Hobart

The Alley Cat

Corner of federal and elizabeth st. north hobart, ph 03 6236 9777. a five minute cab ride/30 minute walk from the city, the alley cat is one of the homes of hobart's live music scene. only a basic range of beers on tap, with standard pub meals available, the alley cat is worth a look if you wish to sample some tassie bands.

Small cafe in the CBD of Hobart. Good coffee made well and consistently.

The Lark Distillery

14 davey street, ph. 03 6231 9088, (http://www.larkdistillery...). the lark distillery is the first licensed distillery in tasmania since 1839 and now operates as a bar, store and distillery in one. it produces fine single malt whiskey and other liqueurs. it provides free tastings of liqueurs and spirits and charges a small fee to taste their 3 types of whiskeys $2 each tasting or $5 for all 3. their bush liqueur also has a distinctive taste through the use of pepperberries. there are several live music performances a week. entry is always free and students receive a 10% discount on drinks.

Irish Murphy's

21 salamanca place, tel 03 6223 1119 fax 03 6223 1133, email [email protected], (http://www.irishmurphys.c...). irish murphy's is a busy irish pub on one of the prime nightlife strips. it has a young crowd dancing to pop hits from their childhood in a fake irish franchise pub.

Cargo Bar Lounge

47-51 salamanca place, ph. 03 6223 7788. cargo is one of the more recently opened bars in hobart. modern feel with a mix of outdoor seating on the street, or a quieter secluded booth style seating at the back of the bar. drinks are the usual fare; a selection of beers on tap, a good choice of wines and most spirits.

Knopwood's Retreat

39 salamanca place, hobart, tel: 03 6223 5808. possibly tasmania's most famous pub, knopwood's is set in one of the ancient sandstone warehouses that line salamanca place. it remains the place for after-work drinks on fridays, when the crowd spills out into salamanca and many punters take their drinks across the road to sit on the lawns. particularly popular with univerisity students, the pub hosts syrup nightclub upstairs, one of hobart's more intimate and better clubs. a pint of james boags wizard smith's is a must!

The New Sydney Hotel

87 bathurst street. one of the most popular inner-city pubs, the cosy new sydney is home to hobart's irish community and offers an irish pub atmosphere rather more authentic than that of an irish theme pub see irish murphy's, below. large range of imported and local beers on tap.

Bar Celona

45 salamanca place, ph 03 6224 7557 fax 03 6224 7388. bar celona is a combined wine bar and cafe. the decor is open and wood panelled: while it can get a bit noisy, it's a good place to escape some of the much more crowded bars on a busy weekend night, especially if you want to have a nice glass or two of wine.

Republic Bar & Cafe

299 elizabeth street, north hobart, tel: 03 6234 6954, (http://www.republicbar.com). in its day, the former empire hotel was one of hobart's roughest pubs, hosting a shoot-out during the 1980s. australian cricketer max walker grew up in the empire, which was run by his parents. after a re-modelling and re-branding as the republic bar in the mid-1990s, it has become one of the state's most popular pubs.today the republic bar is tasmania's premier music venue, with live music 7 days. it hosts an award winning restaurant, art gallery and a large covered beer garden that is good all year round.

The Quarry Salamanca

27 salamanca place, ph. 03 6223 6552, (http://thequarry.com.au//). the quarry is a sophisticated modern bar, the building has been part of the salamanca landscape for nearly 200 years and has been beautifully restored integrating a modern edge with the original sandstone facade. they also have a restaurant and apartment accommodation.