Bar Talk looks at two very different watering holes that open in York next week.

"IT'S not a 'concept'. Since when has good beer and good food in pleasant surroundings been a new concept?" Like any good pub landlord, James Butler is pontificating. Leaning against the bar in the pristine Last Drop Inn, thus far unsullied by a poured pint or a pickled punter, James says he is thrilled at the prospect of opening this "fantastic pub" to the public at 8pm on Wednesday.

He knows a thing or two about York's licensed trade. The son of long-serving city landlord Don Butler, James used to run what was the Cock & Bottle, Skeldergate.

But then, everything about The Last Drop Inn is local. This is a major reason why it stands out from the rash of new bars, those chain stores with liquor licences, all run to centralised specifications.

The Last Drop is unique. It is the first pub opened by York Brewery, the only brewer in the city.

It will be serving the brewery's range of crafted real ales, plus guest beers, and meals made with local ingredients. Scott's, the Petergate butcher, is making the pies and sausages on the menu, using York Brewery ale.

And the local commitment doesn't stop there. The hugely-impressive refit of the 17th-century building has been completed by York builder Adrian Taylor using fittings supplied by North Yorkshire firms. It was his team that overcame every concern from planners and heritage guardians to create a brand new alehouse in the ancient English tradition.

At the Last Drop you will be able to relax on settees or sit on a raised pew at barrel tables. Outside are four more tables on a small patio. All it lacks is a noisy jukebox to flatten conversation.

York Brewery boss Tony Thomson is sure he has got value for his £100,000-plus, even though the pub defies the current trend for bottled beer and the 'youth market'. "We think we've got it about right," he says, quietly confident that visitors and locals alike will enjoy a genuine taste of York.

Joshua Titley

WHEN someone spends £1 million on a city centre bar you know it is going to be something a bit special. And Bar 38, set to open in style on Coney Street on Friday, is more than a bit special. It is completely different.

All the traditions associated with York pubs can be well and truly tossed out the window as Bar 38 brings a taste of London to our fair city.

Where there were horse brasses on the walls there are now intricate metal clocks and what looks like spaghetti, where there were beer pumps there are poncey metal dispensers, a forever-changing light display and a wide range of cocktails, and where there were Guinness T-shirts, there is designer clothing worn by the army of staff.

This is something York probably hasn't seen before, and I haven't even mentioned the toilets yet.

If any of the infectious enthusiasm of manager Nickki Dickens (even her name is 'different') comes across through the table-waiting staff then the bar's assertion that "service will be friendly and welcoming" will shine through.

Aiming for young professionals, the excellent riverside location and fantastic chic design is bound to bring in the odd punter.

The range of food will astound - it is sort of tapas, but then again it sort of isn't and even after eating the breakfast kebab, you may still not be able to work it out.

Something else you might not be able to work out are the toilets. They are unisex, and they are very strange with lots of see-through partitions, and it is, well, difficult to explain.

The 60 riverside seats will certainly prove a draw. Slapbang on the side of the Ouse, those young professionals are bound to go for the outdoor seating, made all the more relaxing as it is table-service only, so you can chat, get drunk on crazy cocktails, eat strange items off £50,000 worth of crockery and not even have to get up.

But, then again, if you don't go to the toilet, you will miss out ...

Dan Beergutstein