8 of the best restaurants in Cradle Mountain

Refuel at one of these top restaurants surrounded by the beauty of the Tasmanian wilderness.

You’re bound to work up an appetite while exploring the beautiful surroundings of Cradle Mountain. Fortunately, there are some great restaurants in Cradle Mountain Lake-St Clair National Park to replenish you after a day of sightseeing, especially if you’re making the most of the hiking trails in Cradle Mountain.

It’s important to note that the food options at Cradle Mountain are limited. It’s best to opt for self-catering accommodation if you intend on preparing your own meals, and to purchase groceries beforehand. But if you’re keen to explore the local food scene, we’ve rounded up the best restaurants in Cradle Mountain. Whether you’re sitting down for a fine dining experience or grabbing a bite at a bistro, these top picks will demonstrate why this corner of Tasmania is a haven for foodies.

1. Highland Restaurant

Open: Dinner only

The renowned Highland Restaurant curates a fine-dining experience that showcases the best of cool-climate produce. Seafood and a great selection of local wines are central to the menu, allowing visitors to savour some of Tasmania’s best specialities.

Sit fireside as you dine at Highland Restaurant in Cradle Mountain. (Image: Cradle Mountain Lodge)

Expect modern cuisine prepared with local ingredients, combined to create an original yet decadent medley of flavours. Highlights include fresh Tasmanian oysters for entrée and a daily selection of Tasmanian cheeses to finish.

With a stylish yet cosy interior and great views of the pristine bushland, it is a marvellous way to experience fine dining with a Tasmanian flair. You’ll find the Highland Restaurant in Cradle Mountain Wilderness Lodge . Booking in advance is recommended.

2. Tavern Bar & Bistro

Open: Lunch & Dinner

The Tavern Bar & Bistro offers hearty meals and snacks that will satiate any post-hike appetite. Also located in the Cradle Mountain Wilderness Lodge, the Tavern is the casual companion to the upscale Highland Restaurant next door. Here, the cosy atmosphere is complete with a rustic timber interior, a roaring fireplace, a pool table and great views over the surrounding wilderness. You’ll find classic pub-style meals, wood-fired pizzas and a range of Tassie beers on tap. What better way to end a day of exploring?

Tavern Bar & Bistro Cradle Mountain pizzas — Fill up on wood-fired pizzas at the Tavern Bar & Bistro. (Image: Cradle Mountain Lodge )

3. Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village Restaurant

Open: Lunch & dinner

Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village Restaurant crafts an elevated dining experience utilising plenty of locally sourced ingredients. The north-west corner of Tasmania surrounding Cradle Mountain is known as the ‘foraging region’ due to the abundance of the land.

Drawing inspiration from the region’s richness, the restaurant offers a taste of Tasmania with menu highlights that include Tasmanian farmed rib eye and wallaby ragu.

Cradle Mountain Wildernesss Village Restaurant — Elevated dining at Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village Restaurant (Image: Jess Bonde)

To complete your dining experience, there’s a great selection of local Tasmanian wines to pair with your meal, and the restaurant is currently in the running to win the Tasmanian Wine List of the year 2024. You can find the restaurant locates in Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village . Booking in advance is recommended.

4. Altitude Restaurant

Open: Breakfast & Dinner

Altitude restaurant in Cradle Mountain Hotel offers relaxed yet upscale dining with both buffet and à la carte dining options. The buffet breakfast offers a hearty selection of cooked and continental items that are sure to fuel you up for a day of exploring.

The interior of Altitude Restaurant Cradle Mountain — Visit Altitude Restaurant for relaxed yet upscale dining. (Image: Cradle Mountain Hotel)

Alternatively, the à la carte menu offers a range of contemporary dishes for lunch and dinner that incorporate speciality Tasmanian products.

One of many delicious options on the menu at Altitude Restaurant. (Image: Cradle Mountain Hotel)

5. Altitude Lounge Bar

Open: 10am-8:30pm

Located next to the Altitude restaurant, the Altitude Lounge Bar is a stylish yet comfortable place to grab a drink and enjoy a casual bite. Relax on the plush sofas around a large log fire, and head to the bar for some of Tasmania’s best beverage offerings.

