The CannyMan's

The Canny Man's has traded on Morningside Road since 1871, when James Kerr took over what was then the Volunteer Arms. Five generations of the Kerr family have run it since, retaining dark wood panelling, stained glass and shelves crowded with antiques and curios collected over the decades. It operates as a free house with no tie to any brewery, offering an extensive range of malt whiskies, real ales and wines, plus a restaurant menu covering Scottish and European dishes served across a warren of small connecting rooms. A walled garden at the rear opens for outdoor drinking and dining in warmer months. The pub's idiosyncratic layout and long unbroken family ownership have made it a fixture of guides to Edinburgh's traditional pubs for well over a century.