Gourmet Guide to Tasmania
From mouth-watering cheese and fragrant honey to award-winning whisky and wine, every road trip is a tasting trail in Tasmania.
The pristine landscapes of Tasmania produce more than just incredible views. Ample rainfall and lush pastures create the richest milk in the country, bees gather pollen from towering leatherwood trees and the loamy earth conceals a trove of musk-scented truffles. Apples blush in the orchards, grapes sweeten slowly in the crisp air and in the clear seawater you’ll find oysters by the dozen.
With raw ingredients like these it’s no surprise that the state is known for its epicurean adventures: its mouth-watering cheese, creamy chocolate and ice-cream, cool-climate wines, award-winning gin and whisky and restaurants serving up creative farm-to-table feasts. As mainland Australia and the world grows increasingly aware of the state’s quality produce, food festivals are multiplying and the state is crisscrossed with tasting trails catering to every kind of epicurean, from the Tasmanian Cider Trail to the Bruny Island Gourmet Trail.
Hobart and Launceston’s ever-expanding dining scene gives Melbourne and Sydney a run for their money, with an emphasis on thoughtful, seasonal menus and local producers. An impressive roster of laidback cafes, intimate wine bars and world-class fine-dining restaurants showcase the state’s finest ingredients, while distillers and brewers put their clean, pure water to good use. Road trips are slow going, regions are scattered with wineries, dairy farms, honey-makers and orchards, and coastlines host oyster farms and Atlantic salmon fisheries.
Please note that due to current restrictions some operators may be temporarily closed. Check their websites for the most up-to-date information.
Featured escapes
Tasmania's best restaurants
Sonny
With vinyl spinning and lighting lowered to beautifying levels, tiny 18-seat wine bar Sonny expertly sets the stage for an intimate night out – and that’s before you get to the food and wine. Guests sit at a long table, chatting with chef Matt Breen as he prepares an Italian-influenced menu, featuring handmade pasta, small plates and prosciutto shaved to order at the bar. While the tunes are pumping, things get funky on the wine list too, with an emphasis on natural and unusual wines.
La Sardina Loca
Head to the sunny courtyard at La Sardina Loca to be transported from midtown Hobart to the Mediterranean, with Basque Country-inspired small plates and tapas crafted with premium seasonal produce. Snack on salt cod croquettes with salsa verde or citrus-cured salmon with Campari and grilled peach. While the bar team slings creative spritzes and refreshing cocktails, regular Sunday afternoon ‘Courtyard Sessions’ showcase local artists.
Sisterhood
Nestled in a bright and breezy building in Sandy Bay, Sisterhood welcomes diners with sleek, tropical-accented interior design and an innovative modern Australian menu. The venue abounds with warmth and energy, centred on a stylish yet down-to-earth space where all kinds of patrons are welcome, along with their four-legged friends. Feast on dishes from pickled zucchini jaffle to breakfast pasta with bacon and leek, accompanied by Sisterhood’s custom blend of locally roasted Zimmah coffee.
Institut Polaire
This award-winning bar is achingly cool in more ways than one. Embracing Tasmania’s status as ‘the gateway to Antarctica’, Institut Polaire serves up cool climate wine and spirits from both international brands and emerging local talents, with an emphasis on organic and biodynamic farming and natural techniques. Sip on a signature Süd Polaire Antarctic dry martini while tucking into a grazing menu of fresh, organic local fare such as Scottsdale pork katsu and Coal River Farm triple cream brie with mustard fruits.
Fico
As one of Tasmania’s finest restaurants, the bearer of two chef hats and the winner of the AGFG Readers’ Choice 2020 – European award, you know you’re in for a treat when you visit Fico, where Tasmanian produce meets Italian tradition. Expect handmade pastas and risottos such as squid ink tortellini and green garlic risotto, homemade bread and beautiful seafood. Visit on a Sunday and the set menu will feature treasures sourced from the local farmers’ market that very morning.
Stillwater Restaurant
Set in a beautifully restored 1830s flour mill overlooking the serene Tamar River, Stillwater Restaurant’s picturesque setting is matched only by its reputation for top-quality locavore cuisine and stellar wine list. Stillwater has been developing its offering for more than 20 years, collecting chef’s hats and accolades along the way, and most recent manager and co-owner Bianca Welsh is a winner of the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Young Restaurateur of the Year Award. Savour dishes such as yuzu parfait with black sesame sponge and white chocolate clotted cream, accompanied by one of over 200 wines on offer.
