To all Harry Potter Fans, I’m delighted to tell you that Harry Potter themed cafe is available in Hongdae, Seoul since 2018!
Basically, get a train to Hongik Univ. subway station (also called Hongdae Station) and come out from exit 9. Then, walk straight down the streets and turn left at the second junction. It will be more convenient and you won’t get lost if you have a Kakao Map apps on your phone. The cafe may be a little bit hard to find because the it is not located on the main street.
Address: 21 Yanghwa-ro 16-gil, Seogyo-dong.
Well, the Harry-Potter-themed cafe covers the whole building, altogether 6 floors, all featuring various fictional venues found in the story of Harry Potter. Not only the interior of the cafe, even the design of its outer appearance amazed me. There were many interesting features and photo zones that would definitely ring a bell for people who have watched Harry Potter. For example, as you all know, this is the luggage trolley which goes through the magical platform 9 3/4 wall.
This is the guide and introduction of each floor. The first floor- the Magical Liquid Medicine is where the order counter is placed.
In order to enter the cafe and take pictures inside, each of one must order at least one drink. Written on the board over the counter. The price range of the drinks are quite expensive but since it as if includes the entrance ticket of a magical world it is considered reasonable, in my opinion. Just beside the order counter, there are a stair with piles of books and also shelves full of…. magic wands! This is exactly how it is at the Ollivander’s when he said “The wand chooses the wizard.”
We ordered one green tea latte and one hazelnut latte and got our seat at the second floor where the Wizard Cafe is placed.
The lighting of the Wizard Cafe was kind of poor, but somehow giving off the magical and mystery vibe of the floor. The 2nd to 4th floor are basically the cafe zone, each decorated with different unique concepts.
At the forth floor where the dormitory is placed, you could try on magic school students’ uniforms with different houses’ robes and scarfs. There are also some props like wands and broom provided for photos taking! However, please take note that each person can try on the costumes for only 3 minutes.
For the 5th and 6th floor, it is written on the guide that warns “Muggle Access not Allowed”! (haha) How creative it is to say “Staff only” in a ‘Harry Potter” kind of way!
As we looked around, we discovered that there was also an underground floor- the Hog’s Head (Pub and Cafe). That reminded me of the mysterious undergrounds where Voldemort always appears.
Overall, King’s Cross 9 3/4 Cafe is worth hanging around especially when it is located at the center of shopping streets – Hongdae. If you wish to experience how entering a world of wizards feels like, welcome to the King’s Cross 9 3/4! They still don’t have a official social media account but here is the instagram photos with its hashtags. You could find out more pictures and infos here!
