Eating at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

By now you've read all about my visit to to Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando. I saved the best for last, because the food is actually really delicious. I don't mean in comparison to theme park food. I just mean in general. Of course, most people come to Wizarding World with a singular food goal: Butterbeer. 

Butterbeer is the iconic Harry Potter beverage. Despite popular belief, it is non-alcoholic (I mean, kids drink it). I'd had it in two forms the last trip I made and while at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London, but it's now available in a third delicious option.

Cold Butterbeer is highly popular, especially in Orlando. (Also, that chocolate trifle is fresh and delicious.) It's cream soda based, so it's sweet and frothy. Though yummy, cold Butterbeer is now my least favorite of the three.

If you're feeling really hot, frozen Butterbeer is where it's at. This is my second favorite form of butterbeer. It's totally refreshing and I could drink it all day, if it wouldn't make my teeth fall out. 

My favorite, and the newest form of Butterbeer is hot. It's like a latte mixed with hot vanilla milk. It may have been 85 degrees outside, but I was willing to make the sacrifice to be able to tell you how it compared to the other two. If you're here in the morning, which you should be, order this instead of coffee. You'll thank me. 

You can purchase Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, The Hopping Pot, and the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley, plus you can get cold and frozen at Butterbeer stands in each. 

Speaking of the Leaky Cauldron, I was really excited to eat there. I mean, everyone in the Wizarding world uses it as a gateway. This one doesn't have old Tom, but they have a fantastic dining room. You order at the counter, are taken to a table and served by staff that has these awesome hats. I tried to buy one, but they only had something similar in brown. Boo. They looked soft and comfortable, plus everyone looked fantastic in them.

We made a point to eat here twice, and I would have eaten there again if we had been there longer. Look at that Weasley-sized cauldron! You feel like you're really inside Harry Potter's world when you're here. Everywhere you look there's something to see, from the staircase leading up to the rooms above the tavern, to the crooked pictures along the wall and the fabulous high ceilings. There were also a lot of Brits there when we visited, which I though was pretty cool. They may have the Warner Bros. Studios with all the sets, but they have nothing on actually being inside the Wizarding World with the actual shops and wizards hanging about. 

First up, let's talk about their breakfasts. We made the mistake of ordering coffee, which was so hot that it was barely cool enough to sip by the time we were finished with our food. This might be how they get out of refills. What you should do instead is order a hot Butterbeer. Eric went for the pancake breakfast and totally snarfed it without a photo. It came with three buttermilk pancakes, bacon, sausage and a croissant. Obviously, he didn't have any complaints. I tasted the pancakes and they were pretty good. Not dry at all and flavorful. 

I wanted to try something different, but I didn't think I could handle the traditional breakfast, so instead went with the Egg, Leek and Mushroom Pasty. Oh. My. Goodness. was this good. As you can see it came with potatoes and a mass of fruit. I shared some of the fruit with Eric, but that pasty (pronounced pass-tee) was amazing. The flaky biscuit was full of the perfect combination of eggs, leeks and mushrooms and it totally filled me up. All the morning dishes, with the exception of the kids meal, are $15.99, but I thought it was well worth the price. 

Moving on to lunch (and dinner), we made another trip to the Leaky, because why not? They have some great traditional options here, instead of chicken sandwiches and hamburgers. It makes a nice change, plus gives you a sweet little taste of the UK. I love that they have a window that displays the food selections, so you can kind of make up your mind before you get in line and handed a menu. 

Eric went with the Beef,Guinness and Lamb Stew, which came with a side salad and I went big with the Ploughman's Platter, which claimed to serve two. I know Eric was torn between getting something else that came with a Scotch Egg and I wasn't starving, so a salad with cheese and bread sounded like a nice light option. We didn't make the mistake of not ordering Butterbeer this time, but to even it out, I tried the Peachtree Fizzing Tea. Make sure to ask for sweetener for it though, because it's not that fizzy and kinda blah without it. The stew was probably one of the best I'd ever tasted. 

My salad was good; however, some of the cheese was kind of flavorless. It may have been better with the mustard, but I don't eat mustard. Eric loves mustard and said it was too strong for him. It was okay, but I wouldn't get it again. If you're really hungry, this won't serve two of you.

