Hotel Guide
Elizabeth Street restaurants, local bars, and the real Hobart
We earn a commission on bookings. Learn more
Quick Answer
North Hobart has almost no traditional hotels , it's a residential neighbourhood with Airbnbs and the occasional serviced apartment. Stay here if you want to eat on Elizabeth Street every night and prefer a local experience over a waterfront address. For most visitors, staying in the CBD or Salamanca and walking up to North Hobart for dinner (15-20 minutes) makes more sense.
North Hobart is where Hobartians actually eat. Elizabeth Street between Burnett and Federal Streets has the city's densest restaurant strip , a walkable 400-metre run of Thai, Indian, Italian, Ethiopian, Japanese, Nepalese, and modern Australian restaurants, plus bars, a cinema, and corner shops that feel nothing like a tourist precinct. It's uphill from the CBD (about 1.5km, 15-20 minutes on foot) and has the feel of an inner-city neighbourhood that hasn't been gentrified out of character. Hotel options are minimal, which is part of the charm.
View all hotels on Booking.com
The restaurant strip is the draw. Elizabeth Street has the best concentration of affordable, diverse dining in Hobart , you can eat well for $20-35 per person at restaurants that would charge twice that in Salamanca. The State Cinema is one of Australia's best independent cinemas, screening art-house and international films in a heritage building. The bars have local character: Willing Bros for natural wine, Rude Boy for Caribbean-inspired cocktails, the Winston for a straightforward pub. It feels like a neighbourhood rather than a precinct built for visitors.
Here's the honest picture: North Hobart has no branded hotels. Accommodation is Airbnbs, rental cottages, and a handful of small guesthouses. Quality varies significantly. The best approach is either (a) book a well-reviewed Airbnb cottage on Elizabeth, Tasma, or Warwick Streets for $150-250/night, or (b) stay in the CBD at Travelodge or Mantra Collins and walk up to North Hobart for dinner. The walk takes 15-20 minutes downhill on the return , easy and safe at night along well-lit Elizabeth Street.
North Hobart is connected to the CBD by Elizabeth Street , a straight, downhill walk that takes 15-20 minutes. Metro buses run frequently along the same route if you don't feel like walking. The waterfront is about 20-25 minutes on foot. Salamanca is a 25-minute walk via the CBD. If you're staying in North Hobart, you'll walk or bus to everything in the city centre. For MONA, you'd walk down to Brooke St Pier (25 min) or grab a bus/Uber. Having a car is unnecessary unless you're doing day trips out of the city.
Roaring Grill for steaks. Pancho Villa for Mexican that Hobartians are weirdly loyal to. Amulet Coffee for the best coffee on the strip. Raincheck Lounge for cocktails and vinyl. Da Angelo for old-school Italian. Kamal's for Sri Lankan. The vibe is casual , nobody dresses up, bookings are only necessary on Friday and Saturday nights, and you can eat at three different restaurants in an evening by walking 100 metres. Prices are 20-40% lower than equivalent Salamanca restaurants, and the food is generally better because these places survive on repeat local customers, not tourist traffic.
The practical approach for most visitors. Stay at Travelodge ($130/night) or Mantra Collins ($170/night) in the CBD, walk up Elizabeth Street for dinner, walk back downhill afterwards. You save on accommodation and get the North Hobart dining experience without the limited Airbnb lottery.
The strip has the most energy on Friday evenings. Restaurants are full but not slammed, the bars are buzzing, and the State Cinema usually has a good opening-night screening. Saturday is busier but the crowd shifts to Salamanca for the market.
One of Australia's best independent cinemas, in a heritage building with a bar. Check their programme before your trip , they screen international, documentary, and art-house films that don't play at multiplexes.
The 15-minute walk from North Hobart back to the CBD along Elizabeth Street is well-lit, safe, and slightly downhill the whole way. It's a pleasant end to a dinner evening and beats waiting for a taxi in a city where Ubers are scarce.