Harry Potter grew up deprived of delicious food and without any knowledge of the Wizarding World. On his eleventh birthday, he finds out that he is a wizard and embarks on a journey to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To his delight, he discovers many magical treats and great feasts that await him.
If you've always wanted to taste a Chocolate Frog, sip Butterbeer or share a Great Feast with friends, then here's your chance. Every Harry Potter fan can discover many treats, drinks and even hearty meals to suit their taste buds and bring the magical world to life. We bring you the best food and drink at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood!
The Best Food and Drink at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood
One of the first things you will encounter when walking into Hogsmeade is a red Butterbeer cart. You know you are going to have to try the Butterbeer! Some people have been waiting many years since "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone" was first published to try Butterbeer, so you will see them drinking it first thing in the morning upon entering the Wizarding World. (We actually recommend drinking it AFTER riding Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The ride might make you lose your Butterbeer if you are prone to motion sickness.)
Butterbeer is nonalcoholic, so all members of your family can enjoy this butterscotch-flavored frozen or nonfrozen (you choose) concoction in either a disposable cup or a souvenir stein. You can also get it inside at Hog's Head or the Three Broomsticks restaurant (where they also serve hot Butterbeer).
If you are dairy-free or vegan, you can now get a Butterbeer with a vegan-friendly froth at The Three Broomsticks or Hog's Head!
OK, so they had me at Butterbeer, but I cannot stop there. If you are looking for something beyond butterscotch, carbonated sweetness, then why not try Pumpkin Juice? You can purchase it bottled at the Magic Neep cart (where you can find specialty beer and fruit) or Butterbeer carts, but if you don’t care about having it in a pumpkin-topped bottle, you can save several dollars a serving by ordering a cup of the same pumpkin juice at the Three Broomsticks. (It tastes like a spiced cider.) The Three Broomsticks also sells apple cider, pear cider and Fishy Green Ale.
You can buy Gilly Water, which is simply bottled water, but we prefer to drink free cups of water at the Three Broomsticks and save our beverage money for Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice.
Adults can enjoy adult drinks with alcohol at the Hog's Head. Try specialty beers — such as Wizard's Brew and Dragon Scale — or wine, mixed drinks and Fire Whiskey at the Hog’s Head. And when in the Hog’s Head, be sure to take a seat, relax and have fun admiring the authentic-looking décor and humorous signage.
Try Traditional English Pub Food
The Three Broomsticks is the one restaurant in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood ... and it's one of our favorite Universal Studios Hollywood restaurants! Everything we have eaten has been delicious, and we've pretty much tried everything at this point. We always make a point to hop in when visiting. It serves breakfast (until 11 a.m.), lunch and dinner.
If you have a group of four or more, you might consider ordering The Great Feast. It feeds four, but can easily feed a larger group, especially if you have some small children or light eaters. The Feast includes chicken, ribs, full ears of corn on the cob, vegetables and roasted potatoes. It will certainly make you feel as if house elves have made a feast of food magically appear on your house league table. (Servers do deliver the feast to you.)
Other single-serving, traditional English dishes are sure to make you feel like you have been transported over the “pond.” Choices include bangers and mash, fish and chips, herb roast chicken, roast chicken salad, shepherd’s pie and a smoked turkey leg platter. There is also a vegan Irish Stew. All of the dishes are quite filling.
During breakfast hours, you can enjoy breakfast items such as eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, fruit, croissants and more.
Kids' meals come with fruit and include smaller portions of fish and chips, chicken quarters, chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese.
The restaurant feels authentically old and has a lot of details Potter fans will appreciate. While this is not a table-service restaurant, it does feel like an old pub. They will help seat you and clear your table for you. Check out the fireplace, décor and detailed ceiling. You will froget you are in a theme park. You may also dine outside on the patio. We do recommend eating in between traditional mealtimes to avoid long lines at lunch or dinner. However, the line moves pretty quickly.
If you will be visiting Universal Studios Hollywood between Thanksgiving and Christmas time, you're in for an extra treat! You can enjoy the Holiday Dinner. It comes with turkey, stuffing, vegetables, bacon-wrapped sausage, gravy and cranberry sauce.
Treats in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hollywood
And speaking of treats, Harry Potter has been known to buy one of every kind of wizarding candy off of the cart when riding the Hogwarts Express for the first time. And now you can try them all, too, at Honeydukes. Peruse the shelves for Chocolate Frogs, Peppermint Toads, Fudge Flies (these all sound tasty to us!) and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. The packaging matches that of the movies. You may also enjoy Fizzing Whizbees, Exploding Bonbons, chocolate cauldrons, and dark mark suckers. The feather quill sucker's stick actually writes!
We, unfortunately, could not buy them all, so we chose to try Fizzing Whizbees. Fizzing Whizbees are chocolate bees with something like Pop Rocks inside of them. They crackle, fizzle and pop in your mouth. If you are in need of some luck, purchase a bottle of Felix Felicis potion, aka "liquid luck."
If the store is busy, you can find most of these treats in some other stores around Universal Studios Hollywood, especially near the exit.
Honeydukes also sells freshly made items such as Butterbeer fudge and other fudge flavors such as cookie dough, vanilla caramel, chocolate caramel, mint and more. They have pumpkin cakes, pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, witch hat cupcakes, gingerbread newt cookies, no-melt ice cream, chocolate-covered pretzel wands and caramel apples.
Now I love a caramel apple more than any frog, but I had to try to the Butterbeer fudge. If it comes in Butterbeer flavor, we've probably tried it! Where else can you get Butterbeer as a flavor!
The desserts at the Three Broomsticks come highly recommended. Try delights such as Butterbeer potted creme, sticky toffee pudding, chocolate trifle, apple pie and Butterbeer ice cream. Our family favorites are the Butterbeer potted creme or sticky toffee pudding. The Butterbeer potted creme has a gooey butterscotch glaze topping over a creamy pudding or custard type of creamy dessert with whipped cream on top. It is delightful! (We scrape that pot clean.) We are curious to try the strawberry and peanut butter ice cream (which is also sold on a cart outside). Frankly, the Butterbeer ice cream did not taste particularly like Butterbeer. And as you may have guessed, we are self-appointed experts on Butterbeer by now!
For mealtime and in between, Hogsmeade has something unique for you to eat or drink. Trying some of the best food and drink at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood is a fun way to immerse yourself in the magical world of Harry Potter. If you love themed foods and drinks, Lily has shared her favorite fun Universal treats for even more yummy treats in the park.
If you are looking to increase your food budget so you can try all of these yummy Wizarding World treats, look to Undercover Tourist for discount Universal Studios Hollywood Resort theme park tickets. You can also find some hoppin' deals on a Los Angeles hotel stay. Ribbit!
Related: Guide to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood
Related: Power-Up with Themed Food in Super Nintendo World Hollywood
Hoppy planning!
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