Since Eric said we couldn't eat all our meals a the Leaky (I beg to differ), we compromised and went to lunch at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. I had eaten here before and didn't get a chance to try everything I wanted. The tavern is attached to the Hogs Head Pub, which sells alcohol, like Firewhiskey, and has a giant hog's head on the wall behind the bar that intermittently snorts, which I find hilarious. You can hear it in the Three Broomsticks dining room. I love it.

Just as in the Leaky, you can view the foods served here in a window. We decided to save money and order the Great Feast, which serves two. We had also just had huge ice creams, so we weren't actually hungry enough to have our own meals. The Great Feast comes with ribs, chicken, fried potatoes, roasted vegetables and a giant ear of corn. It was perfect for our needs. We augmented with that lovely little trifle at the top. 

The decor is rustic and wooden in the Three Broomsticks, and exactly what you would expect. You order at the counter, pick up your food and drinks at another counter and then get taken to a table. I like that you're never on your own here. They also have outdoor seating that gives you a view of Hogwarts. 

Remember when Harry ran away from home, took the Knight Bus to London and lived in a room above the Leaky Cauldron before his third year? He spent his days studying(!) and eating free ice creams from Florean Fortescue's. Florean took a liking to him and gave him cones of sweet creamy goodness, like strawberry peanut butter. I would have tried that, but instead, I found two even better sounding flavors once we entered the delightfully pink ice cream shop. You can choose from soft-serve or regular ice cream and your cone comes with two flavors (you can also get a cup, but what the hey. Calories don't count on vacation.).

Eric went traditional with mint and chocolate soft-serve. Basically, it all starts out as vanilla and the flavors get swirled in. I'm actually surprised he didn't go for Butterbeer. I will have to try that one next time. I chose sticky toffee pudding and chocolate chili, because I wanted something entirely different. I debated over clotted cream and lavender earl grey, which I would have gotten had we made a second trip like we were planning. If you like spice, the chocolate chili is fantastic. it's sweet, but hot, which can completely freak out your taste buds. The sticky toffee pudding was just cold and sweet, but with chunks of cake in it. I was glad that one was on the bottom, to cool off my tongue from the spicy chili. 

In the Florida heat, it's important to keep hydrated. While in other parts of the park you can drink sodas all day long, you won't find any of that in the Wizarding World. The Hopping Pot serves up all three types of Butterbeer as well as alcoholic drinks, plus they have a lot of seating for you to relax at and just soak in the atmosphere. I mean, look at that photo and imagine it being even better in person.

One of my favorite drinks from the Harry Potter books is Pumpkin Juice. I've made some myself at home for parties and I could probably drink it all the time. It's not cheap to buy at the WWoHP, but it does come in this adorable bottle with a pumpkin topper, which I brought home as a souvenir. If you like pumpkin flavored things and enjoy juice in general, this is a must-try. You can purchase it at the Fountain of Fair Fortune.

Also at the Fountain you can find Gilly Water. Now, we aren't entirely sure what it is from the books, but here (and at my house), Gilly Water is just water. Universal makes it special by selling it alongside fruity flavorings disguised as potions, like the Draught of Peace. I know, it's a way to get more of your money, but you can also just buy the flavorings to use with your own water. Also, they're tasty if you are tired of boring old water. 

The Wizarding World has a good variety of foods and beverages and most are decently priced. Out front of King's Cross Station, you can hit up the potato kiosk that serves up jacket potatoes with all types of toppings. That's just a fancy name for baked potatoes. I regret I was never hungry enough to eat there as well, but there was always someone in line, so I'll definitely try one next time. All in all, I'd skip many of the in-park restaurants to eat at one of the restaurants in the wizarding parts of the parks. 

What have you always wanted to try from the Harry Potter series?

Visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Knockturn Alley

Okay, so we're onto part 3 of my trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. If you missed the others, check out Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. After walking around in the blazing hot sun of Florida, even in September, the dark and cool Knockturn Alley seems like a great place to hide for a little bit. If you have an interactive wand, you can spend even more time here, as there are quite a few place to use it and use magic. Knockturn Alley, like you might expect from reading about it in the Harry Potter books, is everything that Diagon Alley (where it is located) isn't. Where Diagon is bright and vibrant, Knocturn is almost pitch black. Someone complained that there wasn't any seating here, but if there was, you'd almost certainly trip over it. 

