my opinion. For a corn salad, a flatbread with mainly cheese, 1 glass of their cheapest wine, and water, we paid $75. Highly, highly overpriced. read more

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Always go here when in SB. The view is gorgeous, if you sit outside you see the ocean. The menu had changed over the years but the food doesn't disappoint. If you order a s'more kit, you can roast it there at the set with your own fire pit, great if you have kids or a big group. Servers are nice and so are the bartenders. read more

Very yummy. I had Mahi Mahi tacos and they were perfectly fried and seasoned. The fish was fresh and Camillo was fast and attentive! Caesar salad is also delish. read more

The Set - Mahi mahi tacos - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Cute restaurant within the hotel. Don't really have anything bad to say aside from you may have to wait cause they can get busy and you may be waiting like 20 mins for your check or your box. Anyways. I ordered the kids Mac and cheese. Looked pretty but literally had no taste. And on game days they have a special menu which I ordered nachos from. Were yummy! Plus with a nice cold dr. Pepper. read more

The Set - Mac and cheese. Pretty but no flavor at all. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Came here on a Monday afternoon, just for a snack and a drink with about 6 people. Host and server were kind and attentive! Can't complain about that. We ordered a few different drinks, I got the Watermelon Breeze. It was made quite well and it genuinely tasted like a fresh piece of watermelon with a hint of vodka. I liked it but probably wouldn't be my go-to for more than one. My friends ordered a spicy margarita and they enjoyed it. It had a slight kick but wasn't overpowering. For food, we ordered the Mojo fries and the garlic parmesan wings. The mojo fries were packed with flavor, they were covered with a salsa verde sauce. The flavor was really great together, although the fries were cold. It would be safe to assume they were cold because of the fact they were covered in sauce but it didn't lack on any flavor. I wish there was a way for them to retain heat. One of my group members mentioned the fries were cold and the server was kind enough to bring us a new batch. They were a bit warmer but again I really just think it's one of those sauces that cools rather quickly. Moving on to the wings....oh my god. I was saying I need whatever ingredients and methods they used to cook those wings because they were absolutely delicious. The wings were perfectly crispy and absolutely packed with flavor. Most garlic Parmesan wings I've tried can tend to be overly garlicky and these were not that. They had the perfect amount of garlic and parmesan and a nice little dip in ranch was quite literally heaven. I love a good chicken wing and will specifically want 12 of those wings next time. We also ordered the charcuterie for the table but honestly, for the cost, I would skip. There was an array of items, dried apricots, olives, grapes, 3 kinds of meats, 3 slices of cheeses, and maybe 3 - 4 pieces of bread. The amount of cheese honestly disappointed me a bit as it looked like the bulk of the charcuterie was dried fruits, olives and grapes. The bread looked as if it was charred/toasted but was actually really super soft? Not sure what happened there. For the cost of board and the actual presentation, I'd put the $30 towards the wings. Came back later in the evening and got the hummus and pizza and yep, please order those for a little late night snack!! The pizza was so hot and fresh and cheesy. The hummus was absolutely hitting the spot! (Maybe because I had a few wines by this point) but I also love hummus and a good warm piece of pita bread. View of the ocean was lovely! And it's a nice touch to have the fire pits while looking at the ocean, super cute! read more

What a shame. I'm a local, been coming here for ages. It's inconsistent. Booked Mother's Day brunch table for 6. Took a while to get a server. About medium full. Service was awfully slow. One of our party's dish arrived 20 minutes after the rest, and we'd all ordered the exact same dish! Food is overpriced and just ok. What a shame. Million dollar views, but the experience just isn't up to par. read more

The fried chicken sandwich was underseasoned, but the portion of chicken was decent. The salad came with no dressing to go, which was disappointing. The lobster roll was very small and underwhelming for the price. The mahi mahi tacos were decent. The cheese and charcuterie board was tiny and was in my opinion too expensive for the amount of food. read more

Breakdown for my rating: -Outdoor view of the sunset and ocean: 4 stars -Limited number of outdoor seating: 3 stars -Service: 2 stars -Food: 2 stars -Cleanliness: 2 stars We came here for dinner since we had the free wines at the restaurant included in the resort fee. We saw the nice view for the outdoor seating, but was saddened that there weren't any available seats left, so we had to self seat ourselves inside, where it was dark and dingy. Our waitress took awhile to get to our table to even give us a menu. It was consistent like this throughout the night, she didn't check on us and we waited quite awhile for food that was subpar at best. My lobster roll wasn't bad, it had a lot of fillers in it though. My husband's cobb salad was ok too, the ice cream my kids ordered for dessert was just a container, they didn't try to put it in a nice presentation or anything. Personally, it wasn't worth the wait or the money spent here and I wouldn't come back. read more

So I was a bit worried because this was the only restaurant on site and the reviews were in the middle. We decided to try it for dinner/late snack. Daughter had a burger which she loved and husband and I ordered the fish tacos to share. Both were great no complaints. Next night we had wings, fries and daughter ordered something from the kids menu. Food was good both nights. Restaurant is half inside and half out. Both times we sat outside so that we could have beach views. I think the only issue would be that they don't seem to have enough staff around so it did take a while to order but both days the servers were very nice just very busy. read more

The Set - Garlic fries and buffalo wings - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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My dining experience at the set was amazing. Everybody was super friendly and love the atmosphere. The Manager sabit was overseeing the restaurant flow and was very attentive and nice to everyone read more

Super slow service, with a massively backed up kitchen Waited almost an hour for butter pasta, soup and salad. Wait staff was nice enough, but either hire more or set expectations better. read more

Amazing, delicious food and customer service, our waiter Omar was awesome and the manager was very attentive. The restaurant was very calm and the ambiance was wonderful. read more

