Nestled at the tip of Brooke Street Pier, Aloft is a sleek Scandi-inspired restaurant with uninterrupted water views over the River Derwent through floor-to-ceiling windows. Come for dinner and sit at the bar or at one of the generously spaced tables and dine on the Asian-accented menu from chefs Christian Ryan and Glenn Byrnes. Wood ear mushroom dumplings are perfect umami pillows to start, followed by the signature master stock pig’s ear and coconutty yellow fish curry. The banquet menus are a great way to relinquish control, and the kitchen delivers pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan options. Brooke Street Pier, Hobart, aloftrestaurant.com

After launching Bar Brose in Sydney, Analiese Gregory headed south to Hobart where she replaced David Moyle on the pans Franklin. “The opportunity of Franklin, with its beautiful open kitchen, wood-fired oven and the ability to plant a garden, make cheese, and start a bread program, is most of what I was wanting for the future,” says the Auckland-born chef, who has continued Moyle’s simple, produce-first approach with dishes such as raw striped trumpeter with red kraut and salted turnip; native angasi oysters; potato galette; and olive oil parfait with crushed pink lady apple and bay. 30 Argyle St, Hobart, franklinhobart.com.au

Rodney Dunn and Séverine Demanet already have legend status for their adored kitchen garden and cooking school in Lachlan – The Agrarian Kitchen – and now their new restaurant is an expansion of their honest, delicious offering. The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery & Store is bright and airy with a hyper-local, seasonal, daily changing menu that could include fried sourdough potato cakes with plum sauce and kefir cream, glazed wood-roasted Berkshire pork to share, and chocolate and beetroot cake. The wine list embodies the local ethos and there’s all-day dining Friday to Sunday. 11A The Avenue, New Norfolk, theagrariankitchen.com

Bruny Island Cheese Co.

Peacock and Jones is owned by the same team behind the city’s iconic Henry Jones Art Hotel, and shares a prime waterfront location. Hidden behind the sandstone facade of an historic warehouse, P&J has a modern-colonial vibe with moody lighting bouncing of rough-cut stonewalls. A snack menu, including ocean trout pastrami and beef tartare, makes a meal of drinks; while the restaurant menu, which kicks of with house-baked sourdough and charcoal butter and finishes with peach Melba, has a satisfying gastro-pub feel. Come for drinks, stay for dinner. 33 Hunter St, Hobart, peacockandjones.com.au

For dinner with that casual neighbourhood-eatery vibe, head to Templo, where it’s communal tables, exposed brick walls and a trattoria-style blackboard menu. Dishes have an Italian bent, in the form of carpaccio with anchovies, strozzapreti pasta with walnut and broccoli pesto and house-cured pancetta, roasted rabbit, and balsamic lamb ribs. While the wine list features local and Italian drops, with natural and organic bottles in the mix. 98 Patrick St, Hobart, templo.com.au

For trendy eats, head to Room for a Pony. By day, the pony serves sophisticated brunch fare until 3pm – black rice pudding with banana and coconut; a delicious greens bowl with kimchi and fried egg; and the most decadent three-cheese toastie with gruyere, asiago and mozzarella – and by night, it’s Italian snacks and wood-fired sourdough pizzas in the cool but comfortable concrete and exposed brick space. 338 Elizabeth St, North Hobart, roomforapony.com.au

This hole-in-the-wall eatery might be best known for its artisan doughnuts, but it also serves up the best bowl of porridge this side of Scotland – think rolled oat vanilla porridge with pumpkin butter, lemon curd, glazed pepitas and cocoa pops. An intimate interior with stool seating sets the scene for coffee, breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks with a glass of local wine or beer. 3/129 Bathurst St, Hobart, small-fryhobart.com.au

No visit to Hobart would be complete without exploring MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), David Walsh’s eye-opening private gallery-museum-hotel-vineyard-festival site and creative ground-zero in-one. Sprawl on the lawn with a glass of Moorilla wine, made from estate-grown grapes, or a tinnie of house label Moo Brew; or descend into the subterranean Void Bar for cocktails and live music. 655 Main Rd, Berriedale, Hobart, mona.net.au

This cafe and cult bakery provides the ultimate paddock-to-plate experience with many ingredients sourced from owners’ Richard and Belinda Weston’s Weston Farm, including their smoked paprika, which is a delicious. Produce Awards gold medallist. For brunch, there’s the likes of house-baked sourdough with house-made peony jelly, potato rosti with fried egg and harissa, and rose water and chia pudding with pistachio and coconut. 93 Goulburn St, West Hobart, pigeonholecafe.com.au

Dier Makr is the spot for cocktails and international wines in a dark and moody minimalist setting. Pick your eats from the daily changing menu presented as ingredients scrawled in chalk on the wall, then pop into the cellar to pick your wine before you prop at the bar or settle into a table. 123 Collins St, Hobart, diermakr.com