The Potion Room: Inside the magic-inspired bar and food spot in Calgary

The Potion Room offers a Calgary experience unlike any other.

Providing a “magical place for wizards, witches, and non-magical folk alike” to enjoy “fine handcrafted potions and elixirs”, this themed bar is a must-visit, especially during the holiday season.

There are nods to Harry Potter everywhere, with the entire space decorated so that it feels like you’re in the world of wizards. It doesn’t matter that it’s located in the heart of Inglewood, or that you’re a Muggle (probably), walking through the door here transports you as if you just used a Portkey.

Dished recently took a visit through the Floo Network (a wizard way of travelling through the fireplace, of course) and tried many of the drinks and food items in this dark room that feels like the Great Hall of Hogwarts — especially with the impressive ceiling of floating candles.

There are exploding and open newspaper pages on the walls with familiar headlines from the Ministry of Magic. The TVs on the walls are all different, constantly playing movies like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland, and others. Even entering the bathroom feels more like walking through the hidden cement wall of Platform 9 and 3/4.

The cocktails here really do help set the overall mood. Each one comes with an impressive presentation that makes you feel like a participant in the experience.

We tried the Your Acceptance Letter, made with tequila, pineapple vodka, rum, seaward, island bitters, agave nectar, and sweet coconut flakes and the Distract The Dragon, with strawberry gin, watermelon-rhubarb vodka, pink dragonfruit, Buddha’s Gold Bitters, chia, and foaming seltzer egg white.

We also tried the 50 Shades of the Dark Lord, an interesting cocktail with peanut butter whiskey, vanilla brandy, Chambord, butterscotch, strawberry jelly, Black Cloud Bitters, and smoked cherry.

Each drink was brought to the table, set down, and had an interactive component. For some, we had to cast a spell with a wand; for others, we would need to place our hands under a cloud of dry ice to retrieve the hidden cocktail.

Friendly and committed service is absolutely necessary to buy into the atmosphere here, and the staff at The Potion Room were incredible and looked the part too.

Obviously, the drinks are entertaining, but so is the food, especially with all the fun names associated with each dish.

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To start, we ordered the Enchanted Enchilada Nachos, Ghostly Gyoza, and three different kinds of wings with very unique flavours: mango habanero, jalapeno grape soda, and peanut butter and jelly. These seemed more like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans than wing sauces (in a good way).

There are three different types of sliders here, and we tried the tandoori option topped with mint chutney slaw, shallots, bell peppers, crunchy noodles, and a lime creme fraiche.

For mains, we had the London Fish and Chips, Majestic Mini Donairs, and the Ministry of Mediterranean, a build-your-own spread made up of chicken tikka masala, rice pilaf, tabbouleh, purple turnips, jalapeños, fresh herbs, pickles onions, olives, mint yogurt, sweet garlic spread, and pita.

Of course, we had to get dessert and we picked the Cauldron Cake.

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Everyone that loves Harry Potter knows that Christmas plays a huge part in the story, so this experience really does feel like one for the holidays. With strung-up lights and a decorated Christmas tree, it only adds to the festive spirit of this magical bar.

This is a space that celebrates all things fantasy and science fiction, but really it’s a place to embrace your inner child and just go out and have fun.

We definitely did!

The Potion Room

Address: 1211 9th Avenue SE, Calgary

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