This place is a mess. We reserved a fire pit, that has a $75 food and drink minimum to dine/drink there. The fire pits had people sitting at them but no reservations so the hostess asked someone to leave. Our firepit would not stay on, the button for the gas/flame was broken. She said the other ones worked but people were using them as footrests and didn't want to disturb them so she went and got black duct tape to tape the button down. We genuinely appreciated her hard work to get this working, but why not move another one from people without reservations? The people not spending a $75 minimum. She worked hard to get it going, I thank her for that!! Then another women, a server took our drink order, drinks took 15 minutes, my husbands drink was watered down, probably sitting there with the ice melting. We ordered food and when my dinner came out my husbands did not. I finished eating and sat another 10 minutes, no food for him. I was about to go in and ask when she was walking out with his meal. 1 hour and 10 minutes after we sat down he finally got his meal. She seemed shocked I was coming to ask about it. He said it was obvious it had just been sitting, and was not hot. My "upcharge" truffle fries were cold and not very good. We asked for a box which she forgot and I had to go into the restaurant to get. Later someone with no reservation requested the fire pit be turned on, the employee asked if he had a reservation and he said no, but they did it anyways while they drank their free house wine, no $75 minimum for them. She's probably tired of getting yelled at by customers. Why have this reservation/minimum the ? We spent $115+ in food and drink for mediocre food, slow service, and a broken fire pit held together with duct tape. What happened to Hilton standards. This was incredibly disappointing and a waste of money. read more

What an amazing place wit great people! My wife and I cancelled our reservation for Convivo at the Santa Barbara Inn due to an issue with the previous evenings dinner on Christmas Eve. We stopped in to the Hilton and asked the hostess at the Hilton if she had any tables for dinner and she was so kind and gracious and stated yes, no problem. She took us to a table and my wife asked for the Hightower booth and she graciously accommodated the request. She was so nice and graceful..thanks so much. We had a wonderful server who brought us some great cocktails. We ordered the specials on the Christmas menu and I had the pumpkin ravioli and my wife had the organic chicken dish. Both were awesome. I commend and thank the staff and management for a job well done and we had a great time. Highly recommended. read more

Don't waste your money. We had the clam chowder which was so thick and filled with potatoes that the clams were no where to be found. We also tried the bbq chicken, grits, greens and cornbread. One and done. One bite and we were done. Cold, flavorless and even the bbq chicken which shouldn't be hard to do was overcooked. Can you say tough? The bbq sauce was good and the jalapeño margarita was a treat. Other than that we would not recommend. read more

The Set - Entrance to the set restaurant - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Pay heed to the sloooowwww service! I was a party of one and it was an almost 2 hour dinner to get a glass of wine, a cup of soup and a salad. A party of four was seated behind me almost 30 minutes after I was and they got their food before me. The soup was good, not great: same with the salad. I don't foresee coming back and this was my first night of 7 at the hotel. read more

The Set - Burrata salad plus salmon - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Santa Barbara's Fess Parker Resort's prime oceanfront location is the perfect spot to enjoy the warm glow as day becomes night. The Set, one of five restaurants onsite, is a charming, bistro style eatery complete with cozy fire pits and causal bar. My bother and I stopped in for a drink at the bar and the bartender, Kyle was wonderful. Kyle's signature cocktail is the humble Manhattan and he makes them well. Nice and strong with a single craft ice cube to keep it perfectly chilled. We opted to order some snacks at The Set instead our planned trek to The Funk Zone. With a leather bound bar bites menu in hand, we settled into a quiet table. I selected a seafood chowder which was so rich that I felt guilt with every spoonful. It was served with some little rolls that probably tasted great a few days previously. My brother's market salad on the other hand was true disappointment. Stringy and poorly manicured arugula with red delicious apples and not much else left us disappointed and hungry in the end. My sense is that this is more of a cocktail venue with food as the afterthought. I would definitely return for the Manhattan and the breathtaking view. read more

The Set - Leather menu with a classic Manhattan. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The Fish Tacos and Lobster sandwich were delicious. There were chunks of lobster tail as opposed to a lobster salad sndwich that I had at the Splash Cafe at Pismo Beach. We ate out at the patio and the ambience could be spruced up a little to make it a warmer atmosphere like the Loquita and Goat Tree Restaurants outdoor patios and the service was a little slow. The one server finally told another person to serve us after 15 minutes. Someone else ordered the cheeseburger was juicy and delicious. read more

I don't regularly leave reviews but I was so happy with the service given by our waiter Omar. The restaurant was close to closing time but the manager kept the kitchen open for us. I have to mention that we were a party of 19. And most importantly ever the food was delicious. read more

My husband and I shared the 3 Fish taco's and a Cesar salad for dinner during our stay at the hotel. Both were very tasty and portions were large. Good beer selection as well. Service was speedy and excellent. The ambiance was upbeat. read more

We came here for the Mother's Day Brunch and it was absolutely terrible. They made a big deal about not finding our name on the list even though we made a reservation and the place was empty. It took 50 minutes to get our food and then when we were finished eating they still hadn't brought out our child's food, so we just canceled his meal. The food was totally overpriced for the quality, my toast was burnt and my eggs were under cooked. People that were seated right after us were waiting for over an hour and still hadn't gotten their food when we left. I feel bad for all the Mother's that came for a nice brunch and were terribly disappointed. read more

Stayed at the Hilton with my husband and our 2 dogs. I was skeptical to eat at this restaurant because of the yelp reviews but I'm soo glad we gave it a shot. The food was delicious, the view was amazing & the service was great. We had the clam chowder, wings & fries. Everything was very tasty but the clam chowder was definitely my favorite. Our dogs enjoyed the outside patio as well. I'm glad we went. Don't let those bad Yelp reviews run away from this gem. read more

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