REVIEW

Harry Potter’s themed Leaky Cauldron & 3 Broomsticks restaurants at Universal Studios deliver an equally spellbinding movie experience complimented by reassuring meals, structured service, and overall value for your time and money. I have evaluated these together as they deliver the same food with a similar approach and despite different settings, an equal flare for ambiance and service. Plus, I attended both for breakfast and ordered the same meals, so the comparisons were easier.

SERVICE CONSISTENCY

The service at both Harry Potter’s Leaky Cauldron & 3 Broomsticks restaurants is well practiced and delivered with consistency from the moment you walk in to place your order, through the direction to your table options, and food arrival. The Leaky Cauldron is setup so that your order is delivered to your table on trays whereas at the 3 Broomsticks your food is trayed and you carry it to your table.

Most service interactions at both restaurants happens before you start your meal. If you needed something during the meal, there wasn’t a lot of waiter presence to offer immediate or fast help. You were also expected to clear your own table when you finished your meal.

Overall, the staff were friendly, engaged, and in character to give the experience the full Harry Potter feel, and I would give service 5 stars if it felt as good leaving as it did at arrival.

PORTIONED, MOSTLY GOOD FOOD

Our order included the American Breakfast (2 breakfast sausage, 2 strips of bacon, scrambled eggs, potatoes, a croissant, and butter) and the Pancake Breakfast (2 breakfast sausage, 2 strips of bacon, potatoes, a croissant, butter, and syrup). A glass of cold Butterbeer (also available frozen and warm) with each meal.

The food was tasty and cooked well overall. Some pieces of bacon were crispier than they should have been and broke apart at The Leaky Cauldron but were fine at the 3 Broomsticks. It was hard to tell if the scrambled eggs were real or powdered eggs as the consistency and texture was very fine, but they still tasted good. The sausage was flavourful and cooked well. I’m not a fan of croissants with my eggs, but it did the trick as a toast substitute and probably made it easier to serve with the side of butter. The pancakes, which came in two’s per plate were fluffy, with good consistency.

At first glance the portions seemed on the smallish side, but we all still felt full at the end of the meal, both times.

ALMOST FEELS LIKE THE MOVIES

While the food was served on plastic dishes with the cutlery and napkins in a holder at the table, taking a little bit away from the authenticity of the experience, it wasn’t enough to fuss any of us. Walking into the Leaky Cauldron was indeed spellbinding as it felt authentic. We were also one of the first to arrive for breakfast, so we had a full view of the restaurant replica and were able to take some great pictures.

By comparison we felt a little crowded at the 3 Broomsticks as we searched for a table to sit, having arrived around 9:30 am. We also found it challenging to take some selfies as the restaurant lacked some of the same open spaces as the Leaky Cauldron, but still offered an authentic feel.

The tables were clean and well supplied at the Leaky Cauldron, with some minor issues at 3 Broomsticks that were resolved by borrowing napkins and other items from another table.

Overall, we all felt like we were in the movies, eating at each location.

SPELLBINDING VALUE

Eating at Harry Potter’s themed Leaky Cauldron & 3 Broomsticks restaurants at Universal Studios provided a beyond expectations experience. The service was good, the food was good, we felt full, both restaurants were clean, and we felt like characters in the movie because of the attention to detail in outfitting the restaurants.

With the meals ranging from $65-$80 US for four people, including special butterbeer drinks, plus the excellent environment, both venues delivered on value for money, with only minor improvements needed.

I recommend experiencing both or either of them, with some slight preference to The Leaky Cauldron. Going earlier also yielded a better photo opportunity. If you have the luxury of time and are going to eat at both, try to separate your experiences by a day as opposed to consecutive days, especially if you’re inclined to eat the same food both times.