I describe this place as a the best place to hang out with friends in the entire Mystic. The ambience was attractive, just like the name suggests! Amazing food too! We ordered Carolina style hush puppies, fried fish and chips, Fried fish sandwich and amazing beer! We enjoyed everything that we ordered. This place is my favorite now. I highly recommend this place. Loved it totally! read more

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We've frequented ER since it's initial opening and we have consistently been impressed after a semi-rocky start. We would give another 5-star review but something that was quite noticeable upon our most recent visit was that portion size for the salads had gone down about a 1/3. Their COBB is one of our fave salads from ANYWHERE in a 500-mile radius, but the last visit was a let-down in that it was significantly smaller and substantive than the last 5x we'd seen it. By all means, it could have been someone new in the Kitchen and a flook on their part, so we don't hold this one particular plate above our overall experience. Do reccomend to anyone in the area - make a reservation or call ahead --- or you WILL be waiting. read more

I waited 45 mins for a burger and soup. Our waitress brought water and I never saw her again. Honestly the food could've been good but the service was trash. For someone coming out of town wouldn't return. Update after waiting at our table for another 15 mins (total time 1:15mins) we ask for a refund and left Update as we left they did manage to give us our soup. I ordered the pumpkin soup at the top of the apps side of the menu. I'm from out of town and tried to eat it on the train back, super salty and doesn't taste like pumpkin at all! It's like a salt and cheese soup. For all that and the soup was trash. read more

God bless the Engine Room's happy hour hamburger. If it ever leaves I'm going to get emotional. I give this place five stars because you can't go wrong and you will have fun. They care about the food they serve you. read more

Waited an hour and a half for not so exciting food and legs filled with mosquito bites coz they don't sweep nor remove standing water in their parking lots where the tables are set up. They set us up over a puddle where mosquito larvae were squirming. This was during May. We never went back sorry to say. read more

Casual rustic environment, clean and relaxing. Bartender Alex was kind, attentive, and informative. Food was fresh and arrived promptly. Fair prices, delicious meals ***** read more

My wife, 2 y.o. daughter and I had a nice dinner at this restaurant. This was our second time here and I can say the service was great both times. Attentive to water/beer refills and appropriate check-in times to see if anything was needed. We made a reservation for a busy Saturday night and they say is quickly. We shared fried squid and hush puppies for apps. Fried squid had a good batter but the calamari itself was a little tough. Hush puppies were good for someone that doesn't like hush puppies. But they gave us 5. And they were filling. I had the fish bake with potato purée and collard greens. This was the highlight of the meal. I loved it. The fish was haddock that day. My wife had the mushroom burger and she loved it. My daughter had the side Mac and cheese and the restaurant allowed us to change the side of squash for her veggies to not include the spices on top. I like when restaurants accommodate for children. Overall, good dinner. 4 out of 5 stars for me. read more

Engine Room - Baked fish with potato purée and collard greens - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

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Food was outstanding! All locally sourced ingredients and very fresh. Loved the atmosphere and decor. Open style kitchen viewable from chefs style table and seating. This place is a great find! read more

Absolutely LOVED this place! The interior was decorated perfectly for the name, and the food and drinks were amazing. I had the chicken burger with the old bay macaroni salad, and it did not disappoint. My husband had the double decker burger with potato salad and both were extremely good as well. We shared the deviled eggs and hush puppies, and honestly the hush puppies were the best I've had yet! Though we're just visiting from out of town, if given the chance to return we will definitely be back! read more

Visited here with family during hurricane watch warning in the area. Chose this place because it seemed to be the only option that was open. The interior and ambiance is nice with live music. The food however, was average at best and small portions, especially their burgers which I expected more given the pricing. Perhaps I went on an off night because it was so busy. read more

We had lunch there today great atmosphere fun vibe, food and drinks were delicious. I would definitely go back again.

The decore is the best. Thanks for making my birthday so special. My boys love it for date night.

