The Magdala Tavern — Restaurant in London

🚇 Hampstead Heath 🍺 £6.90 Siren Lumina IPA

Tucked away at the southern tip of Hampstead Heath, you’ll find The Magdala Tavern. Hampstead Heath station is just a short stroll away.

Built in 1860, the pub takes its name from the Battle of Magdala in 1868. It’s also infamous for a darker chapter in history: Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in the UK, shot her lover right outside in 1955. In the ’90s, a cheeky landlady even drilled two fake bullet holes under a window to lure in punters.

Step inside and you’re transported to the 1930s, thanks to a Charringtons brewery refit that’s still intact. The left bar is light and airy, with an open kitchen and plenty of comfy seats, plus a walled outdoor nook for sunny days. The right bar goes full vintage — curved servery, wood panelling, fireplace, dimpled banquettes, and black-and-white film star portraits. A gorgeous feature of the pub is the stained glass windows, a Charringtons trademark.

Beer lovers, rejoice. The line-up covers both familiar favourites and indies, with cask ales in the mix. I went for a Siren Lumina IPA — crisp, refreshing, perfect for a hot day… though the £6.90 price tag is definitely on the premium side. The food menu swings between gastro dishes and pub classics, with roasts taking centre stage on Sundays.

I visited just after noon on a sweltering Bank Holiday Monday in August. At first, it was blissfully quiet, but it soon filled with hungry, thirsty punters. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, the service was spot on — the team were warm, upbeat, and genuinely welcoming.

All in all, The Magdala Tavern has it all: history, character, brilliant decor, great beer, and a food menu with plenty of fans. I had a cracking time here — 10/10 would recommend.

Follow @themagdalahampstead for updates.

📅 25th August 2025

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This historic pub is re-opening as an independent locale on may 17th for dine in and takeaway pints perfect for park goers and locals alike. With traditional stained glass and fresh natural light, it's a fabulous pub with beautiful furnishing.

The menu and decor is on par with the scale of the area with fresh produce and attention to detail, yet it still feels like a warm and welcoming space-a proper pub serving real ales by a talented bar and kitchen staff that know the NW London area well. It feels like exactly the type of pub we all know and miss after a year if lockdown and like a testament to the rebirth of hospitality in the area post-covid.

Would recommend booking ahead for larger groups but there will be walk in space for locals wanting to stop in! And it's only a stone's throw from the station for an easy commute home.

Update: there are unfortunately currently no disabled/ground floor toilets available at this location as the building predates these as standard design. I'd suggest you to plan for your group accordingly (from what I can tell, they have a fantastic relationship with other local businesses so you could potentially ask to use nearby facilities eg. Garden gate pub 1 min away). There is a baby changing station in the downstairs toilet and staff is otherwise accommodating!

Also-there are several vegan and vegetarian options...

We booked a table online. We were on time. We did not appreciate having to pay any kind of potential "fine" for having booked a table if we had not come or arrived on time. We were sat down in a back, nondescript room. The menu we were given had no beers listed with their prices. We had to go to the bar in person to find out what beers they were selling [Is this a pub which sells beer? Do not pubs or places named as Taverns sell beer with their food offerings? Perhaps not in this dreadful and awful modern world anymore]. We ordered our meal. It took 45 minutes from ordering before our meal was delivered to our table.

My roast lamb [shoulder I think] with mint sauce was delivered on a plate far far too small for the food it carried. I could not help pushing some of the food off the plate onto the table, making an utter mess. The gravy jug lacked a handle; it was too hot to hold: my fingers got burned. The mint in the sauce was burnt. The cauliflower cheese was an overcooked mish-mash. The knife in the cutlery I was given was blunt, not sharp enough to cut the meat on my plate. I was not happy at all with my meal. We will not be making another Sunday visit to this...