Hobart’s best places to eat

For a little city, Hobart deals in big tastes. Tasmanian produce, fresh from the soil and seas, is at the forefront of its ever-evolving dining scene, from tiny neighbourhood eateries to dock-front seafood direct from the boats, and a host of options and cuisines between.

Fico

Fico: Italian-accented fine-dining.

The art of food
Handmade and homely are hallmarks of this Italian-accented fine-dining nook often touted as Tasmania’s best restaurant. The city hurries past the windows but time stills over its weekly-changing menu that celebrates small Tasmanian producers, be it petite piadina with muttonbird, line-caught kingfish, or a Tongola Cheese panna cotta. The art is in the details, but also on the walls, with paintings by celebrated Tasmanian artist, the late Tom Samek, the father of Fico’s chef-owner Oskar Rossi.
151 Macquarie St, Hobart. Phone [phone]. ficofico.net

Mures

Fishy icon
Waterfront cities need waterfront seafood dining, and Mures has been the apex predator among Hobart fish restaurants since 1973. The daily catch comes straight from Mures’ own fishing boat, Diana, working the deep waters around Tasmania, and the trademark green restaurant, sitting into the middle of the docks beside Hobart’s floating fish vans, has twin options: casual on the Lower Deck, and fine dining on the Upper Deck with its prime water view.
Victoria Dock, Hobart. Phone [phone] (Upper Deck), [phone] (Lower Deck). mures.com.au

Templo

Simplicity and seasonality are key at Templo.Credit: Osborne Images

Communal food worship
Intimate and immersive, this cosy neighbourhood restaurant on the city centre’s edge has just 25 seats and an ever-changing six-course chef’s set menu on offer. Simplicity and seasonality are key, with an Italian spin to the menu (and the bistro vibe), a Tasmanian touch to the produce, and minimum intervention on the wine selection. The main communal table, beneath the bare bricks and a chalkboard of wines, brings a festive feel to one of the city’s best dinner experiences.
98 Patrick Street, West Hobart. Phone [phone]. templo.com.au

Local

Mona’s tasty neighbour
When you’re done marvelling at Mona, stay local by eating at Local, the nearby suburban pizzeria that many Hobartians swear makes the city’s finest pizza. Run by Isabella Edwards, daughter of famed Hobart winemaker Stefano Lubiana, Local’s thin-crust, hand-stretched dough, slow fermented for 72 hours, is key to the quality of the pizzas, which are as creative as their names – Notorious P.I.G, Bubby G, Wild Child – and best devoured on the long communal tables out front.
52 Maroni Rd, Berriedale. Phone [phone]. localpizzatas.com.au

Telegraph Hotel

The sky’s the limit
Hobart’s climate has never really inspired rooftop bars and restaurants, so it was a brave new wining and dining world when the revamped, 165-year-old ‘Tele’ opened its rooftop terrace in late 2022 (joining Aura as the city’s only rooftop perches). Overlooking Sullivan’s Cove, the walk-in-only terrace bar delivers pub classics from Tassie produce – Nicholls chicken parmis, wallaby skewers, Cape Grim rump. And yes, this is Hobart – the terrace has heating and retractable roof covering.
19 Morrison St, Hobart. Phone [phone]
telegraphhotelhobart.com.au

Ogee

European-style bistro

North Hobart – NoHo – has all but seized the mantle as Hobart’s best eating strip, with options ranging from Pancho Villa’s fine Mexican, to cafe winner Born in Brunswick to pub favourite The Winston, all joined now by newcomer Ogee. The 28-seat, Mediterranean-style bistro from chef Matt Breen, founder of Templo and perennially popular Sonny, is intimate, warm and walk-in only, with a weekly changing menu that might feature the likes of sauteed gnocchi or white asparagus with mussel velouté.
374 Murray St, North Hobart. ogeehobart.com.au

Tom McHugo’s Hobart Hotel

Pub with panache
Remember the days when pub vegetables came cubed, out of frozen bags? Corner hotel Tom McHugo’s is everything that wasn’t, championing local produce in one of Australia’s most interesting pub menus. With produce from local growers such as Fat Carrot Farm, Provenance Growers and Littlewood Lamb hitting even the plates in the front bar, and craft beer pouring from hand pumps, it’s a pub feed but not as you know it.
87 Macquarie St, Hobart. Phone [phone]

Institut Polaire

Institut Polaire’s version of a prawn cocktail.

Cool by nature
It makes sense that you can almost see the icebreaker Antarctic ships from Institut Polaire’s near-waterfront tables. Hobart’s ties to Antarctica are celebrated in the cold tones of this intimate inner-city wine bar, which delivers a seasonal set menu alongside small-plate offerings. The stars of the show are just as likely to be in glasses, be it the bar’s own Süd Polaire Antarctic dry gin, or something from the wine list that was named the best in Australia in 2022.
1/7 Murray Street, Hobart. Phone [phone]. institutpolaire.com.au

Dier Makr

Dier Makr: Tasty and interesting.Credit: Dier Makr Photographs

Enter past Dier Makr’s sister wine bar, Lucinda, to discover one of Hobart’s finest eating experiences. Simple ingredients are turned into stunning flavours from the barebones kitchen – think a couple of hot plates and a hibachi – fuelling a tasting menu with well-considered wine (or non-alcoholic) pairings. It’s a journey as interesting as it is tasty, from duckbilled boarfish with cauliflower shavings to apple and parsley sorbet. When you’re done, round the evening out back in Lucinda.
123 Collins St, Hobart. Phone [phone]. diermakr.com

In the Hanging Garden

Hidden within the city’s folds, and yet filling an entire block, this kid-friendly, dog-friendly green space puzzles together a trio of eateries – pan-Asian Oryza, the cantina-like Mother Mexico and the crispy crusts of Pizza Pizza – with a garden bar. The tiered design includes the sunny, sunken 18-metre-high glass Cathedral dining space, and a literal hanging garden on the deck above. DJs get spinning on Friday and Saturday nights.
112 Murray St, Hobart. inthehanginggarden.com.au

Peppina

Peppina is the flagship restaurant for The Tasman hotel. Credit: Tourism Tasmania

What’s old is new
Steered by stalwart Hobart chef Massimo Mele, the five-star Tasman’s sophisticated flagship restaurant brings old-world Italian traditions (the restaurant is named after Mele’s nonna, Giuseppina) to a colonial-age former hospital now encompassed by a new hotel. Unsurprisingly then, Peppina is a blend of Mele’s Neapolitan traditions and the freshest things from Tasmania’s earth and ocean, with a menu ranging from the classic Neapolitan street snack of pizza fritta to hand-made gnocchi and market fish.
2B Salamanca Place, Hobart. Phone [phone]. peppinarestaurant.com

The Agrarian Kitchen

School turned master
Skip the instruction and head straight to the eating at this tasty offspring of the famed Agrarian Kitchen Cooking School. Set inside a former ward at Tasmania’s first mental asylum in New Norfolk – check out the original pressed metal ceilings – the celebrated restaurant delivers a set menu from the adjoining one-acre kitchen garden and its whole-animal butchery. Book a garden tour to precede your feed or, if you’re in a rush, there’s always the kiosk and picnic tables on the lawn.
11A The Avenue, New Norfolk. Phone [phone]. theagrariankitchen.com