Engine Co No 28

I came here for Dinner the other night for the first time with my wife and kids and it was amazing! Our server was Julio, who made our experience awesome. He knew a lot about the history of the building, but best of all, he really helped us out on what to order for my picky children. I ordered the meatloaf, my wife ordered the Cobb salad, and my children ordered the mac n cheese and chicken tenders. Everything was delicious! He did warn us about the large portions, and he was not joking. You really get a lot for your dollar. This is such a cool place and the staff is so friendly! I spoke with the manager, Tracy, who was super attentive and making sure that guests were enjoying their time. I will definitely keep this spot in mind for our next visit in LA.
Thanks Engine! (Especially Julio and Tracy)

This is an amazing restaurant in the middle of DTLA.
We had a little office party here and ordered the burgers — damn good choice! I had the Firecracker burger which was spicy and very juicy. It was messy to the point where I really didn’t care anymore about how foolish I looked cause it was really that good. My coworker ordered the Heart Attack burger which was twice as high as mine. I’m sure it was just as good as it looked.
I really enjoyed the experience and wished that I could have stayed back at the bar but we had to go back to work.

Came here for dineLA and we were there right after lunch at 3pm but too early for dinner. The waitress was nice enough to ask the chef if they still serve lunch. The chef agreed and some of us got the lunch menu and some the dinner menu. The food was great as always and we all left stuffed.

FYI: This review comes after my Octopus review.
This is my second time here. My coworkers and I came here for happy hour (5pm-​8pm) after a horrible experience at Octopus (DTLA location).
They have Well Drinks and Draught Beer for $ 5 and all other happy hour drinks from $ 6 – 7. Their Happy Bites are between $ 5 – 7 which is also reasonable.
We ordered their buffalo wings and calamari which are both so yummy. Actually, all of their Happy Bites are recommended.
The most I like about this place is their service. The staff are attentive and fast. The bartender is absolutely amazing. One of my coworkers didn’t like her drink and the bartender exchanged it without any hesitation.
The bar/​lounge area (good for party of 2) gets crowded at times but since people come in and out fast, it doesn’t get you claustrophobic.
Hope you guys enjoy this place as much as I did! :)

The food was decent and the atmosphere was great. The service was a little slow but the server was very friendly and helpful. The Shepherds pie was delicious — made with lamb! The Blackened Chicken Sandwich was also delicious and my daughter enjoyed her kids meal.

This is a great place to eat but there is always a line at lunch and reservations are a must. Everything is delicious, cool atmosphere. Service is always amazing, great place to eat.

The best meal experience in a long time. Our server Julio was probably one of the friendliest and best service us two foodies have ever experienced. He delighted us with a complete history of this fantastic building. The support team was fantastic, worked very well together. Do yourself a favor, do the meatloaf!

I went there yesterday because it was cold, rainy and I wanted some comfort food. I heard their meatloaf was something to try out so I went there in search of it.
When I first walked in there wasn’t many people there. Then again it was pouring outside. As soon as I sat I was serviced and my food came out really quick. Even the waitress was surprised.
I gotta say it was kinda pricey and I considered walking out but I’m glad I didn’t. The meatloaf was really good.
I’d consider going again on payday.

This place was amazing. Thank you for making this night so wonderful. Great service & amazing food!

I came here to eat with a friend after going to the American Music Awards and we enjoyed our time here for a number of reasons.
— No wait for a table /​Food came out quickly (This was impressive right after a Lakers Game and an Awards Show got out! And yay for being open late on a Sunday.)
— GREAT food (Try the Chicken Alfredo pasta!)
— Fun atmosphere
— Close to LA Live Area, but not TOO close to attract the insane crowds.
If you’re in the area and you have a chance to visit, do it!

In real time… sitting at the bar going on 12 minutes without a «hello, can I get you a drink/​menu». Is that about ample time for me to leave? This place is super empty too. So, not sure what’s keeping the staff so busy.
2 minutes after original post…
Bartender came over and apologized for taking so long and bought my first round.
Still hope yet.