To get the feeling of being in a creepy wizarding alley, they've put Knockturn Alley inside, though with all the windows for store fronts, it feels as if you are still outside, but in a really shady neighborhood. There are two places you can slip into this dark wizard area, which may not be that easy to spot if you aren't looking for it.  

Now, you may have figured it out already, but if not, I love Halloween and creepy things and I wanted to know more about Knockturn Alley when reading the books. I was intrigued by the kinds of macabre and evil things these shops were selling. I mean, that one witch was selling what looked like fingernails. What were those for? Well, I probably won't find out, but the wares of Knockturn Alley are varied and the windows are just as thought out and packed as in the rest of the Wizarding World. 

You'll find poisons, bat meat, skeletons, shrunken heads, insects and more within this small shopping district, though they are all just for show. There's so much to look at, even in the darkness, that you may spend even more time there to see what's actually on display.

Obviously, Knockturn Alley was built around that iconic dark wizard shop Borgin and Burkes. It's the only place to shop here, but there's so much to see that it's not disappointing at all. Almost everything on display is for sale, so you can pick up a shirt touting the dark arts, a hefty locket horcrux replica or even a skull for your personal enjoyment. Whether you're in the market for a dark artifact or not, you'll want to make a visit here just to see some of the things you've read about.

I kind of love the horned skull on display, but the Death Eater Masks and jars full of weird potion ingredients really gave me some inspiration for my own Harry Potter party decor. 

Remember the vanishing cabinet? It's here! Step a little closer to it and you can hear that little bird chirping away inside. You'll also see the fake Moody's seven-lock trunk. It's just rattling away under a table full of other great stuff and next to a cabinet full of a bunch of freaky artifacts. Yes, that doll's eyes did just move. Ever wondered what the Hand of Glory looked like? Well, it's in a different cabinet, along with a werewolf claw. Want to see that cursed necklace that Katie Bell somehow ended up with? It's here as well.

Don't forget to look up here, too. There's even more up there, like that hideous troll foot umbrella stand Tonks kept knocking over in Grimmauld Place. You want one now, don't you? I didn't ask if it was for sale, but I probably couldn't afford it anyway (or get it home on the plane if I could). This shop wasn't huge, but since every nook and cranny is full of crazy stuff, it actually felt much bigger than it is. 

Some of my photos are lightened up a bit to actually show you what the picture is of, because the alley is actually that dark. I probably wouldn't head in alone, because sometimes it's hard to just spot another visitor in the gloom, and I'm a wuss who's afraid of the dark. Aside from that, it's definitely a must-see, because you can totally feel how uneasy and lost Harry felt when he accidentally ended up in Borgin and Burkes instead of the Leaky Cauldron. Thank goodness for Hagrid! 

Knockturn Alley is a great respite from the heat and satisfies most of your curiosities about the darker wizarding shopping area. Next up, we'll be talking food! What were you most awed by in Knockturn in the books or movies?

Visiting Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Diagon Alley

Last month I was in Orlando and we visited Universal Studios for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion. Diagon Alley is really exciting in the books and I wish we got to spend more time in it. Luckily, Universal knew this and the expansion did not disappoint. In fact, we spent almost an entire day at Diagon Alley, even though there is only one ride. There is just so much eye candy everywhere for the Harry Potter fan that you can be there for hours and feel like you've not seen much. {If you missed my Hogsmeade post, you can go back and read it here.}

Coming into Diagon Alley, the first thing you see is the giant white dragon perched atop Gringotts. The dragon breathes fire every 10 minutes and is simply amazing from every angle. She is the major landmark here and leads you right to Escape from Gringotts, which I'll get to in a minute. First, let's look at the London street where you go from Universal into the immersive world that is Harry Potter.

