Another great Harry Potter-themed restaurant we visited during our vacation in Orlando was the Leaky Cauldron. If you are a fan of Harry Potter, then you know it is a popular pub and inn among wizards, located somewhere in London. It is also the entrance to Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. And guess what? This restaurant is actually set right next to the Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, here in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studio! It is cool how they set it up just like the movies…the difference here is that the muggles can visit these places!
We were worried about a long line to get in, but then again, we were there on a very slow day, so no line! As we walked through the empty rope maze to get inside, we saw the food samples made with wax, just like they had at the Three Broomsticks (you can read about it here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/three-broomsticks/). This is really helpful.
As we reached inside, we were directed to one of the open registers to order our food. We were then given an old-fashioned candlestick holder with a number on it, instead of a candle. It was heavy and in gold color. Nice way to enhance the old-time theme, I really liked these little touches.
The inside was much, much larger than I expected. It was bigger than Three Broomsticks, maybe twice as large? They can certainly handle more customers here, both wizards and muggles. We were told to wait for someone to take us to an open table, and on this day, we had no problem finding one.
The first thing that caught my eyes was their huge cauldron, placed inside a large fireplace. And yes, it was cracked, hence “leaky” cauldron, I assume. You can see how big the cauldron is on the second photo, with my hubby who is not only handsome but also pretty tall.
The inside structure and design seemed similar to that of Three Broomsticks, with simple white-ish walls, wood beams, triangle ceilings… The Ceilings were really high, creating a feeling of even bigger space. I enjoyed their massive chandelier, I like these antique looking light fixtures.
They had a good selection of menu to choose from, more than Three Broomsticks. For our light lunch, we ordered Toad in the Hole ($9.49) and Scotch Eggs ($6.59). I didn’t quite know exactly what Toad in a Hole was, but it sounded really interesting. It is made with English sausage baked into a Yorkshire pudding and served with onion gravy, minted peas, root vegetables, and roasted tomato. It is said on the menu that it is a popular English dish. Since my experience at the Three Broomsticks was not so positive when it came to food, I did not have high expectations. But, they proved me wrong with tastiness! It was much better I thought it would be, we really enjoyed it! Everything was fresh, seasoned well, and pretty darn tasty. The portion was good too, especially for the price. Another big point to Leaky Cauldron.
Scotch Eggs were pretty good too. It was served with apple beet salad and mustard sauce. I am not a fan of beet, but it was not too bad. The mustard sauce was good, but the scotch eggs already had a good flavor to it that they didn’t need the sauce unless you really like the taste of the mustard sauce. It was crunchy on the outside, cooked all the way in the inside. Comforting side dish at a good price.
We also had a drink to go with the food. Since we already tried Butterbeer at Three Broomsticks, we went for something different. We ordered Fishy Green Ale ($4.99), that has “fish eggs” on the bottom. Ok, it is not really fish eggs, but it certainly looked like it! The mossy green color enhanced the egg-y look. It is actually a mint-cinnamon tea (with a little fuzz, which I really liked) with blueberry flavored boba bubbles. It was sweet but refreshing, but the real surprise came when I tried one of the bubbles. It was actually the kind that bursts and pops! I guess like how a real fish egg would? It was tasty and fun to drink, an explosion of flavors (and bubbles) in your mouth!
We finished our meal with a little dessert, Butterbeer Potted Cream ($5.29). This is the only item that I thought was expensive since it was rather small. I mean, really small. It was creamy and velvety, sweet but not overly sweet. Just like the Butterbeer, it had great butterscotch flavor, and pretty delicious. I wish if it was a bigger portion…
We liked everything we tasted, and the staffs there were really nice also. They were efficient and helpful, especially an older gentleman called Mr. Lee. He was all smiles, willing and happy to help customers. You can tell he loves people and enjoys making them laugh with funny stories. We liked our experience there so much, we actually went back the next morning for a breakfast!
They have a special breakfast menu, separate from the regular menu that will be served after breakfast. Most of the breakfast is priced at $16.99, as they are a full set. We went with Traditional Breakfast ($16.99), which is also called the English Breakfast. It comes with scrambled eggs, sausage links, black pudding, English bacon, baked beans, grilled tomato, sautéed mushrooms, and breakfast potatoes. I thought it was pricey until I saw the plate. It was full of goodies, and enough to share between the two of us for sure. It also came with nice sized croissant, which was a delightful surprise. The breakfast also includes a small drink, so we ordered a small cup of coffee, which came in a regular paper cup. Let’s get back to the food. Everything on this plate was really good! Sausages were juicy, the mushroom was flavorful, the tomato was grilled to perfection. The potatoes were really good too, very surprisingly good. We shared this plate and we were full at the end. I say it was worth the price, totally. Well done!
Out of all the food places we visited inside the Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, this was our favorite spot. Good food, affordable price, and warm, friendly service. I didn’t have high hopes for food inside a theme park, but now I know the level of quality is improving, giving me much hope and happiness! So, if you are a Harry Potter fan, or if you are looking for good food, or both, head over to Leaky Cauldron! And say hello to Mr. Lee with a friendly smile, he will tell you some funny stories and brings smile and laughter to your face!
Leaky Cauldron – 6000 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819