Accio Pasta! All About Singapore’s Harry Potter Cafe
Today’s guide spills the (magic) beans on what Singapore’s Harry Potter-themed café is all about, including its menu, interiors, and other info.
So if you’re a Potterhead foodie like me, let me help you apparate on its premises and accio all sorts of yummy things there.
Where is the Harry Potter café in Singapore?
Location: 1094 Serangoon Rd. Singapore 328192
How to get there: Take the North East Line or the 107, 147, 61, 857B, or 985 Bus
Operating hours: Tuesdays to Sundays, 11 AM – 10 PM
How to reserve: Click on this link for reservations or call +65 6204 6003/WhatsApp +65 6677 6741
The Harry Potter café in Singapore is located on Serangoon Road, and its actual name is Platform 1094. The ‘1094’ part is the restaurant’s address, so it should be easy enough to remember (unless you’re struck by an obliviate charm).
But I can’t blame people for still referring to it as “the Harry Potter cafe.” Also, its nondescript surroundings amplify how Muggles don’t often notice magic even when it’s in front of them.
The restaurant is a creative take on Platform 9 ¾ in the Harry Potter universe. Like its inspiration, the restaurant is also a portal to weird, magical, and mouth-watering things (more on this in a bit).
I was pleasantly surprised to see that it’s not hard to locate at all (unlike that King’s Cross secret portal to the wizarding world). I can simply take the Boon Keng MRT or hop on several buses to Serangoon Road.
What does the Harry Potter-themed café look like?
Design concept: Hogwarts-inspired with touches of Platform 9 ¾ and dark Edwardian libraries
Details: Full-length glass windows, newsletter format for posters and menu items, house banners, brick walls, clothes racks for costume robes and scarves
Decor: Moose and elk-printed chair backs, a mural of the Hogwarts Express, wood-bound menus, a fake fireplace, mood lighting, gilt-framed pictures
Ideal for Halloween parties, themed birthdays, offbeat dates
This Harry Potter-themed café summons the look and feel of JK Rowling’s acclaimed children’s books. However, it doesn’t use the Wizarding World franchise’s logos, images, licensed content, or merchandise.
Instead, it seems to pull out all the stops to create a magical bistro setting perfect for cosplaying and pretending to be aspiring wizards. Little details such as gold-framed portraits, a fake fireplace, and brick walls add to the overall charm.
It was conceptualised by the Fresh Fruits Lab which is known for some of the most imaginative contributions to the local dining scene. It’s honestly one of the most unique restaurants I’ve visited in Singapore by far.
But would I recommend it as a date place? Sure, if you’re both Harry Potter fans—otherwise, the experience might come off as slightly kitschy if you aren’t.
What kind of food does the Harry Potter café in Singapore serve?
Cuisine: Creative takes on breakfast, brunch, coffee, pasta, meat, seafood, desserts
Bestseller: Pan-seared salmon
Must-try: House Elves Special Pork Ribs
There aren’t any exotic wizarding world ingredients like dragon meat and eye of newt at Platform 1094. But the menu is still full of creative interpretations of what they’d likely serve at the Hogwarts Great Hall or Hogsmeade cafés.
I was told that one of Platform 1094’s bestsellers is the pan-seared salmon. Being a salmon fan who’s also trying to eat healthier, I couldn’t pass that up and enjoyed its flavourful taste and wonderful presentation.
Meanwhile, my dining companion gorged on the House Elves Special Pork Ribs, which he claimed were juicy, tender, and nicely marinated.
(We’re just crossing our fingers it was created by Muggle hands and not by enslaved elves!)
What kind of beverages are served at Harry Potter café in Singapore?
Alcoholic beverages: The Sorcerer’s Blood (for the Elder)
Non-alcoholic beverages: Mrs Lich’s non-alcoholic butterscotch ale
Must-try: The Elixir of Life
Platform 1094’s beverage menu is split into what it calls “Potion” (non-alcoholic) and “Poison” (alcoholic) drinks. Aside from these house-created drinks, there are also commercial beer and wine on the menu.
I was intrigued by The Sorcerer’s Blood which comes in both Potion and Poison options. Feeling like the established witch that I am, I tried the latter and liked it (because it has rum and several tropical citrusy ingredients thrown in).
But it wouldn’t be complete without something for underage witches and wizards to drink. There’s a freshly-squeezed mix of orange, apple, and carrot juice called Ron’s Orange Boost and a butterscotch ale that’s about as sweet as it looks and sounds.
What makes the Harry Potter café in Singapore unique and a must-visit?
As far as its theme goes, I think Platform 1094 managed to create something unique enough to be different from the other licensed Wizarding World franchises. It can still reel in Potterheads with its Harry Potter-adjacent offerings.
There are other factors which I believe contribute to its popularity. Let’s take a look at some of them.
