A Harry Potter Butterbeer Bar Is Opening In NYC, And It Offers Vegan Butterbeer
Bottoms up, Potterheads.
Harry Potter’s NYC flagship store is even better than you imagined. In addition to its immersive wand shop and virtual reality experiences, Harry Potter New York will also feature a Butterbeer Bar. That’s right — an entire bar dedicated to the tastiest beverage from the Wizarding World. Along with the classic iterations of the delicacy, the Harry Potter Butterbeer Bar will offer vegan Butterbeer, so there’s more to sample and enjoy. One person who couldn’t help but express her excitement about the new addition: Evanna Lynch, aka Luna Lovegood.
"I'm thrilled that we now have vegan Butterbeer," the actress and activist says in an interview with Elite Daily, while visiting the brand new Harry Potter-themed store. Considering this will be the first time that a vegan Butterbeer product will be available in the U.S., we understand Lynch’s enthusiasm.
Currently, the bottled vegan Butterbeer is only available overseas in the U.K. at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London or the Platform 9 ¾ shops. When Harry Potter New York opens on June 3, 2021, guests in the U.S. will finally get to taste the dairy-free treat for themselves. Along with the vegan option, wizards and muggles who visit the Butterbeer Bar will also be able to enjoy traditional Butterbeer that tastes just like the one served at the Universal Studios Parks and Butterbeer ice cream.
While there is no vegan Butterbeer ice cream as of press time, Lynch tells Elite Daily, "It can be done." In fact, that's the first thing she'd add to the menu, followed by a Butterbeer float with "brownie or ice cream in it." (Honestly, both sound delicious and should be accio-ed on the menu ASAP.) If you ever get a chance to visit, while you're enjoying your Butterbeer treats, make sure to snap a few pics of the bar itself, which Lynch calls "really cool."
Cascading from behind the bar are almost 1,000 bottles of glowing Butterbeer that come together to look like a giant wave. It's just one of the many magical photo ops within the store. A few of the other spots that Lynch agrees are Insta-worthy is the giant model of Fawkes the Phoenix who greets you when you enter the store, the archway of spell books, and the Dirigible Plum tree surrounded by magical creatures. The tree is actually Lynch's favorite part of the entire Harry Potter New York store, because "there's never been a Luna Lovegood specific part in any park or store or exhibition" before. She said it was "really cool to see that up close" and it was "as beautiful as it was in the movie."
Though those three attractions are some of Lynch's favorite photo ops, the Harry Potter actress really believes that the whole store is picture-perfect. Walking around you'll see floating candles like in The Great Hall, and the "iconic" Griffin from Dumbledore's office. For someone who got experience the Harry Potter films first-hand, hearing Lynch talk about how amazing it is inside makes the anticipation of visiting the store even greater.
Should you find yourself in the NYC area this summer, be sure to grab a few souvenirs from Harry Potter New York to take some of the magic home with you. There's even some Luna Lovegood merch like a backpack and makeup, if you’re a fan of everyone’s favorite Ravenclaw. The Luna Lovegood eyeshadow is actually what Lynch believes Luna would pick up for herself if she was stopping by the store, because she's creative, it's colorful, and she'd "be thrilled to see her name on merchandise."
If you do plan on visiting Harry Potter New York once it opens, remember to bring your mask. The store and Butterbeer Bar will be following all CDC guidelines and asking guests to wear masks and encouraging them to keep a physical distance while shopping. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also states that only those people who are fully vaccinated may resume activities they deemed “exceptionally ordinary,” in Luna’s own words, prior to the pandemic — like shopping — so hopefully you’ll have the chance to get there before all of it magically disappears.
The CDC recommends traveling only after you’re fully vaccinated and your vaccine has become fully effective. If you’re not fully vaccinated and must travel, check the CDC guidelines before you book. Check your destination’s vaccination and testing requirements before you depart.
