The Albie Tavern and Takeaway is Albert Town's local pub and a Wānaka staple, set on Alison Avenue just off State Highway 6 between Wānaka and Hāwea, right between the Four Square and Pembroke Patisserie. Less than a ten minute drive from both the Wānaka CBD and Lake Hāwea, and a short walk or bike from the Outlet Track, it's a regular stop for locals, campers from the Albert Town Campground across the road, and travellers just passing through.
Inside there's room to spread out across the sports bar, restaurant and outside beer garden. Kids are welcome and have a space to play, and there are pool tables, darts, cards and board games to keep everyone busy. The kitchen serves a seasonally inspired lunch and dinner menu of classic pub feeds with a touch of global fusion — think pizza, parmi, snapper, ribs, a winter-warming laksa and a soul-feeding falafel salad — and happily accommodates vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free preferences. Next door, The Albie Takeaway dishes up crispy fish & chips, house-made pizza, burgers, snacks and ice cream, with online ordering available.
Behind the bar it's local brews on rotating taps, New Zealand and Central Otago wines, artisan gins, and cocktails and mocktails (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), with Happy Hour from 4pm to 6pm every day. Run by Tom and Dee Gerlach — Albie locals who took over from previous owner Roger — the pub leans into its community with kid-approved meals, a weekly winter Thursday pub quiz, and a team that greets newcomers like regulars. As they put it: welcome home to The Albie.
Every town has a pub that holds the place together. In Albert Town, that's The Albie — a tavern and takeaway on Alison Avenue that bills itself, with some justification, as your home away from home. The welcome extends past the regulars: whether you're catching up with mates, holidaying across the road at the campground, or just passing through on State Highway 6, the message is the same — welcome to our place. It's a Wānaka staple as much as an Albert Town one, the kind of spot where the team reckons you can 'catch up with your mates, or find your new best friend.'
The space is built for lingering. There's a sports bar, a restaurant and an outside beer garden with room to spread out, plus pool tables, darts, cards and board games for the hours between rounds. Kids are genuinely part of the picture: there's a space for them to play and kid-approved meals on the menu, which makes The Albie an easy family call as well as a mates' catch-up.
The pub's current chapter belongs to Tom and Dee Gerlach — Albie locals who took the reins from previous owner Roger. Tom introduces the change with typical pub modesty: new owners 'breathing some love into the place', an evolution rather than a revolution. The trick they're pulling off is keeping the community bones of the local while pouring fresh energy into the food, the drinks list and the events calendar — and inviting everyone to come along for the ride.
The kitchen describes its seasonally inspired lunch and dinner menu as 'classic pub feeds with a touch of global fusion', and the named dishes back that up. Hearty steaks, gourmet burgers, vibrant salads and snacks cover every appetite, alongside pizza, the classic parmi, snapper, ribs, a winter-warming laksa and a soul-feeding falafel salad. Snacks to share keep the table happy, kid-approved meals keep the little ones on side, and a wee sweet treat tops it off. Seasonal specials and daily treats round out the menu, and the kitchen is happy to accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free preferences — just let the team know.
Behind the bar it's local brews on rotating beer taps, New Zealand and Central Otago wines, artisan gins, and cocktails and mocktails — alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike. Happy Hour runs from 4pm to 6pm every day, with special discounts on selected wine and beer. And if you fancy trying something new, the team promises to steer you 'in a delightful direction.'
Through winter, Thursday nights belong to the pub quiz — teams, trivia, prizes and, per the site, 'the laughs and maybe even a prize.' Details live on the events page, and bookings are recommended; call the pub to lock in a table. Bookings are welcome for dinner and drinks too, by phone on 03 443 8181 or via [email protected].
Out the front, The Albie Takeaway keeps things simple and satisfying: crispy fish & chips, house-made pizza, burgers and snacks, plus cold ice cream, with online ordering if you'd rather order ahead. Positioned near the Outlet Track and across the road from the Albert Town Campground, it's pitched squarely at riders and campers — your food, the site promises, will still be steaming hot when you hop back on the bike.
You'll find The Albie at 20 Alison Avenue, Albert Town, between the Four Square and Pembroke Patisserie, just off State Highway 6 and less than a ten minute drive from both the Wānaka CBD and Lake Hāwea. The pub opens at 2pm Monday to Thursday and from midday on Fridays and Saturdays, closing at 10pm; the takeaway serves until 9pm. Minutes from the campground and the Outlet Track, it's an easy call whether you're a regular, holidaying across the road or just passing through — make it your local for a night or two.