VOTE: Tasmania’s best restaurants, cafes, bars to eat out in 2022
Having some of the best produce and finest chefs in the land, our food writer Alix Davis has revealed her TOP 10 that stood out for her this year when it came to eating. VOTE NOW >>
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THANK you, Hobart hospitality, for making 2022 a year of fresh faces, relaunched favourites and old faithfuls.
It’s always hard to narrow down a “best of” list but here are 10 places I especially enjoyed over the past 12 months.
Peppina
The Tasman, Salamanca Place
Opening hours: Dinner 5.30pm to 10pm seven days a week.
Breakfast 6.30am to 10.30am.
Serving up dishes that are Naples by way of Hobart, Peppina was certainly worth the wait. The fried pizza – with either fresh ricotta or zucchini, depending on the season, has proved a favourite, along with the ever-changing line-up of housemade pastas. Massimo Mele has drawn on his family background and his love of Tasmanian produce to create a restaurant that’s stylish, delicious and worth making a reservation for.
Aloft
Brooke St Pier
Opening hours: Tues – Sat, 5.30pm to late
Let chef Christian Ryan make all the decisions and settle in for an exquisite meal in the glass treehouse that is Aloft. Each course is carefully considered and outstanding in its own right, but taken together, the menu (with an excellent vegetarian/vegan option) plus outstanding service and an excellent wine list come pretty close to a perfect night out.
Agrarian Kitchen
11A The Avenue, New Norfolk
Opening hours: Fri – Sun lunch from 11am (bookings essential)
Enjoy a relaxed weekend lunch at this New Norfolk favourite or take one of their signature cooking classes – newly relocated to Willow Court – and cook and dine with your fellow classmates. The walled kitchen garden is inspiring and cooking with (or eating) vegetables that were only picked a few hours ago and a few metres away takes paddock-to-plate to new levels.
FICO
151A Macquarie St, Hobart
Opening hours: Dinner Thurs- Sun, from 6pm; long lunch Sun from 12pm.
Throw away your preconceptions about Italian food before visiting this inner-city gem for a 13-course degustation meal. Sure, there are Italian elements and techniques in plain sight but nuance is added with Asian elements – like the fresh wasabi on a perfect piece of kingfish that’s served alongside paper-thin guanciale around a twiglike grissini.
Hometown Secret
181 Liverpool St, Hobart
Opening hours: Tues-Fri 11am-2.30pm, 5pm – 8.30pm; Sat 10am – 2.30pm, 5pm – 8.30pm, Sun 10am-2.30pm
This has become a Sunday afternoon favourite for my husband and me. I love diving into a steaming bowl of prawn wonton soup (the wonton pastry is made in-house by chef Sheldon Chin) topped with a slick of fiery housemade chilli oil or sambal while he loves the beef rendang. The garlic prawn spring rolls are highly recommended and Hometown Secret is a must-eat destination for yum cha fans.
OGEE
374 Murray St, North Hobart
Opening hours: Thurs-Sun, 5pm-late
Chef Matt Breen and manager Rachelle Guastella have created a chic European-style bistro on the fringes of Noho and I couldn’t be happier. This intimate diner serves up small and large plates with a crisp drinks list and is definitely worth lining up for (and I don’t say that lightly). Best suited for date nights or a solo meal, you’ll enjoy seasonal dishes and ever-changing housemade pasta specials.
The Imbibers
74 High St, Oatlands
Opening hours – Wed to Sun, 11am-9pm
Speaking of road trips, stop in at Oatlands (or better still, stay the night) and enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine and an impressive grazing board at The Imbibers. Housed in a charming shopfront that used to be a pharmacy (among other things), owner Nathan McGiveron specialises in serving very local produce and a night spent in an armchair by the fire is highly recommended.
The Waterloo Inn
1A Franklin St, Swansea
Opening hours: Dinner Wed, Thurs; Lunch and dinner Fri- Sat; Lunch Sun
If you’re heading up the East Coast, make time for a meal at this mecca for natural wines, inventive dishes and hospitality courtesy of front-of-house maestro Alex Sumner. The Waterloo Inn is hidden inside an 80s eyesore on the point at Swansea but don’t let that stop you. The blackboard menu changes daily (recent items include pork coppa with gnocco fritto and grilled octopus) and with chef Zac Green doing it solo in the kitchen,when it’s gone, it’s gone. Worth making a road trip for.
Local Pizza, Bellerive
19 Clarence St, Bellerive
Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 7am-3pm; Wed, Thurs, Sun, 5pm-8pm; Sat-Sun, 8am-3pm, 5pm-8.30pm.
These guys are pizza professionals, with outlets in Berriedale and Salamanca (this one is Ti Ama) and I love it for the thin crusts with puffy edges and the R’n’B-themed names for their pizzas. Lunch is also on offer here, with excellent toasties and focaccia as well as some sweet offerings first thing in the morning. This has become my post-airport pick-up favourite.
Berta
119 Liverpool St, Hobart
Opening hours: Mon-Sat, 8am -2.30pm; Sun 8am-1pm, Thur, Sat 6pm-9pm
They’ve been doing brunch and lunch since their move into the city but now Berta is offering dinner three nights a week as well. There’s a Middle Eastern slant to many of the menu items but the real focus is on fresh, healthy flavours that highlight local produce. The long table under the lantern windows is a delight, as is the must-drink martini.
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