The Elephant House

The Elephant House (George IV Bridge)

The 'Harry Potter café', reopened in late 2025 after a 4-year fire closure

⚠ Reopened Dec 2025

Hours

Daily 10:00–18:00 (per the Dec 2025 reopening report)

Budget

Check prices at the shop

Address

21 George IV Bridge, between the National Library and Greyfriars

J.K. Rowling is said to have written early Harry Potter in the back room looking out at the castle, so the café bills itself as the series' birthplace. A fire next door shut it in August 2021, and it finally reopened in late December 2025. A scorched but rescued antique wooden table stayed, and a portrait of Rowling now hangs inside. The fan-graffitied toilets were famous too. Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith were regulars.