Why would a restaurant ruin what could have been a great burger by using old, stale, flaky bread for the bun? The food tasted really good, and the deviled eggs were great. Other than really bad bread, the seats were uncomfortable and crowded, and the place is loud. I wouldn't chose this location for a nice meal, but for a quick bar bite and a beer, why not. read more

The Engine Room is great. Front the atmosphere to the food and service. All was great. After a nice day checking out mystic we had a lot of restaurants to choose from. It being a Saturday night there was going to be a line. And there was. A regular table was 45 minutes. The counter service was 5. We went with counter service. Stools. No big deal. The meal.... we started with corn and bean dip. Very fresh. Tasty. Then mussels. We both commented that they may be the best we've had. Tasty. Great broth. Yum For the main course we both got salads. Again I'm not kidding. The best Cobb salad I've had. Bacon unreal. Chicken great. Avocado perfect. What can I say? And a gabo gabo salad that was good. But no the best I ever had comments. We overlooked the lively deck. And service was attentive but not annoying. I'd recommend the Engine Room. read more

Excellent food and amazing atmosphere!!!! We visited the Engine Room for the first time and lived up to all our expectations!! I had the chopp salad and everything was fresh. My husband had the chicken sandwich. We also got the warm kale dip!!! read more

Engine Room - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

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Establishment are professional and kind during the day. During the night they are rude and will try to rush you out your table. Food is mediocre. Price is overprice. BBQ, they are missing so much spice, especially pepper and salt. Chicken isn't great in my opinion. But restaurant is cute and nice to sit. read more

My husband and I never both like the same places but we both loved everything we got. He got the general wings for an appetizer. I got fish and chips and wow they were so flaky and delicious. The fries and coleslaw was awesome and the tartar sauce was awesome too. My husband got the grass fed burger and he loved it as well. Pleasantly surprised and would definitely recommend to anyone in Mystic. read more

I had a delicious bacon cheeseburger here. It was so good that it renewed my faith in burgers. I've been in a cheeseburger slump of sorts these last 6 months or so. Which is saying a lot coming from the guy who had a cheeseburger cake at his birthday a few years ago. But this place makes a mean tasty burger that is top notch. The fries are great too. Big flakes of sea salt on the hand cut fries. I will be back. And I will probably go out of my way. I enjoyed the massive amount of wood decor inside and the history they were portraying of the marine engines. It's a shame that Connecticut industry has left but this place serves one mean burger and that's just fine with me. read more

Engine Room - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

With a wide open kitchen, I opted to sit at the bar. I will never forget this experience as it is one of my favorite restaurants in terms of design, staff, and of course the food. Contemporary American food is what they serve and they got a whole list of unique cocktails. This place thrives on creativity and pushing the limit of traditional dishes yet it keeps a very homely atmosphere with its rustic wood decor. I definitely enjoyed the high-energy of the packed restaurant and watching the fast-paced kitchen at work. To see them build your dish is a joy. I've tried many things and I know they have a seasonal menu so they may not exist anymore. Also to mention, there is a variety of seating in the restaurant. Some are more intimate than the one I mention so it is a great date place. List of things I tried: Pickled Whiskey Cocktail, Dressed Corn on the Cob, Porterhouse, Burger, Sweet Potato Fries, Roasted Chicken, and some others I don't remember. All I know is, if I ever fly to the area, I will be going to this place. read more

Engine Room - Delicious corn on the cob! - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

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Trendy restaurant with great food and strong drinks. For happy hour, we got 2 orders of hush puppies and my boyfriend got an old fashioned (which was delightfully strong). For dinner I got the mushroom mae burger subbed with smoked tofu and a side of mac salad, and my boyfriend got the fried catch of the day with coleslaw and hand cut fries. Our waitress Sara L. was delightful and knowledgeable about the menu. read more

Engine Room - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

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Solid 4 stars. Delicious southern feel good fried food. Highly recommend the hush puppies and the fried fish sandwich. Fried chicken looked awesome too. Good bar program as well. Had monkey bread for dessert, tasty and nice presentation in small cast iron skillet. Will definitely visit again. read more

Nice ambiance, nice staff, terrible quality food, the burger was bland, fries burnt in old oil, chicken sandwich nothing special, next time I'll choose chick-fill-a read more

