Lower East Side has handfuls of great restaurants. Set L.E.S is a trendy little restaurant offering a lot of pub food — sliders, burgers, sides, wings, skewers, etc. The restaurant is not very large, but is comfortable enough to have dinner with a relatively large group of people.
The coolest thing that this restaurant has to offer is definitely the drinks. They offer large, attractive drinks in huge goblets, with little tidbits of candy and other elements sticking out alongside the straws.
The presentation of the drinks can be very nice. The food, otherwise, is served rather pub-style. Nonetheless, the food does look very attractive and makes for a hefty meal. I ordered the three sliders, where I was able to mix and match three varieties: Dry aged beef slider, Bulgogi cheesesteak slider, and spicy sesame chicken slider.
Out of the three sliders, the Bulgogi one tasted the best, and the chicken slider tasted the worst. The Bulgogi slider was loaded with flavor, and its tenderness was phenomenal. The dry aged beef was good, but nothing exceptional — just a regular, good slider. The chicken slider was relatively dry and unimpressive, but had potential for improvement.
All of the loaded sides looked very good, and did not disappoint.
Overall, this restaurant is good for a casual lunch or dinner with some hearty food. The only exceptional or noteworthy attribute to this restaurant is the fancy drinks in giant goblets. Aside from this aspect, the restaurant is relatively average. The sliders can be quite good, if you pick the right varieties, and all of the food generally looks attractive in pictures. I am not sure if I would return to this restaurant, as I feel that sliders and other pub-foods are likely better elsewhere. Nonetheless, if you are in the area, it is not a bad option.