If you like seafood of any kind, then you will love the Hobart cafes and restaurants! I love seafood, and ordered it as often as I could. Here is selection of some of the breakfasts and dinners that we had in the wonderful cafes and restaurants of beautiful Hobart,most of them around the Salamanca Square area.
Breakfast before setting off on the long drive south to the Tahune Air Walk – had to keep our strength up! The Quarry Salamanca became a popular cafe/restaurant for us as the food was delicious, with a great variety to choose from, and we could sit out in the sun under a shade, and watch Hobart wake up. On this morning I chose the Bircher muesli and Pete had poached eggs on toast – very yummy!
There are so many great restaurants in Hobart, but one that caught our eye the first day we were there is Harbour Lights. It certainly is a hidden gem overlooking Hobart’s picturesque harbour and opens for hearty breakfasts, delicious lunches and authentic Italian cuisine for dinner. It was a busy morning when we had breakfast there, with the office crowds calling in for their morning caffeine shot on the way to the office! The cafe is the building with the awning (on the left).
For our last dinner in Hobart we chose Maldini, an Italian restaurant, situated in an historic stone-fronted warehouse on Hobart’s famed Salamanca esplanade. The interior of the restaurant displays the works of several well-known local artists. The wood carving on the bar front was done by Tom Samek, who also did work for the museum at Meadowbank. The meal was delicious, seafood risotto for me, and a pasta dish for Pete. The desserts were so delicious we ate them before I remembered to take a photo!
Our favourite spot for breakfast was Salamanca Square, especially when the sun was shining (it usually was) and we could relax and watch the world go by. Our first breakfast was at Zum (next door to The Quarry Salamanca). Pete had toast – I was more adventurous and chose my favourite muesli, this time made with orange juice, so refreshing and just the thing to start the day!
On our second last day in Hobart and before we set off for our exciting adventure to MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) we had breakfast at Zum (again) – this time they had revamped the brekkie menu and had a very different muesli and fruit parfait which I had to try. More conservative Pete opted for toast and jam and orange juice.
Our first dinner on returning to Hobart after our stay at the Tasman Peninsula, we had another delicious meal at The Quarry Salamanca. Pete enjoyed his Porterhouse fillet , sweet potato gallette, mushroom duxelle, with red wine butter, while I chose Crispy braised lamb, confit garlic, rosemary cous cous, cucumber, and minted yoghurt – and we could not resist the desserts of Raspberry and Toasted Almond Brule and Passionfruit Panacotta with Mango Cream and Banana Dust – I am going to have to walk miles to make up for all this food! It is a great atmosphere at this restaurant, with a comfortable lounge area to have drinks at the back, it is usually very crowded (a good sign) and the service is excellent.
For our last breakfast in Hobart (an early one as we were driving to the airport) we chose The Quarry Salamanca. Still can’t resist their Bircher Muesli, and Pete enjoyed Toast with Cinnamon Butter. As we watched Hobart waking up with the sun, we reflected on the wonderful holiday we had enjoyed, and were sad to leave this beautiful island state, Tasmania.
This quaint Cheesemonger and Wine Bar we discovered tucked away in Salamanca Square, selling Tasmanian produce. The old scales, hessian bag, telephone table and milk urns added to the ambience of the shop. Since arriving home I have discovered that this shop is owned by Matthew Evans (the Gourmet Farmer) and Nick Haddow (Bruny Island Cheese Company) who both appear on their show on SBS We also found a large shop selling Tasmania produce, cheeses, wines and seafood. This is indeed a lucky state to have so much fresh produce so close at hand. You can read more about the shop here.
This elegant heritage building, one of the many historic bond stores in Hobart, houses the very popular Greek Taverna , Mezethes which means means “many little dishes” or “to graze”. We joined the very happy, and noisy, crowd there one evening for a wonderful Greek dinner. The building has been beautifully restored with many interior features retained and we enjoyed a wonderful Greek meal here.
On our journey from Port Arthur to Hobart, we were determine to call in to Barilla Bay Oyster farm and restaurant, we arrived at 11.30am, just as they were opening, for an early lunch. We shared the spectacular “Awesome Shucked” plate of 30 oysters, totally memorable, made the day!
Read more on my Tastes page
