The Elephant House Café has confirmed that it will be expanding into China following its successful return, with its first venture in Asia to open later this year.
The café – which has long claimed to be the “birthplace of Harry Potter” due to JK Rowling spending time there writing parts of the early books in the series – reopened its doors on 29 December 2025 following a devastating fire that saw it closed for nearly five years.
Its official reopening came last night though, as Lord Provost Robert Aldridge and Chinese Consul General Zhang Biao cut the ribbon before an audience of creatives supporters and Edinburgh’s Harry Potter focused business community.
The presence of both civic and diplomatic leaders came as the café’s owners confirmed that construction on the Chinese café experience is now in its final stages – being designed to feel “deeply, unmistakably Edinburgh”.
Plans are in place to showcase the city locations most closely associated with Ms Rowling’s writing journey, including Edinburgh Castle and George Heriot’s School, both linked to the grandeur of Hogwarts; Greyfriars Kirkyard, home to gravestones said to have inspired character names and Victoria Street, widely believed to have influenced Diagon Alley.
These touchpoints, already magnets for international visitors, will form the backbone of the new Elephant House in Suzhou, a major tourist destination in the Jiangsu province of Eastern China.
Elephant House co-owner Andrew McRae said the reopening marked the beginning of a new chapter for the business: “The Elephant House has always been rooted in Edinburgh, but its story has travelled far beyond our city.
“China has been asking for this for years, and the demand from fans there has been extraordinary.
“Our first franchise will celebrate JK Rowling’s connection to Edinburgh and bring the iconic streets and buildings that shaped her imagination to a whole new audience.”
He added that the attendance of both the Lord Provost and the Chinese Consul General “highlighted the cultural significance of the café and the strength of Edinburgh’s creative influence internationally”.
The reopening event marked the formal return of one of Edinburgh’s most visited cultural sites.
