The best part about living in Tonawanda ~ near Buffalo, NY ~ is how easy it is to drive to other cities. (I've blogged about it before ...

The Lockhart, Hocus Pocus Witchery & The Shameful Tiki Room

The best part about living in Tonawanda ~ near Buffalo, NY ~ is how easy it is to drive to other cities. (I've blogged about it before, it's great!) This past Sunday my friend Judy and I decided to take a trip across the border to Toronto. We discovered some themed places we wanted to check out including The Lockhart and Hocus Pocus Witchery and if time allowed, a must see for us is The Shameful Tiki Room.

Our first stop was the Harry Potter inspired Lockhart restaurant/ bar for brunch. Located on a busy street this little restaurant is easily lost among the hair salons and service type store fronts, but just like a land of magic you have to know where to look. Be warned it's very "cozy", and by that I mean small, but I never felt crowded while there. I really thought it would be busy, but we were seated right away at a sizeable table in the front window. The space has a rustic apothecary feel with jars and bottles on the found wood shelves. Even our table top was re-purposed from what looked like a vintage trunk. I ordered The Lockhart Standard. It was breakfast fare with scrambled eggs, homefries, spinach and marbled rye toast. Everything was tasty, but the toast was the best toast I have ever had in my life! It was so flavorful it didn't need anything on it ~ I am not joking. I'll be dreaming about this toast for a while. (I regret not taking a picture of my food.)



The drinks were equally delicious. I ordered the Shaklebolt and Judy ordered the Better Beer. The service was friendly the vibe was casual and fun.



Like most restaurants in Toronto the bathroom is in the basement and the Lockhart continued to hint at Harry Potter through the downstairs with murals and two bathrooms with chalk paint walls. Overall it was an enchanting experience. I highly recommend stopping in, even if it's just for a drink. I know I'll be back!





We planned on continuing our magical journey to Hocus Pocus Witchery. Located near where the old goth club Sanctuary used to be, I had high hopes even if it was just for nostalgia sake. 


We walked in to a retail space with lots of scented oils and a counter, a bar in the middle and walk up a couple stairs in the back to more retail space with charms, potions, BlackCraft Cult clothing, display cases with statues and figures and a small altar in the corner. There was one guy working that seemed less than thrilled to be there. He was playing industrial/ techno music and we when pulled up our stools to the bar, the song started getting harder with curse words. Personally it didn't bother me, but he switched the music to a lighter tone. Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow movie was playing on the TV above the bar. So it seemed like they are trying to appeal to a creepy clientèle.

I ordered a Salem Witch (because Salem) and Judy decided on a flavored coffee ~ she was driving after all. My drink was set down on a cute napkin, but in Andrew's words when I showed him the picture, "that's a really sad looking drink". It gets better, he handed Judy her drink in a to-go cup. I guess he really didn't want us there. Their public bathroom was in the back, behind an "employees only" curtain, down a hall. It looked like there was another room in back not being used and the bathroom had potential to be cool even if one of the stalls was out of order. I'd say this was a bust. Not sure if it's because it's new, but the space is confused...not sure if it's retail space, a bar, a place to get your tarot cards read. Oh well. Onward and upward. 



We took a detour to the Royal Ontario Museum for their Christian Dior exhibition, which was smaller than expected so we had enough time to venture to The Shameful Tiki Room. (You can read about my Dior exhibit experience in my Cats Like Us blog here.)


The tiki room is unsuspecting from the outside, but it's the closest thing to a tiki bar we have in Buffalo...literally it's the CLOSEST tiki bar we have. Dark and decorated in bamboo and thatching, walls of rum and tiki mugs ~ it transports you to a tropical island! I like the Jet Pilot Drink, but really any their signature drinks are tasty. Another must see if you are in the area. We always stop when we're in town. Do you have any themed bars or restaurants in your area? Get to exploring! I would love to hear what you find!

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