The Best Restaurants in Hobart: A Local Restaurant Reviewer's Guide
One of the best reasons to visit Hobart is the food. For a small city, Hobart punches well above its weight, with exceptional seafood, world-class produce and talented chefs making the most of Tasmania's incredible ingredients. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply looking for a memorable meal, these are the restaurants we recommend most often to our guests and write about for magazines including Gourmet Traveller.
Hobart's food scene is worth planning your trip around
Visitors are often surprised by just how good Hobart's dining scene is.
Within a few square kilometres you'll find intimate neighbourhood restaurants, award-winning fine dining, bustling wine bars and some of Australia's best seafood. Add Tasmania's cool-climate wines, whisky and fresh produce, and it's easy to see why many visitors plan entire weekends around where they're going to eat.
One piece of advice before we begin: book ahead and be aware that many establishments are Wednesday (or Thursday) to Sunday only.
The city's best restaurants are often small, and weekend tables - particularly over summer and during festivals - can disappear weeks in advance.
Here are the places we find ourselves recommending again and again.
Templo
If you only book one restaurant before arriving in Hobart, we'd probably suggest Templo.
Tiny, intimate and quietly confident, Templo serves a constantly changing seasonal menu that celebrates Tasmanian produce with Italian influences. The menu is deliberately small and changes frequently depending on what's available.
It's the sort of restaurant where every dish feels considered, and the atmosphere is relaxed rather than formal.
Perfect for: Couples, food lovers and anyone celebrating a special occasion.
Maria
Maria offers one of Hobart's casually luxurious dining experiences.
The menu changes regularly to showcase Tasmania's best seasonal ingredients, and the cooking is elegant without ever feeling pretentious - inspiration comes from all over the Mediterranean. The waterfront position doesn’t hurt either, with stunning views over the Derwent, especially in summer.
If you enjoy beautifully prepared food where the produce does most of the talking, Maria deserves a place near the top of your list.
Perfect for: Relaxed evening dining with cool Med vibes.
Peppina
Warm, welcoming and full of life, Peppina has become one of Hobart's favourite upmarket Italian restaurants.
Expect generous sharing plates, handmade pasta, wood-fired cooking and an atmosphere that's ideal for groups as well as couples. The sommelier is excellent and a private wine experience in one of the rooms beneath what was Hobart’s first hospital is highly recommended.
If you're travelling with family or friends, this is often one of our first recommendations.
Aloft
If your idea of a perfect restaurant involves watching chefs at work, Aloft is hard to beat.
Perched above the waterfront, the restaurant (Maria’s sibling) focuses on seasonal tasting menus showcasing outstanding Tasmanian ingredients inspired by Asian flavours. Grab a seat at the kitchen bar if you’d like to chat to the chefs or choose a table by the window to enjoy the view.
The experience feels personal and relaxed despite the exceptional quality of the food and Aloft is our number one recommendation for friends visiting Hobart.
Fico
For visitors seeking one of Hobart's most exciting dining experiences, Fico consistently delivers.
Creative without being intimidating, the tasting menu changes with the seasons and reflects the kitchen's commitment to local producers. Each dish is exquisitely plated and European-inspired, with a few surprises.
It's definitely somewhere to linger rather than rush. And make sure you check out Fico’s sibling Pitzi (just around the corner) for exceptional pasta and focaccia you’ll be dreaming about.
Institut Polaire
Part wine bar, part restaurant, Institut Polaire is a favourite among locals.
Known for oysters, seafood, small plates, an outstanding wine and cocktail list and Lou, one of the best hosts in Australia, it's an excellent choice if you're looking for something a little more relaxed than a traditional restaurant.
Even if you only stop in for a glass of Tasmanian sparkling and a dozen oysters, you'll understand why it's so popular.
Sonny
Technically a wine bar rather than a restaurant, Sonny deserves a place on this list.
It's one of those places visitors often stumble across - and then return to the next evening. Host Al switches up the vinyl tunes, incredible food comes out of the tiniest kitchen you’ve ever seen and there’s usually a queue out the door. Definitely for couples and solo diners only as this place is petite.
Excellent wines, thoughtful small plates and a warm atmosphere make it perfect for a casual evening. If you don’t want to line up (we hear you!) go next door to La Sardina Loca, also one of our favourites and Josh is an amazing host. You’ll find Spanish-inspired plates and a fab drinks list.
Don't forget lunch
Some of our favourite meals in Hobart happen during the day.
If time allows, leave room in your itinerary for a long lunch at one of the city's restaurants or a leisurely drive into the Coal River Valley or Huon Valley, where exceptional wineries often pair beautiful food with spectacular scenery.
Worth travelling for:
The Source
One of the two fine-dining restaurants at Mona. Combine a visit to the gallery with an exceptional lunch and wines from their own vineyards as well as other Tasmanian producers. A 20-minute drive from central Hobart
The Agrarian Kitchen
Without doubt one of Australia’s best restaurants. Put it on your list and enjoy the 40-minute drive to New Norfolk.
Oirthir
French technique meets Scottish influences and Tasmanian ingredients in a small restaurant that enjoys stunning views up the East Coast. A 50-minute drive from Hobart.
The Old Bank at Geeveston
Head south, way south, to enjoy a rustic, game-based menu in an historic bank building. Worth the 1-hour drive.
What’s New!
Analiese Gregory’s home-based restaurant Lumachelle has just opened in the Huon Valley. It booked out in about 5 minutes and next bookings open on September 1. Expect an intimate lunch for 10 with hyper-local ingredients.
A couple of new bars with (much) better-than-average bar food have opened up in North Hobart recently. Check out Smith St for Japanese and Korean-inspired food plus great cocktails and (trust us) leave room for a canele at the end. Head upstairs to Teddy’s for an ever-changing lineup of natural wines by the glass plus Asian-inspired dishes that could be a snack or dinner.
Insider tips
After years of eating our way around Hobart (it's a tough job, but someone has to do it!), here are a few things we've learned.
Book Friday and Saturday dinners well in advance.
Lunch can be easier to secure than dinner at popular venues.
Don't overbook yourself. One memorable meal is better than rushing through three.
Ask your accommodation host what's new. Hobart's dining scene changes quickly, and locals often know about exciting new openings before they appear in guidebooks.
Leave room for dessert. Tasmanian berries, apples and dairy products are exceptional.
Our full list of regularly updated recommendations can be found on our website. We eat at all these restaurants regularly.
Our final thought
People often ask us which Hobart restaurant is "the best."
The truth is, there isn't one answer.
Some nights call for a beautifully cooked steak over a glass of pinot. Other evenings are all about handmade pasta, fresh oysters or a simple meal shared with friends over a bottle of Tasmanian wine.
The good news is that Hobart delivers all of it - and it's one of the reasons we love living here.
We hope you enjoy discovering your own favourites.
Staying in Hobart?
Braithwaite is a beautifully restored heritage home just minutes from Salamanca Place, Battery Point and many of Hobart's best restaurants. Whether you're planning a romantic escape, a golf trip, the beginning of your Tasmanian adventure or a weekend of great food and wine, you'll be perfectly placed to experience everything Hobart has to offer.
Check availability at Braithwaite and start planning your Hobart getaway.