You may have heard of The Cauldron when it came onto the scene last year. The Harry Potter-esque bar was lauded for it’s fun cocktails, and fantasy elements, and boy did they deserve it. It was hard to think it could be topped, but part 2 is even more impressive (partly because it involves food).
The Cauldron, and its 2.0 counterpart, is so much more than a Harry Potter bar. Their elements are so detailed that they have ruins and symbols to decode throughout. But let’s start at the entrance.
Where it once was the top story of Stone Street Pub, The Cauldron now has its own space. It takes up two floors on Wall Street, in FiDi. Floor one being a restaurant, in which you can coat your stomachs before you drink, or dine in as a follow up to your cocktail experience. The food is standard pub grub, but taken to the next level, and by next, I mean magic.
We nibbled on the Elven Bread, which came wrapped in a leaf and baked to impressive perfection, served with black-pepper, honey and yogurt dip. We also tried the Cauliflower Cheese, not just because of its name, but because we’d seen the videos and had to experience it for ourselves. The cauliflower is roasted and set on fire, which is then doused and put out by gooey, melted cheese. Wellllll worth the try, trust me.
Also on offer, are some grilled cheese variations as well as several burger options, including Beyond veggie burgers.
When our time came, we went upstairs and took our seats to let the magic begin. As before, we were given a magic wand (which actually helps with a fair amount of “magic”) and a robe—of course.
We were taken on a walk through their tap system, hitting specific spots with our wand triggering a release of your choice of cider, beer, a cocktail or mocktail, depending on which tap you went to. We went back to our table where we were presented with our first potion, ‘The Blood Boiling Curse’. It was hibiscus infused and involved a number of magical elements, including a self stirring element and changing colors . Once finished, the cocktails started to smoke and bubble. Hello MAGIC!
We had some time to settle and sip before the second potion, ‘The Spaniard’s Revenge’, a tequila based cocktail involving fire/sparks, and some other surprises, including a kick of spice.
The whole experience is about 1 hour and 45 minutes, and afterwards, you can venture back downstairs for more drinks. There’s also a tap on the first level, with spigots coming out of a tree. If you’re a Harry Potter/fantasy fan, you will absolutely love this place. I for one, found myself craving round two as soon as we left. To experience it yourself, reservations can be made here.
