Leaky Cauldron™ — Restaurant in Orlando

An absolute must-visit, must-eat stop and total dream-come-true for Harry Potter fans.

Not only does the interior include many references for fans to appreciate (animated wanted poster of Sirius Black, for example) and cathedral-like proportions of height and depth, but the food ranks at the top of my "best eats inside Universal Studios" list.

The menu contains all items and drinks available elsewhere in Diagon Alley, making it the ultimate one-stop shop. Although the ordering line is often packed, and the wait can extend at rush hours, service is helpful and staff are prepared to clarify menu items and make accommodations. Window displays of synthetic food aid in making your menu selection, especially for those less familiar with staple British cuisine.

I've been here at least three times, and the food is consistently hot, fresh, and savory. My personal go-to, Beef, Lamb & Guinness Stew, is a piping medley of meat and vegetables (never chewy, always tender) served inside a warm, crusty bread bowl. All entrees come with a side salad and choice of dressing (which I like to mop up with whatever remains of my bread).

No trip to the Leaky Cauldron is complete without a Butterbeer, whether you prefer traditional, cold, or frozen (in Florida, that all depends upon the time of year!). Every serving comes in a plastic cup emblazoned with the Harry Potter and Universal logo, making it a nice collector's item.

Lastly, I can't gush about the Leaky Cauldron without talking desserts. Sticky Toffee Pudding makes the perfect "shareable" dessert. Somewhere between a small cinnamon roll and sponge cake, it's a rich, sugary-sweet confection made all the creamier with a generous scoop of vanilla custard on top. Nothing beats the taste of melting vanilla custard filling the crevices of a baked pudding shell already drizzled with warm toffee (the toffee gives it an irresistible toasted caramel flavor).

If you choose to eat inside the theme park and Harry Potter is your thing, the Leaky Cauldron has my highest recommendation. (Don't get too busy eating that you forget to look around, though! The restaurant provides some amazing photography...

I’m so grateful that Universal Studios designed The Leaky Cauldron and included it as part of their Harry Potter experience. Five stars for atmosphere! (If you get a chance, visit The Three Broomsticks in the other park, as it is even better!)

The food selections are better than expected, considering that it’s in a theme park. The same is true of the pricing, which actually seems quite fair.

There were a couple things that keep this from being a five star experience: In order to serve a large number of patrons efficiently, they’ve made some sacrifices in service. You have to order your food through the Universal app. There is no one to talk to about the food ahead of time, or make any adjustments for dietary needs. Then, you scan a barcode on your table in the app, and after your food is prepared, they will bring it to you. We had trouble getting the barcode to scan, which was frustrating. Eventually, it magically did. Note to management: there should be a back up plan where you can manually enter your table number if the scan doesn’t work.

I ordered a longtime favorite - bangers and mash. It was the weirdest bangers and mash I’ve ever had. Far more German than British, it was topped with a huge glop of sauerkraut, which I hate (and I didn’t recall, seeing in the description). And the sausages are not typical English sausages, and are instead more like a bratwurst. After the initial disappointment, and scooping all the sauerkraut off of my precious meal, I tucked in. It grew on me after the initial shock wore off. It tasted fine, but could use some adjustments for authenticity and taste.

The scotch eggs were surprisingly dry and bland. Also, the side salad was pretty sad. It was one step up from a pile of iceberg lettuce with a packet of dressing thrown on top. Not much to it.

Overall, five star atmosphere, three star service (it’s a systemic problem, as the workers were all very polite), 3 1/2 star food. A few simple adjustments could make this absolutely a five star all-around establishment. I still highly recommend popping in for a visit just to see it, and even...

If you are a fan of Harry Potter, then you know Leaky Cauldron 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!

They have food made out of wax for you to let you know what the dishes will look like, a very helpful touch. Once inside, we were directed to one of the open register to order our food. We were then giving an old-fashioned candle stick 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.

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. They had good selection of food to choose from, and they were very affordable, and the portion was pretty good also. I didn't have high expectation of their food, but it turned out that they were much better than I expected!

We really enjoyed our experience here that we went back for a breakfast the next day. It was more expensive, but the portion was huge. We shared one of the breakfast item, and we were both comfortably full.

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. If you are a Harry Potter fan, or if you are looking for a good food, or both, head over to Leaky Cauldron! And say hello to Mr. Lee with friendly smile, he will tell you some funny stories and brings smile and laughter to your face! Read my full review of the restaurant and food on my food blog,...