The Old Engine Room, Fauna Brewery & Taproom– Arundel Craft Ale Pub & Pizza Kitchen Review

By Chris Harris

It was a miserable Thursday night in Arundel, rain absolutely peeing down. We were staying three nights at the Norfolk Arms Hotel and, despite the weather, decided to give the Fauna Brewery a go.
The trudge up the hill was softened by spotting St Mary’s Gate pub nearly opposite, proudly serving my beloved Tanglefoot, but we trudged over the road out of the way of temptation. Just beyond that, we arrived at what turned out to be one of the most charming pub spaces I’ve visited in a long while: The Old Engine Room.

The name is no gimmick. This was once a large industrial building housing enormous engines that generated electricity for Arundel Castle. The scale of the place makes complete sense, it ’s absolutely massive for a historic town, and it has been beautifully repurposed for its current life as a brewery tap and pizza kitchen.

Aesthetically, it’s outstanding. The main room is a stunner: vaulted wooden ceilings, original thick tiled floors, and an attractive, well-designed bar. I particularly loved the bespoke chandeliers — exposed wire and lightbulbs suspended from the metal ribs from old oak barrels, industrial without being cold. As you walk in, there’s an open pizza kitchen with tall tables and stools. The whole place is spotless, spacious, and thoughtfully laid out. The engine shed sits within its own small grounds, relatively modest in size but exactly what you’d expect in a tightly packed historic town.
The beer, though, is the real triumph.
I had two locals:
Meadow Maker Golden Ale (4.7%)
Chosen simply because it was the strongest ale on offer — but it turned out to be genuinely outstanding. Full-flavoured, distinctive, and refreshingly not another bland, samey craft beer. It had character, balance, and depth.
Cheetah Lager (4.6%)
I attempted this with some scepticism, I’m not easily impressed by lagers these days, youthful days of lager frenzies are now in the past, but this was excellent. Clean, crisp, and far better than expected.
Both beers were superb and, pleasingly, slightly below standard pub prices.

We both had a large pizza. It was on the pricey side, worked out at close to £20, but was very large and clearly made with care. For my taste, the food was well above average, though not quite at the dizzying heights reached by the beer and the building itself.

It was a very quiet night, at the busiest there were 13 customers — yet surprisingly four staff. Economically questionable, perhaps, but unintentionally hilarious: two of them spent the best part of an hour theatrically stocking a couple of beer fridges, a task that should have taken one person five minutes. It was oddly mesmerising and added to the evening’s entertainment.

Despite the quietness, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. You can immediately tell that on a summer evening this place must be absolutely rammed and joyously chaotic.

On the walk back to the hotel, we stopped in for that pint of Tanglefoot at St Mary’s Gate. Later,

I noticed The Old Engine Room only scrapes 3.5 stars on TripAdvisor. I genuinely don’t understand that.
For me, this is a very strong five-star venue:

One of the best-looking pub spaces you’ll find
Outstanding, distinctive beer
Food comfortably above average
A relaxed, friendly atmosphere
I wouldn’t hesitate to return — rain or shine.