Last Updated on November 20, 2023 by Suzy McCullough
One of our favourite things to do when we visit London is to go for afternoon tea at the Wands and Wizard Exploratorium. This experience is perfect for Potter-heads and anyone with an interest in wizards. They are located almost across the road from the Palace Theatre where you can see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child theatre show almost all year round. This theatre production is in two halves so you could try and fit this in between the two performances. We have been to see The Cursed Child but we visited the Exploratorium on a different day.
One thing to note is that it is not endorsed or affiliated with Warner Bros or J.K. Rowling. They make no references to Harry Potter. It is quite simply a wizard-themed afternoon tea where you can cast spells with the wand that they lend to you. It is also not accessible to wheelchair users or buggies. They cater for different dietary requirements and allergies.
It is essential that you pre-book your afternoon tea online in advance as they do not permit walk-ins. This is because your food is made ready for your arrival and they also have to be ready to welcome you. They also have other experiences that you can book which I will mention at the bottom of this post.
There is a price for younger children and one for adults. I booked my son in as an adult though as I wanted him to enjoy the full experience. Plus at the age of 8, he was already capable of eating adult food. The afternoon tea is based on an interactive tea-brewing experience. I was a little apprehensive about this as he had never really drunk tea before. I needn’t have worried. He loved it, so much so that he is now a big tea drinker, mostly anything but English breakfast tea!
Downstairs you select your magic wand for the experience and you are then led upstairs to your table. The room is very small and certainly intimate. There were three other groups of people in the room and we each had our own table with stools. On the table, there was a box and a large magical tree-like structure where our food was later placed. Plus lots of different bottles of flavours.
The idea is that you cast magic spells using your wand to make things happen. We even had to cast a spell on our locked puzzle box that only opened with magic. Inside the box were even more ingredients. We were then taught how to brew our first cup of tea. Experimentation was encouraged so that we found the right blend for our tastes. This was great fun and my son really got into the whole experience.
You get to crush your ingredients together in a pestle and mortar. Once you are satisfied with this you then put your blend into an empty tea bag and add the hot water.
My son loved smelling and mixing up his own flavours to create his tea. Luckily he loved what he had created. He felt and looked so grown up! The crockery was really fancy as well which was a nice touch.
Our food was then brought out which all looked (and tasted) absolutely amazing. We had mini cakes, scones, sandwiches and other desserts to try. We almost managed to eat it all but sadly not quite. Their menu changes on a regular basis and they also introduce festive items at Christmas time.
After we’d eaten it was time to embark on our second tea-making spells. This time we saw water change into different colours after our spells were made. For children aged 11 and under you can book a Little Wizard afternoon tea. This includes one tea and smaller portions of food. They do allow you to book them on the afternoon tea for ages 12+ if they are under 12 which is what I did.
You are also brought out one final spell to cast which creates the magic you see below. You also get to light up your own dragon egg which is on top of the food stand.
The Afternoon Tea for ages 12+ (or younger if you opt to book your child on the more grown-up version) costs £42 pp. For children under the age of 12, the Little Wizard afternoon tea costs £32 pp.
Address: 26 Greek Street, London, W1D 5DE.
Also at this venue, you can book a potions experience and a magic wand experience.
Potions Experience – This is an immersive cocktail class where you will use a working magic wand to mix and drink elixirs. The experience lasts for 1hr45 and includes 3 drinks. For ages 18+ the drinks include alcohol. Those under 18 can partake in a non-alcoholic Potions experience.
Magic Wand Experience – Choose your magic wand and practice spell-casting in this small-group 4D retail experience. The experience lasts for 20 minutes. Both makers and assistants must be aged 8 or above as the experience contains small parts that could pose a choking hazard to younger children.
