Mastro's Steakhouse, Costa Mesa CA

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, look elsewhere.

Not C E and a cozy place to come. But very disappointed. Ordered from appetizer to dessert but food that I have not consumed that I asked to be boxed was not put in the box. I paid I lotfoy ribs of lamb. It was disappointing. I do not care if the fo d is expensive be t when I asked for something, I have to have them. I ordered Reisling for my appetizer and specifically asked for a German brand not the house Reisling, I was given that house Reisling by not telling me. Food was good. The lamb was cooked as what I liked. Medium rare. I just ate ribs out of seven and was looking forward to eating my left over but disappointed of not having them. I got my leftover dessert and the veggies boxed but not the lamb.

Food, cocktails, and wine were sublime. Had the bone-in Ribeye medium rare, half dozen Oysters, and the roasted brussel sprouts; all amazing.

Good service, pleasant ambiance.

The only downside to my dining experience was that it was too dark to read the menu's small print that I needed to use my phone flashlight.

Favorite thing here is the Rack of Lamb and the Butter Cake! The seafood tower is cool too just get your phone out and start taking snaps

As always, the best of the best. I've been there 7 times with clients this year and am going again on Tuesday.

My son and I love this spot! We go there a couple of times each year during my summer vacation. We always sit at the bar and get a very intimate service from the bartenders. The steaks are excellent. My son had a pork chop that was delicious! Looking forward to my return!

Stopped in for a nightcap and dessert. Sat at the bar, was seated quickly. The place was pretty busy and boisterous, but it was a Friday night. Bartender was super friendly Cocktails we're good and the pecan pie was great!

Mastro’s steakhouse could be summed up as a truly underwhelming experience with a few peaks but many more valleys.

Food: The few good items were the steak, lobster mashed potatoes and the delicious butter cake. Beyond those, everything else was pretty subpar. I ordered Heirloom tomatoes and burrata cheese, one of my favorite combinations, only to be disappointed when I saw cold halved tomatoes encircling the cheese. The tomatoes weren’t blistered. Next, the steak was delicious but I ordered medium rare and got a rare steak instead. In fact, the whole table ordered medium rare of different cuts and we all got rare. And their steak knives were some of the worst knives I’ve ever used. The sides like their white cheddar Mac, creamed spinach and lobster Mac were disappointing to say the least. Hardly any flavor or seasoning.

Service: we got the bare minimum package it seems. No drink refills, only one time after we paid for the bill. Our waiter hardly came to our table. My friend ordered garlic mashed potatoes for himself. When the sides were brought out, our waiter brings him lobster mashed potatoes and my friend tells him politely “No thank you, I ordered the garlic mashed potatoes. “ Our waiter then proceeded to tell him just take it anyway as their is plenty of sides and begins putting the lobster mashed potatoes on his plate. Important note: my friend doesn’t like seafood.

Atmosphere: Dim lights where you had to use a flashlight to even look at the menu. Music blasting where you can hardly hear your servers or people sitting across from you.

Overall: I came here for a friend’s birthday dinner but I would not choose to dine here when there are so many other great restaurants that offer quality service and excellent food.

Service was amazing and the food was delicious, side dishes were enough to share with at least 4 people

I was expecting a little more, My steak was like whatever my wife Sushi was ok. All in all, it wasn't what I thought.the service was ok, the only good thing was the appetizers it was "Steak Bacon" that was delicious. For all the money I spent, I should have just gone to Flemmings. That place is great.

This is a fantastic restaurant! Have gone twice and was extremely happy with the staff and fare. It's pricey, but well worth it!

Expected more….

Was seated by the bar and was told there was no dining room seating at that time (5: 30pm on a Sun). The bar area was very loud. This took away from the experience.

At each stage of the meal, we were never asked if the food tasted ok. My steak was a bit overcooked but the server was only interested in filling my glass with wine every 10 mins, so I could order another bottle (common practice, but cheesy).

The Cheddar Mac & Cheese was average. They used standard elbow macaroni and the cheese sauce was bland. The asparagus was under seaasoned. Both filets were tasty (but both slightly overcooked).

The server offered my friend 3 different butter toppings for the filet. When the bill came, the butter cost $15. Are you kidding me? For butter!

They charged $8 for the mandatory valet. Very cheesy. So much for the valet tip. Poor guy.

Lots of clientele dressed in untucked white t-shirts and baseball caps. Not what we expected…. Can’t blame them for that. The dress codes in CA are non-existent.

The prices at Mastros are over the top expensive, consistent with the one in Scottsdale, AZ. Based on my experience, the Capital Grille offers comparable (if not better) service and food quality at a cheaper price point.

Please train your servers properly and stop trying to nickel and dime us for every little thing. Disappointed, especially for a $575 meal.

Food was delicious.
Bone in rib eye 8.5/10
Porterhouse. 10/10
Lobster Mac. 10/10
Lobster mash. 10/10

I had a great experience here. The food and the ambiance are amazing. Their lobster mash is to die for. Highly recommended!