We could not wait to go to The Engine Room, after talking with Mark G. We went down on a Monday night, around 7:00. There was a 20 minutes wait so we decided to eat at counter facing the kitchen. We were quickly greeted by the owner Dan, and the lovely Lauren was our server. We loved the atmosphere, the bar, the openness, friendless of this place. We were eager to jump right in , so we ordered a Founders Dirty Bastard on tap. Very good. Had to try the Corn bread with maple butter, who knew that beer and corn bread would taste so good. Then I had the Cobb Salad, so good. Had avocado bacon egg and blue cheese and Bibb lettuce. A little too much blue cheese, but it was on the side. So you could take what you wanted. My husband had the Habanero cheddar burger, hot but not too hot. Scrumptious.... We had a sample of Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero Stout, yummy - smooth Then for desert we had a Goose Island Bourbon County beer, served in a brandy snifter....warms you up ! Beer, Burgers & Bourbons Overall, great atmosphere, great food, great service. Can't wait too go back ! read more

The service was excellent, the food, not so much. I had chicken and waffles, the chicken tasted off, like it had been in the cooler for a few days. My wife ordered a bloody mushroom burger that was ice cold and closer to medium well, the fries were also cold. I was very disappointed. read more

Reminded me of a hip bar gastropub like place in NYC. Nothing too crazy unique about it - probably something more special if you're from Mystic, CT originally. The place was poppin' with a lot of young people like a hipsterville of CT. It was really crowded on a Saturday night though we still got a 2-seater quickly. I found it kinda strange to sit in those booths because it made me feel quite small to jump on a extra step to my seat. The hush puppies were delicious and hot to taste with the amazing sauce of JALAPENO MAYO! I wanted more!! The main courses took a bit longer to get to our table - probably were left out a bit longer than other foods. My smoked beef burger was a bit too soggy for my taste when it arrived at my table and the sauce already started to solidify (Nasty.. i know) but I can appreciate the way they tried to get the flavors right! The smoky flavor was there and the sweetness from the onions and molasses were also screaming at me a bit more, but wish the crunchies were a bit more...crunchy instead of soggy. I didn't know what farm to hearth crunchies even meant before, but I am guessing they're famous in CT as bread peeps. Nothing too memorable about that though. Fries were crispy and cooked the way the normally should. Bathrooms were so far from the seating and it was so weird to see the triangular dysons to dry your hands. I appreciated the cool porch where you can sit in a rocking chair after a filling meal though! Nice touch. read more

My husband and I stopped in for lunch on a Wednesday. At first glance the interior looked beautiful they gave us menus on a piece of wood, and we thought that it was going to be expensive. The menu was very reasonably priced and the drink menu was a little high but seriously worth the higher cost. My husband got the Stone Fence cocktail and it came with a slice of apple with cinnamon. It was delicious. I got the smoked burger with molasses and my husband got the spicy burger. Very good presentation and one of the first burgers I had that wasn't messy. The flavors were delicious and the fries were hand cut with seasoning. One of the best burgers I'ver ever had. read more

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Went here after a sales meeting and I have to say they did an excellent job catering to 45+ people. The food was excellent, the drinks were A+ and quite strong, and the room was very comfortable. Great spot if you're in the area, I definitely recommend the strip steak medium rare. read more

We had a very good experience at Engine Room! We were there on a very busy Sunday (St Patty's day) for a late lunch, but they were able to accommodate our party of 6 with a very short wait. The 4-stars is b/c it was really loud & our waitress checked in on us maybe 4 times during our entire lunch. Otherwise, no complaints! The food was really delicious. I had the fried fish sandwich with french fries. It was really good. Their house-made ranch is amazing! My kids had chicken fingers with french fries. Everyone else thoroughly enjoyed their meals as well! We will definitely be back. read more

