Old Engine House in Torbay

We are usually very happy with this establishment however today was horrendous, myself and daughter visited for an all day breakfast the young man serving us was very helpful and polite on serving us however an hour later no food had arrived and we were by then becoming concerned mentioned to him he said another 10 mins which turned out longer but I don't blame him at all he was rushed off his feet being the only person at the bar. Bless him! The food eventually arrived which was not good the beans are usually in a bowl separate from the meal but no they were tipped on the plate totally covering the toast and butter also on the plate which was covered in beans and soggy the eggs were so snotty and all in all we were totally disappointed in our experience today so disappointing.

Great food both the carvery especially the roast beef and the main menu was great also reasonable price very friendly staff well worth a visit carvery is after 4.30

We entered through the front doors and waited at the desk for someone to show us to our pre-reserved table. No one came to assist us so we made our way into the restaurant area where no passing staff asked whether they could assist us. One of us went back to the entrance desk and eventually the manager appeared and showed us to our table. The menus were sticky and we waited quite some time for service as we had not been informed that we should place our order at the bar. I waited for a long time at the bar to place our order, and when I asked a passing staff member if they could take my order I was told to be patient as each staff member had their own designated job and that the (only!!!) bar tender would get to me as soon as he could. The restaurant was not busy and there were lots of staff hanging around seemingly doing nothing but chatting amongst themselves. Bad management – why aren’t staff helping out in busy areas if their “designated job” is slow? I battled to carry the glasses, wine, wine cooler, sticky menu and my purse back to the table. No assistance was offered and no tray! So I ended up dropping the wine cooler and the ice went all over the floor. No assistance to collect it all up – I did this myself. The residue water was mopped up by staff more than 15 minutes later (surely a H&S slip risk?). The wine glasses were dirty and one was chipped in two places. The menu choice food was delivered to the table with no prewarning to the carvery diners which meant that the menu meal became cold whilst waiting for carvery diner to return with their meal. The carvery server was impolite and disrespectful, and addressed an 83 year old woman as “Missy”. On the whole the food was average, but due to bad management and rude staff we will not recommend this pub to our friends and family and will definitely never return!

Good service friendly staff and the carvery was very tasty one of the I had. Just of main road nice ambience. Will come back

The atmosphere of the store was so gooood🩷🩷 And a clerk named Finley responded politely🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 The conversation was exciting, and we were able to have a wonderful lunch! I will definitely go again👍🏻✨

visited this restaurant with some friends for a birthday, the food was delightful, we were also given great service by our waiter Finley, would recommend

I visited this restaurant with some colleagues for a staff do, the food was really good, our sever Finley gave us great service, would recommend

The restaurant's food is very nice and delicious. I also had a very good experience there because the waiter FinleyMillar gave me good service and was very kind and polite. Therefore, my experience there was very pleasant, both the food and the service that Finley gave me.

visited this restaurant with my family, food was delicious, our server Finley also provided great service to us, would recommend

Great atmosphere and great staff especially ethan

great atmosphere ethan was very helpful with allergy list and service

Great atmosphere great staff especially ethan

Great staff and the best by far is ethan

We love visiting and have always enjoyed our meals. The staff are friendly and welcoming and the carvery is delicious! Phill is lovely and nothing is ever too much trouble.

I had the cheesy meltdown burger, which was possibly the worst burger I've ever had. A small little over cooked pattie with a piece of bacon, which was 25mm wide and 50mm long and see through thin. The bun was over toasted to the point I thought I was eating a burger toastie And the cheese sauce was flavourless. Chips were nice.

Very friendly, very good value for money. Highly recommend, will visit next time we are in the country.

Went here for my mum's 88th Birthday and the food was delicious. Carvery had so much choice and the menu was great for other meals. Come here when we can as it's somewhere we all like. The staff are always friendly and Phil even joined in with the singing of Happy Birthday. Definitely recommend it.

nice food and pleasant staff. Service can be a little slow with only one person on bar

Food and staff are great,only downfall it takes ages to get served on bar on the 6 visits ive had.

Came here on Easter Day, and it was absolutely awful. Half the vegetables were undercooked and hard, and some were overcooked and soggy. The roast potatoes, which are meant to be the best bit, were frozen and hard. I did not eat it; it was that bad. I made a complaint and was told we could get a refund, so I went to the till to then be confronted by a member of staff arguing that we had eaten some and it couldn't have been that bad. It was not for this member of staff to comment and argue with a customer. Very unprofessional to say the least!

Meat tough everything dried out and horrible got the other orders wrong

Carver was disrespectful towards us as we asked if they had any fresh roast potatoes- the ones on display were hard, very dry and burnt- basically said that how's they are done and take it or leave it.

