The Murdér Express at Pedley Street Station: Review (Murder Mystery Dining, Sober)
Picture a glamorous 1920s train, a carriage full of suspects and a cast who can spot a willing victim from the other end of the platform. Now picture that train never moving an inch. On Friday 12 July 2024, Kelly and I boarded The Murdér Express at Pedley Street Station, a railway arch in Bethnal Green, for an evening of dinner, detective work and, in my case, being picked on. Again.
First, Cake on Regent Street
Before heading east, we grabbed a terrace table at Caffè Concerto on Regent Street. The pink drinks in the photos are alcohol-free mojitos and a strawberry hot chocolate, and the table filled up with a mille-feuille, a raspberry and blueberry tart and a chocolate layer cake. A sweet warm-up for a night of murder.
Welcome to Pedley Street Station
The railway arch has been dressed as a vintage station, with a neon-lit platform bar and a gleaming green carriage with MURDER EXPRESS spelled out along its side. The details are where it shines: luggage on the platform, a giant number 7, and toilet signs that deserve a review of their own. My favourite asks you not to flush paper towels, legal documents, poison or candlesticks. Noted.
All Aboard (and Yes, They Picked on Me)
Once you board, you settle into a booth, the windows are screens and the train never actually leaves the station. We went during the 2024 run, The Murdér Express: Part Deux, so the story has moved on since. No spoilers on whodunit from me. Everyone is a suspect, and that's all you're getting.
The characters are extremely interactive. They don't just perform near you, they come right to your booth and pull you into the story. I always get picked on in these situations, probably because I look like I'll join in. Guilty as charged. Kelly got her own visit from the cast too.
Dinner Between the Twists
Your ticket includes a three-course dinner, served as the plot unfolds. In 2024 it was the 'Best of Best' menu. We had a creamy, golden starter finished with micro herbs and a crisp, a main with a bright green purée and a glossy jus, and a caramelised tart with a crisp tuile and a scoop of ice cream for dessert.
Now, the no cheese, no eggs, no bread report. The food was quite light, and the effect on my stomach was small enough to call negligible. 100% worth it. The menu is fixed, and the official site says dietary needs go through a form in your confirmation email, so fill that in if you have intolerances like ours.
The Sober Bit
Drinks aren't included in the ticket. According to the official site, you order them by scanning a QR code once you've checked in, and non-alcoholic drinks are on offer. There's a wine pairing too (£38 in 2024, going by the card on the platform), which we cheerfully swerved.
Say Cheese (Not the Food Kind)
Out in the lobby, before you board, there's a photo booth. Naturally, we squeezed in, and we came away with a strip of black-and-white prints of the two of us.
Good to Know
The Murdér Express is at Pedley Street Station, Arch 63, Pedley Street, Bethnal Green, London E1 5BW. Bethnal Green station is about seven minutes' walk and Whitechapel about ten. The experience runs for two hours from when the doors open. We bagged cheap tickets on the Central Tickets app, again. If you book direct, the official site is clear that tickets can't be exchanged or refunded, so be sure of your date before you buy. There's no strict dress code and lots of people dress for the era. We didn't, and it didn't matter one bit.
Was It Worth It?
Cake and alcohol-free mojitos on Regent Street, a cast who made sure I was part of the story, a light dinner that barely bothered my stomach and a photo booth on the way in. The one thing I'd change? The screens in the train windows. The visuals were extremely basic, and with far more detail they'd make the journey feel much more real. That's where the missing point went.
Worth It score: 9/10 | Cost: Cheap seats via the Central Tickets app | Sober-friendly: Non-alcoholic drinks on the bar menu | Food-intolerance-friendly: Light courses with a negligible effect on my stomach
Fancy another murder mystery dinner? Kelly and I spent our anniversary solving one with Sherlock at The Lost Estate.
Getting picked on is a habit of mine: I ended up on stage at The Magician's Table too.
Have you boarded The Murdér Express? Tell us which character picked on you in the comments.
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