Engine Room

It’s not that the Engine Room has bad food or poor service. It’s the price that’s the problem. The atmosphere is great, the food is fine, but the $ 14 «smoked beef» burger didn’t do a whole lot better than the Chili’s equivalent. The waitress was friendly, but less than attentive. And the $ 5 lemonades, with no refills, doesn’t help its case either. But when you are served a $ 20 fish entrée that is severely undercooked, that’s the kind of thing that makes you ask yourself: what am I paying for?

I am both completely happy that I stopped in while on vacation and tried the bacon fat caramel corn and totally sad that I now have to live without it. My husband and I came here for during happy hour and had a great experience: service, food, atmosphere (antique engines on display), friendly patrons sitting around the bar with us. Besides the best popcorn we have ever tasted, we also enjoyed the bacon mac n’ cheese, a burger, a wine, and a craft beer all at a great price. If I am ever back in town, I will absolutely stop in again.

Best burger I have ever eaten!!! The onion rings are superb as well. Fries could use a little less salt tho

Popped in on a Thursday night after running a 5K and was impressed how packed the place was. Definitely a vibe going on here with the cool cocktails, the Nuevo local IPA beer choices from Beerd Brewery, and of course the food. Tables were turning over, people leaving looking pretty happy, I was anxious to order. Sat outside and have to say froze to death. But with all that ordered the Hot Fire Burger bloody (medium rare). When it came it was expertly presented with bread & butter pickles, some lettuce and a habanero cheese sauce. While cooked perfectly on a toasted brioche type bun, the only thing it lacked was the «fire». Maybe instead of bread & butter pickles on the bun offer me fresh sliced jalapeños. In addition, drizzle a hot, I mean a hot sauce over the entire burger or give me a small tin of homemade buffalo sauce. While this burger was excellent, it was no where near as advertised «hot fire». Now the hand cut extremely salted fries that came with the burger were 5 star crunchy and delicious. My table mates enjoyed their mozzarella salad and special meatloaf sandwich. Hoping to come back and taste the fire.

Living on the west coast, I always looked forward to going home, driving to Engine Room, and ordering a tofu burger. Hands down best tofu burger ever! On my last visit home, I was so looking forward to this burger, only to discover that it was removed from the menu. I was terribly disappointed and ordered the portobello burger (the only option now on the menu for vegetarians, besides salads). The portobello burger is not the best and not something I would go back for or rave about. I most likely will not be going back to the engine room anymore… Unless the tofu burger is back!

Love the ambiance of this place. The specialty cocktails were good and so was the food. I thought the hush puppies were phenomenal and I had the clam sandwich as well (kind of spicy). I would give 5 stars but I think the drink prices are a bit high for the size that you get. If youre a drinker like I am, just be prepared to spend $ 10 – 12 on the drinks.

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.

Sunday brunch at its finest! Sat at the bar and enjoyed a mimosa or two with the husband. He had a bloody mary which was right up there as one of the better ones he has had.
Everything here was made from scratch and the food did not disappoint. Steak and eggs were delicious and a great portion size. I had the salad which was delicious and refreshing; started watching burgers walk out of the kitchen… along with chicken and waffles. Bummed I didnt have the room to order that as well!!!
Great atmosphere and lively. Can call ahead for a res but ample room at the bar tops.
Great service and friendly wait staff. Would absolutely return.

Decent stop while is Mystic. We were travelling with two small kiddos, and the server mentioned kids items that weren’t listed 9n the printed menu… typical items like chicken gingers and grilled cheese. The place isn’t kid oriented or anythinf, but they were nice enough about it.
Food does take a while, but we’ll worth the wait. Just be prepared for the wait… order a drink or some apps. Hush puppies are delish and the jalapeño sauce is super yummy. Atmosphere was open and casual in an upscale way. I like that the kitchen is open to view from the dining room. Would be a great place for date night or dinner with the girls.

On a Friday afternoon, some friends and I were in Mystic for a daytrip. After some time at a salon, we decided to have a bite before heading home to New Haven. On a recommendation from the stylist, we headed to Engine Room for an early dinner. We decided to order and share multiple items, which included the hushpuppies, deviled eggs, Chesapeake Bay style steamed mussels, chopped salad with roasted chicken, and the baked Mystic Cheese Co. Melinda Mae. We were rather impressed and pleased with the food! All the dishes were made well and had well-​balanced flavours. The service, on the other hand, could have been better; our server simply didn’t bring his «A» game. All in all, we were happy with the food and would return to dine at Engine Room.
Verdict:
Worth a visit

Really enjoyed the Engine House. My son had some fresh seafood… catch of the day, some white fish, and I enjoyed a burger. We were visiting the Coast Guard Academy and wanted to stay in Mystic. Loved the atmosphere here, the bar was packed and loud, and the dining room was busy. I bought a souvenir mug of beer as part of a St. Patrick’s day promotion. Food came out fast and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Good mid-​upscale spot.

Been a few times, never really been outright impressed, and considering AJ’s is next door and Bravo Bravo is a slight walk down the road (and DPI past that), it’s hard to commit to Engine Room when in Mystic. A more versatile menu may help to bring ER into the realm of other the local Mystic competition.

