The Elephant House - Café and the Birthplace of Harry Potter

Harry Potter: a magical series must have begun in a magical place, n’est-ce pas?

Although one might expect the famous series to have begun in say, perhaps, a grandiose gothic-style church or an eerie cellar akin to a potion’s classroom, it in fact begun in a small eclectic café tucked into one of the streets in Edinburgh.

Yet, it makes sense. The café is quiet, intimate, and a different world inside than it is outside. The picturesque and magnificent architecture lining the streets of Edinburgh is replaced for cozy seating and tons of eclectic and diverse knickknacks and decorations. This is a sanctuary for writers seeking coffee and comfort.

The café is the birthplace of Harry, a fact that they know and confidently proclaim across their front windows. Despite this, the prices aren’t as exorbitant as I would have assumed them to have been. They’re certainly not cheap, but I understand they may have increased them a tad due to supply-and-demand of wanting to visit “the birthplace of Harry Potter”.

The café is still cozy and comfortable, and though there are some Harry Potter memorabilia for sale, that’s the extent of the “Harry Potter”-ness. I rather liked that they didn’t go too overboard with this, as it gives off the impression that the café boasts the same “energy” and space that J.K. Rowling once worked in. There are other places in Edinburgh that play up the famous wizard even more.

When I arrived, I did have to wait a bit before being able to flag down a waitress to seat me. She seemed a bit bored and unenthusiastic, but perhaps she was just having an off-day.

When I was given the menu, there was a lot of choices for lunch, dinner, and dessert. Naturally, I felt like having something sweet in a café (just a personal preference, haha!)

There were a fair amount of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options. They were clearly marked on the menu!

In the end, I opted for an After Eight Hot Chocolate (in speciality drinks) with whipped cream and mint, and a dessert that I was told was gluten-free when I asked, but that I didn’t explicitly see on the menu. Regardless, although the presentation with the whipped cream wasn’t the best I’ve seen, it was delicious!

The food arrived fairly quickly, but again, I found almost all of the waitresses and waiters on staff that day very cold and seemingly bored.

Beside the food, the bathroom was really a stellar part of the café. All over the walls are messages from Harry Potter quoting the series, or proclaiming their love for the characters and their creator. If you’re a fan, this is a nice way to feel connected to the entire community, and really experience the impact of the boy who lived.

There’s no wi-fi, which I didn’t mind as it encouraged me to sit and enjoy the ambiance. There are, however, many outlets, perhaps encouraging the next generation of writers to let their minds wander!

Overall, while there were some parts of the Elephant House I didn’t particularly adore (the service, the presentation), I did enjoy the ambiance and the food. If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, it is a nice place to visit to grab either lunch or a sweet treat before embarking on a nice hike of Arthur’s Trail, or doing any of the other magical things Edinburgh offers!