Hobart punches well above its weight as a café city. From farm to table West Hobart gems to specialty espresso bars tucked into Salamanca Square laneways, Tasmania’s capital is home to some of Australia’s most exciting cafés. In fact, when compared to hotspots like best cafes melbourne 2026, Hobart holds its own with a diverse mix of sourdough bakeries, Southeast Asian brunch spots, and single origin coffee roasters, all within a walkable, heritage streeted CBD.
Pigeon Hole Cafe
Best For: Wholesome farm-fresh breakfast, rustic setting
Address: 93 Goulburn Street, West Hobart
Pigeon Hole is Hobart’s most authentically farm-to-table cafe.
Owners Richard and Belinda Weston run the show alongside their Saltwater River farm, meaning the smoked paprika, apricot jam, and seasonal produce on your plate travelled less than 100 kilometres to reach you.
The menu shifts with the seasons. Coffee comes courtesy of Villino Coffee Roasters, and four non-dairy milk options are available. The café is also fully licensed with Tasmanian wine, beer, and cider on offer, earning its place among the best coffee shops in Australia.
Opening: Open daily, breakfast and lunch
Atmosphere: Cosy farmhouse-chic with rustic decor and a warm, neighbourhood feel
Menu Highlights:
- Gluten-free waffles with fresh fruit and syrup
- Breakfast enchiladas
- Smoky beans on polenta bread with tomatillo verde
- Award-winning smoked paprika and preserves available to take home
Straight Up Coffee and Food
Best For: Vegetarians, gluten-free, serious coffee
Address: 202a Liverpool Street, Hobart
Straight Up Coffee and Food has been a quiet achiever since 2014.
Everything here is 100% gluten-free and vegetarian, no exceptions. Their own Straight Up Roasters (based in Moonah) supplies the beans, with the Wingman blend and rotating single origins keeping coffee nerds happy.
The food leans wholesome. The retro vintage interior, with its painted tree mural and mismatched linoleum tables, adds real character.
Opening: Open daily, breakfast and lunch
Atmosphere: Retro vintage, bohemian charm with colourful mismatched furniture and a relaxed vibe
Menu Highlights:
- Miso-marinated pumpkin with cauliflower couscous and tahini yoghurt
- Apple and cinnamon waffle
- The Madam toasted cornbread
- Wingman blend and rotating single origin coffees
- Fresh juices
Machine Laundry Cafe
Best For: Quirky Salamanca experience, reliable coffee
Address: 12 Salamanca Square, Battery Point
Machine Laundry Cafe has been a Salamanca Square institution since 1997, and yes, the coin-operated laundry machines still work. It is a genuinely unique concept: get a load on while you eat.
The menu is unfussy but satisfying. Local suppliers including Pigeon Whole Bakers and Villino Coffee Roasters keep quality high.
A rare touch: you can downsize your portion for $3 off.
Opening: Open daily, breakfast and lunch
Atmosphere: Warm, bright and eclectic with cool interiors and a laid-back Salamanca Square energy
Menu Highlights:
- Fat boy roti with grilled chicken, bacon, and spicy peanut sauce
- Machine Packed Roti Bread
- Machine Made Granola
- Crispy toasties
- Hearty porridge
Dandy Lane Food and Specialty Coffee
Best For: Specialty coffee in a moody CBD laneway
Address: 10/138 Collins Street (Collins Court laneway), Hobart CBD
Dandy Lane is one of Hobart’s most characterful laneway finds.
Split across two rooms, one draped in dark floral wallpaper and the other lit by funky lightbulb chandeliers, it serves all-day brunch seven days a week.
Coffee is the centrepiece. The Mac Daddy Burger (mac and cheese croquettes, bacon jam, kewpie mayo) is for the brave.
Opening: Open 7 days, all-day brunch
Atmosphere: Moody and eclectic with dark floral walls, chandelier lighting, and a creative laneway buzz
Menu Highlights:
- Villino single origin served black
- Villino Synergy for milk-based coffees
- Cold brew and Colombian batch brew
- Dandy rosti with spinach and poached eggs
- Mac Daddy Burger with mac and cheese croquettes and bacon jam
Jackman and McRoss
Best For: Pastry lovers, Battery Point heritage experience
Address: 57 Hampden Road, Battery Point
Jackman and McRoss is a bona fide Hobart institution.
Tucked into a quaint brick building in historic Battery Point, this bakery-cafe has been a locals’ staple for years and for good reason.
On sunny mornings, grab a chair outside and watch Battery Point come to life over a coffee and something fresh from the oven.
Opening: Open daily, early morning through lunch
Atmosphere: Charming heritage brick building with relaxed alfresco seating and a classic neighbourhood bakery feel
Menu Highlights:
- Buttery pastries and crusty sourdough loaves
- Curried scallop and wakame pies
- Mushroom bruschetta
- Highly rated breakfasts
- Coffee and baked goods to enjoy alfresco
Born In Brunswick
Best For: Creative brunch, stylish North Hobart setting
Address: 410 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart
Born In Brunswick gives Melbourne’s celebrated cafe culture a genuine run for its money, right here in North Hobart.
The sun-drenched Scandi-chic space sets a relaxed tone, while the menu does anything but play it safe.
On cold days, the porridge is unmissable. Always grab a pastry to go.
Opening: Open daily, all-day brunch
Atmosphere: Bright, Scandi-chic and hipster with a sun-drenched space and a creative neighbourhood energy
Menu Highlights:
- Koji-marinated pork shoulder with soba noodles and ginger shiitake broth
- House-smoked Huon salmon with Tasmanian wasabi and black sesame
- Porridge on cold days
- Fresh smoothies and juices
- Specialty coffee and pastries to go
Queens Pastry
Best For: Hobart’s finest pastries, no fuss
Address: 144 Harrington Street, Hobart
Queens Pastry keeps things brilliantly simple: exceptional pastries and specialty coffee, full stop.