I always loved the idea that you enter the Wizarding World though a seemingly normal part of Muggle London. There's a record shop and a book shop and the Leaky Cauldron is just sort of hiding in plain sight. Unfortunately, you can't make your way into the magical world through the pub here, because it is an actual eatery. Instead, you head past the closed tube station and through a wall that hides the open brick wall that opens onto the quirky and bright wizarding street. Before you go in though, enjoy other Harry Potter landmarks, like King's Cross Station, the phone booth that lets you into the Ministry (dial 6-2-4-4-2 to hear a special message from them), the Knight Bus and King's Cross Station, where Harry and his friends went to get onto Platform 9 3/4 to take the train to Hogwarts. 

You'll also get the chance to visit Grimmauld Place. You can't go in, but you can plainly see Number 12, unlike those Muggles that live around the place, and if you look up at the windows you might just catch a glimpse of Kreacher, the crazy old Black house elf that inhabits the place. (It was an especially good place to enjoy a big ice cream cone from Fortescue's, which I will talk about in a separate post.)

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is the largest building in Diagon Alley, though it also houses Quality Quidditch Supplies, and has tons of wizarding gear, candy and joke goods. The building is super colorful and inviting, as well as bendy and fun. I doubt even the people who work there have seen all there is inside and out. I love the adverts on the outside of the building for the products you can find inside.

 I don't think Lockhart's charm worked on Eric. He was more interested in choosing which of his dragon pics was the best for checking in. 

I adored the conservatory-esque dome over part of the Alley. It is reminiscent of  a London market and is also a nice respite from the blazing Orlando sun. Under the dome you can do some shopping, visit the money exchange for Gringotts, get a cool drink and watch several shows that happen every half hour.

The lovely actors from W.A.D.A. (Wizard Academy of Dramatic Arts) perform a tale from Beedle the Bard every hour and on the alternate half hours you can catch Celestina Warbeck sing her heart out, along with the help of her Banshees. If you don't want to be part of the show, possibly stand a little further back than we did, as Celestina will pick a guy from the audience to sing to and then to dance with the Banshees. Luckily, Eric is a good sport. Here is a quick video of some of her performance.

Everywhere you turn there are wizarding gems and amazing details. One of my favorites was this mermaid fountain that recalls Harry's time in the Black Lake in Goblet of Fire.

Gregorovitch sold his wands to the Bulgarians in the books (Viktor Krum has one), though other wizards bought from him as well. We never learn where he actually set up shop, but a small outpost is snuggled into a corner in Diagon Alley, enabling you to purchase a wand without going all the way to Ollivander's. There's no show here and the shop is quite small, but they have a good selection and it's not packed with people like Eyelops is.

Are you actually a Parselmouth? If not, how could you understand these gorgeous snakes that call Magical Menagerie home? This is just one of the cool things you'll find in Diagon Alley if you take the time to look around and poke in the nooks and crannies.

Some store fronts are just that. Store fronts. There's probably a storage room back there, but in order to mask it, they've put something wizardy there for your enjoyment, like this fun deli that sells stewed eels and some sort of fish pie.  

Ever since Harry's first trip into the wizarding bank Gringott's, I've longed to go inside and see just how awesome it was. Well, with the Escape from Gringotts ride, you get to experience the awe that Harry felt when he first stepped inside. The ride itself makes you wonder how angry those first riders were after waiting 5-7 hours for it. I mean, what? We were lucky that the lines on the days we were there were pretty short. We never waited longer than 30 minutes. The best part is seeing all the goblins working, walking by the vaults and offices and checking out the Daily Prophets and ledgers. After you make it past those points, you are ushered into an elevator that'll take you to the deeper vaults. It's a ride all on its own. Make sure you stand near a wall and hold onto the handrail, then look up!

So, once you've had your fill of Diagon Alley, you'll want to make your way out and into King's Cross Station. It looks just like it does in London, only smaller. I love the arrivals and departures board, plus there are ads along the walls just like the underground stations in London. You'll catch sight of that awesome perfume ad from Half Blood Prince, walk through a tube shop that sells snacks and beverages, head through the magical barrier between platforms 9 and 10 and then you're on the train to Hogsmeade. Again, you will need a park-to-park ticket to ride the train, as it goes to the other park, so make sure you have it handy before you head into the station. 

I'll be focusing on the foods and snacks of the Wizarding World in another post, as well as Knockturn Alley. Learn more about Hogsmeade, the train and the interactive wands here.

What's your favorite part of Harry Potter?