If you ever have a one-​meal day, choose to eat that one meal at Engine Room.
I had Unilocaled a Stonington-​area restaurant ahead of time and chose Engine Room based on the reviews and the lunch menu. When we got there (after visiting two local vineyards), we were told there was a 45-​minute wait for a table, or we could sit at the counter at the window immediately. We chose the window, which gave us some excellent people-​watching views.
We were happy to discover that brunch was served until 3pm. After asking our waiter’s opinion, I ordered a Salty Dale (they were out of Dale’s so gave me a Flying Jenny instead) and a Mystic Pig sandwich.
My friends and I split an order of hush puppies, which were (by far!) the best hush puppies I’ve had this side of the Mason-​Dixon Line.
My sandwich was delectable. I don’t even know the right words to use to describe it. I would make the 75 minute drive every weekend if I knew I would get the same quality every time. Delicious. Amazing. Splendid. :drooling:
One friend ordered the bbq brisket, which she said was a little dry (but she finished her plate), and the other friend ordered something open-​faced but I’m not sure what. She loved hers as well. The accompanying fries were perfectly spiced and the pickles were complementary.
Our waiter kept us watered and entertained and flirted with us just enough to get a good tip. The place was PACKED but it wasn’t loud or overwhelming. I look forward to coming back for more hush puppies and to enjoy a cocktail on the deck.

Food was amazing.
Front of house was sub par.
The place has great atmosphere, love the open kitchen. Was fun to watch the Chef’s in action, except the part where he dropped a bunch of meat on the floor, I watched him and he did throw it away. I felt bad, being a chef I know it happens.
The pork burger with the Melville cheese was so so good. We loved it so much we ordered another one. Great place, just needs better service. And more parking.

Awesome food, super cute hip/​rustic feel. We had the fried pickles (which were actually sliced dills instead of regular chips which meant more pickle less batter!) and hush puppies to start with a couple beers. All the bar bites were half off 4 – 6 for happy hour, which was great. I had a burger with BBQ sauce and awesome hand cut fries. My boyfriend had a BBQ pork sandwich with homemade potato salad, also excellent. You can tell they made the food fresh and put a lot of love into it. I’ll definitely be back.

On a recent visit back to Southeast Connecticut, my friend and I checked out the brunch at the Engine Room. While the concept of brunch is reserved largely for cities, it fits in perfectly with the well off visitors regularly spending time in quaint Mystic. First off, the interior melds together the historic nature of a New England fishing town with a more updated and upscale décor. While the wait was long, we were quickly offered seats on the rail facing out to the Mystic River. As I was more interested in eating rather than waiting, this was a perfect option. While the bar stools are great, hooks for coats or purses would be a nice addition.
Now, the menu. What is great about this menu is the large selection of craft beer and homemade cocktails. In particular, the different fruit options for the beermosas are intriguing and worth checking out. In terms of the food, we were very satisfied with the Baked Eggs as the skillet nicely keeps the dish warm because as we all know eggs get cold faster than anything else on the plate.
The next time I am back in town, I plan to check out the lunch or dinner menu to see what other options await!

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.

The guy at the front desk greeted us with a warm welcome and seated us as soon as we walked in. We were presented with menus and the Bloody Mary selection.
Restaurant/​Order: The restaurant is very casual and has a hipster vibe to it. All beverages are served out of mason jars. We ordered a regular and a ‘hangover’ Bloody Mary. To start, we ordered the Mac and cheese and the hush puppies. For the main course, my boyfriend got the hangover burger and I ordered the fish sandwich.
Beverages: The hangover bloody is a meal within its self. I also ordered the caramelized bacon with it which was very good. The drinks were definitely spicy and very delicious.
Appetizers: The mac and cheese was piping hot it took a few minutes to cool down. Overall, it was very good. The hush puppies were huge. They tasted ok but you had to cut it up four ways. They were gigantic. The sauce was spicy. Usually with hush puppies, you get a honey butter sauce to balance out the spice of the jalapeños. Not in this instance, the sauce just made it spicier. Definitely would not order these again.
Entrée: The fish sandwich came with this weird dark spicy sauce. The fish was cooked nicely and the bun was nice and toasted. I only ate the top of the bun and a piece of the fish. The sauce was just too overbearing. It would have been excellent with just tarter sauce. My boyfriends burger was definitely a fail. His bun was rock hard, he ordered it medium rare it came out medium well and the egg was cooked through. After 2 bites he was done. The waiter came by to check on us about 7 minutes after our food was out. He asked how the burger was and my boyfriend told him. He asked if we wanted another one and we declined and asked for it to be taken off the bill.
Service: The service was good. The places was packed so the waiter did the best he could trying to manage everything. He was very kind and attentive.
Overall: I would probably go back to try the food again however not for brunch. It does seem like a great place to grab a beer and sit at the bar. The crowed was mixed with people in their late 20s to those in their 60s. There were several large parties and everyone seemed to be having a nice time.

I really enjoy eating at the Engine Room when I’m in town. It’s a bit of a hipster-​ish menu, but I like the fancy food descriptions. The bourbon list is great, and they always have interesting beers on tap.
The burgers are delicious, and the eggplant fries are even better than the regular or sweet potato fries here. They come with a «green goddess» aioli that I would put on everything.
Brunch is delicious, and the bloody marys are fun and interesting. I reccommend you stop in!

The Engine Room is hands down one of the best spots in Mystic. from the vibe to the service (and of course the food!), the Engine Room knows exactly what they are doing.
I always order the same thing because it is THAT good — the quinoa salad with tofu. Although it may be a ‘healthy option’ it is packed with flavor and is extremely filling. If you are looking for something savory to go along with it I highly recommend a side of the Mac and cheese — you’ll be dreaming about it for days.
When it’s nice out they have great outdoor seating on their patio and a full bar inside for some late nights as well. Check it out!