‘Harry Potter’: Know where to taste butterbeer, potions and sweets from the saga in SP

Harry Potter only found out that he was a wizard on his 11th birthday — on that date, in addition to the big news, he even got a pink crumpled cake. Shortly thereafter, on his first trip to Hogwarts Castle, little Ron Weasley introduced him to a treat called the Chocolate Frog. Years later, Potter, Weasley and Hermione Granger go to a sort of wizard’s bar and order three butterbeers from the waiter.

These and other food items present in the wizard’s saga became so iconic among fans that they began to be made in real life. 20 years ago, on November 23, 2001, the first “Harry Potter” arrived in Brazilian cinemas. The celebrations for the two decades of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” began last Sunday, the 21st, when the film returned to some Brazilian cinemas in 3D.

Riding on the wave of nostalgia among the wizard’s fans, the streaming platform HBO Max, which has all the films in the saga in its catalogue, announced a special with the return of part of the cast — the production will be released on the first day of 2022.

To celebrate the date in São Paulo, a tip is to visit restaurants and cafes that have potterian food on the menu.

See, below, how to try six foods mentioned in the books and movies of “Harry Potter” in São Paulo. If you are going to leave the house, remember that it is not possible to use a protection spell, as Potter and his friends used to do. The best way to stay safe from Covid is to wear your mask correctly, sanitize your hands, and maintain social distance.

Hagrid’s birthday cake

At the beginning of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, the first feature in the saga, the half-giant Rubeus Hagrid must travel to tell Potter that he is a wizard. The problem is that, on the way, Hagrid ends up kneading the birthday cake he used to give the little wizard as a gift. It may seem strange to some, but fans don’t mind paying for candy that looks torn apart—they love it, in fact. If you are one of these people, know that you can find cakes decorated like the one in the movie in São Paulo.

At Piri Confeitaria, which makes bento cakes, the lunchbox cookies that go viral on Instagram, you can order the mini version of the candy, which costs R$50 with approximately 300 grams. The cake dough can be vanilla or chocolate and the filling options are brigadeiro, milk Ninho or dulce de leche. There are even larger options, ranging from 500 grams to 5 kilos — the prices are between R$ 65 and 425. For large cakes, there are three dough options and 17 filling flavors available.
Orders and information on Instagram @piri.confetaria

Beans of all flavors

Despite its name, the sweet has nothing to do with the beans that Brazilians usually eat for lunch. The beans created by JK Rowling are, in fact, colorful and fluffy candies that can have quite unusual flavors. In a scene from the first “Harry Potter” movie, old Albus Dumbledore dares to try a little bean that appears to be caramel, but is surprised to taste ear wax.

In real life, the beans appear in more pleasant flavors, like banana and cherry — but the fun is being able to find candies that simulate the taste of vomit and even earthworms, as in the movie. In São Paulo it is not so simple to find the item, but it exists. Empório Campo Gourmet, for example, is an e-commerce that sells sweets for R$ 27.90. Deliveries in São Paulo take about two days to arrive.

There is also a second option: the dessert Brownie Feijões Mágicos, from the Beco Hexagonal restaurant, in the south side. The recipe is a brownie topped with basil brigadeiro with various flavored candies on top – for now, the “beans” do not have exotic flavors, but the house says it is studying to increase the sweet in this sense. Despite clear references to “Harry Potter” elements in Beco Hexagonal’s name, menu and ambience, Rodrigo Silva, the owner, claims to have used the “Disney Magic World” as inspiration to create the house.
Emporium Field: only delivery to bit.ly/3FDHSnS
Hexagonal Alley: a. Seagull, 1112, Moema, southern region, Instagram @becohexagonal. Scheduling required for bit.ly/3cExSy5​

Butter beer

This is probably one of the most classic recipes on the potterian food menu. Butterbeer, which doesn’t look very good, appears in several scenes in JK Rowling’s books. In Greater São Paulo, the drink can be found in versions that seek to be similar to what is seen in the movies.

At Hi Guys restaurant, in Mogi das Cruzes, there is a butterbeer made with cream ice cream, milk, cinnamon, spices and brown sugar – there are alcohol and non-alcoholic versions, both sold for R$28. Drinking a drink without leaving the capital, the Vassoura Quebrada hamburger shop makes a version called Cerveja Espumosa, with alcohol (R$ 30) or without (R$ 28).
Hi Guys: a. Duarte de Freitas, 45, Monte Líbano Park, Mogi das Cruzes, tel. (11) 4725-1851. Delivery to iFood or WhatsApp (11) 99682-5670

Broken Broom: a. Desembargador do Vale, 836, Perdizes, western region, Instagram @vassouraquebrada​

Felix Felicis Potion

In the film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, the sixth in the saga, one of the teachers at Hogwarts offers the class a vial of Felix Felicis, a potion that promises to bring luck to those who drink it. Also known as “liquid luck”, the potion inspired a drink at Casa dos Bruxos Hamburgueria, with two units in São Paulo. Just called Liquid Luck, the drink is made with red fruit syrup and lemon soda (R$ 16).
Casa dos Bruxos Hamburgueria: two units in São Paulo. See addresses on Instagram @casadosbruxoshamburgueria. Delivery via iFood, Rappi and Uber Eats

pumpkin juice

Severus Snape, the Hogwarts potions teacher, doesn’t seem to like Potter very much. In the fourth long of the saga, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, Snape suspects that the boy is stealing ingredients from his stash and, therefore, threatens to pour a potion that makes the person tell the truth in the pumpkin juice of the young wizard. The drink is so mentioned in the saga that it also became a target of fans in real life.

The Vassoura Quebrada burger joint offers pumpkin draft beer for R$18. There is also a small shop in the cafeteria, which sells a bottled version of the drink for R$40. Any snack in the house can match your choice, as the bread is used in all the sandwiches are also pumpkin. The drink might not exactly be the juice Potter and his friends drink, but it should be enough for you to pretend you’re at a Hogwarts dinner.
Broken Broom: a. Desembargador do Vale, 836, Perdizes, western region, Instagram @vassouraquebrada

Chocolate toad

Ron Weasley, Harry Potter’s best friend, says that the best part of the chocolate frog is being able to collect the great wizards figurines that come in the candy box. But if you’re just interested in trying chocolate made in the shape of a frog, a tip is to go to the Griffinn Café e Afins cafeteria, in the west side of São Paulo.

With an environment full of references to “Harry Potter”, the house sells chocolate frogs for R$ 5.50. Another option is Cofesap (R$ 11.50), with espresso and milk, served with a chocolate frog.
Griffinn Café and the like: a. Campo Grande 417, Vila Leopoldina, west region, Instagram @griffinncafeeafins. Tue to Fri, from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm – after this time it is possible to book for bit.ly/3kYAxHM; Sat., Sun. and holidays: only with reservations. ​