The Engine Room is the place to go in Mystic if you're looking for a huge menu of whiskeys, craft beers, and some pretty decent food. Not to mention if you're a hipster, you'll fit right in! The decor and overall vibe of the place was pretty cool, and checking out the menu ahead of time got me pretty pumped for this place. I know my girlfriend didn't have as good of an experience as I did, but I left fairly satisfied. I got a cocktail that I can't remember the name of off the top of my head and the menu online isn't up to date, but it had Four Roses Small Batch in it, so I couldn't turn it down. She ordered a beer that had just recently tapped out, which always seems to happen to her for some reason. We ordered some apps - the Carolina hush puppies and the bacon fat caramel popcorn - that were both pretty fantastic. The popcorn had some nuggets of bacon in it along with the fat, and almost had a tobacco-y flavor to it, and I'm saying that as a non-smoker and in the best way possible... definitely a unique and pretty cool flavor. The hush puppies were cooked to perfection and the jalapeno mayo served with it was the perfect companion. For the main course, she went with the BBQ brisket sandwich, while I went with the fried fish of the day with their spicy "comeback" dressing. Much to her disappointment, her sandwich didn't come with fries, even though the sandwich section on the menu said that all sandwiches came with them. Instead, she got potato salad which she isn't a fan of. I decided to be a nice boyfriend and ate some of it for her. Boyfriend of the year right here! My sandwich was pretty good, although it was less "fried" and more "breaded" and lacked the crunch that I would have liked. The comeback dressing was good, but not enough of it was on the sandwich to really do anything. Overall, it was a very cool looking place inside with a very nice looking menu, but the highlights of our meal were the apps and unfortunately not the main courses. My girlfriend also thought our server wasn't as nice with us as she was with a table of two guys sitting next to us, and she thought the server didn't really seem to care when the French fry issue was brought up to her. I know something as small as that will keep her from coming back again, but I'd definitely give it another try the next time I'm in the Mystic area. read more

I was lucky enough to visit The Engine Room for lunch last week and I can't wait to go back! The decor is really rustic and cute and the counter and chairs around the open kitchen is ridiculously charming. The menu is a little limited, but there are so many amazing choices that it wasn't an issue for me. Even though my parents have very "limited palates" they were able to find things that they enjoyed- my dad got a burger and my mom got the brisket sandwich just in case you're interested. I ordered the smoked tofu salad with the dressing on the side and it was fantastic. The tofu had a really nice smoky flavor and the perfect texture. The spinach was piled high on my plate and was very fresh, and the quinoa and roasted carrots were nice additions. Being a craft beer snob, I was delighted to see that the draft list included local favorite Dogs & Boats, brewed by the local Beer'd brewery. Although we sat in the other room, the bar area seemed to be large and well stocked with all kinds of fun things. The wait staff was friendly and pretty attentive, especially considering that it was prime lunch time. Although I don't live nearby, I definitely plan to take another trip in the (hopefully) near future. read more

Engine Room - Smoked tofu salad with dressing on the side. Delicious!! - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

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These folks really have it together. The space is cool and lively. Servers are fully knowledgeable about the food, and only slightly less so about the bar program. That's not a big deal because the bartenders are sharp, engaging and fun. The beer list, while not huge, is smart and covers all bases. The whisky program is robust and well chosen. We went with a group of 8 and not a single dish that we ordered disappointed. Some of the hits were the al pastor wings, the pork terrine, the burgers and the fried chicken. It's probably best to book in advance as the place gets packed. Well done Engine Room. Thanks and we'll be back! read more

Had the best appetizers here! Their Sauteed Pei Mussels and Fried Chicken are the best I've tasted in a while. The mussels were fresh, sand free, and marinated well. Their chicken crisp and saucy. As for their entree, I tried their Smoked Beef Burger which was good. Still the most memorable were the appetizers! read more

Engine Room - Sauteed Pei Mussels - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

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Have been here a few times in the past. Atmosphere continues to be very nice. It was $14 for half a chicken breast sandwich, heavily breaded to make it look like more. The fish sandwich had zero flavor and the patron next to us was charged $32 for his because he "had a fluke which fries better," manager did mark it back down to the price it was on the menu. French fries were decent but honesty hard to mess those up. $8 margarita special was good. Service was prompt. Probably won't return for a while. read more

