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Image posted by paulof horsham
Submitted on Thursday, 26th August 2021
With picture contributions to 6766 other pubs
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Detail Pages
The Engine Room, East Grinstead
East Grinstead
RH19 1AW
Served areas
Reviews of The Engine Room (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Engine Room
The Engine Room is a cellar bar at the end of an alley off London Road, not to be confused with the adjacent Old Mill. A white painted brick staircase descends to corridors and seating areas, with a mix of high tables, sofas, benches and beer shelves found throughout. My visit was not long after an England Six Nations rugby match on a recent Saturday afternoon, so it was very busy, but thankfully there was standing room in the bar where no television can be seen. There were six cask options on stillage in a small room behind the counter, the options being Wildcraft Brewing’s Wild Norfolk, Dorking Brewery’s Misbrooks Brown Ale, The Drink Valley Brewpub’s Dark Horse and Wolf, Fownd Brewing’s Big Dipper and Darkland Brewery’s Paradise Coconut Vanilla Stout. There were also craft keg options and some cans in a beer fridge, but I went for the very good Big Dipper which was served by a very friendly barman who I suspect was the governor. This is a far from comfortable place for a beer, but the ale selection, quality and presence of bucket loads of old clips on the ceiling and walls are a good sign that this is the place to come in town for a great pint of ale.
On 6th March 2026
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6560 recommendations about 6522 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Engine Room
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.
On 13th September 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 632 recommendations about 587 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Engine Room
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.
On 10th November 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
View more reviews of The Engine Room (5)
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- Official site of The Engine Room - theengineroomeg.com
- Facebook - The Engine Room, Brewery Tap and Bar
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Engine Room - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Beer Festivals : Yes last updated 08 October 2022 by paulof horsham
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Car Park : No last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Darts : Yes last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Function Room : Yes last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Hot Food : No last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Jukebox : No last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Karaoke : No last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Live Music : Yes last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Micropub : Yes last updated 24 March 2019 by Just a quick pint, then I'm off
- Pinball : No last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Pool Table : No last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 08 October 2022 by paulof horsham
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 28 March 2019 by Craig O
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 28 March 2019 by Craig O
- Wheelchair Access : No last updated 10 November 2020 by Pub SignMan
- WiFi : Yes last updated 28 March 2019 by Craig O