1. It encourages cosplaying
Costumes make up a huge part of the Harry Potter universe. I’m happy to report that Platform 1094 has taken this into consideration with its clothes racks and shelves of wizard robes, scarves, pointed hats, broomsticks, books, and wands.
There’s also a brick wall with banners as a backdrop for selfies and general pretty-posing. But there’s a lot of Potteresque aesthetics all over the restaurant, so you don’t need to restrict your picture-taking to just one wall.
Oh, and the costume rentals are totally free, which is awesome.
2. It’s available for takeaways
Not everyone can have the time to plan ahead and book a table at Platform 1094. And I discovered that certain peak months or weeks could get fully booked so walk-ins are nearly impossible.
That’s why it’s convenient that the restaurant is available for takeaways and food delivery. (Of course, this is assuming you really like Platform 1094’s menu and don’t go there just for the theme.)
Takeaways are available from Tuesdays to Sundays, between 11 AM and 9 PM. This service, along with self-pickups, will also knock 20% off your total bill!
3. It’s pet-friendly
I am over the moon that Platform 1094 is a pet-friendly restaurant! It has an al fresco dining area where you can have lunch or a snack with your furbaby and pretend you’re with an enchanted creature.
It’s one of the few establishments in Singapore that understands and encourages pet owners to bond with their fur kids over leisurely activities like drinking and dining.
You do have to bring your fur pal’s own prescribed food, as there isn’t a dog or cat-specific menu here. But I think that being allowed to have them on the premises already makes for a happy and healthy pet.
Aside from catching the fancy of Harry Potter fans, Platform 1094 also has something to offer the food bloggers of Singapore. The food and beverage menus are creatively curated, plated, and presented with a magical aura.
I can’t think of anything more snap-worthy than a drink that lights up like the Goblet of Fire when you sprinkle cinnamon all over it. Or how about an all-black dessert called Black Magic that boldly uses squid ink with panna cotta and blackberries?
Suffice it to say that food critics, bloggers, and ordinary diners will find something here that will make their jaw drop and then take picture after picture for the ‘gram.
5. It’s got reasonable prices
The restaurant doesn’t offer an extensive menu, and most of its items won’t burn a hole in your pocket the way a wand could. Most of the main courses don’t go above S$25, and the ones we’ve tried came in generous portions.
There are also set lunches at Platform 1094 if you want to sample a bit of everything. What I do find pricey are some of the beverages and desserts, but that’s to be expected with such fancy plating and cocktail-making.
What can the Harry Potter café in Singapore improve on?
As perfect as it sounds, I think there are some things that Platform 1094 can cast an improvement spell on. This is based on observations my friends and I made after visiting the place several times.
Here are the most pressing issues for us.
1. It could have more vegetarian options
The people who made the menu are creative enough to come up with magic-themed dishes and drinks. I just wish there were more plant-based versions of them (there are only four veg-option choices on the main course menu).
There’s a lone vegetarian chickpea burger on the menu. The rest of the items are meat and fish.
Granted, most of the dishes are delicious, but it would be nice to have some salads and a few more veg items for soups and appetisers.
Now, I’m not a vegetarian nor a vegan, but I have plenty of Potterhead friends who are. It would be a pity if they can’t eat their fill here.
2. It could reconsider opening on Mondays
Platform 1094 is open from Tuesdays to Sundays. For those of us who get particularly peckish at the start of the week, that’s like Ron and Harry trying to get through the Platform 9 ¾ barrier and crashing into a solid wall.
Walk-ins are allowed at this Harry Potter-themed bistro, which I greatly appreciate. But it’s always a gamble to see if there’s a spare table, as the place is known to get packed.
And as previously mentioned, reservations can get quickly filled up even on ordinary days. I think an additional day of operations won’t hurt, but of course, the restaurant does need a day of inventory and preparations.
3. Some of the dishes could hold back on the richness
I don’t have any real complaints or issues about the food because I do love a good presentation and my meal being extra at times. However, some of my friends have commented on how rich some sauces are, particularly the ones used on pasta.
Some of the dishes also look a certain way but taste another way. In particular, the crab meat aglio olio managed to have the distinctive taste of a Chinese noodle dish when we were expecting it to taste more like traditional Italian pasta!
Maybe it’s the magic that happens in the Platform 1094 kitchens? At any rate, the menu still gets four out of five wands for me.
4. It could accommodate bigger groups with longer tables
There are enough tables and chairs at Platform 1094 to accommodate couples on dates or small families with four members. And since the meals are usually served by course, I don’t see any problem with the tables getting crowded with dishes.
But there doesn’t seem to be seating for bigger Potterhead groups, save for one table that seats around eight diners. And that’s usually the one reserved for birthdays.
I may be nitpicking at this point given that I understand how limited a dining space can be (especially a gimmicky one with all the trimmings). But I still wouldn’t mind having an area with long benches and tables in the manner of the Great Hall.