This is a cool place with a busy, casual atmosphere. I would give it 4 stars for food 3 for service. I'm not really sure what other reviewers are talking about when it comes to "what you get" for what you pay. Unless you are eating at a Golden Corral you certainly get plenty here and it is very reasonably priced. We came in on a busy Saturday night in July, we put our name in for a table but wound up snagging 2 seats at the bar and just ate there. They have a decent beer selection with quite a few local brews. There seemed to be a fair amount of locals there too that the bar staff obviously catered too more, which I get but still kind of annoying. We started with some of the bar bites, the hush puppies and bacon fat popcorn...oh man both were amazeballs! The portions were also HUGE for something that is only $5. The sauce that came with the hush puppies was so good, the right amount of heat. We were almost full after this. I got the mushroom burger and the wife got the turkey burger. Both were beyond outstanding, both perfectly cooked and full of flavor. But the fries, oh man the fires they were delicious! Not sure what it was about them but man I couldn't stop eating them. They almost overshadowed the burger. The service was lackluster, like I said the bartender seemed to never notice us or ask us how everything was, we had to be those people making wild hand gestures to get another drink. There was obviously a bit of flirting going on with some cougars at the bar and we were left as second fiddle to that. After we ate we decided to leave because of that. Overall the food is amazing, next time we may skip the bar and sit at at a table. read more

The Engine Room is one of those great catch-all places if you're in a group and can't decide on a specific cuisine/type of place to go to for dinner. Want a great burger? Check. Good beer and bourbon? Check. What if your friends want cocktails or a nice glass of wine instead? Or a fancy salad? Engine Room has got you covered on all fronts. With tons of bar seating, and lots of big windows that fill the entire place with natural light, and a nice sizable patio, you really can't go wrong here. It's got a classy yet casual vibe, and the service is friendly and fairly on point even when busy. The food is great - we split a few appetizers (my favorite was the baked avocado!) and I opted for the portobello burger - juicy, full of flavor and a great healthy alternative. The only thing I think could use a little improvement is the service. It was good, but inconsistent.. though I will attribute that to the fact that it seemed to pick up after we sat down. Nothing that will stop me from coming back! Can't wait to try more of their food and explore the bourbon offerings! read more

Absolutely amazing service, food, drinks and atmosphere. My family had been on the road all day on the way back down the coast from vacation, and wanted a place to stop for dinner. Engine Room went far and beyond what we expected to be doing for dinner. Even with a super busy crowd, everything was delicious, hot, and efficient. Drinks and menu items are unique but brilliant. Highly, HIGHLY recommend. It was a perfect end to a lovely vacation. Also, there was a bit of a wait, but the water is just across the street and is a lovely place to relax until they're ready to seat you (they text you when your table is ready). read more

Engine Room - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

The first time, we came in the early evening and received lovely service. This was not the case tonight, the bar was full but not busy. The bartenders were EXTREMELY negligent, one gentleman next to us stood with his hand raised for ten minutes before the bartender cashed him out. Apparently, you need to know someone behind the bar to get any sort of attention and forget casual conversation-they don't engage patrons at all. The food was mediocre, the avocado appetizer came out with an avocado I could have played baseball with. To cap off the night, the bartender finally spoke to me, asking if I had ever had Whistlepig Boss Hog ( I was drinking Whistlepig). The bartender gave me 1oz to try and then added another $20 to my bill. With all the other fantastic spots to eat in downtown Mystic, I will be hard pressed to ever eat at The Engine Room again. read more

Engine Room - Bacon fat caramel popcorn and onion rings for happy hour! - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

We dined here this past Friday and had reservations at 8:15 pm. We arrived at 7:45 as we planned to have a drink in the bar first. The place was mobbed. It was difficult to get drinks as the bar was crowded and every seat was taken without space to walk up to the bar. After 10-15 minutes we finally received our beers. We were seated at 8:30, close enough to our reservation. The following were what we found to be the best points of our experience and what we feel could be improved: Best -Atmosphere: the place was put together beautifully but isn't somewhere for a quiet dinner -Food: this is both a positive and negative. The calamari was delicious and dinner portions were hearty and fair for the price. However, I was disappointed to see you couldn't choose your own side as the menu on the website described -Beer selection: it's nice to have somewhere in Mystic with a large selection of craft beers on tap. Improvements -Prices: I understand this is Mystic but the draft beer prices are absurd. Malted Barley in Westerly is a much better value. -Beer Sampler and Descriptions: many of the beers are uncommon and it's intimidating to order a beer without being provided a description ESPECIALLY when you have to pay $8,9,10,11 for a pour instead of paying for a tasting pour. -A medium burger needs to be cooked medium. In conclusion, would we go back? Yes, we'll give it another shot... on a weekday. Hopefully this was a fluke and the growing pains will subside but for now we will stick with the Oyster Club as their burger is 110% better. read more

