Canny Man’s

The Canny Man’s is truly one of a kind.
Yes, the sign outside may put you on edge a bit, yes the staff seem nervous themselves, yes the owner is very intimidating… But it works.
And to be honest, I can see why the sign is outside. It means that the onslaught of tourists that a place that this must usually attack with vigour, flashing snaps of the ceiling and requesting gluten free beers at the bar, are nowhere to be seen.
The bar is full of true Scots, proper locals and the odd tourist (me and the boyfriend). It serves a huge range of whiskeys, a lovely selection of wines and some of the best bloody Mary’s I’ve ever had. The antiques hanging from the ceiling, and taxidermy on the walls tells stories that you want to listen to, and the fact that the pub has been handed down 5 generations is obvious and in your face, which I love.
It would be a 5 star in my opinion if there was a little less fear in the air (from me and the staff), but you know what, sometimes it’s important to stop taking photos of your life, and live it instead.

Cool, quirky drinking establishment!

Popped in late afternoon mid-​week (Wednesday) before the kitchen was open for supper, but, to my delight, there was a free buffet set out that more than satisfied my hunger! Egg and cress, prawn salad and bacon/​rocket sammies, chicken bits, and more.
The small, low-​ceilinged rooms have the charm of a time gone, but still appreciated. I didn’t know the place had a reputation for unfriendly service or for being unwelcoming. I didn’t feel either of those things. No one really went out of their way, either, though.
It seemed a nice place where families meet during the day and locals come in the evening. I’d go back.

Canny Man’s is a pub. A proper pub. My favourite in Edinburgh. Probably my favourite full stop.
It has a reputation for being intimidating or unwelcoming. For what reason, I’m not too sure. Service is never anything other than welcoming, polite and respectful. It might not offer the homogenised, insincere and obnoxiously fawning customer experience that a lot of places have adopted but that’s part of what makes it so good!
Inside, it’s like my grandparent’s front room via Alice’s rabbit-​hole. There’s a huge amount of charming curious and antiques that make for a good few drinks worth of gazing alone.
On the subject of drinks, they have an excellent selection of beers (and a scrumpy) on tap. Including my personal favourite; Taylor’s Landlord. Not seen often these days in Edinburgh’s pubs but here it is. And a perfect pour every time. I’m not much of a spirit drinker but their dazzling array behind the bar tells you that the hard stuff (especially Whisky) is a serious business here!
There’s also a gorgeous sun trap of a beer garden at the rear that makes for a perfect place to relax with a drink in the summer.
I have never eaten during service but they have a tasty looking bar menu and and a very impressive variety of Smorrebrod. And as if all this is not enough, you are treated to complimentary bar snacks with your drink and Mon-​Thurs there is a complimentary buffet to soak everything up!
Anyone that doesn’t appreciate this gem in Edinburgh is sorely missing out.

What a brilliant quirky bar! I heard about this place a few years ago and only this week did I manage to go. I had already been instructed to go in the side door, as the locals go in this way and not through the front. A bell rang as I opened the door, just what I always wanted, something to herald my arrival and draw attention to moi! :/​I got my drink and found a nice corner to settle into to have a good nosey around the bar. There’s so much to see. Lots of quirky items hung about the place. I especially liked the portrait of a westie’s head on top of some military outfit. They provided table service and the waiter already had change with him when e took money from us, so there was no going back and forth, very slick! I want to go back very soon to have another look.

Went into this pub and asked for a red bull as I was driving and didn’t want to drink alcohol. Not an unusual request but the manager seemed to think I was asking for class A drugs. Don’t think these people live in the same century. Despite being polite I was treated with contempt for asking for such a thing. There attitude was downright rude. I certainly will not be going back. Would not recommend this pub to anyone.