Decent food, grown up atmosphere with dark colors; a bit overpriced for what you get. Ok for business lunch downtown but would not consider this place a gastronomic destination.

Went for dinner before a play at the Taper. Plenty of tables at 6 PM on a Friday.
My wife had the chicken pot pie, which was exactly the comfort food she was looking for. A bowl of shredded chicken and veggies in a cream sauce, topped by a giant puff pastry.
I had the Alaskan Cod fish and chips. A generous portion of firm, flaky fish, but the breading was only so-​so. Not at all crisp.
For dessert we shared a slice of pecan pie, which was sweet and delicious.
Overall, a good dinner, but at a pretty steep price.

I want to rate this higher but the service was so disappointing that I just can’t. 20 minutes for fries with chili which when they came were of course overcooked because they stayed on the cook line for too long. Did I mention the place was almost empty? Yep pretty annoying. I understand ashen it’s busy it wasn’t the case. Oh and the flavor you may ask? MEH.
Location is cool, and deco is also nice. It’s classy yet casual a very downtownish feel.
What actually is making me give this place 3 stars instead of 2 is the drink specials. 5 dollars for well drinks in downtown on a Sunday? Uhh yes please! They were not lightly poured either so I was a buzzed happy camper.
Hope they can fix these issues. Concept is cool, execution is poor.

After spending too much money eating at Patina’s with the teens, we decided to try this place after another opera.
Kids wanted comfort food and after reading it was a former fire station, I thought this would be something different. I had made reservations for the 4 of us on a Sunday evening.
When we arrived, they had valet parking. When we walked-​in, they immediately seated us.
It was pretty empty for a Sunday evening and quiet, which was a nice change.
Server was very friendly and attentive.
Dad had a beer, Mom had a glass of house wine & teens had their sodas.
The menu? Comfort food. So I figured there would be no complaints from the teens this time.
Wedge: Standard
Chicken Pot Pie: Good
Southern Style Pan-​fried Chicken: Good.
The special was Turkey that night; it was average.
Overall, a pleasant experience.

Star rank break down:
5 stars for atmosphere and style
5 stars pork sliders
1 star chicken pot pie (or they should call it chicken pot pie soup with biscuit on top)
Don’t be fooled by the 1 year old pic, it is NOT a traditional pot pie, no crust
1 star deviled eggs — bleh
Cheesecake was nothing special.
4 star customer service.
Average total rating: 3 stars

I was here last night for dinner, with a colleague. Since we both are not from Los Angeles, the decision to come here was based almost purely on random factors, such as its proximity to our hotel, as well as their menu after seeing their online presence.
Alas, I should say that they seemed better on the website, but the actual product didn’t deliver.
I ordered the Dead Hippie Burger. I wanted it medium rare. However, when our orders arrived, I was given the Classic Burger, medium well. Given that it was a long day, I didn’t opt to insist and send my plate back, and opted to eat it instead. I didn’t feel like making my colleague wait. So the poached egg, bacon, and avocado has to wait for another time.
Except I think there won’t be another time. I wasn’t impressed with the Classic Burger either. First, the brioche bun they use is very rough and has a weird consistency. The outside surface is very tough, while the inside is soft, which means that when you put it together with the burger and its sauce, the inside will stick and detach from the outside crust. In other words, it’s not the appropriate bread for a burger.
Also, please train your waiters to listen. I wanted the Dead Hippie, not the Classic, and I wanted it medium rare and juicy, not medium well and dry.
Overall, I am giving this place 2 stars as I have definitely experienced better burgers than this one. For the quality of food they offer, I feel like they are overpriced, and would have rated them 3 stars if the price was lower. For their price category, I was expecting something better.