I couldn't wait to write this review I am so livid. I used to love this place. Came here for the first time two years ago for brunch with my husband and was blown away by how good the food is. WOW has it gone downhill. Was craving a burger tonight so suggested we go there (my idea). We have a newborn so a night out takes a lot of effort and planning, so I was excited - and starving (I'm also breastfeeding so it takes a lot of extra calories and you're hungry all the time!) when we arrived the place was packed but we got seated quickly because we were only two (and a half). On our way across the deck, we passed a two-top and I overheard the guy telling the waitress, "We didn't LOVE this..." I glanced to see what he was talking about and saw it was some scallops abs cucumber appetizer so I made a note to avoid that. To start, we tried to order the spinach dip. The waitress immediately goes "Oh no...I knew this was going to happen. We're all out of that." I'm thinking, "Such a common, popular app, and they're OUT..?" We got there around 5 pm, so not like the end of the night or week. A Monday. At 5. She tries pushing the hush puppies, wings and mussels on us, but I always thought the apps were a little weird here. I mean, if you're gonna eat a burger (half of their menu) why would you order wings or mussels first? Like meat followed by meat. I like to change it up. They did have another veggie app - roasted farm veggies in a green curry and tofu paste. Again, think of the menu. That doesn't do with burgers. Or pretty much anything else on their menu. So ok, skip the app. We order burgers. What I was craving anyway. I got the grassfed burger, cooked medium. My husband ordered the Hot Fire Burger, which he ordered cooked medium. The burgers came. I took one look at mine and could tell it wasn't even close to medium. Neither was his. Both were well done. My fries were also cold. Yuck. (And now my husband just admitted to me that his burger also sucked taste-wise). The waitress came over to check how the food was. I told her politely the burger was well done and not medium as I had ordered. I even cut open the middle to show her. She said they'd bring "another burger" and proceeds to walk away, leaving the plate sitting there in front of me. We never got utensils or even napkins, so my husband asked her for those as she was walking away. (He just started eating his burger because he was hungry and doesn't like to complain even when service is bad.) She came over again a few minutes later with the utensils and napkins, so I handed her the plate with my untouched burger. She looked confused and asked if I wanted to "keep the fries." (Cold fries..? Um, no.) I said no, they're cold. She returns with the second burger about TWO minutes later. My first thought is oh god, now it's gonna be undercooked. But oh well, I'd eat the cooked parts. She put it down so fast and walked away immediately. I cut it open in the middle. Same thing. This one, I took a picture of. Does this look remotely close to medium? I was SO hungry and so pissed at this point. All I wanted was a simple burger and a nice night out with my little family. Anyone who's been out with a. We newborn knows they can sleep in their car seat, but only for so long. It's like you're on borrowed time. Well, this waitress then waits about 15 minutes before coming back over to see how my burger is. I didn't even know what to say. I pulled up a pic on my phone of the difference in burger temps to show her the difference in color and was like "maybe the chef doesn't know this but..." But seriously, I'm having to explain at a well known restaurant what medium looks like in a burger??? She looked at me with total hate in her eyes but smiled and said sorry and she would talk to a manager "to see" if they could take it off the bill. I laughed and said "oh I'm not paying for this. It's not what I ordered." She brought the bill out after another five minutes and we were charged in full for everything else. SO disappointed. And yes, I could have eaten the nearly burnt, very dry-looking burger...but what's the point of going out and paying $20 for something we could have made way better at home? Tonight was supposed to be a little treat and respite, since we still aren't sleeping through the night with our little guy. And now I'm back home, still STARVING. But I had to write this first because I am so pissed. It is hard to mess up a burger but The Engine Room managed to - TWICE. Never going there for a burger again. And - I just said this to my husband so I decided to add it: it screwed up the rest of our night. Because now I am still craving a burger, and being this hungry I definitely don't have time or energy to come home and start cooking. So we have to go back out. And, I had several errands I was hoping to run in the way back from the restaurant. Obviously haven't started those yet. Great evening! read more

Engine Room - Grassfed burger. Supposed to be cooked medium. This is the second one after the first one I ordered also came out well done. :( - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

D@mn that was good. The atmosphere is best described as classy casual. The food is creative and delicious without being too hard on the wallet. The place was super busy but the service and the food were still oh so good. Totally worth it. read more

