Where to stay, eat, drink, and play in Hobart: the Esquire guide
The quiet capital of Tasmania is known for its art and food scene, as well as its natural beauty. Here’s our list of where to find the best of it
By 
THE DESCENT INTO HOBART is bumpy. But the strong coastal winds making the plane shake is easily forgotten when the lush pasturelands come into view. Rolling green hills, vineyards, and varied flora. Trees seem taller here, unlike anything on the mainland; an observation heightened by the absence of skyscrapers. One morning during my stay, a giant cruise ship came into port. In Sydney, I wouldn’t bat an eye. But when the gargantuan white vessel dwarfs everything else, Hobart brings to mind quiet sea-faring towns from movies like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Having watched in before making the trip, I wasn’t far off.
For a state that’s often been left off maps of Australia, my idea of its capital is a piece of the tired joke. But most Australians, if you count yourself interested in food and art, are changing their tune. Since the opening of the Museum of Old and New Art in 2011 (and all the headlines its garnered in the years since), the city has shown it has the makings of a major arts hub. The restaurant and bar scenes, too, are increasingly diverse, especially for a once-quiet city that has realised the power of feeding a niche; it may soon even rival Sydney and Melbourne. Hobart’s international profile has risen as well. Last year, The Tasman was named the 49th best hotel in the world by the 50 Best Hotels Academy.
But the easy way of life is something Tasmanians have always known; some locals I encountered have no desire of relocating. And it’s an enviable quality that has cost of living and housing crisis urbanites flocking to. Whether you’re here for a long weekend, or even considering making your stay permanent, scroll on for some of Esquire’s favourite spots that makes the city so great.
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Where to eat, drink, stay and shop in Hobart, Tasmania
Where to eat and drink in Hobart, Tasmania
Sullivans Cove Distillery
For tastings of Tassie’s best whisky and a tour of the newly renovated distillery.
Where: 1/10 Lamb Place, Cambridge, Hobart
The Sullivans Cove Distillery sits just outside the action of the city centre (a 20-minute car ride away). But with its new renovation, it seems that one of the biggest names in whisky is making the action in the quiet industrial suburb of Cambridge. “Other brands tend to have bars or the experience in town, but for us, we wanted people to enjoy the whisky while overlooking the stills,” says Sullivans Cove managing director Adam Sable, during the distillery’s opening night.
“There’s no artificial romance associated with the brand,” he continues. “Sullivans Cove is about the people who make the whisky . . . we’re real, unapologetic, and obsessed with getting the absolute best quality of whisky.” The people-focused brief was integral to the $14 million renovation, particularly for an industry where its distillery managers are treated like “wizards,” as manager Heather Tillott puts it. “We get all the fame.”
Designed by Melbourne’s Studio Y, which is headed up by principal Yaron Kanor, the whisky tasting space features a slanted ceiling, plush carpeting and sofas in earth tones that bring to mind a Tokyo jazz bar. It’s a cosy setting to enjoy a tasting of the brand’s tipple for $30 a head. But the big reveal is that the distillery itself is viewable from the tasting space, which brings what Tillott had in mind to fruition in changing the perception of whisky to a “community product”.
“And it’s a working distillery,” Sable adds. “On a proper day, like when the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra isn’t performing, you’ll see people working,” he says, nodding to the string quartet playing on the distillery railing. Newcomers and aficionados are welcome, especially for those wishing to venture into where the magic happens with a tasting afterwards for $70 a head, which will make the experience of the city and its history in the trade all the more richer.
Bookings for tours and tastings at the Sullivans Cove Distillery can be made here.
Mary Mary
For the best cocktails in Hobart.
Where: 2a Salamanca Place, Hobart
Mary Mary’s menu of cocktails and spirits that reimagine classics with local ingredients and botanicals earned Hobart’s classiest bar its largest laurel yet, named the Best Hotel Bar in Australia at the 2024 AHA Awards. Located in the lower levels of The Tasman hotel, accessed through alleyways of sandstone, the whole operation feels subterranean – and that’s a good thing. Cosy enough to take up an entire evening, you’ll want to try each of their martinis with a local twist. Start with The Apiarist (“the classic Manhattan’s Tasmanian cousin”) with a couple of their lamb skewers, and finish with the chocolate pave with honeycomb.
New Sydney Hotel
For the only acceptable place in town for a Sunday roast.
Where: 87 Bathurst Street, Hobart
Don’t be fooled by the name: we aren’t in Sydney anymore. This Irishness of this pub is best observed in the memorabilia lining its walls, its cozy wood-paneling, and Guinness offerings. Otherwise, its mostly classic Aussie pub meals from there, which they make a show of not tinkering. The chicken Parma is doused in a house-made sauce with a hint of smokiness and perfect blistering on the cheese, and the porterhouse is excellent. If anything else, it’s a great spot to people-watch; everyone is welcome, which gives me hope for the future of the great Australian pub.
Jackman & McRoss
For the best scallop pie in Hobart.
Where: 57 Hampden Road, Battery Point, Hobart
This small cafe in the heritage-listed Battery Point serves one of the city’s best iterations of scallop pie. The Jackman & McRoss twist to the Tasmanian staple comes in the wakame seaweed that gives it that extra crunch with the flaky pastry, while the curry filling is done in the classic, hearty style. And don’t skip out on their generous slices of cake for dessert.