The food was okay but the carvery meat wasn't cooked well and the tables were messy but the service was good but it was ram packed with people

Had dinner here with my partner, even though there was a birthday table here and the bar being busy the service and food was perfect, staff were friendly and couldn’t be more helpful, didn’t catch the waiters name but he was spot on , we come here often and have never had a bad experience, can’t recommend enough

I am a regular customer here, the food has always been excellent for me. Perfectly cooked meats and a great selection of vegetables. Reasonable prices. Very friendly staff, although some individuals occasionally look unhappy. This last point probably stems from my one major criticism - at busy times, there are not enough staff or they are not quick enough, resulting in long waits to place orders and buy drinks. But the food is always worth the wait!

Terrible last night. Carvery was filthy with food everywhere. Like vultures had been up there. Sauces all empty. Roast potatoes were burnt and tasted awfull! Absolutely disgusting 🫣 Made me feel physically sick. Managers need training to clean the carvery deck and have some better standards. Was recommended to go here by family. Never will I return ! Vile just Vile. Clean your business especially your filthy toilets.

Lovely alternative to the hospital canteen.

Great carvery. So many choices of potatoes and veggies. Great vegetarian option for the carvery. Looks like a great menu we will definitely be back to try more. All the staff had smlles. Shout out to Derek for the super banter and friendly service.

Becky the waitress is so kind and helpful, always happy and friendly lady ! The place is nice , carvery is so tasty , the place is the best by far !

Went for a friends birthday 25 of us all enjoyed!

Ethan has been an absolutely fantastic asset to the team at the Old Engine House! I think he needs a pay rise!

We lve it here, and visit often This is a great pub, with plenty of seating and a relaxed atmosphere. The food is good value, and we especially recommend the carvery. The staff are all friendly and helpful, and i must single out Emily, the manager, who is brilliant, and really goes above and beyond , in her role.

What a wonderful place. I am on a diet a significant health change so I'm hoping the two guys remember me. Hard to forget as I asked about calories haha. Owen the bar tender absolutely lovely. Fantastic customer service and I'm really sorry but the chef (black guy) he's on the website. Also, thank you too. Thank you for showing me the carvery and the calories. Your customer service was also outstanding. Definitely a place I'd bring my other children just for the outstanding customer service and yes the food. I managed to stay under my daily calorie limit lol and still was incredibly full.

Good carvery. No draught beer available when I went. Bad planning?

Had a lovely carvery with my family, Becki Phil and Ethan were friendly and helpful , the food was great. We will definitely be back 🌼😊🌼

Banging food for the price and staff are spot on

Wicked service, staff amazing! Good food and football a bonus…

Love this place service is excellent 'Owen' the bar man is great with me and made time with my anxious children and made sure they are happy credit to him

We came here in the half term as wanted to use the kids to free deal. Such good value for money. Me and my partner both had the Carvary and my 1 year old had the fish fingers. It was really lovely and the staff were really nice too.

Great food would definitely recommend

We ate here this evening and both had a carvery. Food was average, some fresh vegetables and some frozen. What let it down was the state of the toilets. All 3 were disgusting, plus the hand dryer was out of order, so toilet paper was the only way to dry hands, with no bin to put this in there was toilet paper everywhere. I spoke to 2 different staff about this, the first said he would get something done (which he didn’t) the second said they would not be cleaned until the morning. Surely with a busy venue, they should be checked hourly. Poor standard Green King.

Excellent value for money carvery

Great value always good service carvery is tasty

A nice fresh carvery and quick service would recommend you book on a Sunday as usually to busy ash is the best I love her loads

Recently discovered the carvery here. Absolutely delicious. Friendly, helpful staff and lovely atmosphere. All food was very reasonably priced.

Great food lovely atmosphere and perfect for watching the football

Carly front of house is absolutely amazing. Polite professional and exceptionally helpful. Very knowledgeable and experienced in her profession and knows how to treat a customer no matter what Very highly recommended and a pleasure to be greeted by on arrival. Thank you so much for making my visit exceptionally enjoyable.

Great beer great food and customer service

One of the best pub around . Great value for the money . Amazing service. Highly recommended. Great offers

Fantastic roasts. Probably the best in the bay. Service is always on point.

I haven’t been coming to the pub for long but the staff are so welcoming and engage with the customers always have a great time when we arrive they have a dining area and sports area where you can watch all of the sports and even play pool and darts the Carverys are very filling and good for the price and big mentoin to Ethan who works there who always comes over and makes sure the customers are all okay will keep returning to this fantastic pub

Great value roast. Good flavour, quality. Great gravy makes the meal.

Although the friendly staff and good selection of items on menu and the food was tasty, we would not return in the winter due to the cold temperature inside the building. Never had to put my coat back on in a pub/ restaurant before.

