The Engine Room — Restaurant in Gateshead

Food and Drinks

Orange cordial and lemonade served in 1/2 pint or possibly a 10oz glass and pint of blackcurrant and tap water at a phenomenal price of £5.05. Clearly charging for tap water. I took back the pint blackcurrant and water back as it tasted disgusting. Bar tender said "I did ask if you wanted ice" I replied "let the tap run it makes a massive difference" He apologised and served another. We ordered food, which we waited around 45mins maybe longer. My food arrived luke warm and on a plate which weren't as clean as it should have been. Underneath the lighten you could see all the water marks and thumb marks off where the plate had been handled. I polished off my own cutlery before using the utensils. Looking around I could see chunks of food on the floor. I watched the waitress clean down the table in a fashion before seating others to eat. Table was still dirty with visable signs of food still on it. I witnessed a blonde female bar staff constantly touching her hair as though she were tying in up for a pony tail only to let go of it to serve drinks without hand washing taking place. After food, I used the toilets. Toilet roll holders where empty paper towels on the floor and an over flowing bin.

I don't recommend eating or drinking here. Hygiene standards amongst staff are staggering whilst serving food and beverages. I understand over a busy period like Christmas, things get overlooked but it wasn't really that busy. As staff were standing talking. It takes nothing to keep on top of things. Keeping the dinning area clean, polishing the plates and cutlery etc, it's part of the job.

To top everything else off your lemonade...

I visited here for the first time today with my mother & uncle for lunch and a catch up.

Before we left the house, my uncle advised to call ahead to make sure there was a table free - luckily the woman who answered the phone reserved a table for us. Which turned out great as not long after our arrival, the place was heaving! It’s obviously VERY popular and I can certainly see why.

There’s parking at the back with plenty of spaces - but be mindful, many guests on our visit clearly didn’t know how to park within the lines, meaning bigger cars struggled to get a space!

The place inside is great - plenty of seats without being overcrowded, along with some lovely little booth seating dotted around. There’s different areas to sit in which breaks it up nicely.

You give your drink and food orders at the bar which can take a little time when it’s busy. Plenty of choice on the drink front.

Due to how busy it was when we arrived, the food itself did seem to take some time to arrive but it was worth the wait. If you’re impatient, then this may frustrate you - so be warned especially if they’re busy.

However - the food itself was great. Just the right size portions - very generous which is a plus. The chips are divine and I would have happily ate a boat load of them.

Highly recommend and will definitely return. I would also recommend booking a table just to be safe, if you’re going at a usually busy...

Had vouchers to use from Christmas, phoned up booked our table, and it was an absolute pleasure dining here We got parked with no problems it was busy in the pub with dinners all over, the atmosphere was lovely with big parties celebrating, smaller table's of 4 and 6 and also cosy tables for couples The menu and blackboard specils were vast and far too many to choose from for you 1 visit here We were greeted with big genuine smiles on faces Asked where we would like to sit, showing to our table ,after deciding on our food, we ordered at the bar, and our food was served in about 15/20 minutes Fresh, hot, and cooked absolutely perfect, the portion was of good size and definitely worth the money. In fact, it was the best mixed grill I have had eating out. The other half's scampi was also delicious, and we both cleared our plates to full for dessert So if you haven't eaten out here before, please give it a try. You definitely won't regret it. It's hard to find a family run , place thats not a big chain pub outlet doing absolutely fantastic fresh, home cooked food at good price and portion sizes that's not bought in frozen and microwaved Well done to...