In a last-minute backflip, the NSW government is allowing pubs to open for meal service only to 10 patrons at a time, though some Albury pubs have said it just isn't viable to reopen under the restrictions.

Originally, only cafes and restaurants were allowed to open their doors under NSW's stage one of loosening restrictions, but late on Wednesday night the decision was reversed.

Under the requirements, pubs can serve alcohol but only with a meal, social distancing must be adhered to and gaming facilities must remain closed.

In Albury, the Springdale Heights Tavern and the Bended Elbow are both preparing to reopen.

Bended Elbow owner Gavin Grant said pubs should have been included in the initial announcement as they effectively operate as a restaurant during meal service.

He said there wasn't enough time to get the pub ready by Friday, so they would reopen Wednesday.

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Springdale Heights Tavern owner Brooke Bosse said serving 10 people was a start and they were looking to open next week.

"It's the first step in getting back to normal," she said.

In East Albury, regulars of The Newmarket Hotel will have to wait a bit longer to return to their local watering hole, with owner Phil Nicholson saying it just wasn't worth opening for only 10 patrons.

Mr Nicholson said the decision to allow pubs to serve ten people was a good move for country pubs, but not as viable for larger venues.

He said it had been a tough two months for the industry, but residents had embraced the Newy's takeaway service.

"We're in a new era," he said.

"I've been in the game 42 years and seen nothing like it... We're down 60 per cent on turnover.

"But we'll come out the other side."

Mr Grant said reopening at this stage was not a 'money making process', but a way to get back into the swing of things.

He said the way the government had initially excluded pubs from reopening was confusing.

He hope pubs will be considered alongside restaurants and cafes when further decisions are made about easing restrictions.

"I was initially under the impression we could open, until I was told pubs were different to restaurants," he said.

"I don't understand what the difference is when we're serving food.

"We should be classed as a restaurant as that's what our pub mainly does, food and drink at the same time."

Mrs Bosse was glad the government had changed its mind to allow pubs to reopen for meal services and hoped it was a sign of things to come.

"Absolutely, for some venues it's viable [to open] to some degree at least and it allows us to start getting things back in order," she said.

"For smaller venues it'd be certainly viable and a great step for them."