Here, you can refresh yourself with Tassie craft beer, indulge in the local wine selection or warm up with a Tasmanian single-malt whiskey. The food menu includes a hearty range of bar snacks, pub-style dishes, and decadent desserts. If you’re after a casual place to eat in Cradle Mountain, the Altitude Lounge is a warm and welcoming spot.

6. Elements Cafe (in the visitors centre)

Open: 9am-5pm

Located in the Cradle Mountain Visitor Information Centre , Elements Cafe has got you covered for all of your pre-hike caffeine needs. For those seeking a more leisurely coffee break, there’s a range of cakes, pastries, and a simple lunch/snack menu on offer. The cafe serves takeaway sandwiches and pies for those on the go, as well as soups and curries to warm you up on a chilly alpine day.|

Cradle mountain vistiors centre — You can grab a quick bite or a cup of joe at Elements cafe in the Visitors Centre.

7. Hungry Wombat Cafe (Lake St Clair)

Open: 9am-5pm

The Hungry Wombat Cafe is a charming, down-to-earth countryside eatery delicious food and great coffee. It’s truly a little gem in the middle of nowhere. You’ll find plenty of choice for a great feed. There are pancakes, omelettes, classic cheeseburgers and more, all served in generous portion sizes. A trip to the Hungry Wombat Cafe is guaranteed to fill your belly, and fuel you up for a day of walking.

8. Derwent Bridge Wilderness Hotel (Lake St Clair)

Open: Lunch and Dinner

This down-to-earth restaurant on the edge of Cradle Mountain-St Clair National Park has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Menu highlights include authentic Sri Lankan curries — perfect for combatting the alpine chill. With friendly vibes, a roaring fireplace, and pub classics, the Derwent Hotel is the perfect place to relax after a day of exploring.

The Derwent Bridge Wilderness Hotel serves up delicious comfort food. (Image: Derwent Bridge Wilderness Hotel )

Looking for more Cradle Mountain inspiration? Check out our guide to Cradle Mountain that covers where to eat stay and play.

Hobart has quietly become our coolest capital, but the real wonder lies just beyond the city limits.

In the cool shade of Kunyani/ Mt Wellington, Hobart has earned a reputation. Home to culture-defining Dark MOFO, the city blends rugged, raw wilderness and rule-breaking galleries. But, step beyond the thrumming capital’s border and you’ll find a new perspective: historic towns, Jurassic-era cliffs and a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. With ALL Accor as your home away from home, fill your days with epicurean odysseys and wild scenery on the best day trips from Hobart.

Where to stay

Behind every good road trip is the perfect home base. Somewhere central to review your camera roll, make the most of Hobart’s dining scene and relax before setting off again.

For modern, Tasmanian-inspired design, book a stay at the Movenpick Hotel Hobart . Standing at the Salamanca Markets, look to the Hobart skyline and the award-winning hotel will catch your eye. As the third-tallest building in the CBD, the views across the harbour toward Antarctica are totally unique to your room. Here, end each day at the daily free chocolate hour (plus a free Movenpick ice cream for the little ones).

For a more budget-conscious option, head to the picture book, sandstone buildings of Macquarie Street. Nestled along the buzzing, historic streetscape, you’ll find Tasmania’s biggest hotel: the Ibis Styles . Return home each day to defrost in one of the hotel’s two saunas. Make use of the proximity to MONA, or take an easy stroll to the candy-coloured cottages of Battery Point between your adventures.

A stylish, Tasmanian-inspired bedroom at Mövenpick Hotel Hobart, your perfect base for relaxing after the best day trips from Hobart. — Elevate your Hobart stay with sleek style at Mövenpick.

1. Bruny Island

Craggy cliffs and tropical-hued, white sand beaches signal your arrival to Bruny Island/ Lunawanna-Alonnah.

Start your day trip at the island’s most iconic spot, the Neck Game Reserve. Scale the Trunganini steps to gaze out over the teensy stretch of land that juts through the sea connecting the two ends of the island.

