If you’ve ever wanted to jump into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter–and enjoy the fun drinks and snacks in the movies–you’re in luck at Universal Studios Orlando!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is breathtaking-but even more than the really fun sites and attractions that transport you to another world is the food!
That’s how you know when something is legit-when the food is good! Now food allergies complicate things at Universal (or a lot depending on where you are in your journey) and preplanning safe snacks is a must!
I feel you fam! And that’s what you’ll find in the details and pictures below: list of what might be safe, what could be safe, and somethings that would be better left uneaten!
***As Always, please speak to a qualified restaurant employee when ordering food. In order to see the most accurate ingredients and risk assessment, you will need to confirm allergy safety in real-time. This is my personal experience, I am not employed or endorsed by companies or brands mentioned.***
Where do I find these snacks?
Let’s start with the most important question: where? Because ultimately you’ll want to read labels for yourself (as you should!) and you need to know where you can get these fun treats and snacks!
There are prepackaged candies/snacks from the Wizarding World in just about every gift shop from the resorts to the parks. These are not recommended snacks as they are produced in a shared facility with most of the top allergens and contain most of the top allergens themselves.
Here’s several of the treats found at the Wizarding World.
What’s in Hogsmeade?
Hogsmeade, with it’s snowy capped tops and magnificent view of Hogwarts, has some fun and quick snack options.
Hogsmeade is also where you’ll find the three broomsticks! But we aren’t talking about food eats just yet!
Hog’s Head is the place to go for an assortment of familiar drinks–including some fun twists on adult Harry Potter inspired draughts.
Other than that, there are two (remember this!) Butterbeer Stands. If the line for one is long, head towards Hog’s Head and then see if the other line is long. People tend to get backed up at one Stand and not the other!
Lastly there’s a snack cart on the on the left hand side before you get to the castle–there’s lots of prepackaged snacks there, some gilly water (ya know… wizard water) and several fruit options! We always stop here for a bottle, some grapes, and some chips.
What’s in Diagon Alley?
The newest addition to the family is Diagon Alley- and there are some fun new eats here! Yes- you can eat at the Leaky Cauldron with many allergies, but breakfast seems to accommodate better than lunch.
For drinks, we have some new additions, and one I highly recommend. Head over to The Hopping Pot (a drink and snack outside shop) and get The Tongue Tying Lemon Squash. This is a top 14 friendly drink that will have everyone impressed!
Of course there’s Butterbeer there in frozen, regular, and a sundae which is safe for many of the top allergens. However, it does contain dairy, which you can now get modified! See more about the changes to Butterbeer
You can also grab these drinks at the Fountain of Fair Fortune–it’s inside and nicely themed. Other options that would be safe for top 8 allergies are the Pumpkin Juice and Otter Fizzy Orange Juice.
Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour has some safe gluten free, nut free, and egg free options. However, they do not have dairy-free selections (and this has been really hard to find in the park!)
You’ll Also find SugarPlums Candy Shop in Diagon Alley (it’s inside Weasley’s Wizard Shop). Everything in here is shared in the same case, and in the same fridges in the back. They do have an allergen binder! This cute little meltless ice cream is gluten friendly, since it doesn’t contain gluten but is in a shared facility and case. I gave it away after the picture as it wasn’t worth the risk for me.
Snack Reviews
Since the husband is only gluten free and shellfish free, he really enjoyed all forms of the Butterbeer offered around the Wizarding World. He also indulged in some ice cream from Florean’s! He got plain vanilla in a bowl and was impressed with their allergy handling.
For the kids and I, monitoring multiple options in the top 8, we stuck with fruit, and many of the drinks. I really enjoyed the Peach Drink but my favorite was the Tongue Tying Lemon Squash.
The pumpkin juice tasted like some sort of caramel sugar syrup–and you’ll find similar reviews online. If you’d like to try it grab the prepackaged bottle for a fun souvenir!
I am impressed that the Wizarding World acknowledges allergies and is willing to satisfy those of us with issues. I am celiac , not by choice,& it’s difficult. I want to see Hogsmead and Diagon Alley. I only hope there is a traditional english recipe that I can have. I miss fish and chips.