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The Best Bars in Launceston for Cocktails, Wine and Late Nights
Launceston may be small, but the bar scene is mighty. Discover the best bars in Launceston right here.
At Havilah in Launceston, the winemaker might pour his own Pinot; at Turner Stillhouse in Rosevears, fresh Tamar Valley roses go into the gin. Back in town, a former Gospel Hall has become a Japanese izakaya, reel-to-reel tapes play above St John Street, and the old pubs still book bands. Launceston’s drinking scene has grown into something far more interesting than its size might suggest, with local producers shaping the drinks and independent characters shaping the rooms.
These are the best bars in Launceston, from candlelit wine rooms and inventive cocktail bars to late-night favourites and Tamar Valley detours.
Hanashi Bar
A former Gospel Hall on Elizabeth Street has found a second life as Hanashi Bar, a Japanese drinking den accessed through a neon-lit alleyway. Inside, wood-panelled walls carry vintage-style Kirin beer advertisements starring Launceston locals, a cheeky nod to the building’s new congregation. From the team behind Du Cane Brewing, the bar deals in pork-broth tonkotsu, mushroom-rich yasai miso, gyoza, chicken karaage and yakitori. Shochu sours get a Tasmanian mountain-pepper treatment, while a specially brewed rice lager keeps the Japanese influence close to home. There’s a private karaoke room, too.
66A Elizabeth Street, Launceston
Love Lucy Boots
Lucy Fleming put milk crates outside Love Lucy Boots so strangers might stop for coffee and start talking. In Westbury, they’ve taken the hint. Her 1870s cottage is part neighbourhood meeting place, part 19-seat wine room, with patterned wallpaper, leather armchairs and a fireplace for winter. Mornings belong to espresso and local sourdough; Sunday afternoons are for wines from small, family-owned Australian vineyards, accompanied by cheese and charcuterie. The Sunday Sessions begin at 2pm, while winemaker evenings, whisky tastings and occasional music nights fill the events calendar. Lucy’s dad and two Labradors have also been known to make an appearance.
45 William Street, Westbury
Bar Clarry
At Bar Clarry, chicken nuggets come with caviar and popcorn comes free. Inside Launceston’s historic Northern Club, founder Hannah Bradley has created a 40-seat wine bar named in honour of her late father, Clarence, with vinyl spinning everything from French disco to 70s soul. Former Stillwater chef Taz Connell has fun with Tasmanian produce, turning out scallop gyoza with curry sauce, dressed-up party pies and Thursday steak frites. Sommelier James Brawley, formerly of Stelo at Pierre’s, handles the wine, with local growers well represented. On the last Sunday of each month, Connell gets out his Italian rolling pin for a handmade-pasta supper club.
61 Cameron Street, Launceston
Bar Urbane
There’s no obligation to dress up at Bar Urbane, although the velvet curtains, brass detailing and herringbone floors might make you wish you had. Inspired by the drinking dens of the 1920s, this Seaport cocktail bar makes good use of Tasmania’s distilleries. The Tassie Old Fashioned features burnt-butter-and-sage-washed Hellyer’s whisky, while The Cure mixes Rosevears single malt with Bridestowe lavender and blueberry. From the kitchen, order Tasmanian salmon crudo with chilli-mirin soy or tempura mushrooms with wasabi mayonnaise. Saturday evenings bring live music from 6pm, with cocktails and wine specials earlier in the afternoon.
Sitchu Tip: The tempura mushrooms and cauliflower with wasabi mayonnaise are the snack to order with your first round.
26 Seaport Boulevard, Launceston
Cinco Passiones
Finding Cinco Passiones requires a little initiative. Head through a Brisbane Street arcade and up two flights of stairs to a lounge where owner Drew has been tending bar since 2016. Tasmanian whisky and sparkling wine feature prominently, but cocktails are his speciality. Ask about Don’t Give Up the Ship, a Manhattan variation with an American Civil War anecdote attached, or have him suggest something based on your preferred spirits. Local cheeses and accompaniments take care of the grazing, and the cigar collection has its own devotees. The west-facing windows look across Launceston’s rooftops, with sunset an especially good hour to arrive.
Level 2/47A Brisbane Street, Launceston
Izakaya Hikarie
Easy to miss by day, Izakaya Hikarie is worth seeking out after dark. Behind a discreet St John Street entrance, this intimate Japanese pub specialises in yakitori, handmade gyoza and cocktails with a Japanese accent. Order chicken thigh skewers brushed with house soy tare, crispy lotus-root chips and king oyster mushrooms from the grill, followed by curry udon if dinner calls for something substantial. The Lady Yuzu mixes Roku gin with yuzu and lemon tea, while a four-pour sake flight explores everything from crisp and dry to rich and creamy. Seating is limited, so booking ahead is wise.
97 St John Street, Launceston
Highclare Estate Launceston Wine Room
The family behind Highclare Estate had a practical problem: their Tamar Valley vineyard didn’t have mains power, running water or an especially friendly access road. So they opened their cellar door in Launceston instead. Opposite City Park, the bright Tamar Street wine room pours single-vineyard wines grown at Hillwood, including the mineral-driven Folly Block Pinot Gris, sparkling rosé and The People’s Share Pinot Noir. Glasses begin at $9, with guided tastings for anyone interested in the vineyard’s finer details. Build a grazing platter with Southern Sky cheeses and cured meats, or buy a bottle to take home. Friday and Saturday evenings run until 10.30pm.
