Geek It! Otaku Out and About: Harry Potter mania Part 2: Harry Potter Cafe in Akasaka, Japan
As part of Akasaka’s Harry Potter experience, there were only three things that we wanted to achieve: 1) visit the exhibition area at Akasaka Station; 2) visit Harry Potter Mahou Dokoro shop; and 3) to visit the one and only HARRY POTTER CAFE.
For those who don’t know, there are MANY themed cafes in Japan such as Pacman, Kirby, Cinnamoroll, Final Fantasy, Pokemon etc. Like, there are so many cafes that it is actually impossible to list them all. So when we heard that a Harry Potter cafe exists, we at CtrlGeekPod decided that we MUST pay a visit no matter what. Here is our review!
When you first step into the cafe, you will encounter a peacock-teal coloured room with various paintings along the walls. We actually expected more brown or maroon colours to match the Hogwarts palette but the colours definitely made the props and interior design stand out.
As you look towards the ceiling, you will see a giant wand suspended mid-air accompanied by light globes imitating Hogwarts’ magical candles.
At the Harry Potter Cafe, you can order various food items from cocktails to dinner courses to desserts.
We ultimately settled for the Expecto Patronum non-alcoholic cocktail; an Eaton Mess Goblet parfait; a Breath of the Dragon Roast Beef and a Hogwarts Steak Pie.
Now we’ve been to Japan several times and we have yet to encounter meat pies — apparently they don’t exist. So when we saw the Hogwarts’ Steak Pie on the menu, we knew we had to try it. (Yes, we are Aussies!)
And to our surprise, it was very good! The flaky pastry skin of the pie was absolutely amazing — we wish it had more meat though! And Japanese mashed potato never disappoints!
The cocktail was exceptionally fun because it tasted like fizzy lychee and we got to pop the cloud of condensed smoke. *Poof!* Just like magic!
So what happens after the tasty dinner course? Let’s be honest … nothing.
Don’t get us wrong, it was lovely being in an aesthetic Harry Potter setting but the Harry Potter Cafe was ‘charmingly average’.
For a themed cafe experience, we envisioned something different. The Harry Potter-inspired food creations could’ve been more creative and bigger. There were ‘cafe snacks’ on the menu but we expected our dinner courses to be larger and more filling.
In terms of aesthetics, the design of the building and props were also average. They could at least have cafe attendants dressed up as witches and wizards…? Entertain guests with magical theatrical tricks…? Okay, maybe it sounds a little tacky but we felt there was something missing from the overall experience.
If you’re planning a one-off trip to Akasaka, the cafe is worth the visit just for the thrill of doing something ‘Harry Potter-inspired’. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t go here again — purely because the overall experience lacked magic.
Based on our review, would you go to this Harry Potter Cafe in Akasaka? Let us know your thoughts!
TIP: Make sure you make a reservation before your Japan trip. Head over to the Harry Potter Cafe website https://hpcafe.jp/ and hit the Reservations button! Booking slots generally open for X two week period from a certain X date so check the details in advance. And also, make sure you get in quick because bookings fill up fast!
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C t r l + G e e k P o d 
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