The Mag Pub is up for sale

[scotchbonnet1951]

I was having dinner in The Palmerston with my daughter last night when i overheard a conversation at the nearby table that The Magnolia Pub has gone up for sale. Does anyone know anything about this? I think it would be a shame if we lose this, as it has so much potential given its size. My daughter informed me that she had eaten in the pub a few years ago and the steak was delicious.

[Lowlander]

Whilst I quite like drinking in the Mag on occasion, I have to agree with the steak being excellent although the other food was disappointing.

Almost Palmerston prices for quality ingredients (apparently William Rose meat), poorly assembled. I hear the chef is/was ex-Palmerston too.

[Gidget]

Why does selling it mean losing it? It might become better. And if your daughter liked the steak so much then why hasn't she gone back to have more of it?

[IJJ1963]

You obviously are new to the area its The Magdala and has always been so there is no such pub as The Magnolia

[StraferJack]

if you are going to take the time to tick someone off, at least do the decent thing and be correct

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,152534,page=1

[Jeremy]

I expect the post was more of a conscious refusal to accept change.

I've never understood why people are precious about pub names.

[DulwichFox]

Magdala is an unusual Name..

Magdala (Aramaic ????? Magdala, meaning "elegant," "great," or "tower" (viz "great place");

Magdala was also a high stronghold in Ethiopia.

I have always known it as The Magdala / Magnolia.

Just wondering if Magdala was the original name.

Fox.

[StraferJack]

I think it has been Magdala for most of it's Mag life, but when Rose took it on about 4 years ago it was renamed Magnolia

Not sure there was ever a concious rebrand back to Magdala but I think the drift has happened

[fazer71]

It looks so tired .

Maybe it needs a new owner to inject some life into it.

The food was v average every time I ate there no different to 1,000's of other pubs which given it's poor location was probably it's problem little reason to go there for the food.

With so much competition on LL it needed to have something different which it doesn't.

How about pole dancing for all the local dads, it never appeared to attract many women.

[PSJ]

E.D needs a pub with a proper focus on sports. Or music. This could be it. Great space for it where the restaurant is. But also keeping all the community stuff it does.

[DulwichFox]

What East Dulwich needs is.

A Pub that sells

Warm poorly kept Bitter(s)

Flat Lagers.

Gives short measures so you don't have to worry about spilling any.

Sells Mediocre food with 'Posh' names and over inflated prices.

Staff that all gather down one end of the bar so you simply just have to wander down there to get a beer.

Has Dirty Toilets with no loo rolls or hot water.

And you will onto a Winner.

Fox.

[Jah Lush]

Correct if I'm wrong but I always thought The Magdala was named after a battle in Abbysinnia (Ehtiopia) in the 19th century.

[ab29]

Never understood the policy of not being able to seat in the ??restaurant? ?area for a glass of wine and some nibbles when the place was deserted- they always tell you it?s for eating only but what?s the point??

[DulwichFox]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> Correct if I'm wrong but I always thought The

> Magdala was named after a battle in Abbysinnia

> (Ehtiopia) in the 19th century.

I did mention a few posts back .. Magdala was also a high stronghold in Ethiopia.

Fox

[MrBen]

Times are hard. Notwithstanding we reached pub/bar saturation on the Lane about 3 years back. You have a finite amount of local spend distributed across multiple establishments rather than focussed on 2 or 3. The Great Exhibition opens and the Actress gets quieter. The Actress opened and took half the Bishop's trade, albeit both CPC at the time. Liqourish was the first proper cocktail offering on the strip in 2004 and then Black Cherry opened in 2005 to split that spend in two. Add an enlarged Adventure Bar and newer Boho (2007/8) and you now have four serving broadly the same drinks.

When people are saying that the sole thing that will make 'em come is some sport it kind of feels desperate and a sign that we've gone full circle.

I like the Mag as it's my local and good people but it can't be doing much more than washing it's face.

[DulwichFox]

When I was young I lived in Peckham.

I never drank in Peckham, Ever..

Back in those days one could drive and legally have a few beers..

I did use the Magdala back then which was Heeeeaaving. with a DJ in the middle of the back bar.

and decorated like a Cave.

But I also used to drink in Blackheath / Chislehurst / Bromley / Brockley / Greenwich / Lee Green

So I used to travel around. Usually ferrying other people around. Very popular back then if you had a car.

Speaking to people in the Bishop Thur-Sat. this would seem to be the case.

Many people coming in from Clapham / Hearne Hill / Putney / Peckham / Lewisham / Brockley

So the bars / Restaurant get rammed at the w/e and make their money then Loads of Money.

So they should stop Whinging about being slack during the week.

Why is it that Pubs say they need to sell Food to make a Profit.

Whilst Restaurants say the make their money from Drinks..

Fox

[Jeremy]

I think the current incarnation does fill a gap... the food offering falls somewhere in between the Palmerston and pub grub (Bishop, EDT). i.e. a proper sit-down meal at decent prices. The quality has varied a bit though - had a couple of really nice meals there, as well as a couple of 'WTF?' moments. But overall I like it and would be sad to see it go.

The previous version was quite heavily sports oriented, with several screens always on the go. That format didn't really seem overly succesful.

[DulwichFox]

Also the Mag has no real outside drinking space whereas

The Plough / Bishop / EDT / Actress / GBE all have outside space.

The Mag is out of the main drag.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

Not a bad "Garden" out back at the Mag (Well there used to be).

Think places are not as busy as they were, but that could be Olympics, School Hols etc. Was in bishop sat early evening and it felt strangley quiet I thought.

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> Also the Mag has no real outside drinking space

> whereas

>

> The Plough / Bishop / EDT / Actress / GBE all

> have outside space.

>

> The Mag is out of the main drag.

[I hammer]

Has the Mag been sold yet?

[camberwell70]

Does Waitrose know about this?

[Sue]

I hammer Wrote:

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> Has the Mag been sold yet?

xxxxxx

No