A coworker that is from just outside the city told me this was a must see while on vacation in Edinburgh. She told me it was an interesting place so I made it a point to check it out.
I saw the reviews before going and everyone said how it was uncomfortable and judgmental — but I didn’t feel that way at all. I thought everyone was really friendly and welcoming. Even the cab driver on the way over made comments how the workers there can be really mean to people.
My boyfriend and I walked in but no one really acknowledged us. i walked in a little further and a woman approached us and asked for drinks or food. I said both and she sat us next to an older couple. We said it was our first time at the place and she explained they didn’t serve pub food and walked away after taking our drink orders and leaving menus.
The couple next to us, leaned in and made suggestions of what to order. I ended up ordering the same meal she had and it was really delicious. It was an open face sandwich and a hot potato on the side.
After dinner, I asked the manager if it would be okay if I took some pictures and she said yes. She even gave me a packet that included the history of the pub and several postcards.
I was really happy with my experience here.

The Canny Man’s is a sure contender for the title of Unfriendliest Pub even now, despite the passing of its infamously grumpy landlord. But the frosty reception and the air of tresspassing are all part of the theatre of this unique little boozer.
The onslaught on your confidence starts outside, where a sign reads: «no mobiles, no credit cards, no backpackers, no cameras…»
Inside, an intimidating land lady (I think) guards the door as you enter and glares. Dare to wander in? You will need to survive the withering look that follows you around the room. Take a seat and ask for the menu and you will have a white line cloth and proper napkins set up which is very nice. If you manage to understand the ordering system (write some code on paper, not the name of the dish… THE CODE and don’t for god’s sake try to talk to the waitress), you’re in. And it is worth it! My favourite of the hundred options is the surf and turf open sandwich though the food is all a bit pricey as is the wine actually it is good for a change.
Inside, The Canny Man’s is like a curio shop alongside the traditional mandolins and dusty jeroboams pinned to the walls are military uniforms, paintings, swords, prams and a boat. Then you look up: a shop mannequin is skewered to the ceiling, dressed as a witch and many other sinister faces are peering at you from paintings are everywhere.
The whisky selection is extensive and reasonably priced and they usually do a free buffet weeknights as well as giving a little nibble to enjoy with your drink. It is our local but despite being regulars I don’t think we are very welcome but hey!

It is like other review’s have suggested. I did have a bit of a ‘wow’ moment when I entered and first impressions were I liked its character. It does have a long list though of ‘don’t…’ so this might put people off and several work colleagues confirmed, that at least in the past, if they didn’t like your face then you didn’t get in.
My single experience here is you don’t get service with a smile. Border line rude actually to a colleague who is a regular which was a tad off putting and made me re-​think my hastly thought plan of bringing my parents here on NY day. The wine is lovely (pretty classy actually) and they have a great selection of whiskies. The place is full of character and the little booth area at the back was perfect for our post work, post dinner drinks. It also meant we could be separate, jolly and not run the risk of being evicted for breaking the ‘don’t’ rules when trying to phone a drunking colleague last seen in the middle of Morningside Road who hadn’t made it to the pub.
So, I would go back, though probably not with guests as such, and it looks like it does great food so that would be worth investigating. So we’ll see.
Note — DOESN’T accept credit cards, bank cards, etc but there is an ATM across the road!

This has got to be the BIGGEST Dump I have been in. This place Should be told to clean up and get there act together.

I loved this place! Me and my husband popped in here for a drink on the rare opportune moment that we have a spare couple of hours without our son. The first impression is how full the walls are with bits and bobs but i actually loved that. It was very busy and did seem to have an average age of 50+ of the people in there but that really wouldn’t put me off going there again. The drinks aren’t too pricey and the staff were very polite.

Really nice bar but the chap with the beard and the glasses clearly hates his job and thinks he is above everyone who visits the bar.
Shame.

I’m updating my review based on a few new experiences here. First of all, how did I manage to miss all of the extra nooks and crannies in this place? It’s actually much larger (though by no means large) than it first comes across and even has a pretty cool looking beer garden for those 5 days a year when it doesn’t rain.
My primary purpose for my update is — the buffet. Has anyone else been here when they’ve had the buffet on? Do they do it every day or just maybe Thursday through Sunday? Or, is it completely random and my empty belly just got really really really lucky yesterday? It’s free. It’s good. It has things like chicken wings, roast potatoes, mini sausages and fancy sandwiches. It’s free. It’s free and it’s the kind of stuff that most pubs would be charging at least £5/​head for.
My tight Glaswegian was so impressed and felt bad that we had only come in for one pint each, so he left a tip. That’s how good it was.
Beyond this, what I love about the Canny Man is the fact that you can come here on a Thursday and the place is packed. It’s packed with the kind of people who are in for pints with friends, and the kind of people who are in for champagne with friends.
This place is basically legend… (wait for it). –ary.

