In which city did J.K. Rowling write parts of Harry Potter in cafés?

J.K. Rowling wrote parts of Harry Potter in cafés in Edinburgh.

After moving to Edinburgh, Scotland, Rowling worked on the early Harry Potter manuscripts while caring for her daughter. She is associated especially with cafés where she wrote or revised portions of the first novel, including Nicolson’s Café and The Elephant House, although public stories about exactly which passages were written where are often exaggerated.

Edinburgh became an important location in the book’s origin story, but it was not the sole place where the novel was composed. Rowling had already developed the concept and begun writing before settling in Scotland, and she continued drafting in other settings.

The city’s literary identity and architecture are frequently discussed alongside the series, but Hogwarts is fictional and is not a disguised name for a single Edinburgh building. Edinburgh nevertheless remains closely connected with Rowling’s writing career and with the development of the first novel.