Meet the new ‘Harry Potter’-inspired Broken Broom with an amusement park

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At the entrance, a receptionist in a black outfit and a witch’s hat greets visitors, calling them “little witches” and “little witches”. Inside, the hall, paintings of wizards hanging on the walls, gargoyles, torches and brooms make up the decor.

After passing customers holding wands aloft to place orders with waiters dressed as wizards, a back passageway leads to an amusement park with dragons and unicorns. We are at O ​​Mundo Bruxo do Vassoura Quebrada, the second unit of the chain, which opened two weeks ago in the city of São Paulo.

The new address for the hamburger restaurant inspired by the world of “Harry Potter” opened its doors at the Parque da Cidade mall, in the south zone, with an indoor park, in the Playland style, as well as a bar, cafe, shop and party room in an area of 1,000 m².

Since it appeared, in 2018, in Perdizes, Vassoura Quebrada has accumulated long lines of fans. Initially based on “Harry Potter”, the house had to undergo a redesign at the request of Warner Bros., which owns the copyright for the franchise and has not authorized the use of the brand.

Today, the owners say they draw inspiration from a general theme of magic and fantasy literature. But even if direct elements of the saga created by JK Rowling are not mentioned, everything refers to the famous character, from the menu to the decoration.

A keen eye of the fans notices the paper with drawings that cover the tables, for example, the image of a car with its headlights on passing through a forest surrounded by spiders, a scene that refers to “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”.

A large scenographic tree in space is reminiscent of the Whomping Willow, which appears in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and other chapters of the saga. The restaurant, dubbed the Citadel, would be like the Hogwarts in history.

That’s because the environment is decorated as if it were a castle. The entrance is a gate with bars, lampposts and armor. In the sober-toned lounge, there is a fake fireplace, a water fountain and wooden tables and chairs made to accommodate groups, as well as an instagrammable photo booth.

But the main attraction is the park, which follows the witch theme. There, an air hockey table turns into a Whirling Spell Show. The carousel gains magical creatures such as dragons, unicorns and a three-headed dog – yet another Potter reference.

There are also pinball and basketball machines. To play, you need to buy a card with credits for R$ 60 — or a wand, which costs R$ 199.90, with R$ 130 of credits loaded.

Next door, a store sells items such as t-shirts and cups – and there, yes, Harry Potter finally appears, as part of the products are licensed. Set like the front of a train, Espresso da Cidadela offers snacks, sweets and drinks like Espumosa Beer, in reference to butterbeer — in the house version, a milkshake with vanilla ice cream and brown sugar. It is one of the hits and costs from R$15 to R$30.

These spaces are separate from the restaurant and can be accessed by the public without reservations. The menu remains the same as the original restaurant and includes hamburgers such as the Porcorum (R$38), prepared with a 180 g meat disc, cheddar cheese, homemade barbecue sauce and bacon on pumpkin bread.

To drink, there are colorful and smoky drinks called elixirs and potions. This is the case with Metamorfo (R$31), made with rum, lemon syrup, cloves and sparkling water. For dessert, a suggestion is a pink cake with the phrase “happy birthday” written in green, which refers to the wizard boy’s birthday cake in the first feature. The candy is made of chocolate and brigadeiro and costs R$ 20.

The new address seems to repeat the same search as the headquarters, which usually have queues that double the block. From Monday to Friday, service is on a first-come, first-served basis. On weekends, reservations are required. Spaces are released every Tuesday at 11 am and are usually sold out. In addition, there is a two-hour time limit on site.

Carioca architect Laila Pereira scheduled a visit to the new cafeteria during a trip to São Paulo with her children. “I tried to go to the other restaurant, but there was a long line and I gave up. I thought the park was expensive, but the kids liked it”, she says.

Friends Ariane Fernando and Daniely Silva discovered the address in videos on TikTok and decided to visit on Monday, the 12th, because they thought the space would be more empty. Even so, half the hall was occupied by families and groups wearing clothing inspired by the franchise.

“As a restaurant, it’s excellent. As a park, it still leaves something to be desired”, says Fernando. “The mall isn’t very accessible either, I wouldn’t come if it wasn’t for Harry Potter.”

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