Cafeography
Hobart · North Hobart

Cafés in North Hobart

Elizabeth Street's restaurant strip by the 1913 State Cinema: Room For A Pony, Raincheck Lounge, Born In Brunswick, Abercrombie.

Photo: MB, Pexels License

North Hobart lies directly north of the city center, and its restaurants and cafés crowd Elizabeth Street between Tasma and Federal Streets.1 Asian kitchens dominate the strip, with Indian, Thai, Japanese and Chinese food all popular, and Mexican and Turkish places among them.1

The landmark is the State Cinema at 375 Elizabeth Street, which opened as the North Hobart Picture Palace on 2 October 1913 with seats for 412.2 By 2014 it had eight screens and more than 700 seats, and by 2019 it had 11 screens, including a rooftop cinema, along with a café, bar and bookstore.2 It is Tasmania's largest independent cinema.1

Local tip: At Raincheck Lounge, order the Raincheck Stack, the house signature of rösti, halloumi and poached egg.4

At a glance

13Cafés listed
1With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
15:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Whisk & Co., from 07:00 (Mon–Sat 07:00–15:00 · Sun 08:00–15:00).
  • Most listed streets: Elizabeth St (6).
  • Most common features: brunch (23%), specialty (15%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Hobart.

Elizabeth Street, from Room For A Pony to Abercrombie

Room For A Pony, at 338 Elizabeth Street, occupies a former petrol station fitted out with a light industrial touch.3 Breakfast runs to a Chinese fried chilli omelette over rice and okonomiyaki, and wood-fired pizza comes out later in the day.4 Born In Brunswick's kitchen sends out Tasmanian octopus scrambled eggs with nduja, and sticky-date French toast with pear.4

Raincheck Lounge, at 392–394, has spent more than 20 years under its rainbow-striped awning.4 Born In Brunswick, at 410, is run by former MasterChef contestant Con Vailas and has a light, Scandi-feeling room.43 At 431, Abercrombie Coffee uses Villino beans and sells coffee gear and local ceramics; its owner, Duncan Allen, donates every café tip to Guide Dogs Tasmania.54

Side streets off the strip

Providence, on Newdegate Street, sits on a quieter corner, with a book-filled reading room, a leafy courtyard, and a calendar of live jazz, poetry and local art.4 Its menu includes Turkish eggs, a pulled-pork Benedict and house-made gluten-free cakes.4 At Abercrombie, the order to know is the egg and halloumi bun with hash brown.5

Currency is at 6 Hume Street, Lazy Brunch at 279A Argyle Street and Just-a-bite at 176 Campbell Street. Whisk & Co., at 102 Augusta Road, opens at 07:00 from Monday to Saturday and at 08:00 on Sunday, closing at 15:00, and Purple Cup on Warwick Street is a drive-through.

Before or after a film

The cinema closed around 1920 and served as a billiard hall, gymnasium and boxing venue before it reopened as the Liberty Theatre on 29 June 1935.2 It took the name State Theatre in 1948, and John Kelly bought it in 2002.2

Marigold Cafe and Restaurant, at 303 Elizabeth Street, and Dispensary 279, inside the Ad Art building at 279, are both on the city side of the cinema.

The oval and the old school

North Hobart Oval stands on the site of the Brickfields Hiring Depot of the mid-1800s and is now used mainly for Australian rules football.1 The suburb was also home to Hobart High School from 1918 to 1984; the building survives and is now a funeral home.1

Elizabeth Street carries on north past the strip as New Town Road, toward Glenorchy.6

Sources

  1. North Hobart, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. State Cinema, North Hobart, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. 19 of the best cafes in Hobart for top-notch coffee, Australian Traveller (Chloe Cann, June 18, 2025), accessed October 2026
  4. The Best Cafes in North Hobart for a Coffee Catch-Up, Sitchu (Kelsey Harrington, updated October 15, 2026), accessed October 2026
  5. The Best Coffee in Hobart, From Specialty Brews to Must-Try Matcha, Sitchu (Kelsey Harrington, August 28, 2026), accessed October 2026
  6. New Town, Tasmania, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

More of Hobart

Salamanca & Waterfront

23 cafés

Hobart CBD

75 cafés

Sandy Bay

16 cafés

New Town & Moonah

14 cafés

In North Hobart, also browse: Specialty coffee

FAQ

North Hobart cafés: questions

Where is the café strip in North Hobart?

North Hobart's cafés and restaurants are on Elizabeth Street between Tasma and Federal Streets, directly north of Hobart's city center. Room For A Pony, Raincheck Lounge, Born In Brunswick and Abercrombie Coffee are on the strip, and the State Cinema stands at 375 Elizabeth Street.

What is the State Cinema in North Hobart?

The State Cinema at 375 Elizabeth Street opened as the North Hobart Picture Palace on 2 October 1913, with 412 seats. It reopened as the Liberty Theatre in 1935 and became the State Theatre in 1948. By 2019 it had 11 screens, including a rooftop cinema, plus a café, bar and bookstore.

Where can you have brunch in North Hobart?

Room For A Pony, in a former petrol station on Elizabeth Street, serves a Chinese fried chilli omelette and okonomiyaki. Raincheck Lounge is known for the Raincheck Stack, and Born In Brunswick is run by former MasterChef contestant Con Vailas. Providence on Newdegate Street serves Turkish eggs in a book-filled room.

For café owners

Own a café in North Hobart?

Free listings are free for good. A featured page gives you photos, a menu and your own URL, in your café's own design, for less than a coffee a day.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design