Catch a rare glimpse of the white furred wallabies that call Bruny Island home at Adventure Bay. Then, for ocean-fresh oysters, pull into the drive-thru window at Get Shucked . Sample Bruny Island cheese at the cellar door before catching the ferry home with an esky full of local produce.

Bruny Island Neck is an isthmus of land connecting north and south Bruny Island. — Begin your adventure with a climb and a view. (Image: Elise Weaver)

2. Mount Wellington

At 1271 metres, Mount Wellington watches protectively over Hobart. Follow the winding road to climb through alpine forest and tufts of snow to reach the summit. Gaze down over Hobart and out to sea, or over your shoulder to the southwestern wilderness.

Reset your adrenaline with a mountain bike ride back down. Or, make like the locals and head into the mountain on foot. Try the hike to the Jurassic-period Organ Pipes which slips under the mountain’s magnificent dolerite cliffs (perfect for families thanks to the trail’s minimal incline).

For a view of Mount Wellington itself, hike nearby Cathedral Rock.

No matter where you are in Hobart you are never far away from the City's beloved mountain, Kunanyi / Mount Wellington — Climb through alpine forest to the summit. (Image: Paul Flemming)

2. Port Arthur

Constructed entirely by convicts, the manicured gardens and penal buildings of Port Arthur offer a day trip that practically hums with history.

The rugged, seagirt location was chosen for its difficult escape conditions. Now, you can cruise the coast below the towering, jagged cliffs of the Tasman National Park or wander the sloping fields of fragrant lavender.

Tickets to Port Arthur include a walking tour and harbour cruise. See the Isle of the Dead where 1000 men are buried in marked and unmarked graves. And Point Puer, Britain’s first prison for children.

The Port Arthur Historic Site is one of Australia's most important heritage sites and tourist destinations. Located on the scenic Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula in the south east of Tasmania, it offers a unique and essential experience for all visitors to the area. — Wander convict-built grounds and gardens. (Image: Dearna Bond)

3. Launceston

You’ll find Launceston at the confluence of three rivers after an easy 2.5-hour drive from Hobart. Launceston is a patchwork of old and new. Here, heritage streetscapes meet modern architecture.

Visit Cataract Gorge, the green, sun-dappled heart of the town and sacred meeting point for Tasmania’s indigenous communities. Pull up at roadside produce stalls that dot the Tamar Valley, or dine out. Launceston is, after all, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.

Should the local wine scene persuade you, simply extend your time in Launceston at Peppers Silo (but definitely at least stop by the onsite restaurant, Grain of the Silo , for a farm fresh menu) or Mercure Launceston before heading back to Hobart.

Walk the sunlit paths of Cataract Gorge. (Image: Nick H Visuals)

4. Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

Take a 35-minute drive from your hotel and you’ll find Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary . This social enterprise is run by a team of extremely passionate Tasmanians with a mission to look after critically endangered species who have found sanctuary here after facing extinction on the mainland.

Choose to wander the sanctuary at your own pace or join a guided tour (free with your ticket) to come face to face with Tassie’s most iconic species. Tasmanian Devils, wombats and echidnas are part of the free tour. You can book up close encounters with your favourite animals, too.

Bonorong is a Sanctuary for wildlife run by a passionate team of like-minded people. We're a social enterprise: a little business with a big heart. — Snap a cuddle-worthy encounter. (Image: Tourism Australia)

5. Richmond Village & Coal River Valley

Richmond is a town that belongs in a snow globe. Fifty colonial-era, Georgian buildings have been painstakingly restored and turned into cafes, cosy restaurants and galleries. Visit Richmond Gaol , said to be the home of a prisoner so vile he inspired Charles Dickens to pen Oliver Twist’s Fagin.

Then, follow the Coal River as it flows past grassy, duckling-dotted knolls and under the iconic Richmond Bridge, the oldest bridge in Australia. From the crest of the bridge, see the oldest Catholic Church in Australia. The river crawls past many cellar doors, perfect for a day of wine tasting.

Richmond is a picture-perfect town in the Coal River Valley wine region, offering a glimpse into early colonial life, one of the best day trips from Hobart. — Trace the river through history and wine country. (Image: Fin Matson)

Plan your trip to Hobart and beyond with ALL Accor at All.com .