Your Ultimate Hobart Dining Guide

Hobart doesn’t try to be Melbourne, Sydney or anywhere else — and that’s exactly what makes it so special. The food scene may be smaller than in other Australian cities, but it is undeniably mighty. You just need to know where to look.

There’s something about Nipaluna/Hobart that keeps drawing me back. The air rolling off the River Derwent feels cleaner. Life’s rhythm has a more leisurely beat. Maybe that’s why so many people I know have moved here from bigger cities — I’m certain it’s what gives chefs space to really focus on local produce, often sourced from friends and neighbours. Hobart’s small food businesses embrace what makes them unique; whether wine bars built around communal tables that encourage conversation, or kitchens devoted to fire, fermentation and foraging. These 28 places to eat in Hobart each share stories of heritage, community and provenance. I promise you won’t need any other Hobart dining guide.

Quick links:

• Really Good Restaurants

• Wine Bars with Phenomenal Food

• Very Special Splurges

• Cafes & Brunch Spots

• Pubs with Good Grub

• Hobart’s Best Bakeries

• Food Markets

• FREE BONUS: 14 Lesser-Known Hobart Restaurants

Really Good Restaurants

Six Russell Bistro

Opening to acclaim in early 2025, Six Russell Bistro in Sandy Bay is the latest from chef Kobi Ruzicka (also of Dier Makr and Lucinda wine bar). Linked to neighbouring Six Russell Bakes, the bistro celebrates Tasmanian produce with a sense of fun and flair. There’s even an entire menu section dedicated to potatoes that includes boulangère, frites with béarnaise and “very good mash”. Small plates might see a take on oysters Rockefeller but with abalone, or beef tartare with onion rings, while larger dishes range from steak au poivre to boarfish on crayfish farce with kohlrabi, potato and pumpkin in saffron cream. The food is confident and clever; the martinis, essential.

6 Russell Crescent, Sandy Bay, Tasmania, sixrussell.com.au/bistro

Wine Bars with Phenomenal Food

Ogee

A must for wine bar lovers, Ogee is a cosy corner spot in North Hobart with the unmistakable spirit of neighbourhood hospitality. That’s largely thanks to chef Matt Breen – also behind Templo and Sonny – whose influence runs deep in Hobart’s dining scene. Each of the 28 seats feels special, but the bar is where locals, staff and out-of-towners bond over bottles and bites. The European bistro-style menu shifts with the seasons, available a la carte or as a $100 set menu on Friday and Saturday nights (and for groups of six or more). If they’re available, start with Jon’s Reserve oysters – likely the best you’ll ever taste – slot in a pasta mid-meal, and finish with the salted chocolate mousse swimming in olive oil.

374 Murray Street, North Hobart, Tasmania, ogeehobart.com.au

Very Special Splurges (Set Menus)

Omotenashi

You’d never guess that one of Australia’s most meticulous dining experiences is hidden inside a Lexus showroom. But that’s exactly where you’ll find Omotenashi, the 10-seat kaiseki restaurant run by partners Lachlan Colwill and Sophie Pope. The name translates to “hospitality from the heart,” which still feels like an understatement across the 16-course procession served on antique Japanese and local ceramics, including Edo-period lacquerware. Before opening, the couple – alumni of Hentley Farm, Dier Makr, and the now-closed Port Cygnet Cannery – spent two years foraging, farming and building relationships with local fishermen. Lachlan talks openly their food being deeply respectful of tradition, but without the same rules and rigidity. It wasn’t until the Japanese community started frequenting Omotenashi (sometimes in traditional kimonos) that they knew they were onto something. At $312, this edible artistry might sound like a lot for some, but for others, it’s a small price to pay for reverence.

Hot tip: every week, extremely limited numbers of luxury bento boxes, fresh mochi and dashi are available to order online and pick up. Soon, they will offer just one item, the Omotenashi Celebration Box (for two to four people). Only two will be available every month. Keep an eye on their Instagram for more.

