The Engine Room — Restaurant in Truro

I had a disgusting experience at Engine Room in Truro, NS, and I’m shocked this place is still open. From the moment I arrived, the main bartender, Jodi, repeatedly called the place a “dive”—not exactly what you expect to hear from someone representing the business. She even said, “No one cares about this place,” which became painfully obvious throughout my visit. With an attitude like that, it’s no surprise the service and cleanliness were unacceptable.

Upon arriving, I ordered 10 Pornstar shots, and instead of being properly measured and poured into shot glasses, Jodi hand-poured sloppy, unmeasured shots onto two plates, with excess liquor spilling all over. When I asked, “What am I supposed to do with the excess alcohol poured sloppily onto the plate?” her response was to call me a "dick" and demand that I “just pay.” How is a bartender with that attitude still employed? As someone with 14 years of bartending experience at The Dome in Halifax, I was shocked by the lack of professionalism. Does she even care about her job, or is she just there for a paycheck?

The bar itself was disgustingly unclean. I noticed watermarks and lipstick stains on multiple glasses hanging upside down. When I asked for clean ones, the busboy seemed confused and had no idea which glasses to wash. To make matters worse, the bar dishwasher wasn’t equipped with chemical sanitizer—a major health code violation.

For a Friday night at 1 AM, you’d expect a buzzing atmosphere—but the place was practically empty, with only about 20 people at most. The music was just as uninspired—cheap, CD-version tracks instead of a live DJ or even a decent playlist. How does a nightclub stay open with this kind of energy (or lack thereof)?

Out of curiosity, I looked up the Nova Scotia Food Establishment Inspection Reports, and the violations I found were alarming:

Dishwasher violations—they were running it without proper sanitizer.

Pest problems—areas affected by pests must be cleaned immediately, and a pest control company must be hired.

Temperature logs—they aren’t being recorded daily to monitor food safety.

Raw meat storage—they store raw meat incorrectly, risking cross-contamination.

If you’re thinking of going, I strongly suggest you check the official inspection reports yourself: Nova Scotia Food Establishment Inspection Reports.

To be fair, the Singapore Sling I ordered was served in the correct glass, but it still had the wrong garnish—a basic detail any competent bartender should get right. This small highlight, however, doesn’t excuse the dirty conditions, unprofessional staff, and overall lack of care.

Between Jodi’s rude behavior, the unsanitary conditions, and blatant health code violations, it’s shocking that this place is still operating. If management cares about the future of this business, they need to address these serious issues—starting with firing staff who openly mock the bar and insult customers.

I wouldn’t recommend Engine Room to anyone looking for a clean, professional, and enjoyable night out. Avoid it. The staff don't give crap and are clueless. Good place for Bar...

Used to love coming here in the past in 2000-2015. Love the engine room as my go to spot with guys and gals in town on the weekends as what used to feel like our place. I'm in 30s now and still love to hit the bars and dance with my girl but vibe wasn't good for that last night. Classic Engine Room feel of Truro with the more Modern update inside (5/10) and update to the food (3/10) would be great. Staff was great (10/10).

*Love the live music you have, love the soft yellow lighting to vibe hang and relax in.

Suggustions: I love to dance with my girl, please have a dedicsted dancing night lile you used to with some modern live stuff good for hiphop, salsa, dj, or rap songs, or classic 80s and 90s rock - songs you can grind, dance and jump up to with friends and partners.

Pool Area - needs a third table if can fit, and way lower lighting with more colourful lighting in that area (for a more privacy feel, love that its lowered a bit from the main area).

Dance area - same as pool area, dimmer lighting, was very bright and didnt feel intimate at all. More colourful lights but noticed they did get some there recently which I love mixed with the wood/soft yellow - perfect for the classic truro bar feel!

main area lighting is perfect, but furniture needs a modern upgrade. love the wood, keep all that. Feels like truro cozy and lile home. But needs some leather for the booths and/or seats, maybe get more of a sports bar feel kind of going with some updated decor on the walls, - love the modern exterior look now! Now just the inside needs upgraded a bit is all (and just a small bit here and there, especially by the pool area! Would do wonders for the business).

Prices & staff are amazing, thats what will make me come back again in future if they upgrade the interior and pool hall area, and have a dedicsted club/dance night...

This place has seriously gone downhill! We waited approximately 40 minutes, in a nearly empty restaurant, for our potato skin appetizer after the waitress had to take our order twice because she “forgot because she was talking to someone else before putting in the order”. The potato skins finally show up; they’re undercooked, over salted and the cheese is hardly melted — certainly not worth the wait or money! While waiting for the appetizer, we received our drinks, 2 glasses of Pepsi. Immediately upon taking a sip I noticed that it was flat and tasted off.. come to find out, they’re serving their pop from a 2L bottle, charging nearly $3/glass, and advertising as fountain pop. 5 minutes after finally receiving our appetizer, our waitress comes with our main plates and drops them on our table and leaves — next time we see her is when we went up to the bar to pay since she never came back. Our mains were mediocre at best, I had ordered a medium rare steak which was received medium well and heavily coated in Montreal steak spice which I ended up eating since the waitress never came back to check on us and I was starving. My partner ordered a burger, which was pretty decent, although overcooked and dry. We will never be back!!

**UPDATE; since being here, we have began to feel sick with frequent stops during our...