ENGINE ROOM DEEP DISH PIZZA — Restaurant in Livingston

Beautiful space, but the service was unbelievably disappointing.

We arrived at 2:15 pm on a Sunday to a fairly quiet restaurant, yet it took nearly 15 minutes just to be greeted by our server. When she finally did acknowledge us, she was rushed and dismissive, making us feel like an inconvenience rather than welcome guests. We ordered drinks (Prosecco and a large bottle of Pellegrino), but only the Pellegrino arrived—without any glasses. We had to remind her 20 minutes later about the Prosecco.

For food, we were advised that ordering a flight of mini pizzas would be quicker than the large deep-dish (which the menu notes takes 30 minutes), so we went with that, along with a Caesar salad and breadsticks. While the salad was good, the breadsticks never arrived.

Throughout the experience, the server was incredibly slow, inattentive, and outright rude, barely checking on us and seeming indifferent to the multiple issues. Then came the real frustration: over an hour passed before we received our mini pizzas. Meanwhile, a table seated 30 minutes after us was served their large deep-dish pizza before we even saw our food. In the entire 90 minutes we spent waiting, the server never once checked in to see if we wanted another drink or an additional appetizer to tide us over.

After waiting an hour and a half, we finally asked for everything to be boxed up to go, just so we could leave. By the time we got home, the pizzas were cold, and because of the poor packaging (the minis are too tall for the standard pizza boxes), the toppings had stuck to the lids.

In the end, we spent 90 minutes at the restaurant and only managed to eat a small Caesar salad.

It’s such a shame because the space itself is beautiful and the concept is great, but the service was unacceptably slow and unprofessional. Given how dismissive and careless our server was, we won’t...

We were really excited to try The Engine Room in Livingston. Saw great reviews about all of their food. If this review was based only upon the quality of food, I would give it 5 stars. On the other hand, the service was not good. We arrived on a Saturday around 12:30pm. There were only 3 tables occupied & the bar tender/cashier/hostess was handling seating & serving. We stood waiting to be seated for at least 5 mins, never had the host come by. We finally walked to the kitchen & asked if we could be seated. Our menus came quickly with water but no follow up for a long time so we had to ask if we could order after 15 mins. Again, there were only 3 other tables, not including ours. We ordered an appetizer, pizza & a beer. Our app came quickly but no plates, napkins or silverware. We finally asked & we’re only given napkins. The pizza arrived from a kitchen staff worker but we still had no plates or silverware. We finished our beers & water but were never offered a refill. I finally asked the kitchen staff for plates & cutlery. When we finished our meal, no one came by. At all. We decided to see how long we’d wait for a follow-up but gave up after 25 mins and requested a to go box and bill. I’m usually very patient but having to get up to flag someone down several times was not a good experience. I highly recommend the food here but the service dampened the entire experience. We’ll probably order to go next time. Maybe we caught them on a bad day....

Amazing Food and Great Local Spot

The food here is absolutely amazing — everything is cooked fresh, so it does take some time, especially during a surprise Sunday rush. As a local in the Livingston area, it's great to see a business thriving, especially during the busy season.

Customer service felt a bit stretched during our visit, likely due to the unexpected rush, but that’s totally understandable. People make mistakes, and after speaking with the owner, Karen, she kindly cleared up a few issues. We really appreciated the conversation and look forward to bringing the family back again soon.

For anyone considering this place: if you're on a tight schedule, I highly recommend ordering to-go. This spot is perfect for those who want to sit back, relax, and really enjoy their meal.

Truly a hidden gem — I’m adding it to my personal list of places to recommend to visiting friends and family. One-of-a-kind experience. Highly...