One of the super fun things to do at a theme park – other to go on rides, take photos with characters, and live in a fantasy land for a while – is to have a lunch or dinner at where your favorite characters have been in movies! I visited Universal Studios in Florida, and had so much fun!!! Our main focus was to explore the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The first place we went for food was Three Broomsticks. If you are a fan of Harry Potter, you know this is a popular inn and pub in the all wizarding village of Hogsmeade, and is often frequented by students from Hogwarts school.
We went on a not so crowded day, so we were having so much fun without a long line. We were afraid that there will be a long line at this restaurant too for its crazy popularity. But, when we got there, there was a staff with a pointy hat waiting, and I asked him if there is a wait, and he said “no, come right in.” YEEESSS!!! They had a really cool display of all the food offerings (I assume were all made with wax, like how they do it in Japan). It was so awesome, and nice to know what they look like before you order them.
One we were inside, we were directed to one of the ordering counters. Each counter had a number above it, and a staff directs their customers to an available ordering counter. After we finished ordering, we walked by a large condiment station, and to the main dining area.
The dining area was incredible! They obviously paid attention to every detail, it was like another world, well, if there was no one with modern or “muggle” clothes on them. It was a nice size, but it was not so big. I can see how this place gets packed very quickly. Even though there was no line at the entrance, it was still crowded enough.
The detail is really great, I appreciated everything they put in there from floor to ceiling. I loved the tall triangle ceiling, the each wood piece placed there in such meticulous way is simply breathtaking. And I really liked how they placed a cauldron around tables, it somehow created warm atmosphere.
The restaurant overall created nice, warm, and welcoming atmosphere. Even at the most crowded time, with the tall ceiling, it never feels stuffy. Great decorations throughout without overdoing it. Lots of natural lights from windows everywhere.
Most of the seating is in a form of table seating, but they also have very cozy looking booth table by the windows, enough for a large group or a family to sit on. I liked the little lamp hanging above the round table. Very homey. The barrels that said Hog’s Bead Brew did bring us back to the fact that this “inn” provides good drinks.
Ok, enough about their super detailed, beautiful interior. Let’s talk about their food! We ordered Fish & Chips ($13.99) and Chicken & Ribs Platter ($15.29). I felt like they didn’t have enough offerings or varieties of dishes. It was either something quite heavy, or some sort of salad. Since I didn’t feel like getting hunks of meat, such as ribs or turkey leg, but wanted more substantial than salad, I went with Fish & Chips, which comes with north Atlantic cod, battered and fried, with wedge fries and tartar sauce. I have to say, it didn’t look as good as I wanted it to be… But hey, it is a meal at theme park after all. But I did have a bit higher expectation because it was a meal inside the Wizarding World. I liked the potatoes though, they were thick cut, nice and soft in the inside, very potato-y. The fish was just a-ok. It was not bad, but it was not great.
The Chicken & Ribs platter, however, looked really good. It comes with corn on the cub and roasted potatoes. It had a huge chunks of meat, glistening and inviting. And they were actually pretty good, the meat was juicy and tender, not dry, and quite tasty. The potatoes were really great, packed with flavor. Corn on the cob was nothing special, but it was good. Coat it with some butter, and we were good to go!
As for drinks, we ordered Frozen Butterbeer ($6.99) and water. At this restaurant, they offer few kinds of Butterbeers, all NON-alcoholic. The Frozen Butterbeer came with a nice white froth, and it tasted like butterscotch. Good little dessert to go with the meal to complete our experience. The water is free, which is great. At a place like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if they charge for water, so it was nice that they offer courtesy water.
This is not a “wait-service” type of restaurant, but there are staffs walking around, so if you needed something, you could always ask one of them for assistance. The staffs were mostly nice and friendly, it was a really great experience over all. As we were leaving, we also walked by a bar, for those who wants real alcoholic beverage. The bar was also decorated with that medieval type, not breaking the atmosphere.
Here, you can get all sorts of beer, including Butterbeer, with alcohol. Super cool! We didn’t get any drink since we were very much full, but it is a very good offering for the adults.
Before leaving the restaurant, we saw a funny sign between two open doors. The sign says “To All Guests and Patro s – When leaving these premises after the witching hour, please leave quietly via the right hand side door or please leave loudly via the left hand side door. Or please don’t leave at all. Thank you”
We had a good time being inside the Harry Potter world, even though the food was not as great as we wanted them to be, but they were alright. We loved the atmosphere, and fully appreciated all the details. Thank you for all those people who made this place into a reality!
Three Broomsticks – 1000 Universal Studios Plaza, Orlando, FL 32819