The Elephant House

Reviews

• Makenzie Y.

  star star star star star 10 June 2026

  Every Harry Potter fan's dream come true. You get to sit where JK sat to write the books we love! It was a dream, and the view out the window is amazing!
  
  I went during the afternoon and it wasn't very crowded, I imagine most of the lower reviews are because it can get busy. But it's not just ANY coffee shop, it's famous so it is to be expected.
  
  My coffee and tea were delicious and my waitress was very kind! I went two different times in the same day!

• J M.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 6 June 2026

  Order placed. A coke. 1 wine. 1 cider. Meat pie. Fritters.
  :25 min later NOT A  SINGLE ITEM HAD BEEN SENT TO OUR TABLE.
  We asked 3 servers for any drink item ordered.
  NOTHING CAME... ever.
  At :30 min we walked out.
  Extremely horrible service.
  Yes it's touristy.
  Tables around us ordered 4-6 coffee drinks.
  We just wanted 1 wine and 1 cider.
  Go for a coffee and pie.
  Expect nothing.

• Abigail E.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 2 June 2026

  Extremely disappointed. We were excited to go here after a long day of class events. It was about 9:15 at night and their website said they closed at 10. We walked in and the woman said that they were closing and weren't serving. Like okay, that's understandable. So we decided to just get a T-shirt for the Harry Potter birthplace and she said that she had already shut down the register. (It wasn't even 9:30).
  
  She was extremely rude and we left and probably won't return. We heard that the food sucked anyway. We were so excited to try it and she totally crushed our spirits.
  
  I'm okay with never going back

• Maddie F.

  star star star star star_border 28 May 2026

  The Elephant House is a cozy cafe made famous as "the birthplace of Harry Potter". Author J.K. Rowling wrote the story on napkins when she was a waitress here, prior to making her millions. Although my love of HP brought me here, the ambiance and the food kept me here.
  
  My friend and I stopped by here out of curiosity intending to poke our heads in and venture on. We then looked at the menu, and loved the coziness of this cafe so we decided to get an early lunch here. I ordered the meat pie which came with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. We also got a teapot to share. The food was so good, one of my favorites I had in Scotland! I was kind of shocked that there were some negative reviews on the Yelp page about the food lacking in flavor since my food was very properly seasoned and delicious. The tea was also great. It was the perfect stop after we had been exploring the city to rest up for a bit and recharge.
  
  If you are a fan of HP then you have to come here. It's like a pilgrimage you make as a fan. If you are not a fan of HP I think you'll find it's a lovely cafe anyway.

• Steve K.

  star star star star star_border 25 May 2026

  If you are a Harry Potter fan, you must stop her, at least for nostalgic reasons. There's a table in the back from which you can see Edinburgh Castle, from which J.K. Rowling found the initial inspiration to write the first Harry Potter.
  
  As I look out the window at the Edinburgh castle, I can see how Hogwarts was inspired.  
  
  This is a quaint little cafe with many varieties of coffee, pastries, sandwiches, soups and other simple fare.
  
  It has hard wooden floors and tables.
  
  Although it is meant as a place to eat or take things to go, they realize that some people can't wait (there's usually a line for tables) but still want to look where Rowling wrote. So they have a sign that says if you just want to look (and not order anything), to make a small donation of one pound to 'Children's International' a non-profit. I personally like this and think it's a great idea.