Went there on a Friday evening. We sat outside and it was so nice. We were across the street from the water so we could see sailboats and the sunset from our table. Our waiter was extremely accommodating and personable. We had a reservation at 8 pm and told our waiter ahead of time that we had to be in and out. The service was incredible and we made it to our next destination with plenty of time to spare. The food was delicious and fresh. I would 100% recommend this place for anyone in Mystic. I ordered the baked Mac and cheese and it was great. It's a side, but it's the perfect portion size. It came out in a black iron skillet so it was hot, but it was soooo worth it. Will definitely go back when in the area read more

Great place! Sunday brunch was great. Chicken and waffle was best I've had. We'll be back.

After hearing many rave reviews about Engine Room, we decide to check it out after a trip to the Mystic Aquarium. I really liked the concept, design, and overall vibe of this joint. Hip, local, laid back, and hoppin'. Service was spot on, despite the busy Sunday brunch crowd. Bloody marys were good..didn't splurge on the add ins, feeling I didn't need to add cheese and bacon to my pending unhealthy lunch. I had the hangover burger, topped with thick bacon, sunny side egg, onion ring, and aioli. Tasty burger..one of those juice running down your arm burgers. All good in my book! I really want to like this place..but the others at my table weren't blown away by their lunches. Brisket eggs Benedict had a plate sized, 3 inch thick piece of bread...stuff to bread ratio was way off. Chicken and waffles- waffles were sweet, like donut sweet..chicken needed salt. I'd totally come back to try out the normal lunch/dinner menu, maybe a happy hour. The dishes just didn't have 100% execution. read more

Engine Room - Hangover burger..off the brunch menu. - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

Absolutely awesome experience at Engine Room! My husband and I sat at the bar and were served by Amanda and Kat. Phenomenal experience, their knowledge about the cuisine and bar menu was excellent, professional and fun. 10/10 recommend and will be back! read more

Exciting and amazing food with a great atmosphere. I had the best falafel of my life thus far there, in burger form, as well as the best corn bread and grits. That's a lot of bests but they're all true! Delicious beer/hard cider selection. Would love to go back! read more

Engine Room - Great beer selection - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

This place is gorgeous inside and I must say the service was great:) had the hush puppies, can you say amazing. They come out hot and taste like warm corn bread bites. Now I'm not a big fan of jalapeño, but the jalapeño mayo that comes on the side is prime! My boyfriend got the smoked beef burger, the quality of the buger was excellent but if your not someone who loves ALOT of dejon they I wouldn't recommend it because the taste is very strong. I got the mac n cheese and it was so delicious! Warm and very gooey! I would def recommend this place for sure and the views outside are amazing! read more

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So.....the restaurant itself is beautiful. the ambiance was lively as there was an agreeable crowd. The menu was the way i like it, short and to the point. My associate and I were seated in the bar area next to a young couple with 2 small children who would not sit. Normally this would not bother me but we were seated in what would be a half booth and the children were physically falling all over my friend. Not the restaurants fault but it did not help their cause. I ordered a rare German beer on tap at $11 I expected a foamy well chilled brew, instead the beer was flat and mildly cool. I am a great lover of a good burger with beef locally raised, but the cow was given a disservice by being grilled and presented to me the way that my burger was. I ordered the hot burger medium served with habanero mayo, pickled onions and homemade pickles for $13. The burger was under and bland, the onions were sour, the bun was wrong as it got soggy from the sauce. My fries were cold hard and over cooked. I do not recommend this reastaurant. read more

