The album was released to a positive reception from music critics. Ned Raggett of Allmusic rated the album four stars out of five and said "the quartet here sounds like the Buzzcocks, if again essentially the pop-friendlier side of the band." He said that "things haven't sounded this crisp and clear for the band even since the late '70s" and said the album was "generally effective business as usual." Robert Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention, signifying "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure." His review of the album quipped "love life much smoother, music summat." Roger Catlin of "Hartford Courant" was favourable and said that "at any rate, the songs from "All Set" (a title that comes from the oft-repeated phrase used by American waitresses), won't sound out of place amid the classics when the Buzzcocks headline a show Sunday at Toad's Place in New Haven." Ali Sinclair of "Westnet" published a positive review and said the band "sound just as lively as they did back in the mid-seventies. The popular side of punk... less Vicious than Sid, more friendly than the Stranglers - music for pogoing!" "Trouser Press" said "All Set" was another album of "memorable originals with familiar virtues," singling out the songs "Totally From the Heart," "Hold Me Close," "Point of No Return" and "Back With You" as highlights.