Havilah
The newest addition to Launceston’s dining scene, stylish Havilah packs a lot into its compact space. The restaurant’s sleek design features a polished concrete bar and muted earth tones, with its owners going so far as to re-spray the meat slicer from red to peach to maintain aesthetic harmony. A restrained menu of small plates, charcuterie and cheese is designed to share, and focusses on quality and flavour, with the best ingredients sourced from Tasmania and around the world.
Peppermint Bay Hotel
The Peppermint Bay Hotel in Woodbridge takes pub dining to a whole new level. A scenic 35-minute drive south of Hobart, the incredible architect-designed building is set on four acres, with views over the D’Entrecasteaux Channel towards Bruny Island. Drawing on produce from their own gardens and local suppliers, the hotel serves up classics and seasonal specials, accompanied by a drinks list centred on Tasmanian wines, beers and spirits. In addition to hosting live music, the hotel runs events such as floral workshops, yoga and picnic evenings, and offers lunch cruises from Hobart to Peppermint Bay for those wanting to arrive in style.
Templo
If you prefer your dining establishments to have a more local feel, seek out Templo: a cosy eatery in the city’s back streets where you’ll be looking to the chalkboard for the day’s menu. Availability of produce informs what’s on offer each day – a gastronomical lucky dip where you’re guaranteed a win, every time. Crispy arancini with a melting centre, risotto with gorgonzola and hazelnuts and Sicilian apple cake are just some of the Italian-inspired dishes to savour whilst perched in the window or at the bar.
The state's top producers
Get Shucked Oyster Farm
More than just a salty name, Bruny Island institution Get Shucked prides itself on providing oysters that are so fresh, it’s like ‘being kissed by the ocean’. The fully licensed bar stocks a range of local wine, beer and cider carefully selected to complement the briny flavour of the oysters. Take a seat in the sun with views out over the oyster farm’s buoys to the glittering bay, and slurp down a dozen of your favourites – there’s no better way to relax after a day exploring the island.
Willie Smith’s Apple Shed
One of Tasmania’s oldest orchards and now a popular cider producer, Willie Smith’s Apple Shed is set in a rustic barn built in 1942, surrounded by the green meadows of the Huon Valley. Visitors can learn about the region’s fascinating apple-farming heritage, sample a range of delicious ciders and apple spirits, and enjoy a menu of local, seasonal produce. The Shed also runs a ‘Cider and Sail’ afternoon, with lunch and cider at the shed followed by a 90-minute cruise on the Huon River aboard 1930s sailboat Yukon.
House of Anvers Chocolate
More than 30 years ago, Igor Van Gerwen brought his chocolate-making skills from Belgium to Australia. Taking advantage of Tasmanian-produced milk and butter, which Igor believes to be ‘the richest in flavour of any in the world’, House of Anvers combines Belgian expertise with the finest ingredients from around the globe. Its tasting centre is located on the ‘food-lovers’ highway’ between Launceston and Devonport, and stocks a range of local produce along with free chocolate samples. With single-origin chocolate, truffles andfudge – in flavours from popcorn toffee to matcha and passionfruit coconut – it might take you a while to taste them all!
The Wicked Cheese Company
With its lush green paddocks, it’s no surprise Tasmania has a thriving cheese industry. The aptly named Wicked Cheese Company produces a dozen decadently delicious and multi-award-winning varieties, from brie and camembert made with traditional French regional recipes to cheddar infused with whisky, chilli or pepperberry. Headquarters in the pretty town of Richmond serve up tempting cheese platters with fresh fruit paste, dried fruit, melba toast and crackers, along with light lunches, fudge and chocolate, and high tea on weekends and Wednesdays
Frogmore Creek Winery
You’ll find family-owned Frogmore Creek in the produce-rich Coal River Valley wine region. Vineyards in the area benefit from a long growing season, developing ripe fruit flavours and fresh natural acidity. The cellar door is situated in an impressive building with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the vineyard, creating a stunning backdrop for a tasting. Indulge in some seriously good wine with a tasting table of four pours paired with cheese or canapés, before settling in with the à la carte menu for options like ceviche with pickled ginger, Moroccan spiced lamb backstrap or mushroom and truffle arancini.
Pooley Wines
Run by the Pooley family for three generations, Pooley Wines is a producer of award-winning cool-climate wines, and one of the first environmentally sustainable vineyards in Tasmania. The vineyard has received swathes of awards, including being listed as the #13 winery in Australia by The Real Review in 2020. The cellar door is located in an idyllic setting in the quaint historic town of Richmond, dotted with charming heritage buildings, and offers cheese and charcuterie platters to complement tastings, along with woodfired pizzas on weekends.
