The Leaky Cauldron: Delicious British Fare for both Muggles and Magic Folk
Hey, there! It’s me, your Quibbler Creative Editor, back with a complete review of Diagon Alley’s number-one restaurant: The Leaky Cauldron!
While I love a warm pumpkin pasty, chocolate frogs, and the occasional box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans as much as the next witch, sometimes I just want to fill up on muggle food. Made with hard work rather than magic, there’s something enchanting about the taste of its simplicity that’s irresistible.
However, we magic folk can be…unintentionally conspicuous…when we venture out into the muggle realm, and obliviating folks is such a nuisance. So, instead of wiping people’s memories every time you want a homemade meal, you can head to the Leaky Cauldron Restaurant instead!
Here, witches and wizards have perfected the recipes from the best London pubs so you can enjoy traditional dishes like Bangers and Mash, Toad in the Hole, and Ploughman’s Platter.
…and muggles think we have strange names for things!
Finding the Leaky Cauldron
The Leaky Cauldron has been invisible to muggle eyes for centuries, but I’ll tell you how to get there. Of course, there’s the London entrance, but we’ve also created a passageway to the Wizarding World for our friends across the pond. For you Americans, you’ll need to make your way to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
This amusement park has a small area that looks like London, and it’s there that we’ve hidden the entrance to our world. Just slip into the train station, and between platforms 9 and 10, you find the wall gives way to Diagon Alley.
The Leaky Cauldron is right there at the start of the alley! Now, I know it looks a little grubby and a little run down, but remember – this place housed the Boy Who Lived in his third year! If it’s good enough for Harry Potter, then you know it will be good enough for the rest of us.
Once inside, you’ll be greeted by high, cathedral-like ceilings and cascading natural light, as well as the savory smells of fish and chips being freshly fried.
Accio Menu!
Let’s take a tour of the Leaky Cauldron’s culinary delights, shall we?
Now, when I say “traditional” fare, I mean traditional British fare. I don’t want to shock my fellow wizards across the sea, but you won’t find cheeseburgers, hotdogs, or fried chicken on the Leaky Cauldron menu. Nevertheless, I think you’ll find the selections to be satisfactorily filling comfort foods.
Despite its appearance, this pub is a classy establishment with two menus: one for breakfast and one for lunch and dinner.
Breakfast
If you pop in during the morning – before 10:30 a.m. – you can start your day with a tasty Leaky Cauldron breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage links, English bacon, black pudding, baked beans, grilled tomato, sauteed mushrooms, and breakfast potatoes. That’s what we call a Traditional English Breakfast!
However, early in the morning is the one time you’ll find the Leaky Cauldron catering to American tastes with an option of fluffy, buttermilk pancakes (with bacon, sausage, and a croissant) or a meal of scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes (also with bacon, sausage, and a croissant).
If you want the most authentic experience, I’d recommend going with the Traditional English Breakfast, but you could also try an egg, leek, and mushroom pasty for another taste of England.
There’s also the healthier option of apple oatmeal flan with yogurt and fruit if you don’t want to overload yourself before a day of adventuring!
Note that bacon, English bacon, potatoes, eggs, and blood sausage can all be ordered as extra sides, and especially note that there is a big difference between bacon and English bacon. While I will always proclaim Hogwarts‘ superiority to the American wizarding school, Ilvermorny, I must concede that American bacon is better than English.
Lunch & Dinner
While the Leaky Cauldron breakfast menu is nothing to sneeze at, the most iconic dishes are served during the lunch and dinner hours.
In the afternoon, you’ll find Fish & Chips (battered Atlantic cod with chips – served with tartar sauce), Bangers and Mash (roasted English sausage with creamy mashed potatoes and a side of sauteed and roasted veggies), and Toad in the Hole (English sausage baked into a Yorkshire pudding – served with gravy and veggies on the side).
These are the most notable dishes on the menu (how could “Toad in the Hole” not be iconic?), but the other Leaky Cauldron offerings are equally and wonderfully British, too!
I’m personally a huge fan of pasties, so the Shepherd’s Pie Pasty is hard to pass up (meatless beef crumbles and veg stew in a yummy, hand-holdable pastry crust, served with dipping sauce, apple beet salad, and wedge fries).
There are also savory pies to choose from (beef or salmon, shrimp, and cod fillings), scotch eggs, split pea soup, and stews that will warm you from the inside out (beef, lamb, and Guinness stew or a vegan Irish stew). There’s even a Ploughman’s Platter so you can make up two sandwiches piled high with cheeses, greens, tomatoes, scotch eggs, apple beet salad, and even Brantson pickle (the hallmark of a true Ploughman’s).
Extra servings of wedge fries, garden salad, bangers, scotch eggs, or mashed potatoes and gravy may be ordered as sides. While a leaky cauldron may never be full, you certainly will be!
Dessert & Butterbeer
Make sure you save room for dessert!
You can order a decadent serving of butterbeer potted cream, butterbeer ice cream, or a delicious serving of my favorite delicacy – sticky toffee pudding!
In addition to dessert versions of butterbeer, you can also order regular hot, cold, or frozen butterbeer to drink at the Leaky Cauldron! (Note that butterbeer is a non-alcoholic butterscotch drink, so even our youngest witches and wizards are welcome to partake!)
All Are Welcome at the Leaky Cauldron!
Before I sign off, some of you witches and wizards might be wondering if you need a reservation to dine in at this lovely establishment. Thankfully, as a quick-service dining option, the Leaky Cauldron is open to all – first come, first serve.
There are, however, exclusive Leaky Cauldron breakfast reservations included with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter vacation package. Otherwise, you simply walk in – and generally, that’s good enough! (Be aware that on busy days, you may find yourself waiting up to an hour for your meal. I suggest bringing along several issues of the Quibbler to pass the time!)
The Leaky Cauldron is an excellent quick-service place to eat in the Wizarding World. The food is genuinely tasty, and what appears to be a decrepit pub actually offers a cozy, transportive atmosphere.
Have you been to the Leaky Cauldron restaurant? What’s your favorite dish? Let us know in the comments below!
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Photo: Kelly Verdeck via Flickr
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