Very busy restaurant but well worth it. Had the grass fed beef burger and it was awesome. Asked for the cole slaw instead of fries. It was very good too but a bit funky in flavor( added spices to it) but again it was very good. The lady next to us had the the ribs and it looked unbelievable. I think that's what I will be getting next time I go there. Great place! read more

food was average at best, service was horrible, food was cold by the time I got my condiments, my waitress was snarky and rude. she had too many tables to properly attend to each one. prices were outrageous for the quality of the food. we paid 10 dollars for 2 shot glass sizes of orange juice. Times are tough people, do better. read more

First time at the Engine Room, overall a great experience. The decor was industrial and very unique. The service was very helpful and thoughtful. One of my parties had the catch of the day and it was very delicious and fresh. tried the hush puppies for the first time and was perfectly cooked with a great side sause. Since it was my birthday the waiter gave my table the monkey bread on the house. A must visit place if in the area, won't regret anything you order on the menu. read more

Engine Room - The entrance - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

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We had a communication issue regarding a reservation for the Sunday supper series. In response, the General Manager, Aaron, contacted us to apologize and asked us to still come in for dinner, saying he would make it worth our while. He met us at the door and even made us some custom mixed drinks (he's a damn good bartender and mixologist) during our meal. A good part of our meal was comped, and Aaron came back to check on us multiple times throughout the meal. The attention from the staff and Aaron more than made up for the snafu. That being said, we've been into the Engine Room several times before and have always had great service and delicious food. The issue above was the only issue we've ever had, and they went above the call of duty to make it up to us. We will absolutely be back, especially for the Sunday supper series. This has easily become my favorite restaurant in the Mystic area. read more

Awesome bar/restaurant. We were hungry and thirsty. This place showed up in my Yelp search for brunch with good rating. The place looks great inside, huge windows, lots of different seating options, great local beers that u can even take home (in a $5 bottle). They also have a few gluten free options, I had a delicious Shacksburry dry cider. We were starving so we started with deviled eggs (just ok), mussels (just ok) and a smoked blue fish patte (tasty). For our entrees we had a smoked beef burger, fried chicken sandwich, Cobb salad with chicken and an oven roasted fish. My Cobb salad was amazing, fresh, beautiful and very filling! It had huge yummy bacon pieces and it's substantial enough that I could omit adding chicken. The haddock fish entree was impressive! It had prosciutto wrapped around and it laid on top of roasted young potatoes in a soup like broth - very hearty and tasty! We will definitely come back! read more

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Nice alternative if you are looking to have something else rather than seafood in the center of Mystic. I've gone here for drinks on a Friday night and for brunch on Sunday morning. For brunch, I got the chicken and waffles and they were the best that I have found in the area. I went there with a group of 6-8 and everyone liked their meals. It is on the pricier side especially considering the portions they give you. My boyfriend and I went after already eaten breakfast at another establishment because we were too impatient to wait for our hungover friends. Both moderately full, we initially agreed to split a meal but something happened when we got there and ended up ordering separately. Glad we did because we both inhaled our second breakfast and didn't even feel the need to unzip our pants afterwards. However, I'd come here again. The place has a good vibe and the cocktails are always delicious. read more

Engine Room - Southern Near Me - Mystic, Connecticut

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This was the first stop we made after a 5 hour drive from Philadelphia. Drank a pretty forgettable IPA from a local CT brewery, didn't hate it. Our waitress wasn't the friendliest person I've ever met in my life, but we didn't wait long, and my hot chicken sandwich was, in fact, hot. Temperature wise though, definitely not spicy. You guys really made my day with the sliced pickle on the side. Girlfriend had a plant based burger, and I can't even begin to describe how uninterested I was in it, but she enjoyed it. read more

Good service, nice ambience, but the food was utter mediocrity. Avoid this place if you can.

