The Harry Potter series is filled with magic, otherworldly creatures, and adventures most of us can only dream of having. While all that is exciting, I think we all know what our favorite scenes are about: the food.
J.K. Rowling is a genius at creating exciting new foods. Butterbeer, chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes, treacle tarts; the list goes on and on. While Bloomington may not have a Honeydukes or a legion of house elves fixing our dining hall meals (I wish…), there are plenty of places the Harry Potter gang would love to visit in B-town.
Harry Potter: Hartzell’s Ice Cream
Photo by Natsuko Mazany
It was love at first taste when Hagrid bought Harry a massive ice cream cone from Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour during their visit to Diagon Alley (chocolate and raspberry scoops topped with chopped nuts, to be precise).
Knowing his love of a good sundae during a study session, Hartzell’s is the only option for the young Mr. Potter to frequent while prepping for finals. He’d probably go for a scoop of the “Garden of Good and Evil” just to be cheeky.
Ron: Mother Bear’s Pizza
Photo by Claire Waggoner
The only restaurant for Ron’s bottomless pit of a stomach is Mother Bear’s Pizza. He’d undoubtedly eat his body weight in their delicious garlic bread and shovel in slices of their deluxe pizza.
Although Mother Bear’s doesn’t serve steak and kidney pie, he would definitely yell “BLOODY HELL!” once he found out about their Early Bird special. Almost as great of a hangout spot as The Three Broomsticks, Ron would be in heaven chowing down on pizza, breadsticks and cheese bread galore.
Hermione Granger: The Runcible Spoon
Photo by Natsuko Mazany
Hermione’s tragic flaw? She can’t pass up an opportunity to kick back and read a good book. Ever the bookworm, Hermione would be found tucked away in a cozy nook of The Runcible Spoon, daintily biting into eggs Benedict while sipping on her English breakfast tea. All the while, of course, reading whatever book she can get her hands on. Given that the walls of the Spoon are covered in books, Hermione would feel right at home.
Draco Malfoy: Kilroy’s on Kirkwood
Photo by Jordan Shea
What better place for Draco to hang out with his slimy Slytherin crowd than the dark depths of Kilroy’s? A perfect spot for any party animal, Kilroy’s gives Draco the best of both worlds: lots of booze and plenty of dark corners for him to brood over Harry’s latest victory.
The Dursley Family: The Scholars Inn
Photo courtesy of scholarsinn.com
The Dursleys pride themselves on being a perfectly normal muggle family, thank you very much. So where else would we find the Dursleys eating other than The Scholars Inn?
Located in a 150-year-old mansion, this gourmet café and wine bar’s famous Scholar’s Aged Filet Mignon would surely please the toughest of critics, even Dudley himself. Only the very best for Mummy and Daddy’s little Popkin.
Hagrid: Butch’s Grillacatesen & Eatzeria
Photo by Claire Waggoner
There’s really no place in B-town that could adequately feed Hagrid except for Butch’s. After a long day of wrangling pesky first years and tending to his garden patch, he’d undoubtedly have worked up a major appetite—one that could only be assuaged by a massive Big Grilla sandwich stuffed with mozzarella sticks, French fries, and chicken fingers. If he’s still feeling peckish, Hagrid would need a few slices of pizza top it all off (he’d bring a slice home for Norbert too, of course).
Dobby: The Laughing Planet Cafe
Photo by Maddi Mills
Because Dobby has no master (Dobby is a free elf!), he would for sure visit The Laughing Planet Cafe for some delicious California-style burritos. With a focus on locally-grown, organic ingredients and fostering relationships within the community, The Laughing Planet would undoubtedly open their doors to little Dobby. He could stop by anytime for a burrito bowl on the house (and maybe even receive another sock while he’s at it!).
Luna Lovegood: Rainbow Bakery
Photo by Mia Mastandrea
Luna would go loony for Rainbow Bakery’s all-vegan baked goods and eccentric, quirky feel. With just one bite of their Speculoos Cookie Butter Cake with cookie butter frosting and a cookie crumble topping signature flavor, Luna might be tempted to suspect that the Nargles were behind its magical taste. Sitting in the bright colored shop, she’d enjoy nibbling on a specialty donut with that mystical, far-off look in her eyes.
Remus Lupin: Blu Boy Chocolate
Photo courtesy of David Leggett via Flickr
Although he could never renounce his devotion for Honeydukes, Lupin would love Blu Boy nonetheless. He’d likely wrangle together the biggest box of truffles Blu Boy has ever sold just to be prepared for, you know, dementors and stuff. If he’s smart, he’ll remember to give a few chocolate ganache truffles to Tonks this time…
Hedwig—The Owlery
Photo by Claire Waggoner
After the morning mail delivery, poor Hedwig is probably exhausted. Between carrying around all of Harry’s crap and helping Errol make it to Hogwarts and back without crashing, our favorite owl could use some R and R before getting back to work. Hedwig and all her barn owl friends would love the Owlery because its dishes pack a punch without serving up their fellow flying buddies for lunch.