4/160 Elizabeth Street, Hobart, Tasmania, omotenashihobart.com

Cafes & Brunch Spots

Erda

On the western edge of Hobart CBD, Erda is a modern Aussie-Japanese cafe opened in 2024 by a husband-and-wife team. Light-filled and minimalist, the blonde timber interior embodies the “Japandi” aesthetic. Coffee lovers will appreciate the specialty menu, while those after something different should try the Dark Cloud, an iced ceremonial cacao crowned with whipped coconut foam; or the Blue Sky, a blend of banana matcha, blue majik (spirulina extract) oat milk, coconut yoghurt, and leatherwood honey. Standout dishes include comforting omurice; soba noodles with tender braised pork belly; and a buckwheat galette crepe wrapped around a fried egg, Gruyère, truffle béchamel, and either ham or mushroom. Sweet tooths, don’t miss the honey butter brioche toast.

167A Harrington Street, Hobart, Tasmania, erda.com.au

Pubs with Good Grub

New Sydney Hotel

Few pubs hold the soul of a city like the New Sydney Hotel. First licensed in 1835, it’s had a colourful history – including time as a brothel and private residence – but has mostly served as a place to gather over a pint of Guinness and good grub. Walk through the doors and you’re met with creaky wooden panelling, booths that embrace locals like old friends, and walls crowded with memorabilia soaked in stories. This is where musicians, families, hospo workers and old-timers all find their place. There are 18 beers on tap, around 200 whiskies, and a menu that leans into both Irish and Aussie pub classics, sometimes with a twist (try the wallaby spice bag or pork hock with local apple-cider mustard). Music is another staple here: on Fridays DJs play in the laneway beer garden, trad Irish tunes fill the room on Saturday afternoons, and bluesman Billy Whitton has been gracing Sunday nights for more than 25 years. New Sydney Hotel is an old-world pub at heart, and it hasn’t missed a beat in generations.

87 Bathurst Street, Hobart, Tasmania, newsydneyhotel.com.au

Hobart’s Best Bakeries

Six Russell Bakes

The newest bakery on the block, Six Russell Bakes, opened in Sandy Bay at the end of 2024 to much anticipation. Led by chef Kobi Ruzicka (of Dier Makr and Lucinda) in partnership with the family behind Me Wah Chinese restaurant, this spot is already a local favourite. Their sourdough loaves ferment for 36 hours, croissants emerge from the oven perfectly golden, and the breakfast muffin – stacked with fennel pork sausage, a fluffy omelette, melted American cheese, and dill-caper sauce – has quickly gained a cult following. Pastries and sweets rotate regularly and might include a lemon-thyme honey croissant, five-spice cruller, or pork chorizo bun with hot honey. The shelves are also stocked with premium épicerie items such as canned seafood, local conserves, olives, and cheeses from Maker and Monger.

6 Russell Crescent, Sandy Bay, Tasmania, sixrussell.com.au/bakery

Food Markets

Farm Gate Market

This is a PSA for food lovers: skip Hobart’s tourist-heavy Salamanca Market and instead head to Farm Gate Market, held every Sunday on Bathurst Street. Starting in 2009 with just a dozen producers, it has grown into one of Hobart’s premier food experiences. The market follows a simple philosophy: if you can’t eat it, drink it, grow it, or meet the producer, it won’t be here. That means no gimmicks or kitschy stalls, just genuinely great food. If you’re looking to eat rather than shop, make a beeline for the Grub Hub, featuring a rotating lineup of vendors serving exciting eats from breakfast through lunch. You might find congee with masterful ferments from Adam James (aka Rough Rice), Latin street food like empanadas by Salsa Soul, hand-rolled Korean kimbap from Seoul Sista, Indonesian martabak, Kaki Lima Indonesian street food, and much more.

104 Bathurst Street, Hobart, Tasmania, farmgatemarket.com.au