A local institution, a small eclectic bar, with a great selection of beer, and a vast selection of whisky. The sign says it all — «no pictures» its a local’s bar, its up to you if you take away great memories!

Hmm, The Canny Man’s. It’s a funny place. From the brass plaque outside banning cameras, mobile phones and backpackers to the too-​bright rooms with tacky 80s furniture, by way of the 50-​something clientele in expensive jumpers — I think maybe it’s just not for me.
And I’m sure it used to be much more atmospheric, with low lighting and serious dust everywhere — I think they had to clean up the dust for fire reasons, or something? But I’m sure they could have preserved the old ambiance.
On the up side, it does sell good beer! For a price.

An excellent pub with good beer and polite staff. Anyone who has ambitions in the licensed trade would do well to see how a tight ship is run. The sign at the door (no this, no that) is all growl and no bite. Wi-​fi is available and the TV is on for the rugby. The staff are formal rather than cold. Service is excellent. My pint was confiscated for being a bit too cloudy. Like a pub should be.

I don’t believe the owner of this place wants any customers, he seems to hate everyone. As you will immediately notice when you walk in there is a sign saying effectively ‘NOTHING ALLOWED’. No cameras (I don’t know why this is an issue, how many people take places of the interior of pubs, apart from Unilocal reviewers), no mobile phones (I can sort of understand but a bit impractical), scruffy people (I understand the thinking behind this but there is a very vague definition of what scruffy is, my friend was turned away because he had piercings). As well as this the manager hates students, which is his prerogative, but the bar is quite far down Morningside road and cannot be frequented by too many students.
Once you are inside, you just can’t help escaping the feeling that you are not wanted there. Unusually this does not come from the regulars, who are all friendly enough, but from the bar staff and especially the manager. The drinks are all good enough, there is a good selection of lagers, ales and spirits, and they are not too pricey, but I don’t want to drink in a pub where you can feel dislike and tension always smouldering under the surface.

Canny Man’s has some wierd paranoia about anybody coming in who is potentially threatening, dirty or has a knack for taking photos. Most places will let just about anybody in and then ask those unwelcome to leave, but Canny Man’s is, apparantly, not most places. I was kind of bewildered as to what their disconcerting sign was all about, as it’s not particularly posh inside.
In fact, I thought it was kind of boring. It’s just a standard pub with nice décor, reasonably priced drinks, unfriendly staff and no TV screens. This is certainly not the place to come and get rowdy over a heavy session, but if you’re after a chilled out drink in the afternoon or evening, this could be the place.

The 3 times I’ve been in here, I’ve felt really uneasy. Maybe it was the big signs saying ‘no phones, no cameras’ — it may as well have said ‘no customers’ — or maybe it was the disgruntled barman ‘we’re not serving food’. Whichever, I didn’t feel welcomed.
I got the impression that it’s very much a local pub, the same people come here all the time and everyone knows everyone and their son Jock. I came in looking for a drink with my auntie, luckily she was one of afore mentioned locals and so we were embraced… but I get the opinion if I went in hans-​solo it would be a different story.

The first you may notice as you walk into this pub (as previous reviews have pointed out) is a big sign stating clearly that photographs, cameras, sloppy-​looking people and so forth are not permitted in this establishment. Oh and no cell phones either.
Now before you turn around and leave this rather rude welcoming, please take a good look around– you are in for a rather pleasant surprise. (and find the no screens rule quite liberating– have a proper chat rather than get hypnotised by a TV screen!)
There are a variety of room to choose from to enjoy your pint of ale and all with their own individual style and serving good food (ciabattas are quite tasty). The waitress matches the entrance signs– very rude and moody but still I am giving it 4 stars not for its service more for the ambiance of the place which to be fair is quite cool.
I’m not bothered with the slightly older age group this pub is gearing to, it’s sometimes nice to get away from the student dominated places every once and awhile.