Top five dining rooms with a view
From Hobart’s waterfront to Launceston’s Tamar – not to mention the delightful array of seaside towns – Tassie is not short on scenic vistas. Nola James rounds up top spots to wine and dine while you soak in the view.
The Agrarian Kitchen, New Norfolk
Ninety per cent of the produce served at The Agrarian Kitchen comes from its one-acre kitchen garden, but you can’t see it from the restaurant’s Nordic-inspired dining room. Instead, diners kick off their 12-dish set lunch in the garden’s tropical greenhouse, surrounded by the waft of cardamom plants and shaded by banana trees. You won’t find that anywhere else on the island.
The Point Revolving Restaurant, Sandy Bay
Wrest Point’s revolving dining room makes no apologies for its nostalgic value, with lobster thermidor on the specials menu and boozy prawns flambéed tableside. Nowhere else could you find such lovingly preserved décor amid 360-degree Nipaluna/Hobart vistas. Indeed, some of the regulars have been coming since 1973.
Maria, Hobart
This hot new eatery, a downstairs sibling to waterfront institution Aløft, brings coastal Mediterranean flavours Brooke Street Pier, with views across to the Eastern Shore and a seafood-y menu centred around a wood-fired grill at the heart of the kitchen. To catch the winter sunset, drop in for a late afternoon aperitif and snack before dinner service kicks off.
Boatyard, Launceston
The views across Launceston’s Kanamaluka/River Tamar might look a million bucks, but dining at Boatyard will set you back a lot less. This eatery, which moved into the old Hallams site last year, offers affordable indoor and outdoor dining, from eggs on toast in the morning to oysters and garlic prawns as the sun goes down.
Penguin Beer Co., Penguin
Keep it casual with a burger and brew at Penguin Beer Co., which offers all-day dining seven days a week just metres from Johnsons Beach. If the weather is calm, grab a bar stool on the outdoor deck and channel summer holiday vibes over fish tacos, loaded fries and buffalo wings.
