Tasmania is insane. Bonkers, really. An island hanging off a big personality (Australia), split by the Bass Strait. It’s small and singular, about as far south as you can go, and distinctly memorable: verdant landscapes rolling out beneath bald peaks, yellow grasses and iridescent greens that shimmer with morning dew. It’s a lot – like my previous sentence – but beyond the white skies and tree‑studded hills is a fecund land filled with incredible food, and a city that’s one of my favourites in the entire world.
Hobart is a place I’ve been visiting since I was a child. It’s home to one of the most beautiful museums in the world, Mona (Museum of Old and New Art), and to a deeply communal food culture that’s hard to find anywhere else. The food is exceptional because there’s such an emphasis on provenance – on producers, farmers and every step involved in creating a dish. You’ll find grocery stores that don’t brag, but quietly stock the best carrot you’ll ever eat… and possibly the best carrot in the world.
Eat early
Waking up in Hobart is a peaceful affair; the kind of mornings that make you want to curl up with a mohair throw and sip coffee in bed. But if I wake up early in the CBD, I head out to explore the city’s cafés: unassuming, delicious and surprisingly fastidious about their coffee.
Pigeon Hole, open from 7:30am, is my number‑one go‑to for a flat white, a book and a cuddle with my mohair jumper in the morning frost. It also does reliably warming soups and a great croque madame, which will keep you going well into the afternoon if need be.
Down the road you’ll also find Sunbear, where I’ll drop in for an espresso and a sandwich or croissant. Considering the space is relatively large (for Hobart), the warm lighting and cosy atmosphere are a reminder that, with fewer tourists around, cafés here feel like extensions of people’s homes. Everyone talks to each other as if they were family. Wherever you are, there’s a sense of homeliness, like waking up to coffee in your childhood kitchen. It’s incredibly special.
Eat late
For lunch, I’ll definitely stop by places such as Trophy Room, which offers a gorgeous, seasonal menu that changes daily. The open-plan kitchen and dining room feel contemporary, light and refreshing. Even when it’s packed, there’s a calm pace to the room. Everything feels contented. It’s one of my favourite restaurants in Australia. The owners, James Latham and Rose Tweeddale, are hardworking and inventive, serving dishes that surprise, not by overwhelming you, but by delighting you. Going there is like driving a new car for the first time, every time. Just beautiful.
Last time I was there, I snacked on ’nduja toast with pickled carrot, red onion and fromage blanc, alongside a salad of beetroot, rocket, turnips and hazelnuts topped with mozzarella. But there was this cruller – ahhh, that glutenous heaven. It was less of a doughnut and more of a halo of heavenly pastry. Oh, and it had cacio e pepe floating above an undulating wave of magical mortadella, and I felt the sea breeze of the south tickling me into ambrosia.
Then there’s Fico, another standout, more of a dinner spot, though it does Sunday lunches. You’ll find some of the best oysters in the city, incredible pastas, great entrées and fantastic bread, which you can never overlook in Hobart.
I’m a bit of an oyster obsessive, and at one point, I went to Hobart purely to eat oysters and sat at Barilla Bay consuming about 40 of them. If you love seafood, you should absolutely go, sit down, and try as much of it in Tasmania as possible. You won’t find seafood like this elsewhere. It’s affordable, offered in what feels like 50 different preparations, and unbelievably good.
Drink
One of the best things about Hobart’s dining scene is how walkable it is. If you head straight down into town, you’ll find Pablo’s Cocktails and Dreams: a live‑music venue and cocktail bar open from 5pm till late, with a speakeasy vibe and performances four nights a week.
Around the corner from Pablo’s is another standout: Scholé. Opened by Luke Burgess in 2025, this wine bar-cum-restaurant features 10 seats, a Japanese influence, an ultra-seasonal menu and a timber-panelled interior that you might confuse with sauna-core. It offers a tachinomi (Japanese for “stand-drink”) on Tuesdays, where it clears the seats and turns the venue into a standing bar. A reductionist take on a wine bar: fewer decisions, less stress, more fun. It’s perfect.
Ogee – one of my favourite spots for a martini in Hobart – is dark and moody, with fantastic oysters (last time I went, it had startlingly refreshing, sorbet‑topped Jon’s Reserve), chefs cooking right in front of you, and an excellent list of sparkling wines. It’s more restaurant than bar, but a drink and a bite at the counter is a great idea.
Stay
Mona Pavilions is always the top-tier choice for staying in Hobart. These eight luxurious homes are uniquely designed and named after an influential Aussie artist or architect, and they are jam-packed with work from the Mona collection – and have absolutely insane views.
I last stayed in the Robin, a one-bedroom pavilion overlooking the Derwent River and named after Robin Boyd. Designed by Fender Katsalidis, the house has a private spa, a TV that descends from the ceiling, art everywhere, and is just a short walk to the gym, sauna and infinity pool where I’d wake up before breakfast at The Source, one of Mona’s restaurants.
I also have a soft spot for the MACq 01 Hotel in the CBD. It’s a 114-room waterfront property sitting on a wharf (also on the Derwent) and presiding over the city as one of Hobart’s best places to stay. It’s got a gym, suites with terraces and, like Mona, each room is uniquely furnished with its own personality.
Do
The landscape around Hobart is gobsmackingly beautiful. The city itself can look a little like a sleepy fisherman digesting in the sun. It’s a small place, perched beneath kunanyi (Mount Wellington), which is just 20 minutes from the CBD (if you keep going, you’re straight into wilderness). Whether you’re heading towards the ocean, up into the hills, or simply out of town, it feels like you’re traversing more land than actually exists beneath your feet. That’s a pretty spectacular thing.
Then there’s Mona. A must. I love it to bits. You can spend hours there learning and seeing things you’ve never encountered before. It opened in 2011 and was founded by Australian collector David Walsh. The museum is mostly underground and filled with both ancient and contemporary works. It also operates a bar, restaurant, winery and the annual winter festival Dark Mofo, which has become a worldwide phenomenon.
Shop
Speaking of Mona, while you’re there, pick up a couple of bottles of its wine, Domaine A. It produces a good claret and some light‑hearted whites from its vineyard in the Coal River Valley.
If you’re into clothes, there’s a pre‑loved designer store called Bruce, which came down from Melbourne a few years ago. It carries everything from vintage Yohji Yamamoto to old Céline and beautifully kept Prada, all presented in‑store as if new. It’s full of surprising, high‑end finds you wouldn’t expect in Hobart.
After shopping, head to Sonny for a great cocktail and some gorgeous snacks. Or, if you’re in town earlier, pop into Rosie in My Midnight Dreams, open from 8am (8:30 on weekends), offering waterfront views across the bay, solid savoury options and wines worth lingering over.
Billy De Luca is a freelance writer, editor and painter. De Luca’s focus is in the arts and culture spheres, contributing to publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, TimeOut, The Travel Almanac and Monster Children magazine