Sullivans Cove Distillery
Just 20 minutes out of central Hobart in Cambridge, a group of dedicated distillers are brewing up vodka, gin and brandy – but the real star of the show is their incredible single-malt whisky. Handcrafted using traditional methods and 100% Tasmanian ingredients, Sullivans Cove is the most awarded whisky in Australia, and the only Australian distillery to ever win ‘World’s Best Single Malt’ at the World Whiskies Awards. Take an in-depth tour led by an experienced distiller, learning about the whisky-making facilities and process, and tasting a range of spirits.
Van Diemens Land Creamery
Using milk from their own dairy cows, Jan and Paul Amourgis make some of the freshest and most tantalising ice cream around. Combining their fresh milk with quintessentially local ingredients, from leatherwood honey to lemon myrtle, olive oil and whisky, the couple creates unique flavours like salted lime and lavender and white chocolate. Visit the factory in Elizabeth Town or pick up a scoop (or even a full tub) from one of their stockists around Tasmania. There are plenty of opportunities for a taste… or 10!
Blue Hills Honey
With more than 65 years in the business, the Charles family take honey seriously. It’s easy to see why they’re so passionate – made by bees who venture deep into the pristine rainforests of Tasmania to feast on the flowers of the leatherwood tree, Blue Hills Honey must have just about one of the most romantic production stories around. Learn about the process and taste some of their delicious varieties at the interpretive centre in Mawbanna, or pick some up at their roadside stall.
Josef Chromy Wines
Just south of Launceston, Josef Chromy Wines has an unusual history. Founded in 2007 by the then-76-year-old Josef Chromy, the vineyard quickly accumulated awards and trophies, and is now known for much more than just its quality drops. Serving the likes of pinot-poached beetroot with ricotta and pickled grape, and leatherwood honey parfait, its excellent restaurant has received a chef’s hat in the Australian Good Food Guide every year since 2017, and the estate regularly hosts live music, comedy and outdoor cinema.
Lux food experiences
Go truffle hunting with Tasmanian Truffles
In the foothills of the Great Western Tiers mountain range, a stocky labrador named Doug is sniffing out one of the world’s rarest and most expensive ingredients. The rich loamy soil in a grove of hazelnut trees hides dozens of the fungi, which siblings Anna and Henry Terry unearth to be transformed into mouth-watering dishes or truffle oil, honey, butter or salt. Take a tour to join the dogs on a hunt, giving you the opportunity to dig for truffles with your own hands, followed by truffle tasting and a lunch platter.
Source your own seafood feast with Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures
Cruising on a luxury catamaran through idyllic scenery on a sunny afternoon, with freshly caught seafood served straight from the ocean to your plate… Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures’ Deep-to-Dish cruise experience is the stuff of lunchtime daydreams. Their cruise takes you past soaring sea cliffs and secret sandy beaches, some only accessible by boat, with the chance to spot dolphins, whales, seals and other wildlife. Relax onboard while the crew harvest and prepare a decadent seafood feast of periwinkles, sea urchins, abalone, rock lobster, oysters, mussels and whole Atlantic salmon, accompanied by premium Tasmanian wine, beer and sparkling.
Get behind the scenes with a private Moorilla Decanted tour
Come join Walshie’s wine cult – few people are aware that the infamous and thought-provoking MONA has an onsite winery that is also Tasmania’s second-oldest vineyard, known for its small quantities of boutique cool-climate wine. The perfect end to a day exploring David Walsh’s weird and wonderful collection, a private behind-the-scenes Moorilla Decanted tour delves into the vineyard’s history and the finer points of artisanal and gravity-assisted winemaking techniques. You will be treated to a tasting of 10 drops straight from the tank, including a selection of the estate’s prestigious Cloth Label Series.
Try a paddock-to-plate cooking experience at the Agrarian Kitchen
Get hands-on with your food at the Agrarian Kitchen Cooking School & Farm, a celebration of local, seasonal produce. Situated in an expansive heritage building in New Norfolk, the school reconnects its visitors with the earth, and provides them with ‘a true sense of place through the food they eat’. The signature Agrarian Experience class sees guests foraging, harvesting and cooking a seasonal feast together; other tempting classes include Tomato Gluttony and The Whole Hog. Short on time? The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery is open Friday to Sunday for lunch.