Hobart/Nipaluna’s deeply charismatic bars are a must-have experience.

Tassie is awash with incredible wine, beer and spirit producers, so it follows that one would expect to find good places to sit and sip them. The state’s capital delivers on that expectation with plenty of beautiful bars, from the laidback to the clandestine and the downright kooky. With both style and substance on the pour, these Hobart bars are the pick of the absolute best.

1. Mary Mary

This dark wood, leather and brass-embellished bar has mastered the art of refined style and intimacy. Cosy on in and rest your elbows at the padded leather bar as you watch the skilled bar staff achieve alchemy in a glass.

Named after the St Mary’s Hospital Building in which it resides, Mary Mary distils Tasmanian-inspired creativity into a refined drinks list. On it you will find clever concoctions, such as the corpse reviver No2B with gin and absinthe, and the true local with apple brandy and Mary Mary vermouth, as well as an extensive list of wines and Tassie-brewed beer and cider. Pair your drinking with some pickable plates of lamb skewers, meatballs and calamari.

Address: 2a Salamanca Place, Hobart

2. Cascade Brewery Bar

Sip amid the historic surrounds of the oldest-operating brewery in Australia. The iconic Cascade building and foothills of Kunyanyi/Mount Wellington locale are reason enough to visit, even if you’re not a beer drinker, but the convivial ambience here makes for a third solid justification. Of course, Cascade beer takes top billing, but there are also some great Tassie wines and spirits to fill your cup. Tuck into pub-style fare if you’re in for the long haul or nibble on some local oysters and a rustic platter.

Address: 140 Cascade Road, South Hobart

3. Evolve Spirits Bar

This waterfront lounge bar in the luxe MACq 01 Hotel is the place to sample rare liquors and ogle ancient fossils.

Featuring drops from premium Tasmanian distillers, as well as an exhaustive list of whiskies from Scotland’s Speyside to Islay, as well as Japanese whisky and American whiskey, and pretty much any other type of spirit your mind can conjure, Evolve is a playground for the palate if you’re a dilettante of distillation.

But you don’t have to be an insatiable spirit chaser to just enjoy the atmosphere here and a wine or beer. Also check out the curious specimens on display that date back as far as 550 million years ago, including a cave bear and a giant pig skull.

Address: MACq 01 Hotel, 18 Hunter Street, Hobart

4. Gold Bar

Strike gold when you find this gilded hideaway that pours the answer to what ails you six evenings a week. Local spirits are the highlight here, but the very capable bar staff can also whip up your heart’s desire if there’s a cocktail you have a specific hankering for.

In the day, Gold Bar moonlights as a cafe, but the later hours are for sophisticated sipping.

Address: Suite 3, Ground Floor, 11 Morrison Street, Hobart

5. Bar Wa Izakaya

Kimono over to this neon-lit izakaya that slurps ramen for lunch, serves eats until 11pm, and pours good times until after midnight.

Cocktails, sake and Japanese whisky make up a good portion of the drinks list here and match perfectly with the deep umami flavours of the menu, from tataki to teriyaki.

If it’s a chilly night, walk on in and Bar Wa will warm your cockles by the fire in the upstairs lounge.

Address: 216–218 Elizabeth Street, Hobart

6. Rude Boy

When most other Tassie bars are extolling the virtues of whisky, this midtown bar is going against the grain and sloshing tropical vibes and good rum into low- and hi-balls with cocktails such as the Rhubicube with pineapple and rhubarb and the Unfigettable with fig and anise. To go with your booze, you can choose from a collection of Hobartian fried chicken, brisket and some vego and vegan options. Having won both the Best Cocktail Bar and Rum Bar of the Year in 2022, Rude Boy has perhaps earned its tagline of ‘We Rum this City’.

Address: 130 Elizabeth Street, Hobart

7. Manky Sally’s

Here in the lightly moody taphouse for Tassie’s local Moo Brew you can enjoy an effervescent pint or sidestep the hops and opt for a wine or a range of fine and fancy spirits.

At Manky Sally’s, you may also find a cocktail on tap, something like a spicy yuzu margarita, and there’s food to sup, such as oysters, kingfish ceviche or a hearty serving of wallaby rump steak.

Come from midday and stay until midnight Thursday to Sunday, if the mood for Moo Brew strikes.

