If you’ve always dreamed about apparating to Diagon Alley’s many wondrous shops, your wizarding wishes can finally come true.
A “Harry Potter-” inspired coffee shop called Steamy Hallows opened its doors in the East Village on Wednesday and it’s going to be gloriously Gothic, according to Zach Neil, the same mind behind the Tim Burton-inspired Beetle House and the Star Wars-themed Darkside Bar.
Steamy Hallows, at 514 (3/4) E. Sixth St., is decked out with oddities like shrunken heads, a 75-year-old stuffed owl, actual witch potions and an Irish cauldron from the 1700s that steams in the window all day.
“It’s what you’d expect a wand store to look like if it was a real place,” he told amNewYork in January. “The atmosphere inside will be pretty over-the-top from the way the coffee is crafted to the ingredients used to Instagram-worthy shots.”
Its coffee is made by mixologists dressed in all black as if they were crafting a potion — muddling fresh herbs and extracts, coffee, dark chocolate, rose petals and other fresh ingredients.
The coffee itself is from Electric City Roasting by Mary Tellie, whom Neil teamed up with after he tried her South American-sourced coffee.
The self-described coffee hater was so inspired by the taste that he asked Tellie to curate the coffee for the shop.
“Her coffee completely changes my mind about coffee,” he said. “She turned me into a coffee snob overnight. I can honestly say it will be the best coffee in New York City.”
To go with the coffee, Steamy Hallows serves up baked goods, including giant, soft-baked cookies, including six types of chocolate chip cookies, Neil said. They deliver locally, too.
For the past few months, he and his team have been shopping at antique stores to find odd and witchcraft-y pieces to incorporate into the cafe. Authenticity is key, he said.
“There won’t be posters of Harry Potter or anything,” he said. “The overall concept is the Beetle House meets Harry Potter meets Halloween. It’s not Dumbledore’s cafe, we’re just creating that overall feel and you’ll know what it is when you see it.”
Good news for Potterheads, Goths and oddity freaks — there’s no set closure date, so if it does well, it may last awhile, Neil said.
Head here for hours and location.