I love everything about this establishment; it could use a little more light to help read the menu better. We have always been pleased by their food and drink/beer menu and the staff is always attentive. They do tend to be busy but the wait never seems long. read more

Great ambience and an amazing Bloody Mary bar for Sunday Brunch! The food was a bit of a disappointment. We went here for Sunday brunch upon the recommendation of some locals. The restaurant was virtually empty (no reservation needed). This restaurant is run by the same group as the Oyster Club. The brunch ambience was really nice- a historical building, with exposed brick, beautiful reclaimed wood, an open kitchen, and industrial decor. The service was average. The high point of my meal was my Bloody Mary- one of the best I have had in my life! They give you a little sheet to order off of (like ordering sushi)- cute right? I had the spicy bloody mix, with aged white rum instead of vodka, a delicious smoked habenero sea salt rim, shrimp, and celery- delicious! My husband had the tomatillo mix (interesting, tasty, but not as good). Other Bloody Mary accoutrements included candied bacon, cheddar cheese, pickled eggs, and a host of other things. They also had a list of other tasty sounding brunch cocktails. Having said that, the food was disappointing. I ordered the Baked Eggs with Parmesan, local bacon, brioche toast, and dressed greens. The eggs came out in nice cast iron ramekins, like you would expect, but had been over cooked (so the yolk was cooked through)- and isn't dipping your buttered toast into the runny yolk the whole point of this dish:( Also, instead of contrasting the sweet brioche toast, dipped into a rich, creamy egg yolk with some lightly dressed peppery greens (mizuna, arugula) the greens turned out to be butter lettuce that were over-dressed in vinaigrette (too much oil- not enough acid). Great concept; poor execution. I tasted some salt caramel brioche French toast, which was yummy, and they do brûlée grapefruit (which I like). My husband liked the hash. In summary, great cocktails and ambience; disappointing food. read more

OMGoodness, the hush puppies are amazing. Drinks were very well made. We chose to share a bunch of stuff. The hush puppies are fabulous. Brussel sprouts are some of best ever. Grass fed burger got a yum from hubby. Potato salad was great. And the server smwas SO helpful and friendly... Thanks Anna. You made it even better! read more

Disgusted with the food choices at Mystic Seaport we decided to walk over to this place. A lovely 5 minute stroll past historic homes and water views. It was a weekday afternoon, so no crowd and we were seated immediately. Lots of wood and steel gave it a modern but inviting feel. The menu was full of interesting dishes with seasonal ingredients. We enjoyed a cowboy burger, a kale salad (perfectly dressed) and an oyster po'boy (full of crispy well battered oysters). All deliciously fresh and tasty. Even better was the service. Super friendly, especially to our young son. Really excellent craft beer selection. The bartender talked to us a long time about the local beer (and told us to go visit the breweries nearby, which we did!) and let us try samples of everything. This place was the highlight of our trip to Mystic read more

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Delicious food, great service, local beers on tap. All around great restaurant for date night, happy hour, or a casual family meal.

This place has a wonderful old time feel. Absolutely beautiful. Mac and cheese was perfection a really home cooked feel. Grilled cheese was a bit over cooked but good. Would have rather had tomato soup instead of fries. I also tried my moms chicken and waffles. That was amazing only suggestion is have an option for white meat. Server was very slow and not really wanting to chat at All. Rude in the end when taking the bill. But everything else was good. read more

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I recently went to the Engine Room while visiting folks back east. My initial thoughts are: 1. Great Drink Menu 2. Good food menu, but lacks the execution. This is a great place to go for drinks, they have a great selection of whiskeys and a good cocktail menu. Appetizers aren't bad, the calamari and hummus was fine. The pastrami sandwich I had was a disaster. The bread was terrible, and completely soggy. You simply couldn't pick it up with your hands. The pastrami meat was not good either, it was rather fatty and gross. Service was so-so, we did have to wait longer than advertised for a table. Still, I like what they have done with the place, great atmosphere. They do need more places like this in the area. Would recommend for drinks, but pass on dinner. read more

Food is amazing. Drinks even better! Dogs allowed on the patio so it's nice you can bring your whole family! Could eat every meal here. read more

We had our sons rehearsal dinner here. I was very impressed with how hard everyone worked to make this special occasion an amazing experience for us. I had the deviled eggs as a starter. I have honestly never had a deviled eggs this good in my life. These are little crack morsels I will have to come back for. The chicken, beef and vegetarian options were cooked and seasoned to perfection. The environment was full of life and was great for an event like this. I have to thank you all for such an amazing night!!! Would highly recommend the Engine room for a special occasion. read more