A year ago they had a Valentine’s day special for 85 dollars per couple.
This year they had a familiar offering for $ 85 per couple, and since my so and I liked the atmosphere we booked again.
We arrive and get seated, our server shows up and its some short, bald, homeboy industries looking dude.
He introduces himself and shows us the menu, this is when I notice that it is different and overpriced (55per person as oppose to 42.50)
I ask him politey about the menu as he chuckled with a very annoying laugh, «oh…yea that was las year… I remember, I was working»
I think, oh great but suck it up because lets face it you wont find a nice restaurant at 6pm on V-​day.
Food was of horrible quality. TGIF or Chili’s would have been better.
Steak was the similar to Norms and the shrimp a copy of Red Lobster (minus any flavor)
The Desert was a disgusting piece of Walmart cake and some old wilted chocolate dipped strawberries.
And of course we have the ghetto homeboy server and his annoying laugh which made it feel like I was at super ghetto TGIF. Don’t know who let this clown out of the back of the kitchen, seriously he’s not ready.
Can it get worse? YES!!!
To top it off my so and I got sick from the food which ruined V-​day.
Do yourself a favor and skip this place it is, subpar to any big chain restaurant and not worth the money, the atmosphere is terrible and you might get sick.

A Dine LA misstep lead us here to Engine Co, and I was kind of disappointed. My friends and I were going to Bar + Kitchen for a Saturday lunch, and it was CLOSED! So I had to think quick on my feet and find another Dine LA option. I’ve always heard of Engine Co as a great post-​work happy hour but never been for a meal, so I took my chances and recommended this place to the group.
The restaurant was absolutely dead, and there were maybe 3 – 4 groups with one waitstaff and the food and service was incredibly SLOW!!! I know Dine LA is a great opportunity to bring in new customers to restaurants, but after this experience I wouldn’t go back.
The dine la menu had 2 courses, and I opted for the tomato bisque soup and the prime rib sandwich — all of this costed $ 20. I was disappointed with the portion of the soup, as it was so TINY!!! The cup was the size of an espresso cup, and if I’m thinking i essentially paid $ 10 for this by itself. I will say though they slightly save this review from 1 star with the prime rib sandwich as the meat was cooked to perfection, and surprisingly came with fries.
Unfortunately my other friends ordered the fried chicken sandwich and they did not like it all, as it was so heavy and messy that they didn’t even end up finishing it.
All in all, Engine Co was not a good idea to do Dine LA, and frankly wouldn’t recommend it.

I came here with co-​workers on a rainy evening. I wish we knew in advance that they offer a COMPLIMENTARY SHUTTLE in and around the DTLA area to take guests to/​from the restaurant! Their shuttle service begins at 5:30pm, I believe.
The restaurant itself is an interesting idea… a re-​purposed firehouse. They tried to accent the firehouse theme with fire helmets hung on hooks near the entrance, a pole going from the ceiling to floor in the back of the restaurant, and old timey firehouse photos (from other places) to give you a sense of what it may have looked like back in the day. As we walked in, I kind of tilted my head to the side and said to my boss, «hmmm… we don’t have to stay here if you would rather go somewhere else.» I’m not sure exactly what made me feel a bit off about the ambiance… perhaps it was a bit stark and dated… perhaps it was the tall bar area that took up a wall and seemed out of place with the rest. But we were meeting others there who were on their way, so we sat down at one of the few booths that sit a larger group (seats 5). Most booths seat 2 or 4.
Where they picked up points were service and food. They run the restaurant well, with prompt and attentive service. Food portions were ginormous… My co-​worker laughed when his salad (which was a huge mound almost overflowing from his plate) was presented and jokingly said… «Umm. I ordered the large salad.» The calamari appetizers were excellent… and they make great dipping sauces (cocktail sauce was perfect). Prices were in the high 20, low 30 dollar ranges, with a few odd items around 17 – 22 dollars. I ordered a grilled steak sandwich which was flavorful and super tasty. Large chucks of meat fell out and I even had pieces to eat separately. Meat was tender and a nice reddish pink medium. The fries were not your average fries… Thin shoestring strands were crispy on the outside, but soft and moist inside. Great texture.
I was really disappointed that they no longer offer their check in discount of 20% (even though it is still showing on Unilocal), but overall… the meal made up for the lack of initial frills. It was also really fun to have a private shuttle take me back to work and my co-​workers to their hotel. It’s those kinds of extra touches that make a difference.