I'm bummed to see that a few years ago I gave them 5 stars and looked forward to every time we could get there for dinner. Now, I doubt we'll return. We hadn't been in a while but decided to take visitors from out of town as we remembered the food and ambiance being excellent. The ambiance is still great but the food was so, so, so bad. We started with the spinach, artichoke dip & veggies over hummus. Both were good but the dip was so tiny. Our party had steak, scallops, fried chicken, pasta, etc for our main courses and 100% were bland, gross, and left us all feeling sick overnight. The seating was extremely uncomfortable and although the waitress was very nice, she was inexperienced and inattentive (not taken into consideration with the star review because hey Covid and she showed up to actually work). read more

The single best meal I had while staying in the area for my summer vacation. My chicken burger was killer, my wife's fish and chips were excellent, and I shit you not. My son's chicken tenders were the best I've ever had in my life 10/10 fries, the drinks were excellent, the service was phenomenal and the atmosphere was top tier. I only wish my kid wasn't sick, so we didn't have to take everything to go almost as soon as it came out. It wss still great and illd definitely be back assuming I ever return to the mediocrity known as Niantic/Mystic/New London read more

Good for COVID fun, dog friendly outdoor seating. Food is pretty good too. One of the best spots in Mystic to eat.

You cant go wrong at the engine room. The vibe is great!! They have good music playing but not so loud that you can't enjoy your conversation but not so soft that you feel like someone put a blanket over your speakers. The food is great quality and has a pretty good selection of some different options. We had a large group and ordered a bunch of food that we all passed around. I tried, chicken burgers, hamburgers, chicken skins, hush puppies, chicken pot pie and more. It was all delicious! A great spot with plenty of seating but you have to make reservations or you will be waiting for a wile. Good things come to those who wait and while your waiting for that good thing, grab a drink from the bar at the engine room. read more

No matter the time of day or day of the week we visit, the food, drinks, and service are consistently phenomenal. Mixed drinks are pricey but they're strong and totally worth the price. Happy hour is a bargain with half price bar bites and drink deals from 4-6 pm seven days a week. Specific recommendations: Appetizer: mussels Bar bites: hush puppies Salad: cobb Burger: mushroom mae Dessert: monkey bread The monkey bread is out of this world. You'll already be stuffed full of amazing food but find your second stomach and order the monkey bread! You won't regret it. read more

Engine Room - Cobb Salad - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

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Great beer selection - liked the casual atmosphere both inside & out. Great wait staff & service. Everything we had was really good - good size portions as well. Would highly recommend! read more

From a non-picky eater standpoint, one could say that "the engine room" was well below par. Don't get me wrong, this establishment has an amazing staff, but for anything other than a drink, I suggest you look elsewhere. read more

Before COVID19: I had my bachelorette party and we stopped in here... ya it was ok, but basically a glorified burger place (so I am glad that we didn't eat here). However the atmosphere was cool and the servers were friendly, so a perfect place for after dinner drinks. read more

Disorganized host. Poor service. Decent food. We were in town for one night and I made a reservation here after checking out their website. When we arrived at 8PM on Friday for our reservation, we were told there was a 10 minute wait. Kind of strange considering we had a reservation. It turned into a 30 minute wait, which was very frustrating because the entire time, there was an empty table right behind the host. He seemed a little confused about how reservations work. When we did finally get seated, some guy in a flannel shirt stopped by to say "what do you want to drink?" No hello, no introduction. Just blurted out some words at us. I may or may not have quietly called him some words that can't be written here after he walked away. He may or may not have heard me but his demeanor seemed to improve a bit when he came back a second time. We were super annoyed already - the long wait that completely defeats the purpose of making a reservation and now an annoying waiter who doesn't actually know how to greet customers. Okay then. We ordered a bottle of wine, although the selection wasn't anything mind-blowing. We started off with a few appetizers, all of which were heavy. We were expecting this but still had that super heavy/unhealthy feeling after finishing. From all of the appetizers, the pickle stood out the most. That says a lot. It was a great pickle though.We also had the ribs to share as an entree and skipped dessert. To be honest, I wouldn't recommend this restaurant for dinner to anyone I know. The service was poor and disorganized. Everything about their demeanor was just off and not what we are used to at good restaurants. The food had some good and bad aspects, nothing mind-blowing or even remotely worthy of mentioning (other than the pickle). I guess if you are in the area and all other places are mysteriously closed or have no available tables, you can wander in here. They may or may not seat you within 30 minutes (with a reservation!!), and they may or may not actually speak to you like customers should be spoken to. Good luck! read more