Kinoko Deli
DIY bentos and Japanese grocery store.
Where: 110 Collins Street, Hobart
A small Japanese grocery store that has a makeshift DIY bento station with a revolving menu to choose from including okonomiyaki, barbeque squid, teriyaki salmon, chicken karaage, and more. Their nori tacos aren’t to be skipped either, the South American fusion creation that wraps turmeric rice, pickled red cabbage your choice of toppings like cauliflower ceviche, karaage chicken, miso beef, kingfish ceviche, or yuzu salmon sashimi, wrapped in home-made tempura seaweed.
Where to stay in Hobart, Tasmania
The Tasman
Where: 12 Murray Street, Hobart
I could just leave it at the fact that The Tasman was ranked the 49th best hotel in the world in 2024 by the 50 Best Hotels Academy. But I won’t. Instead, you’d have to consider its scale. Set in three buildings that once held a hospital, the hotel has kept its sandstone facade as you enter from Murray Street, adding newer wings with glass and steel for its modern feel. There’s a keen sense of heritage that’s reflected in preserving the original room features like the high-ceilings and non-functioning fireplaces, while fitting out the rest of the space with contemporary touches like convenient tech features. Establishments hosted within the hotel include the award-winning Mary Mary cocktail bar and Italian restaurant Peppina, which does the cuisine “the Tasmanian way” using local ingredients.
Located just off the piers, the hotel makes Hobart feel walkable in any direction. The Salamanca Market can be accessed from small entrances at the side of the hotel (also to make a quick escape from the crowds and back to your room) when they’re open on Saturdays.
Reservations for The Tasman can be made here.
MACq 01
Where: 18 Hunter Street, Hobart
The MACq 01 occupies prime water-front real estate. It certainly stands apart from the crowd as one long wooden structure, you could almost count it as one of the piers jutting out into the harbour. But its premise as Australia’s first ‘storytelling’ hotel is something to behold. Walking down the hallway to your room, artefacts of Tasmania’s cultural history dot the space. Singular objects are also staged in glass cabinets in every room, lit up like idols, with descriptions about who it belonged to and their significance to the city. It’s one of the most immersive approaches to acquainting yourself with a city, but this is a novelty that’ll make your stay richer.
Reservations for the MACq 01 can be made here.
Where to shop in Hobart, Tasmania
Alma Supply Store
Where: 127 Macquarie Street, Hobart
When it comes to things like music, food, books, or film, niche is good – and that’s true for shopping too. Alma Supply Store is located on a corner intersection just before all the department stores. The separation serves it well to offer a curated selection of objects for the home, travel, and personal care. These are objects of functionality and beauty; Alma wants these objects to exist alongside books, ideas and art, to be put on the shelf with purpose.
the maker
Where: 173 Elizabeth Street, Hobart
This little Japanese crafts store follows a similar vein in the burgeoning craft-appreciative crowd in Hobart. The store offers handmade clothing that using traditional Japanese techniques of mending and indigo dyeing. Its earthen ceramics of wabi-sabi shapleiness also make for delightful gifts.
Things to do in Hobart, Tasmania
Salamanca Market
Where: Salamanca Place, Hobart
If you’ll be visiting for the weekend, the famed Salamanca Market is the marquee event (on every Saturday). Stretching for a good hundred metres on Salamanca Place, treat it like the foodies carnival it is by visiting the main attractions of scallop sticks, Tasmanian Truffles, and Bruny Island oysters.
Museum of Old and New Art
Where: 655 Main Road, Berriedale, Hobart
The largest proponent of Hobart’s burgeoning arts scene is professional gambler and businessman David Walsh’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). It’s home to the largest private art collection on public display in Australia. “I’d say maybe even in the Southern Hemisphere,” adds Jarrod Rawlins, MONA’s curatorial director, during my visit to his blockbuster exhibition ‘Namedropping’.
The journey to the museum – a metal and stone Bond villain-esque structure sitting on the cliffside off the River Derwent – best starts on the MONA ferry departing Brooke Street pier. But heighten the 25-minute boat ride by opting for a Posh Pit ticket where canapes and mimosas are served. Once docked, head up the lengthy stairs to start the journey back down again (this time via spiral staircase) to make sure you see everything on display.
Some objects are kitschy, the sort of tongue-in-cheek irreverence that’s placed MONA on the map (and in headlines). Others are monumental works, including Ai Wei Wei’s 2015 White House. But the blockbuster exhibitions curated by Rawlins are a rarity in Australia’s art scene, if not setting precedence for the world. ‘Namedropping’ (open until April 21) is a curation of objects and artworks of cultural status significance: from a framed piece of paper David Bowie wrote his 1972 ‘Starman’ on (which Walsh won at auction) to a deflated tank made of fragrant Italian leather (on loan from a Singaporean art collector).
Pointing out the specs of mould growing on the leather after noticing the room’s humidifier isn’t pumping at normal capacity, Rawlins reflects on the role his exhibitions play in the wider art world. “With status and ‘Namedropping’, MONA is able to talk about things, say, a government funded exhibition is too scared to talk about.” Not to suggest that every visit to MONA will have a tour with the curator, but it’s a visit worth having for one of the country’s most exciting art institutions.
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