With a brass plaque at its entrance forbidding mobile phones, backpackers, cameras and credit cards, the Canny Man's in Morningside set exceptionally strict rules before you'd even had the dubious pleasure of stepping inside.
And for those bold and undeterred enough to order a drink at the bar, your chances of being served said tipple could diminish very quickly depending on your 'look' or choice of attire.
Owner Watson Kerr was known for his extremely stringent policy of only allowing the 'right kind of people' to drink in his bar - and this invariably meant that those who dressed differently or spoke in a certain way were swiftly ejected.
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While it sounds a rather baffling marketing strategy, Mr Kerr would go to great lengths to maintain standards in the pub that had been in his family since the 19th century.
Unable to prove you're a local or regular? Not today, sir or madam. Dare to wear a suede jacket or leathers - even jeans? Forget it.
In Mr Kerr's obituary in the Scotsman newspaper in September 2011, he was described as an "extraordinary Edinburgh publican whose unique approach to hospitality brought his Canny Man's pub legendary status", and no statement could be truer.
The late Kerr famously refused to serve whoever he deemed unworthy or not fitting the right profile.
To this day, the Canny Man's interior is crammed with an eclectic collection of bric-a-brac, curiosities and memorabilia.
Susan Gaunt recalls how, in the late 1970s, a mannequin hanging from the ceiling fell on top of a drinker and knocked them out.
She says Watson Kerr's policies on clientele had been quite relaxed at that time, but soon changed.
She said: "It was a great pub then; full of students bikers nurses and always heaving. There was a brilliant juke box and about 101 clocks on the walls - none at the same time.
"I remember one night a mannequin fell from the ceiling and knocked some guy out. Three hours later he was back at the bar.
"It's sad what it became - I could not believe you were refused entry for wearing leather."
In the 1960s, the Canny Man's became one of the first pubs in Edinburgh to have scantily-clad female dancers, known as go-go dancers - which for many drinkers was peculiar considering Mr Kerr's otherwise staid and authoritarian policies.
Sandy Wilson recalls: "The first time I ever went in my friend and I were seated at the bar having a bowl of soup at lunchtime, when, suddenly, the music was turned up full blast and a go-go dancer climbed onto the bar, walked along it, stepping over the pints - and our two bowls of soup.
"I could never understand a place where half-naked dancers were acceptable, but suede leather jackets weren't."
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And it wasn't just suede or leather jackets that were barred at the Canny's - even the colour of your socks could be vetted, as Ricky Gray recalls.
He said: "I once went with a crowd and he wouldn't let two of us in because he didn't like the colour of the socks they had on - total a******e.
"I've never been back to this day."
Donald Leaks says he had been regular at the Canny Man's during his student years - until one day when Mr Kerr inexplicably refused him and the American girl he was with admission.
He said: "I had been drinking in there as a student at Napier aged 19 for two years.
"I took an American girl to try and impress her with our quaint Scottish friendliness - only to be refused admission.
"No reason given, he just didn't like the look of me after serving me for two years."
Some of the festive season rules at the Canny Man's pub from 2003.
Penned ahead of Christmas 2003, Mr Kerr's 'festive season rules' are a sight to behold.
Punters are bluntly told there won't, just like in "previous years", be any festive decorations, while anyone caught with so much as a pixie hat or tinsel on their person will be shown the door.
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Mr Kerr writes that customers certainly won't be getting free nips "on the house", but can look forward to a special Christmas surcharge added to all alcoholic drinks.
As for food, lunch will be served (cold) as normal - absolutely no Christmas fare at the Canny's.
While the Canny Man's is still owned by the Kerr family following Watson Kerr's passing, and the pub's notoriously strict policies of yesteryear have relaxed somewhat, the brass plaque with rules at the entrance remains.
For those considering a pint at the infamous Morningside Road establishment, perhaps consider switching that mobile phone to flight mode.
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