Magdala Public House

A pub — with a piano! Definitely a local pub for local people but in a good sense. I have not experienced a punter playing «Happy Birthday» while the whole pub sang along in a London pub before.
On entering you have the choice of a more formal dining area to the left and a lounge bar to the right — both reached through separate doors, lovely.
I met a friend for a quick catch up after work. When asked for a recommendation the barman suggested the Chilean Merlot — a brave man, a beer drinker himeself, saying so in front of my French friend … glad I took his advice, while she stuck to the more fitting Doombar. Perfect name for a beer served in a pub of such dubious heritage.
I can’t believe I’ve only just found this gem of a place — just as it has been bought by developers and may not be around for much longer. How is this possible, such a special place?!

This is one of my favourite places for work lunches, the staff are friendly, accommodating and always welcoming.
Each time i have visited this quaint Gastropub in the heart of Hampstead Heath i have left feeling full and pleasantly elevated.
They have a huge selection of menus for both full mains and special lunch time deals.
I can recommend the minute steak which comes with crispy chunky hand-​cut chips or the fish and chips that include peas in a delicate garlic sauce odd but unique combination. All the items on the menu are home-​made and fresh.
The pub itself is split into two parts on one side you have the restaurant that has an open kitchen so you can see the chef preparing your food. the other side is mainly for just drinks and snacks.
Other then the minimum £10 charge when paying by card i cannot recommend this pub or the food and customer service highly enough.

very scary place… al I can say is local bar for local people. And Ruth Ellis shot her lover outside… bullet holes still there, devoid of any atmos

Nice pub & useful for a break
from walking Hampstead Heath
or visiting Keats House (reviewed here elsewhere)
Famous mostly for being the place Ruth Ellis shot her lover six times &
for that became the last woman who was hung in England in 1955

This Hampstead local was where Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be judicially hanged in England, shot dead her lover. You can still see the bullet holes in the wall outside!
We enjoyed the layout of the pub, as the right-​hand side is laid out solely for drinks, and the left-​hand side is a bit more warm and nicely decorated for eating. We found the selection of ales to be good — and they also had a few nice wheat beers (Lefe, Hoegaarden) on handpull if that’s your taste.
We ate there on an evening in which we weren’t that hungry. That being said, we did enjoy the mountain of cheesy nachos with chili and a meat/​cheese plate. The nachos were memorable, but certainly nothing fancy. The food was good and reasonably priced, so we’ll definitely come again.
This is a solid local if you live in the area, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend for visitors to Hampstead — unless your into the history of the pub! If you’re visiting, The Holly Bush or The Wells is probably more suiting.

If there is a definition of gastropub, that is Magdala. With a renewed menu practically in a daily basis, it has never disappointed me. I’ve been there so many times that I have even lost the count.

Solid little neighborhood gastropub. Decent wine list and very good service. Had a butternut squash tagine and calamari here recently and both were very good and reasonably priced.
As a bonus, they have pub quiz night on Mondays as well and occasionally live music/​performances.