Portugal’s World’s Most Beautiful Café: J.K. Rowling Wrote Harry Potter Sitting on the Right Chair

▲ The world’s most beautiful café, Café Majestic.

Reported and photographed by You Ru / Portugal

Many people remember the café where J.K. Rowling wrote as the Elephant House in Edinburgh, Scotland. However, there’s another café in Porto, Portugal, listed among the “World’s Top 10 Most Beautiful Cafés,” where J.K. Rowling once wrote. A senior staff member at Café Majestic said that when J.K. Rowling moved to live in Porto, she would sit on the leather chair to the right inside the entrance. “I still remember how she sat there, head down, writing.”


▲ The exterior features delicate carvings.
% The interior is filled with an old-world charm.



▲ The interior features solid wood and genuine leather seating.

J.K. Rowling once moved to Porto, Portugal, to work as an English teacher and did much of her writing here. Many Portuguese say that the second-largest city in northern Portugal, Porto, with its mysterious and magical architecture, influenced Rowling’s creation of Harry Potter. This city, which can be explored on foot in about an hour, is indeed filled with rich aesthetics and a magical aura hidden within its buildings.

Café Majestic in downtown Porto has been ranked among the “World’s Top 10 Most Beautiful Cafés.” Whether a café is beautiful is subjective, but the splendid historical traces left by Café Majestic, founded in 1923, are truly hard to ignore. This café, which has been open for 95 years, features solid wood and genuine leather seating. The entrance and the entire café are adorned with exquisitely preserved old carvings. Walking into the café at night gives it an even more magnificent atmosphere.


▲% The staff say customers often ask if the food is good.


 
▲ The Irish coffee and French toast are delicious and leave a lasting impression.

Like many old European cafés, Café Majestic is full of classical European details. Café staff said that during her time in Porto, J.K. Rowling often came to write here. “She often sat on the leather chair to the right inside the entrance—not necessarily that exact seat, but always near the wall.” Perhaps because it’s almost a historic landmark and one of the most beautiful cafés, and also because J.K. Rowling wrote here, Café Majestic has become an extremely important tourist highlight in downtown Porto.


▲ Senior staff said J.K. Rowling would always sit on the leather chair to the right, near the wall.
% The interior is elegant and atmospheric.


Address: Rua Santa Catarina 112, 4000-442 Porto, Portugal
Phone: +351 22 200 3887
Business hours: 09:30–23:30