King’s Cross Harry Potter Cafe | This four-story cafe located in Hongdae was full of fun Harry Potter themed photo opportunities and served yummy snacks.
Themed cafes, like the Thanks Nature Sheep Cafe, are all the rage in Seoul. The King’s Cross 9 ¾ was located around the block from our Airbnb in Hongdae. When we realized it was so close we decided to download all eight movies and introduce our girls to HP on the flight to South Korea. James had a few of the books and we borrowed the rest so we could read them before bed as well.
KING’S CROSS PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
The first photo op is located on the side of the building: the famous luggage trolly that goes through the magical platform 9 ¾ wall. You can’t miss it! People walk past snapping photos all day long. Pro tip: don’t try to run and jump (90% of people do), your pictures will be blurry. Just stand in place and kick one foot up or jump in place if you must.
The second photo op outside is located on the opposite side of the entrance: a faux door to a Diagon Alley style pub or tavern.
After you enter, you must purchase a drink as an entrance fee. They have a variety of teas, coffee, soft drinks and snacks like cream cheese stuffed soft pretzels and cakes by the slice. The butterbeer coffee (topped with gold flakes) was my favorite.
While you wait for your beverage you can choose a wand (or… let it choose you?… #mugglehere) and take pictures on the faux staircase directly inside the entrance. As you turn the corner to go upstairs you can snap a picture in front of the Mirror of Erised.
Once upstairs you can wear your favorite house’s robe and scarf while riding a broom or casting a spell with a wand. The main seating areas are on the 2nd and 3rd floors, each with a different layout. One with small tables akin to the Gryffindor Common Room and the other resembling the Great Hall.
It was really fun and the kids enjoyed it. My only complaint is that it is quite dark inside so not the best for taking photos. I recommend going early in the day if you don’t want to wait in line. Remember barely anything opens before 11am, activity peaks about 1pm, and rush hour is 5-7pm.
