Nicolson’s Cafe (now Spoon), Edinburgh

Nicolson’s Cafe (now Spoon), Edinburgh

20+ years from the publication of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone it is now claimed that the birthplace of Harry Potter was in fact Nicholson’s Café, co-owned by Rowling’s brother-in-law back in 1997. Later, Rowling admitted that the original idea struck her on a train, without any paper at hand, but Nicolson’s, she said, was the place where she indeed “wrote huge parts of the book”. Attesting to this fact is also the local photographer, Marius Alexander, who pictured the then aspiring author writing at Nicolson’s following her move to Edinburgh with her daughter three years earlier.

Rowling explained her choice of Nicolson's – whose large windows overlook the University of Edinburgh – as a really great place to write, because there were so many tables around here that she didn't feel too guilty about taking her favorite table up too long. “I always wanted to try and get that one because it was out of the way in the corner,” she said.

Now rebranded as Spoon bistro, which The List magazine describes as a “Good-humoured eatery with casual all-day dining and chilled-out service delivering simply prepared bistro classics,” this place still retains great significance to the author and to every Potter-head out there as the Rowling-anointed nursery for Harry’s first adventure. A token to this is a plaque commemorating the spot where part of one of the world's most famous book series was written.

In her own words, Rowling promised to the place owners that when the book is published, she will “try and get [them] loads of publicity" though no-one ever dreamed for a moment that it was going to happen some day.

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Nicolson’s Cafe (now Spoon) on Map

Sight Name: Nicolson’s Cafe (now Spoon)
Sight Location: Edinburgh, Scotland (See walking tours in Edinburgh)
Sight Type: Food/Drink
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Edinburgh, Scotland

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Old Town Walking Tour

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Royal Mile Walking Tour

Royal Mile Walking Tour

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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
Edinburgh Pub Crawl

Edinburgh Pub Crawl

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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
New Town Walking Tour

New Town Walking Tour

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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Literary Landmarks Tour

Literary Landmarks Tour

For centuries, Edinburgh has prided itself on being a home to many great writers – Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, J.K. Rowling, just to name a few. Fortunately, the tradition doesn't seem to die out any time soon, and keeps producing more and more authors and literary heroes in whose footsteps people still wish to tread. To explore some of the memorable places of Edinburgh that have...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
Edinburgh Introduction Walking Tour

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Comfortably yet tightly packed on the hilly terrain, Edinburgh – the Scottish capital since at least the 15th century, and the seat of the Scottish Parliament since 1999 – is a picturesque city renowned for its unique architecture of the medieval Old Town and elegant Georgian New Town, currently both listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The earliest known human habitation in the area dates...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles

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