Their hot croissants fresh from the oven are among the best in Hobart, and the doughnuts, especially the meringue-topped specials, are worth the detour alone.
The menu is tight by design, and every item is executed with real craft. Come early; the best pieces sell out fast.
Opening: Open daily, morning through early afternoon
Atmosphere: Fun, modern and vibrant with a focus on beautiful pastries and a welcoming everyday energy
Menu Highlights:
- Hot croissants fresh from the oven
- Doughnuts with fluffy meringue topping
- Mofo special doughnuts (seasonal)
- Specialty coffee pairings
- Daily-baked rotating pastry selection
Pigeon Whole Bakers
Best For: Sourdough and croissants, arrive early
Address: 32 Argyle Street, Hobart CBD
Do not let the name confuse you. Pigeon Whole Bakers and Pigeon Hole Cafe are linked.
Chef Jay Patey co-founded the cafe before devoting himself fully to the craft of sourdough and opening this cult CBD bakery.
The croissants here have achieved near-legendary status in Hobart. The hole-in-the-wall Scandi-chic space keeps things simple: superb artisan bread and pastries baked fresh daily. Their baked goods also supply Machine Laundry Cafe.
Opening: Open daily, early morning until sold out
Atmosphere: Minimal Scandi-chic hole-in-the-wall with a no-fuss, craft-first bakery atmosphere
Menu Highlights:
- Famed sourdough croissants
- Artisan sourdough loaves baked fresh daily
- Rotating pastry selection
- Supplies baked goods to other top Hobart cafes
Daci and Daci Bakers
Best For: Refined pastries, European high tea experience
Address: 11 Murray Street, Hobart (also New Town and Sandy Bay)
Daci and Daci is Hobart’s most polished European-style bakery.
The team specialises in delicate sweet pastries and savoury baked goods, served alongside seriously good coffee across three locations.
The standout is the New Town teahouse, which offers a proper high tea. It is one of the few places in Hobart where the full European cafe ritual is genuinely honoured.
Opening: Open daily across three locations
Atmosphere: Elegant and European with a refined, unhurried cafe environment perfect for a long sit-down
Menu Highlights:
- Delicate sweet pastries and savoury baked goods
- New Town high tea: patisserie, gourmet savouries, tisanes, and sparkling wine
- Specialty coffee across all three locations
- Croissants, doughnuts, and seasonal patisserie
- Teas and tisanes
Pilgrim Coffee
Best For: Coffee adventurers, single origin exploration
Address: 48 Argyle Street, Hobart
Pilgrim Coffee has a compelling backstory: a 2018 fire gutted the original space, but it rose again in late 2020, better than ever.
The exposed brick interior pays quiet tribute to the building’s history while creating a genuinely warm, rooted atmosphere.
The coffee program is serious, with at least six rotating single origins available daily across multiple extraction methods.
Opening: Open daily, morning through afternoon
Atmosphere: Warm and character-filled with exposed brick walls and a strong sense of historical place
Menu Highlights:
- Sensory Lab Coffee Roasters house blend
- At least 6 rotating single origin coffees daily
- Multiple extraction methods available
- Freshly baked focaccia
- Pork-belly sandwich
Bumi Coffee
Best For: Adventurous brunchers, Southeast Asian fusion
Address: 71 Bathurst Street, Hobart CBD
Bumi Coffee is doing something genuinely different in Hobart.
This CBD cafe turns the conventional Australian brunch on its head with a Southeast Asian-inspired all-day menu that is inventive without being gimmicky.
Finish with an ice cendol (pandan jelly, jackfruit, palm sugar, coconut milk) or a Thai milk tea, dessert and coffee in one.
Opening: Open daily, all-day dining
Atmosphere: Casual and vibrant with a fresh, contemporary feel and a buzzing CBD energy
Menu Highlights:
- Roti eggs benedict with five-spiced pulled pork and calamansi hollandaise
- Breakfast udon
- Kaya toast and chicken rice
- Ice cendol with pandan jelly, jackfruit, and coconut milk
- Thai milk tea with condensed milk
Lost Freight
Best For: Coffee with Tasmania’s most dramatic view
Address: Three Springs, kunanyi/Mount Wellington, Wellington Park
Lost Freight is unlike anywhere else on this list, a converted shipping container perched halfway up Mount Wellington, serving locally roasted Zimmah Coffee with sweeping views over Hobart below.
The outdoor picnic tables are the whole point: this is coffee as an experience.
It is the ideal pit stop before tackling the mountain’s forested trails.
Opening: Open daily, morning through early afternoon
Atmosphere: Outdoors and rugged with picnic table seating, mountain air, and panoramic views over Hobart
Menu Highlights:
- Zimmah Coffee, locally roasted
- Sweet treats and light lunch options
- Outdoor picnic table seating with mountain views
- Ideal pre-hike or post-drive stop
Sunbear
Best For: Simple, honest, locally sourced food
Address: 145 Collins Street, Hobart
Sunbear is the kind of cafe that makes you want to become a regular.
Everything here is sourced locally and cooked simply, vegetables from just down the road and eggs from what the owners describe as the happiest chickens you have ever seen.
The menu is deliberately short. No tricks, just genuinely good food made with ingredients that are worth showing off.
Opening: Open daily, breakfast and lunch
Atmosphere: Relaxed and community-focused with a warm, neighbourhood feel on Collins Street
Menu Highlights:
- Perfectly golden parmesan omelette
- Cheesy English beans on garlic toast
- Rotating daily plates using local seasonal vegetables
- Ethically sourced eggs
- Simple, unfussy coffee service
