coffee guide

12 Best Coffee Spots in Hobart

Our visit to the Tasmanian capital was undoubtedly going to involve a hunt for the best coffee spots in Hobart.

SOMEWHERE COFFEE BAR

The best places are often the ones you stumble across by accident. And hand on heart, we are SO glad that we discovered Somewhere Coffee Bar for a truly memorable coffee experience in Hobart.

Newly opened in August 2021, Somewhere Coffee Bar is owned and run by Brian, a Hong Kong native who received his barista training in New Zealand. This Hobart coffee shop is the place to come for a true coffee experience so if you have time, we’d recommend sitting in.

The Scandi-esque corridor features crisp white walls, globe pendant lighting and light birch furnishings. Bench seating is available around the central coffee station with a few tables at the back. You can certainly order your regular espresso blend but die-hard coffee connoisseurs should make a beeline for the filter menu and decide between aeropress, V60 or syphon.

Coffee beans roasted by Fuglen (Norway) Almanac Coffee (Brisbane) and Skittle Lane (Sydney) were on offer during our visit. Bevan opted for the Fuglen Costa Rica beans on syphon. The flavour profile started off devilishly light, with the fruity tones evident in the first cup. The second and third cups evolved with the toffee and vanilla tones coming through later.

Brian’s passion, patience and precision were all on show as he prepared our coffee and we exchanged our favourite coffee spots around the world. If you’re wanting a quick takeaway coffee, this probably isn’t the place to pop into. If you can spare at least 30 minutes of your day to sit in, we can guarantee that your tastebuds will thank you.

VILLINO CAFE

This central cafe was established in 2007 and following quick success, has remained a key influencer in Tasmania’s specialty coffee scene. The coffee roastery opened nearby in 2009 and Villino Coffee Roasters remains a core supplier to several Hobart cafes.

The original sidewalk cafe is undoubtedly a favourite of local CBD workers as even on our late afternoon visit, there was a steady stream of customers. Place your order inside where you can sit on the long bench seat underneath a mint green wall and hanging indoor plants. Alternatively, sit at the high bench seat with a view out onto the sidewalk, where patrons are also welcome to sit.

With over a decade of experience, the menu’s depth should have something available for everyone. Bevan went for his favourite strong flat white, served on Villino’s Synergy blend of beans from Colombia, Guatemala and Ethiopia. Strong flavour notes of caramel and milk chocolate meant that this cup would go down a treat after a long morning drive from the west.

PIGEON HOLE CAFE

Pigeon Hole Cafe is the food child of Richard and Belinda Weston of Weston Farm Produce. Located in West Hobart, it’s a cosy spot and a firm favourite with the locals.

The cafe exudes a French vibe, with rustic decor that suitably matches the produce. Given our visit was on a bustling Saturday morning, we were only able to opt for a takeaway piccolo. We noted that the coffee beans are supplied by Villino Coffee Roasters, however, the focus is most certainly on the fresh farm produce rather than the coffee. The menu is ever evolving with the seasons and aims to showcase the organic principles and biodynamic practices embodied by the farm.

For those visiting Hobart and staying a little outside of the CBD, this would be an ideal spot for an early spot of breakfast before a day of sightseeing.

PARKLANE ESPRESSO

Good things can come in small sizes, or in this instance, from small coffee bars.

Parklane Espresso is a centrally located coffee shop and undoubtedly a firm favourite for locals and visitors alike thanks to its well-crafted brews and friendly service. Tucked into a pocket of Salamanca Square, the tiny cafe is constantly whipping up coffee orders with beans from Zimmah Coffee, another Tasmanian coffee roaster powerhouse.

Alternative drinks include Parklane’s homemade chai syrup or the Koko deluxe drinking chocolate, both tasty options particularly during the colder months and if you’ve already hit your daily caffeine quota.

There’s minimal seating inside with a high bench table with more tables and chairs set up outside if you fancy taking a seat for a while. A small food menu is available alongside a range of cakes and slices in the small cabinet.

STRAIGHT UP COFFEE + FOOD

Established in 2014, the coffee served at this unpretentious cafe is by its very own award-winning Straight Up Roasters, based in Moonah (north of Hobart CBD).

Being our selected breakfast spot, we ordered our regular strong flat white and long black on the cafe’s Wingman blend; both brews leaving us satiated and caffeinated.

Other than the pretty decent coffee, this place needs to be marked by our coeliac and non-meat eating foodies. All items on the menu are 100% vegetarian and gluten-free, the core focus of the business being to provide fresh and wholesome food from root to tip. We sampled the apple and cinnamon waffle and ‘The Madam’ toasted cornbread, the latter being tasty but a touch dry.

Inside, the decor can only be described as retro vintage. An intricate black tree painted on a white feature wall is a nod to the cafe’s food ethos, whilst mismatched linoleum table tops and colourful chairs round out the seating arrangements. If you’re simply looking for a coffee and a sweet treat, you can’t go without taking a sneak peek at the front cabinet stocked with delicious goodies from famed award-winning bakery Baked Gluten Free.

MACHINE LAUNDRY CAFE

Other than its favourable position in Salamanca Square, Machine Laundry Cafe serves up some pretty delicious food and drink amongst some hyper cool interior decor.

Local suppliers include Pigeon Whole Bakers, BAKED Gluten Free, Wursthaus Kitchen and Villino Coffee Roasters. Whilst we intended to visit to sample the coffee, we ended up ordering a small lunch and alternative drinks so we can’t speak to the barista skills from this particular visit.

We can provide two thumbs up though on the food (we ate the machine Packed Roti Bread and machine Made Granola) where we received uber generous servings packed full of taste. The cool thing about the cafe’s menu is that you have the option of downserving your food portion by deducting $3 if you arrive with a small appetite.

Kudos to the team of women working on the bustling Saturday morning when we visited as we found the service to be en pointe. And in case you were wondering, there are actual coin operated laundry machines too that still function. One of the waitresses informed us that they’re usually used by those travelling on cruise ships and passing through Hobart. Pretty neat, huh?

DANDY LANE FOOD & SPECIALTY COFFEE

Tucked away in Collins Court laneway, this Hobart CBD cafe serves all-day brunch, drinks and tunes seven days a week.

The cafe is split across a little indoor corridor. One room is covered in a dark, floral wallpaper and the other side features more natural light, funky lightbulb chandeliers hanging from the roof and paint splotches on the floor giving the cafe a bit of a rundown look and feel.

Dandy Lane serves beans from Sydney-based Gabriel Coffee Roasters. During our visit, Brazilian beans were in use for espresso and filter brews while the batch brew was being made with Colombian beans. Here, Bevan sampled the single origin as a long black.

Breakfast menu items and burgers are available on the menu with daily specials written up on the chalkboard. A brunch cocktail or other alcoholic beverages can be requested should these tickle your tastebuds come lunchtime.