WHERE TO EAT IN HOBART

A day of dining in Hobart

Hobart’s food scene is sizzling.

Whether it’s brunch in a backstreet cafe, a long lunch with friends, an indulgent night out or a family meal, the distance between paddock and plate will be short at Hobart’s eateries, and the stories of origin long.

Great food is made better by great people: the service staff are as friendly and laidback as the locals, and the chefs have fascinating, flavourful tales of discovery behind each of their dishes.

Here are a few of Hobart’s tastiest grazing spots – sit back and prepare to be wined and dined.

Born in Brunswick for brunch

Fancy a spiced duck omelette? Or how about butter-chicken scrambled eggs? Spend a morning or afternoon filling up on artfully-executed Tasmanian brunches, featuring the best seasonal and sustainable local produce.

You’ll find Born in Brunswick along the popular North Hobart dining strip on the corner of Elizabeth and Swan streets – a bright, white building featuring a vibrant bird-inspired mural.

Step into a spacious, light-filled dining area with smooth timber tables and chairs, soft cushioned booths and leafy indoor plants.

The menu at Born in Brunswick changes regularly, offering all-day brunch. Choose from savoury seasonal options like harissa spiced baked eggs – a comforting combination blending the creaminess of eggs and feta with the richness of tomato and roasted capsicum, deepened with a delicate mixture of herbs. There’s also the potato and thyme hash with pecorino, chive sour cream and charred spring onion with fried egg – the chive sour cream is bold, fresh and packed with flavour to complement the fluffy, crunchy hash. Expect sweet offerings too – like vanilla hotcakes with lemon curd and caramelised coconut sorbet, and spiced poached pear porridge with brown sugar, maple syrup and hazelnut crumble.

For that all-important caffeine fix, choose from rotating blends, pour over filter and batch brew coffee. The decadent and uplifting iced coffee is served with a rich condensed coconut cream.

Fresh Tasmanian juices are pressed using super refreshing local ingredients like apple, mint, ginger, turmeric, and watermelon. Smoothies to revitalise after an indulgent feed combine ingredients like coconut yoghurt, mango, mint, cucumber and banana. Sip on a Hairy Mary, Mandarin Spritz or Mimosa if you want an equally-refreshing boozey option, or choose from a delicious selection of Tasmanian cider, craft beer and wine. Born in Brunswick is open seven days from 8am to 2pm.

Templo for long lunch

Step inside this tiny neighbourhood eatery and be greeted by the mouthwatering scent of flavourful, buttery Mediterranean food.

This 25-seat restaurant on the fringe of Hobart’s CBD focuses on simple dishes made with seasonal produce and an Italian leaning. Natural wines from small producers complete the experience.

Templo is tucked away on Patrick Street in Hobart. This restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere, with a rustic brick feature wall, timber and black furnishings, and soft, warm lighting.

Take up a seat at a wooden stool and prepare to be surprised. The chef’s menu changes each week. If you dine for lunch you can expect a four-course feast, or go the whole hog with a six-course degustation dinner.

While you can’t be entirely sure what will wind up on your plate, you can expect decadence, Italian influence and the highest-quality produce from esteemed Tasmanian chefs. Previous delectable dishes on the menu have included lamb belly pancetta spaghetti carbonara; spanner crab with crème fraiche and tarragon; charred sweet corn agnolotti; and kingfish with buttermilk, pistachios and fennel pollen.

As for drinks, try a minimal intervention wine from Templo’s menu and taste tipples imbued with nature. There’s also BYO corkage if you fancy bringing along a drink of your choosing from any one of Tasmania’s quality winemakers.

Just make sure you contact staff ahead of time if you have any diatery requirements, such as vegan, gluten free and dairy free options, or if you require a seat other than the backless stools available. Pay Templo a visit Wednesday to Monday for dinner, or Thursday to Monday for lunch. Book your table up to 60 days in advance, and be mindful of the group-booking limit of six people.

Let Templo show you what Tasmania’s locally-sourced, top-quality produce is capable of.

Dana Eating House for dinner

The warm atmosphere at Dana Eating House is the ultimate backdrop for hearty food and wholesome hospitality.

You might have spotted a common thread by now flowing through Tasmania’s foodie scene: the passionate and creative hospitality staff here are constantly paving the way in ethical farming, sourcing and dining. Dana Eating House is no exception, donating a portion of its profits to charity in an ethical act of innovation.

Green plants sprawl up latticing and drape from the ceiling in this cosy space. This diner in Hobart’s CBD combines bold South-East Asian flavours with a modern Australian influence. Be ready to share: plates here are small but impactful, and perfect for intimate and fun social events.

The menu is packed with flavour, using sustainable and local ingredients, and rotating seasonally. The majority of the menu – about 90% of it – is gluten and dairy-free. Diners who are vegan or vegetarian are encouraged to try the feed me menu. Other chef’s feed me menus range from approximately $65 to $80.

Dana’s dinner menu is available from 5pm from Wednesday to Sunday. Tuck into luscious Tasmanian oysters with tangy Vietnamese mignonette; oyster mushroom pan-fried dumplings; roasted celeriac with coconut and miso broth; or masterstock pork belly with ssamjang sauce, yuzu pork scratchings and Dana kimchi.

If you’re after something a little larger, try the marinated lamb rump, the smoked spatchcock or the Dana vegan rendang curry. All that complex flavour will have your tastebuds thoroughly satiated.

The restaurant is also open from 12pmfrom Friday to Sunday, with even more tasty morsels to share on the lunch menu – think kingfish sashimi and crispy radish cake. Wash it all down with cocktails aplenty. Vietspresso martini, anyone?

Accessibility

Peruse the menus for Dana Eating House and Born in Brunswick online before your visit if you want to plan out the perfect plates. As for Templo, there’s no telling ahead of time what you’ll be eating (that’s part of the fun), but the staff will answer your questions on arrival and will expertly talk you through the wines, and the makers behind them. For more details visit borninbrunswick.com.au, templo.com.au and danaeatinghouse.com.au.

Across Hobart’s many wonderful restaurants, friendly waitstaff are willing to assist you and answer your burning questions, or you’re welcome to call or email ahead with queries or requirements.

Born in Brunswick is within a very short walking distance of northbound and southbound bus stops along Elizabeth Street in North Hobart, and is one of many eateries on the busy main road restaurant strip. Buses typically stop here every 10 minutes. North Hobart is also a regularly frequented spot for ridesharing options like Ubers and Taxis, and it’s only a 20min walk from the city centre. All of Hobart’s central eateries are also well-serviced by ride sharing and public transport options.

There are half-hour metered parking spots outside Born in Brunswick, or two-hour parks on nearby side-streets like Swan, Strahan and Newdegate streets. All-day parks are available on neighbourhood streets like Elphinstone Road.

Templo is about a five-minute walk from bus stops 3 and 4 on Elizabeth Street – just wander along Patrick Street until you reach Templo on the corner of Harrington Street. Parking here includes plenty of free, two-hour spots on both Patrick and Harrington Streets.

Close to Dana Eating House is bus stop 2 on Elizabeth Street. From here, walk three minutes up Melville Street to reach the sandstone-clad restaurant on Murray Street. Hobart Central Car Park is also less than a minute’s walk from Dana on Melville Street, while Murray Street and the surrounding roads have plenty of metered parks.