Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
endless queue of Muggles (plain old humans) in shorts and flip-flops will leave little
doubt where that entryway is.
Once admitted, look down the alley to the rounded facade of
Gringotts Wiz-
arding Bank,
where a 40-foot fire-breathing Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon (as seen in
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
) perches atop the dome. To your left is
the
Leaky Cauldron,
the area's flagship restaurant, serving authentically hearty Brit-
ish pub fare like bangers and mash, cottage pie, and Guinness stew. You order and get
your drinks at a counter; then you're seated with a candle that helps servers deliver
food direct to your table. You can top off your meal with potted chocolate and sticky
toffee pudding for dessert, or you step around the corner to
Florean Fortescue's Ice
Cream Parlour
for Butterbeer soft-serve or unusual hard-pack flavors like clotted
cream,EarlGreyandlavender,andchocolatechili.Ifallthateatingmakesyouthirsty,
a variety of alcoholic and virgin novelty drinks are poured at
The Hopping Pot
and
Fountain of Fair Fortune.
Try the Wizard's Brew (a heavy porter) or Dragon Scale
(a hoppy amber), or the Fishy Green Ale (mint boba tea with balls of blueberry juice)
or Gilly-water, which can be spiked with four different flavored elixirs. Of course,
you can also get your Butterbeer or Pumpkin Juice fix.
LILIANE
I want to sneak into the Wizarding World through the Leaky
Cauldron pub. OK, I'll take the Hogwarts Express.
Shopping is a major component of Diagon Alley in Potter lore; while Hogsmeade
visitors went wild for the few wizardy shops there, Diagon Alley is the planet's wack-
iest mall, with a vastly expanded array of enchanted tchotchkes to declare bankruptcy
over. Shops include
Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes,
a joke shop with many of the toys
previously found in Hogsmeade's Zonko's, plus new gags like Skiving Snackboxes
and Decoy Detonators. Look up through the three-story store's glass ceiling for fire-
works.
Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment,
attheexitofEscape fromGringotts,sells
crystal balls, compasses, and hourglasses.
Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occa-
sions
stocks school uniforms, Scottish wool sweaters, and dress robes for wizards
