Battery Point institution Shippies, as it’s affectionately known, served its first frothy in 1846. It closed in 2021 for a $1 million refresh, reopening just in time to rehydrate 2023’s Sydney-Hobart yacht racegoers. The front bar has been given a youthful makeover but retains a nautical vibe, while a new all-weather outdoor dining “pavilion” has a more modern feel. As you’d expect from a sailing-themed venue, there’s plenty of seafood on the menu: Barilla Bay oysters, Stanley octopus, Maria Island calamari and a catch of the day, natch. The pub is also a hotel, with nine rooms upstairs. 29 Trumpeter St, Battery Point; shipwrightsarms.com.au.

Whitney Ball and Tom Westcott (ex-Franklin) opened this 100-seat corner pub in 2016. It’s been packed solid every night since, lockdowns notwithstanding. Westcott’s veg-driven menu is an homage to farmers that you’ll likely meet at the bar, such is the community vibe here. With sustainability in focus, seafood is a specialty item and secondary cuts are key, though the chicken schnitzel is a mainstay. The tap list is exclusively Tasmanian (fresh beer is the best beer), but the wine list looks further afield, with natty drops from AU to EU. 87 Macquarie St, Hobart; instagram.com/tmchugos.

The Crescent takes the notion that pub food must revolve around deep fryers and turns it on its head. Take the snack menu, for starters: crisp anchovy gougeres, stracciatella cheese with roasted beets and local kunzea, and kid-sized ploughman’s platters. That’s followed up by a Brit-leaning mains such as lamb pie or bangers and mash; in winter, a sub-$30 Sunday roast is the go-to. The downstairs bar retains some of the 165-year-old building’s charm, while recent renovations have added a sleek upstairs dining space and a low-rise rooftop deck perfect for summer boozing. 100 Barnett St, North Hobart; crescenthotelhobart.com.

Rewind a decade, and the Moonah Hotel was so notorious that cab drivers would avoid it. The team behind Fox Friday brewery picked up the lease in 2021, giving the place an overhaul – we’re talking slick double-sided bar, family-friendly dining room, a lo-fi wine shop and a dog-friendly beer garden. The parma/burger/steak scenario is great, particularly on a Monday night when main meals are 20 per cent off, but it’s the old-school weekend specials that really shine. Think prawn cocktails, chicken pot pies and house-made fish fingers in fluffy white bread. 99 Main Rd, Moonah; moonahhotel.com.au.

Salamanca pub The Whaler has had a few names in its 180+ years, the most iconic being Knopwoods, which sadly closed in 2015. New management stepped in with a refresh shortly thereafter, keeping the old-school wooden bar and sandstone façade but adding an Americana-leaning menu. These days you can get smash burgers and lobster rolls, but from a local perspective, it’s thankfully much the same. And with 14 mostly local taps and great street frontage, it’s got to be the best place for pints and people watching on the waterfront. 39 Salamanca Pl, Battery Point; thewhaler.com.au.