Your go-to guide to kid-friendly restaurants in Hobart.
Eating out with kids can be trying at the best of times but when trying to find kid-friendly restaurants in an unfamiliar city on holidays, it can be nigh impossible. Unless you have a trusted source you can turn to. We give you our parent-approved guide to where to eat with kids in Hobart.
1. Mures
The best place for fish and chips in Hobart is on the waterfront. Get your order away at Mures Lower Deck for fish fingers (made from sustainable Australian line-caught blue-eye trevalla) and crumbed blue grenadier with chips before going for a wander around Constitution Dock or Victoria Dock to see if you can spot Sammy the seal, who makes regular cameos here. There is also an ice creamery located on the Lower Deck where you can choose between 32 flavours and a range of toppings.
A must-stop for dinner down by the waterfront in Hobart. (Image: Tourism Tasmania & Kathryn Leahy)
Address: Victoria Dock, Hobart TAS, Australia, 7000
2. Flamecake
Flammkuchen translates to ‘flamecakes’ and brings us to Salamanca Market, which is loud with traders touting everything from fresh fish to flowers. Follow your nose to the Flamecake stall which specialises in wood-fired pizzas with a German twist such as Gratinee (dry-cured bacon with gruyère cheese, onions and sauerkraut) and Nordic (with hot-smoked wild-caught salmon, gruyère cheese and onions) or Italian-style topped with Tasmanian salami or ham and pineapple for kids.
Address: Salamanca Pl, Hobart TAS 7000
3. Jackman & McRoss
Reward the kids with croissants after they make the climb from Kelly’s Steps in Salamanca Place to Jackman & McRoss, the popular bakery cafe that has become a central part of life for the community of Battery Point. Stand outside the corner cafe on a sunny winter’s day and you will likely see kunanyi/Mt Wellington blanketed in snow. Arrive early and you will also find a counter that groans under the weight of baked goods such as sourdough, lamb pies and passionfruit meringues.
Jackman & McRoss. (Image: Tourism Tasmania & Rob Burnett)
Address: 57-45 Kelly St, Battery Point TAS 7004
4. Machine Laundry Cafe
Empty the contents of your suitcase into the coin-operated machines at this Salamanca Square bastion and then sit out the cycle in style in the turquoise-painted café on the other side of the glass. We’ll come clean with you: the Machine Laundry Café has been a hot place to hang out since it opened in 1997. Order the Old New Egg Dish for yourself and hotcakes for the kids. Spill some hot sauce on your collar? No problem. Pop next door and do another load.
Address: 12 Salamanca Square, Battery Point TAS 7004
5. Room for a Pony
You could probably swing a few cats, and still find room for a pony in this sprawling 200-seater eatery named in honour of Hyacinth Bucket, of the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. “My sister? She’s the one with the Mercedes, swimming pool and room for a pony…" said Hyacinth in a scene from the series. Wear your best pair of clodhoppers and colonise a spot in the garden with the extended family to enjoy wood-fired meatballs, karaage fried chicken, house nachos and a pizza – vegetarian, of course – named after legendary local environmental activist Bob Brown.
Hip eatery Room For A Pony. (Image: Osborne Images)
Address: 338 Elizabeth St, North Hobart TAS 7000
6. Born In Brunswick
It’s easy to forget the idea for Born in Brunswick began in Melbourne – where owners Con and Sarah Vailas were living at the time – as this neighbourhood cafe has been keeping the flame burning for North Hobart since it opened in 2016. Everything about the Scandi-chic space, from the locally hand-crafted Tassie oak furniture to the produce sourced from Rocky Top farm and Top Fish, doffs its cap to the island state. Converge in the courtyard for potato and thyme hash and octopus scrambled eggs.
Eat locally sourced food at Born in Brunswick. (Image: Natalie Mendham)
Address: 410 Elizabeth St, North Hobart TAS 7000
7. Ginger Brown
Ginger Brown continues to stand strong on Macquarie Street in South Hobart thanks to its homey vibe and mean breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes (which feature on an all-day menu). The cosy space is a community fave full of Art Deco mirrors, retro chairs and loud locals who are drawn by ridiculously good options such as the pork belly bowls and toasted paninis. Order crumpets with salted caramel, whipped date butter, banana and dark chocolate for the kiddlie-winks.
Address: 464 Macquarie St, South Hobart TAS 7004
8. Suzie Luck’s
Navigate your way around the higgle-piggle of Salamanca Market to find Suzie Luck’s, located in The Mercury building overlooking Salamanca Square. Curious kids will love the restaurant’s quirky design, which includes a spicy colour palette, oversized poster of a hen, and wall display featuring seven fortune cat figurines. There’s even a little round window that looks into the fish tank of The Salmon Shop next door. Children with expanded culinary repertoires will love the eggplant tempura, DIY roast duck roll-ups and massaman curry.
Quirky Suzie Luck’s. (Image: Alastair Bett)
Address: 2 Salamanca Square Battery Point, Hobart TAS 7000
9. Urban Greek
Grab a table near to the mural of the Son of Zeus and Queen of Crete so you can distract your kids with a lesson on ancient Urban Greek mythology. If your history lesson fails to inspire, don’t start smashing plates; it’s not that kind of place. While there’s plenty to distract in the decor, the food here is the main event. And generosity is part of the equation. Order a mixed grill for the adults, and biftekia (beef patties) and soutzoukakia (Greek meatballs) from the kids’ menu, which also flies the Hellenic flag.
Family-friendly Urban Greek.
Address: 103 Murray St, Hobart TAS 7000
10. Honey Badger Dessert Cafe
No, this cute and homey café in Salamanca Square was not named in honour of Nick Cummins, the professional rugby union player best known as the ‘honey badger’. Rather, it pays homage to the infamous animal from South Africa which reportedly has a ferocious appetite. Honey Badger Dessert Cafe helps parents handle their hangry children with a combination of patience, panache, pancakes and panookies (a gooey cookie concoction in a pan).
Honey Badger Dessert Cafe for a special treat. (Image: Dale Baldwin)
Address: 7 Salamanca Square, Battery Point TAS 7004
