Gibbston Tavern by Bike

The pub at the foot of Coal Pit Road — wood-fired pizza, gin from three Central Otago distilleries, and a kitchen that runs an hour later than any cellar door in the valley.

The Details

Getting There by Bike

About 340 metres off the Winery Bike Trail, at the foot of Coal Pit Road — two minutes' riding, and the red dotted line on the map below is that stretch.

It is the same turn-off that takes you up to Mount Edward and Monte Christo, so the three make one detour rather than three. The address is 8 Coal Pit Road, and tapping it in The Details opens it in Maps.

What to Expect

This is a pub, not a cellar door. Wood-fired pizzas run $33 to $35, big plates for one — burgers, beef schnitzel, beer-battered fish, a winter salad, nachos, seafood chowder — run $24 to $32, snacks and share plates start at $14, and the Gibbston Tavern Platter is $55: brie, blue cheese, cured meats, smoked olives and toasted ciabatta.

The kitchen keeps the same hours as the bar, 11am to 6pm. Every cellar door around it stops serving between 4.30 and 5. If you want a real meal at the end of a day's riding rather than another cheese board, this is where you get one.

The GT Tasting Room is the other half of the business and it shuts at 5pm — so taste first and eat second. You pick a flight from their own Gibbston Tavern label alongside Cardrona Distillery gin, vodka and liqueurs, Tannacrieff ruby, white and tawny port, Broken Heart gin, whisky and spiced rum, and Rifters small-batch gin. Everything on the flight is available by the bottle to take away. No flight price is published, so ask at the bar.

Dogs are welcome — “all pups and people welcome” — and there is a garden by the tasting room. On dietary requirements they are careful to be exact, so here it is in full: “Non gluten friendly and plant based options available (we are not a gluten free or vegan kitchen so some traces may be present).”

Worth knowing

A table booking is not confirmed until their team replies by email, groups of twelve or more have to pre-order, and there is a 15% surcharge on public holidays. Same-day, phone 03 409 0508 rather than filling in the form.

The Gibbston Tavern Story

The tavern was first established in 2011, and the Robertsons bought it at the start of 2020 — timing nobody would have chosen. Their own history places the area “back to the gold mining days of the 1800's”, but the pub itself is a modern business rather than a survivor of the gold rush.

The stone stables of the hotel that did serve the miners still stand on Coal Pit Road. Monte Christo pour in them now.

Told from the tavern's own history page.

Common Questions

Do you need to book?

Walk-ins are fine at the bar and the tasting room. For a table, use the form on their site or email bookings@gibbstontavern.co.nz — “bookings are not confirmed until our team reply directly via email”. Groups of twelve or more have to pre-order, and same-day bookings should phone 03 409 0508.

What time is it open?

Every day, 11am to 6pm — and the kitchen serves right through, which is an hour later than most cellar doors out here. The GT Tasting Room closes at 5pm.

Is there food?

Yes, and this is the substantial stop on the trail: wood-fired pizza, burgers, beef schnitzel, beer-battered fish, seafood chowder, share plates and desserts.

What can you taste there?

Flights from their own Gibbston Tavern label plus Cardrona Distillery, Tannacrieff port, Broken Heart Spirits and Rifters gin. Everything pourable is also sold by the bottle to take away.

Can you bring a dog?

Yes — “all pups and people welcome”.

How far off the trail is it?

About 340 metres, at the foot of Coal Pit Road — two minutes' riding.

Nearest Stops on the Trail

• Monte ChristoThe stone stables at the foot of the same road
• Mount EdwardFurther up Coalpit Road — small, organic, bike-friendly
• Peregrine WinesBack west, and the building is the draw