Lovely place, food was yummy, but watch out for the burnt potato's as they really were! Lol. Rest of the carvery was succulent and service was great. Only downside is DONT FORGET TO REGISTER YOUR VEHICLE FOR THE CAR PARK. In fairness it's easy to do but just beware

Absolutely brilliant place to go

Great place to watch sport, good atmosphere and brilliant team

Love the Old Engine house love the food and the staff especially Paul he can’t do enough for you we love coming here

Watched the football at the pub today, was busy but a brilliant place for sport, loads of tvs around the bar area so can show different games. Good variety of drinks.

Great service, friendly team, brilliant food. I visit regularly with family and friends and couldn’t recommend enough. Chef Joe is a great asset to the team really friendly as are the rest..

What a fantastic place very welcoming the carvery was delicious esp the beef and a very fantastic. Price well done guys you were all brilliant we’re not from Torquay but will Deffo come again when we’re visiting

The staff here are fab, it's always very busy when we go. Food is good and very reasonably priced. Always seem to have offers on...

Sunday lunch is very good with a lively but friendly atmosphere The service was quick and efficient The food fantastic value for money Good range of drinks but a little pricey compared to the food

I’ve never seen anyone work so slowly behind a bar in my life than the young girl today. 8th Jan at lunch time. I understand not everyone is quick and maybe new and inexperienced so allowances are made for that, but an apathetic attitude to the job is off putting to see and experience as a customer and a bad representation of this usually amazing place, that I often visit. Unfriendly, unsmiling and blatantly served someone else before me as I was standing right in front of her at one side of the bar. Gazed around blankly before asking “you ok” to me. ‘What can I get for you’ is the usual term. I’m really patient ( I was just standing and smiling generally so no angst from me) so I’m really not bothered about waiting the normal time, and in turn, but to have someone else served first for no other reason than ‘she felt like it’ is a bad attitude, patronising, and leaves an ugly impression overall. Front line is everything. Only a handful of people in at that time so not rushed off her feet at all, and only me waiting, except for the other customer that stepped up to the bar and got served immediately and while she was still serving the people before me. I will say all the other staff (guys) were extremely pleasant helpful and came to the table a few times to see if everything was in order with the food. But my review was for her as she set the discordant scene and left the extremely bad impression. I should have asked for the manager immediately with hind sight and expressed my feelings there and then. First thing I will do if it happens again. Plenty of people looking for work that would be delighted to have a lovely job in there and take a pride in engaging with the guests in a polite and respectful manner, as all the others did, which was really nice and much appreciated, as always. Really lovely to see them enjoying their employment and taking the initiative to create the right and caring ambience and a pleasant experience for guests. A shame that one person can potentially spoil the whole dynamic. Give the job to someone that appreciates it and and is a front line asset that leaves the best impression.

Lovely food nice atmosphere quick friendly service

This is our go to pub.Great for family's we went when kids eat free was on and it was amazing value. Good service received from the second we entered. Recommended booking always busy. Shout out to the waitress Kelsey.

Staff were friendly and welcoming. Food was very good and portions generous. Meat was tender. Meal very good value for money, especially on Boxing Day. We appreciated the plastic-free Christmas crackers. We often come here for a carvery and the standard is consistent. Really cannot fault it for the price.

Just wanted to give a big thank you to Phil the chef who made me and my family’s visit a very pleasant one. Great service, great food, thank you.

The food is always great and served hot. The staff are friendly and helpful. Great value for money

My experience at old engine was wonderful. I had a lovely waitress Emily who was so polite, catered to all our needs and brought such a positive vibe around the place. Would recommend

This has become one of our go to places to visit when we come to Torquay originally because it was dog friendly but now also because the food and service are great. We had a lovely carvery today and after a cheeky question to see if I could buy a slice of beef for the dog I was given a little bag with 2 really nice slices of beef for her- needless to say she appreciated Phil's kindness and we all left content and full!! Definitely stays on our list of places to visit!

Very good carvery lots of variety the staff were friendly.

We were staying in a hotel with lack of food choice , so we came here with our dog , i needed a sunday roast , superb carvery and freindly staff , and great price point , we will go back when on holiday again in the summer defo

Lovely place to be fair Also go after the hospital

First visit to this Greene King, food was tasty accompanied by quick service, pricing on the whole great, was good access for disabled party members, parking good as well, we will be returning!

Wasnt busy and waited an hour for food to come out depsite asking a few times and were told its coming out any minute. ( which it didnt ) on asking a 3rd time this prompted someone to bring it out.

