The Nook Cafe | foodies-of-manila

The

NOOK

COFFEE, BOOKS

A LITTLE HISTORY

The Nook opened in June 7 last year at its present location in the foodie capital of Quezon City: Maginhawa.

Tucked away in a seemingly ordinary corner in Maginhawa, The Nook reminded me a little bit of all the magical entrances in Harry Potter: the the platform between 9 and 10, The Leaky Cauldron, the telephone booth where you dial 6-2-4-4-2 and even the loo entrance for Ministry of Magic employees. All of those seemed pretty mundane and yet they all had something in common: they led to a wonderful, magical place.

164-A Maginhawa St., Maginhawa, Quezon City, Metro Manila

Open on:

Tuesday-Saturday 1-10pm

Sunday 1-7pm

Hi everyone! It's me, Toni.

It's really no secret to anyone who knows me that I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. That's why I jumped at the opportunity to go to The Nook, the (only) Harry Potter themed restaurant (so far) in the Philippines.

It was my first time to go here as were Alyssa's and Angel's, and I'd like to say we were all at least (in their case) pleasantly surprised and at most (in my case) near-to-crying fan-girled.

6-2-4-4-2

Inside, though, you get an overwhelming sense of coming home. At least, that's true for Harry Potter fans. I know I nearly died of excitement.

Right beside the door you get to wear your House Robes! No worries to non-Gryffindors, because they have the robes and scarves for the other three (equally awesome) Houses!

The first look wouldn't give anything away. But rest assured there's magic inside!

Need directions? Click the map above!

Major spoiler here: Their Butterbeer is AMAZING.

Left: A Hufflepuff scarf peeks through Slytherin and Ravenclas robes. Eep!

Right: Subtle magical touches give the place a homey vibe.

The Wizarding Food

...is great, especially the Butterbeer! I've tried an alcoholic version before (in a bar-restaurant called Backyard), but The Nook's version was way better. I ordered Bacon Wrapped Chicken (P140) and Hagrid's (large) Butterbeer (P150). Granted, the Butterbeer was pretty scanty for P150, but the taste was worth it.

Top: Menu as of last week. Subject to change.

Left: The infamous wizarding drink!

Right: Bacon wrapped around chicken? What's not to love?

Fan-girling

The food was pretty on-point with the theme, and we've established that the Butterbeer was to die for, but it isn't a Harry Potter place if there aren't easter eggs inside!

The waiter, Patrick Jason (yes that's his name, I looked him up on Facebook, let me inside the cupboard-under-the-stairs where there were Harry's glasses, the Marauder's Map, Hermione's Time Turner, a Hogwarts Letter (eep!) and even Dobby. Kuya Patrick surprised me by knowing so much about Harry Potter. He said he hasn't even been working there for three months yet but he got interested in the wizarding world so he read the entire book series and watched all the 8 movies!

There were a bunch of wands in the shop, too, including Harry Potter's, Hermione Granger's, Luna Lovegood's, Ron Weasley's, Bellatrix Lestrange's, Lord Voldemort's, and of course, the famous Elder Wand of Albus Dumbledore.

There was also a Firebolt (Harry's famous top of the line broomstick) hanging on the ceiling, and an unopened Chocolate Frog on a shelf.

Upstairs, there was a lounge that screamed "Common Room". There were pillows you could sit on and a comfortable carpet, and even a duyan you could sit on!

There were two Harry Potter collections, one soft-bound and the other hard-bound, and Harry's textbooks Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages were on the shelf too.

Aside from these there were also other books that would interest maybe those who were not into or did not go there for Harry Potter (but who didn't, right).

M-A-G-I-C

Overall the experience was pretty magical, and I would definitely go there again! I only wish I got to wear my gryffindor robe, though, somebody else wore it the whole time she was there, but never mind, Slytherin colors looked good on me.

To all Harry Potter fans out there, I've found our geek den!

Angel

I really am not a fan of Harry Pottter, but when I came to the resto, I understood why many people are so addicted about it. It is indeed full of different elements that's why people are hooked about it.

The place was too small to acommodate all of its guests, which is the bad thing about it because people will have to wait for their turn which can sometimes be for hours.

The good thing about the place is the staff. Kuya Patrick clearly knows a lot not only from the movie but also the books. To non-HP fans, he shares a lot which makes the stay in the resto more interesting.

Alyssa

Like Angel, I am not really a fan of Harry Potter, but I completely understand the hype around it and the fans' dedication to the series.

This place was founded with the Potterheads in mind: the ambiance, the overall design, the Harry Potter paraphernalia scattered all over the place, and the much-revered butterbeer.

The place is too small for a large group of people to gather, but is small enough for one to relax and unwind even for a short while. The menu, while limited, offers selections from pasta to meat. While dining, one can indulge in the vast array of Harry Potter books and other series, and chat with the staff who are well-rounded in terms of the restaurant's central theme and other aspects of pop culture.

Overall, The Nook is perfect for both Potterheads and non-Potterheads. It is an excellent fusion of good dining, calming atmosphere, and great literature.

Left: The Nook's wand collection

Middle: Fan-girling inside the cupboard-under-the-stairs

Right: Look! A Gryffindor disguised as a Slytherin! Call Professor Snape!

The Daily Prophet Harry Potter is the Fourth Champion of the Tri-Wizard Tournament!	Owl Owls normally deliver mail at Hogwarts.
Letters Close-up And look! There they are!	Letters Hedwig?...
Selfie with founders 4 The 4 Founders of Hogwarts!	Stairs Pretty
Mural	HP collection The Harry Potter book collection(s)
Lamp Look at all those framed pages!	Pasta The Al Pesto (P140) Alyssa ordered
Angel looking at bboard Angel looking at the bulletin board	Angel reading Angel reading "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" because she doesn't really like Harry Potter (shame!!!)
Bbeer topview The infamous Butterbeer	Bboard 3 You can't cancel Quidditch! -Oliver Wood
Broom 2 The Firebolt	Chocolate frog Harry Potter's textbooks being guarded by a POP! Dobby and a chocolate frog
Collection Look, the Goblet of Fire!	Cover Who's obviously a fan?
Fangirling while eating I couldn't help it...	Framed pics I wanted to cry for the books but they turned out so pretty.
Harry doll This has to be limited edition!

See more photos!

Rating: 4/5

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