The Engine Room, East Grinstead

I can add nothing to PSM's comprehensive description, but I found The Engine Room to be a really friendly cellar bar. I had the choice of 4 cask & 4 keg ales, as well as ciders had I been so inclined. Since I was one of the first in, I took the opportunity to pass the time with the manager and the regulars who were starting to pop in. I am happy to report that, on a warm summer afternoon, it was perfectly cool in the bar area. They have also leased some outside space in order to assist with social distancing and to give a fresh air option if you wish (though you'll have to carry your pints up the stairs from the bar). Definitely the best option in East Grinstead for the discerning drinker.

Official site of The Engine Room - theengineroomeg.com

Official site of The Engine Room - theengineroomeg.com

Hidden away at the end of a steep alleyway off the main shopping street, this is an unusual craft beer bar spread across a series of small rooms in the basement of the Old Mill building. On approach, your first inkling that there is a pub here somewhere comes from the small decked outdoor seating area at the far end of the alleyway, which offers basic seating and some partial covering but probably isn’t much of a suntrap, due to the hemmed-in nature of the alley. There is a small greeter’s desk at the entrance, where a cheery lady led me down to the basement level where various rooms can be found leading off from a central corridor. There are a couple of high tables and stools at the bottom of the stairs in the corridor area itself and a room here is full of sofa seating, although I didn’t get a proper look due to being whisked down to my seat at the far end of the corridor. This turned out to be a sofa and bench set into a small recess beneath a bookcase stocked with beer-themed books, a collection of soda dispensers and a model train. To the right of this recess is the door through to the bar – a small strip of a room with the servery down one side and a drinking ledge with high stools down the other. Blackboards on the wall list the various drink options, but Covid meant that the room was out of bounds to customers, so I had to make my choice based on the barman’s narration of the list. A door at the very end of the corridor leads into what I assume to be the main seating area which offers a mix of high and low stools, some pews and comfy looking tub chairs. The walls here are a mix of tongue and groove panels and exposed brickwork, some of which has been whitewashed and decorated with old photos and breweriana. As befitting any craft beer bar worthy of the name, the obligatory pump clip collection was present and correct, this time lining the passage leading to the toilets. Old soul and Motown tunes played quietly in the background and despite being the only customer on arrival, the place slowly started filling up over the course of my stay. I later discovered that the pub also has an A-board outside with the full beer range listed on it, from which I was able to properly note the cask range which comprised Bond Brews Best of British, Kent Old Jamaica Toffee & Ginger Stout, Loch Lomond Bravehop and Angels and Demons Bombay Social Club along with a good craft keg and cider selection. The barman was very helpful in describing styles and recommended the Bombay Social Club, which turned out to be a reasonable Session IPA which went down very well after a long uphill walk into town from the Old Dunnings Mill. I found this to be a very pleasant, if somewhat quirky, craft beer bar that I thought worked well as a counterpoint to the town’s many traditional pubs. The beer range was interesting, my pint was in good shape and I couldn’t have asked for friendlier or more attentive service. The basement aspect perhaps diminishes its appeal, certainly I would imagine in the summer months, but on a cold October evening, this was a good bet for a quiet pint or two.