Elephant House in Edinburgh
Elephant House: A Must-Visit Place for Every Tourist in Edinburgh
Location
- Address: 21 George IV Bridge Edinburgh, City of - Phone: 0131-220-5355Cuisine
- The Elephant House serves delicious coffee, tea, and cakes. - Other cuisines include breakfast, brunch, and sandwiches.Points of Interest
- The Elephant House is famously known as the birthplace of Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling wrote some of the early chapters of the book series here. - The venue offers a breathtaking view of Edinburgh Castle and the city's skyline. - Elephant House has been serving its guests since 1995, and it is one of the most iconic coffee shops in the city.Ways to Get There
- By foot: The venue is a 10-minute walk from Edinburgh Waverley train station. - By bus: Several buses such as 2, 23, 27, 35, and 41 stop near the Elephant House. - By car: There are several car parks near the venue, but please note that parking fees may apply. So, hurry up and visit Elephant House if you want to experience the ambiance where Harry Potter was created while enjoying your favorite coffee and cakes.
Where is Elephant House?
🏠 21 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EN
Elephant House: A Delightful Haven in Edinburgh's City Center
Location and Contact Details
- Address: 21 George IV Bridge Edinburgh, City of
- Phone: 0131-220-5355
Cuisine
- Type of Cuisine: Other Cuisines
Points of Interest
- Elephant House is famously known for being the place where J.K. Rowling wrote the first book of the Harry Potter series. You can sit and sip coffee or tea in the very same spot she sat and wrote!
- The cafe also boasts stunning panoramic views of Edinburgh Castle and the city's skyline from its top floor.
- Elephant House has a cozy, warm ambiance with plenty of natural light coming in through its windows – perfect for a study session or work meeting.
Getting to Elephant House
- By Bus: Take bus routes 23, 27, 41, 42, or 67 and stop at the South Bridge/Chambers Street bus stop. From there it's a five-minute walk uphill to Elephant House.
- By Train: The nearest train station is Edinburgh Waverley. From there, head up the steep Cockburn Street until you reach the High Street. Turn right on the High Street and continue walking until you reach Elephant House on George IV Bridge (approximately a 15-minute walk).
- By Car: Street parking is limited in the area, but there are several paid car parks located nearby (e.g. Castle Terrace Car Park).
Opinions
Mustafa's W.
It's overcrowded due to its popularity but there are better cafes, more authentic and traditional ones. Maybe you should start writing a book in an other cafe? Because Edinburgh is so inspiring.
Nuria Y.
Magical place for Harry Potter fans! The coffee shop is actually quite lovely, they have beautiful views by the windows. Hot drinks and cakes were good. Harry Potter fans have written tons of messages all over toilet's doors and walls. Liked the place and our waiter, I believe his name was Aitor, made the experience much better. He was lovely and allowed us to seat in when it was close to closing time, and overall, he was super nice and helpful. It can get really busy, so if you are not a Harry Potter fan, there might be other coffee shops as good as this one, but it's definetely a charming one!
Jack
I was lucky to visit during the early evening, we stayed until they were closing because the ambiance was so perfect. The alleged birthplace of Harry Potter was enchanting. Great coffee, I would suggest the whiskey coffee & victoria sponge (pictured).Thank you for a lovely experience :)
Holly P.
Our train was delayed a few hours so we had a quick afternoon in Edinburgh. We were delighted to find this place after visiting greyfriars bobby. Probably the lucky nose led us here! The staff served us quickly as we were rushing back for the train. Great coffee and cakes, interesting and clean interior. Recommended.
Krishna
Overrated.Overcrowded, busy, incredibly slow service, and not very smart seating (to say the least). They would consistently first ignore people waiting to be seated despite tables clearly available, and then give people the wrong size seat! In the space of five minutes, one individual was given a table for four, we (a group of four) were given a table for six (despite the aforementioned table for four available in the corner), and another group of four were given a table for two! Shocking seating.Food was very plain and unimpressive; definitely not worth the price. The wrap tasted like it was made with frozen meat, and the cheesecake was room temperature.Overall definitely do not recommend visiting - there are much better cafés available nearby.
Andrew T.
OK so we passed this place on our coach trip to Edinburgh, and it was pointed out that some parts of Harry Potter were created here, so as a fan I thought I would pop in for a visit. Enjoyed an acholic hot chocolate, but the lack of a fifth star was down to the atmosphere, it seemed nice overall, but a little busy and stilted, so left pretty quickly. Nice drink, warmed me a little.
kate g.
good cappuccinos, with a really cute elephant decoration! super lovely staff, nice place to come and sit down/shelter from outside! (even better if you’re a fan of harry potter!)mediocre bruschetta (not easy to eat, not too good imo) wish it was a little better - it would have made this place 5/5 stars!large cappuccino £3.10, bruschetta (4 half slices, only one pictured) for £5.95would definitely recommend coming here for a coffee and (rather expensive looking) cake! lovely place :)thank you!(inc some pics of the harry potter loos!)
Sonoko A.
Good elephant cappuccino and a huge homemade muffin I had there. This cafe seems be very famous for tourists and was busy even around 11am on Monday.It was a bit challenge that I stayed there with relaxed feeling as JK Rowling said, but it’s worth visiting to taste good coffee and cakes, and see the atmosphere where she wrote the Harry Potter!
Marcelo J.
Not sure why many bad reviews. Food was amazing (had the Scottish pancakes with bacon and syrup and the scone with clotted cream and jam). Super fresh, tasty and good size! Prices are reasonable. And I got JKR’s same table with lovely views and peaceful around. I just loved it! Yes, you’ll have to bear the stares from the rest of the people around that will just want you gone to have the table
Jenny
So, this cafe is famous because of JK Rowling (as they claimed). I liked the interior, which was spacious and fulfilled the (tourists’) imagination of old styled UK buildings.The food was rather basic in my point of view. Coffee tasted plain to me (although the elephant on it looked cute). The pancakes were nice but not impressive. My friend ordered chocolate cake and it was too sweet that she wasn’t able to finish it.I would say if you are a JK Rowling fan you can give it a try, to enjoy the atmosphere there. However I will not visit again.
Leave a comment:
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If you have any questions, you can contact Elephant House by calling 0131 466 0873.
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In Elephant House they specialise in other cuisines.
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3.743 customers of Elephant House have given it an average rating of 3,9.