Address: Ground floor, 25 Salamanca Place, Battery Point

8. Lucinda Wine Bar

In the centre of Hobart, Lucinda radiates warmth and a lovely off-duty casualness. While it serves in part as the overflow for sister restaurant, Dier Makr next door, it has its own, standalone charisma. The by-the-glass drops are selected off-cuff by chef and owner Kobi Ruzicka, who opts for minimal intervention expressions of terroir. You can grab a light-ish bite, which may be a silky house-made tortellini or terrine, and sit in the cosy heritage space or brave the brisk Tassie air on the footpath outside.

Address: 123 Collins Street, Hobart

9. Sonny

A diminutive stature lends this Hobartian classic an intimacy that brings big atmosphere for a place that seats just 20 souls. It’s a lo-fi, walk-in-only vibe at this vine- and vinyl-loving bar that pours excellently finessed drops while spinning good tunes.

You don’t need to labour over which wine to choose; the list at Sonny is well-shaped and perfect with any of the shareable plates from the menu. If you are lucky enough to snag a spot, you’ll be reluctant to give it up, so be prepared to settle in for a session.

Address: 120a Elizabeth Street, Hobart

10. The Still Whisky Bar

Sleek with mossy-green leather banquettes, deep-red carpet and an almost clandestine ambience, The Still is  Lark Distillery’s tasting room by day, and a slinky cocktail and whisky bar by night.

Come before the sun sinks for a guided whisky tasting, whisky blending or gin making experience (Forty Spotted Gin is a Lark subsidiary). Or venture here after dark for a perfectly mixed drink or a wee dram on the rocks.

Address: 30 Argyle Street, Hobart

11. Society Salamanca

This cosy underground burrow is a hidden goldmine of more than 500 beautiful spirits ready to be shaken, stirred and swilled. You can opt in for the latest local release or choose a classic or not-so-classic cocktail from the extensive list.

Doubling down on charm, the bartenders at Society access the wall of enticing glass bottles filled with deliciously intoxicating elixirs by way of a sliding wooden ladder.

Happy hour goes for a leisurely two hours between 4pm and 6pm Wednesday to Saturday.

Address: 22 Montpelier Retreat, Salamanca

12. Void Bar

Of course, any bar at Mona can be expected to come with a degree of offbeat absurdity. Somewhere between a bunker, a mineshaft and an exclusive club is Void Bar, 17 metres underground.

While the bar is only open in the daylight hours between 10am and 5pm, it feels like the very wee hours of the morning in this rock-faced chamber.

Enjoy a martini, a bottle of wine or a beer and a pizza if you’re peckish, while you listen to the musician-in-residence.

Address: 655 Main Rd, Berriedale

13. IXL long bar

Part of The Henry Jones Art Hotel, this schmick old-school bar, with a timber-beamed ceiling, exposed brick walls and pillarbox red bar stools, is a cosy spot for a nightcap and a delightful escape from Tassie’s bracing winters.

There’s a sizable bar menu filled with original and exotic signature cocktails, such as the ‘Rye P.A’ (rye whiskey with lemon juice, chestnut syrup, spiced ginger bitters and Tasmanian IPA), and modern takes on little-known historical tipples, such as the ‘Blazer’-inspired ‘Island of Fire’ (single malt, whisky liqueur, aromatic bitters, cinnamon and orange oils), which is made with all-Tasmanian ingredients.

And should you happen to overindulge on cocktails (all in the name of research, of course) IXL offers a selection of hearty and fried bar snacks to help mop things up.

Address: 25 Hunter St

14. Hobart Brewing Co

The so-called ‘red shed’ on Hobart’s waterfront, this indie brewery has been going strong since 2015. Boasting the biggest beer garden in the city, as well as a pool table, a fire pit, and a rotating selection of local food trucks, there’s plenty to keep punters occupied here.

Hopheads will swoon at the selection of beer: we’re talking 13-plus taps that feature both Hobart Brewing Co’s core range as well as its limited releases. You can’t leave without trying HBC’s original drop, and its flagship, an amber ale named the ‘Harbour Master’. But we recommend a deep dive into the offbeat special edition brews too: previous releases have included a stout brewed with oysters, and a sour infused with lime, cucumber and salt.

Address: 16 Evans St

15. Hope and Anchor

Pouring pints since 1807, it’s fair to say that this Hobart watering hole offers a fair whack of history. Technically Australia’s oldest continuously licensed pub, the Hope and Anchor is well worth a visit — if not for the sake of a well-priced tipple, then at least to soak up the museum-like vibes of this storied boozer. The heritage-listed Georgian structure is awash with character, maintaining many of its original features, and antiques line almost every wall. Come for the old-school vibes, stay for the signature hot buttered rum.

Address: 65 Macquarie St

Originally written by Lara Picone with updates by Chloe Cann

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