Excellent carvery tends to get busy so get in early

Horrendously run. Could be a nice pub but the managers are useless. They don’t ever answer the phone. Feels very lazy the way the place is run. It’s a shame because as I said it could be a nice pub. The staff/manager usually have their own set table by the tv in the window? Highly unprofessional. I’ve witnessed him (manager) lying to customers that have had to come in after trying to call and had no luck. Needs a shake up!! Couple of the staff members are fantastic though I will say that. The rest shouldn’t be working in hospitality. There is a real culture problem there.

Me and my family went for a meal. Regardelss of how issues occurred. The manager in torquay Carly was very helpful and made every effort to help us with our order and was absolutely amazing. Have a merry Christmas. Thankyou x

First time visiting as we were down visiting family. This was suggested as a safe place for one of our party who is coeliac. The NGCI menu was clear and when mentioned to the staff we needed gluten free all necessary questions were asked. Two of the group had carvery and the food looked amazing. The gf chicken tikka was really nice and very hot. The mango chutney was particularly good. The other member of the group had scampi and said this was really nice. We enjoyed our meal and will come again next time in the area.

I went there for lunch with my wife. It was very nice inside and the services good. My one gripe is that a male member of staff, puts his fingers inside cups when handing over to customers. The food is good value.

Excellent service. Great tasting food served by friendly, nothings too much trouble carver Phil. Thoroughly enjoyed

Went last Friday the 22nd November with my mum for my birthday managed to get a table went up to get the carvery I was putting some cauliflower cheese on my plate and a tiny bit of cheese went on to one of the sprouts by accident as I couldn’t move up the line as it was packed with people the chef shouted at me saying am contaminating the food and watch out but didn’t say it in a friendly way and took the spoon off me so I couldn’t get any more only had one tiny bit of cauliflower didn’t even eat much of the carvery as just wanted to leave I actually was really upset by it and on my birthday aswell first and last visit from me

Very friendly and cheerful staff while also being quite busy. Had the carvery, chef carving was brilliant and food delicious

Visited while down on holiday in Torquay. I booked a table but accidentally booked it for the wrong day. Luckily the waitress was really helpful and managed to find us a table. The food was lovely, good quality.

Excellent carvery. Meat well cooked and plenty of choice on veg

Had a carvery on tuesday was served by phil had an amazing meal the food was amazing and will be definitely come back again

We visited the old engine house the other day and were served by the lovely Owen. He was more then happy to help us find and table and take our order. Very kind and lovely chap. All of the staff at the engine house are very accommodating I would definitely recommend going!

Went to the old engine house for a Sunday dinner and was served by a lovely young lady called Emily, she was very attentive and made sure we were to be served shortly during a busy service! And Derek on the carvery was also very good at making us laugh whilst filling our plates! Would highly recommend this place! I shall be returning very soon

Had a meal out last night for my brothers birthday, I really enjoyed my meal and thank you to phil for putting candles in the fudge cake

Phil on carvery. Really nice and food was amazing. The extra touch with the candles on my dessert as it was my birthday yesterday was awesome and completely unexpected 🙂

Went to old engine house to celebrate my sons birthday food was great and staff was very nice chap on carvery philp was very helpful also well mannered nice meal and atmosphere.

We come here on a regular basis, Beef is always excellent, service is friendly helpful and courteous Phil chef greats us with a smile, All the staff are welcoming we look forward to the next visit .Thank you

Excellent service and food, had the Jumbo Crispy Chicken and the Cheesy Meltdown burger, both were delicious. A tiny mishap with the order was dealt with superbly and we will definitely be back. Really friendly staff and lovely atmosphere overall.

Our first visit it was busy, we all had the carvery, the meat was lovely, but found the roast potatoes and veg very salty which spoiled the taste as the salt overpowered everything.

ANPR car park with £100 fine. We particularly liked the half finished joist installation completed with exposed hangars, ruining what would have been an ok 70's period ceiling piece. Certainly not what I expected looking at the high Tripadvisor rating. Is this really a good place to go in Torquay? We had a quick pint and then left. Complete dump. We certainly didn't want to eat there looking at the state of the decor and the half finished roof. Either tear it down or finish it properly! You really need to up your game.

The carvery in here is great, will definitely be coming back a lot.

Didn't like initial table we were given as by toilets and fire escape which kept being opened so very drafty after we were moved much happier and can't fault the carvery the Server was lovely all food especially meats, beef dripping roasties,parsnips& yorkshires all amazing will return next time in area

Great service and food ever time we go. Well done to the staff and managment.

My wife and I dined at the Old Engine House on Friday 18th October and were served by Owen, we were so impressed by his customer service, that we decided to visit again today. We were served by Owen again and he was so good that we just had to leave a review, Owen is a credit to the business and I am sure that he will be one of the management shortly, if you can hang on to him! Thanks so much for a great time especially on my wife's birthday!

Excellent carvery. Lovely friendly helpful staff. Will definitely visit again when we are in the area