We've stopped in twice for a late lunch now and enjoyed it both times. It does get packed and loud though! They have a great draft beer list, cocktail list and a passable wine list. We've enjoyed both the kale hummus and the kale and cheese dip as starters. Perhaps we have a thing for kale? The deviled eggs are also tasty. The burgers and sandwiches are all tasty although I found the chipotle hot sauce on the fried chicken sandwich to be overwhelming and I like spicy food. I'm always tempted to get the fries and have enjoyed them, but the potato salad here is awesome. It's a go-to now. I'll be stopping in again the next time I'm in the area. read more

Amazing! Everything was flavored perfectly. I had the Monday burger special with house-made queso, refrained black beans & pickled radishes. Delicious! Side of potato salad and hush puppies to round it all out. My husband, 6 year old daughter & I ate for $50 (not including tip) total. This included 1 beer & appetizer. I would have expected to pay 2x that for the quality of food and being in Mystic. read more

Engine Room - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

Went for a day trip to Mystic, CT with my better half...we had walked around the shops and asked what the locals recommend for lunch. We had heard the Engine Room multiple times! So we decided to give it a shot. It's an open bar that would be great for kids, and parties. Also, for the occasional lunch for two. The menu was different, not in a bad way, just different than the usual bar menu. The beer selection was awesome! I think that this was the highlight of the Engine Room! They also offered many cocktails, as well. Service and food where excellent. If you are in the area, listen to the locals and stop bye for lunch and or dinner. read more

The place was so cute, and the service was great, but the food was mehh, edible. I can't say anything higher than that. I didn't care for the fish sandwich, was bland, thin, and crumbly. My mom ordered chicken and waffles, she didn't care for it either. I tried her dish, it was okay. I wouldn't recommend the place or go there again. Disappointing because I really did like the atmosphere, and the service was great. read more

My boyfriend and I were in Mystic on a Sunday to go to the Aquarium and decided to run into town to grab some lunch beforehand. It was during the Art Festival so the town was packed. It was fun walking around, looking at the art and talking to the vendors. We wanted to go to a place on the water, but since there were so many people in town, the waits were over an hour. We saw the Engine Room down the block and decided to give it a try. They do have outside seating, but it was a really hot, sunny day and there was no shade or umbrellas on their deck, so we opted for indoor dining. The venue itself is really cool. Their tagline is "beer, burgers & bourbon" - and the decor fits perfectly. Lots of wood with an almost Western feel, beautiful, large horseshoe-shaped bar and both booth and table seating. Our waiter was okay (a "hipster wannabe") - he definitely seemed more interested in the table of six next to us who were ordering lots of booze...I guess he was anticipating his tip...anyhoo... My boyfriend ordered one of their many beers and was very happy with his choice (something where there is beer & OJ mixed together?). He also got the Hangover Burger which he really enjoyed. I ordered the Cobb Salad. The boiled eggs were interesting and really delicious - there was some kind of fried breading on the outside. Otherwise, the salad wasn't very good. The bibb lettuce was nice and fresh, but the bacon was really chewy and the bleu cheese was overly salty (yikes) and when I finally got the waiters attention to ask for salt and pepper, he came back several minutes later and plopped down a large pepper mill and a little jar full of salt with a spoon - c'mon. At the end of the day, if it were a place local to where we live, I'd definitely give it another try. Oh yeah - and I'm no longer a drinker, but the "Sunday Bloody Sunday" bloody marys sounded great. You get a little piece of paper and check off your rim, booze, spice and garnish of choice. Probably a great place to hang out and meet up with friends either at the bar or for brunch on Sundays. read more

Engine Room - Cool Sunday, Bloody Sunday Bloody Mary Menu - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

Mushroom Mae Burger was so decadent! The burger was juicy and cooked to perfection, they have chosen the correct bun that holds all of the hearty criminology mushrooms and aioli in. We had started out with the Hush Puppies which were fried to crisp perfection and the jalapeño dipping sauce sealed the deal! The bartender was sweet and knowledgable. Beer was cold and perfect! read more

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Best Bloody Mary menu in the area. And their cornbread is to die for! Now I'm hungry...