68 Tamar Street, Launceston
Dill Pickle Club
Most bars have a playlist. Dill Pickle Club has an acoustically engineered ceiling. Tasmania’s first listening bar takes its music seriously, playing vinyl and reel-to-reel tapes spanning the 1920s to today, at a volume that still allows for conversation. Designed by Workshop Architecture, the upstairs space has Tasmanian blackwood ceilings, a mustard-yellow floor, pink bar stools and lovely views across Launceston’s rooftops. Classic cocktails, local wines and an impressive whisky selection accompany cheese plates, olives and, naturally, pickles.
Level 1/78 St John Street, Launceston
Nomy Bar & Kitchen
At Nomy Bar & Kitchen, even the Negroni has spent time in Tasmanian wine country, aged in a former Hillwood Pinot Noir barrel before reaching your glass. Owner Michael Bernhagen, also behind The Barrel Collective, has assembled a formidable mezcal collection, an olive-oil Martini made with Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin and a kitchen that keeps pace with the drinkers. Order buttermilk chicken bites with green-curry mayo, a prawn roll on brioche or chargrilled octopus. The George Street bar serves food until 11pm from Friday to Sunday, giving late diners somewhere more interesting to go than the nearest takeaway.
Sitchu Tip: Take a look at the coasters. They’re printed with conversation starters, should your opening line need assistance.
91 George Street, Launceston
The Royal Oak Hotel
The Royal Oak Hotel has been pouring beers beside City Park since the 19th century, and its band room remains one of Launceston’s great assets. The refurbished Oak Shed hosts local musicians and touring acts, while upstairs, a rooftop courtyard with a firepit overlooks the city’s chimney tops. There’s an upstairs cocktail bar, too, alongside the traditional public bar and dining spaces. The kitchen caters to pub appetites, and the drinks list keeps Tasmanian producers close at hand. It’s an old-fashioned local with enough rooms to accommodate several different ideas of a Friday night.
Sitchu Tip: Check the Oak Shed gig calendar before visiting. Some performances are ticketed, and the music is worth planning around.
14 Brisbane Street, Launceston
Felix Espresso & Wine
The espresso is an excellent decoy at Felix Espresso & Wine. Opposite City Park, this Italian-minded address has terracotta walls, a record player with a taste for King Gizzard and a window bar overlooking Cimitiere Street. Tasmanian Pinot shares the wine list with Italian bottles and European discoveries, while Negronis and Aperol Spritzes keep the cocktail drinkers occupied. The kitchen makes its pasta from scratch, including a 12-hour lasagne layered with four types of meat and four cheeses. What began as an afternoon glass can become a rather substantial dinner.
Sitchu Tip: Book ahead for dinner. The pasta menu changes monthly, and evening reservations are essential.
4/112 Cimitiere Street, Launceston
Turner Stillhouse
At Turner Stillhouse, the gin contains fresh Tasmanian roses and the whisky has an American accent. Fifteen minutes from Launceston, this working Rosevears distillery overlooks the Tamar River and makes its award-winning Three Cuts Gin with locally grown botanicals. Tastings take place beside the production facility, where the copper stills make an impressive backdrop. The Rosevears range includes Tasmania’s first bourbon-style whiskey crafted entirely from local corn, rye and barley, alongside single malts matured in different casks. Neighbouring Tamar Ridge is only 20 metres away, making wine and spirits tastings possible in the same visit.
Sitchu Tip: Book the combined Tamar Ridge and Turner Stillhouse tasting. At $40 per person, it covers four wines and a selection of spirits over approximately one hour.
1A Waldhorn Drive, Rosevears
Bar Reggie
The former Phoenix nightclub has found a second life as Reggie, a Brisbane Street social club with a weakness for seventies interiors and a well-used disco ball. The cocktail list includes the Calvin Klein, a peach Negroni made with Tasmanian Hellfire gin, while the weekly calendar has enough going on to justify regular visits. Tuesday brings $15 pasta, Thursday means burgers and fries for $15, and Friday’s laneway sessions lead into DJ sets. On Saturdays, the separate Studio room takes over for late-night dancing. The upstairs-and-laneway arrangement gives the place plenty of room to change character as the hours pass.
Sitchu Tip: Friday’s $1 chicken wings run from 5pm to 7.30pm. Arrive before the DJs take over.
63 Brisbane Street, Launceston
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Midnight Rambler
Finding Midnight Rambler is half the fun. Behind an unmarked door in Earls Court, owner Nate Cairns has recreated the Southern American bars he came to know while working in Texas. Old boxing photographs line the walls, blues gives way to rock ‘n’ roll, and a pool table provides entertainment between rounds. Bourbon gets the attention it deserves: order a boilermaker, whisky followed by beer, or a pickleback with its bracing shot of pickle brine. The bartenders know their classics, the pretzels are complimentary, and Friday and Saturday trading runs into the early hours, often until 2am.
Earls Court, off Earl Street, Launceston
Havilah
At Havilah, the winemaker is also the co-owner. Ricky Evans is behind Two Tonne Tasmania, Havilah and Woodlawn, giving this Charles Street wine bar direct access to some of the Tamar Valley’s most interesting bottles. There’s Pinot Noir, naturally, but also orange wines, curious fizzies and growers from further afield. Across from Princes Square, the bar doubles as an urban cellar door, with wine tastings by appointment and a kitchen that treats seasonal produce with care. The wallaby skewers earned a place on delicious. magazine’s 2026 list of 100 dishes to eat, while the bar itself was a finalist for Gourmet Traveller’s 2026 Bar of the Year.
178 Charles Street, Launceston
Bar Stelo
Before Bar Stelo came Oscura, a winter speakeasy pop-up that demonstrated Launceston’s appetite for cocktails beyond the usual suspects. The permanent George Street bar retains the Italian marble, deep-green interiors and leather seating, with a drinks list informed by the restaurant next door. The seasonal Cilento Sour has paired gin and Galliano with rockmelon and olive oil; the Margarita Italiana takes mezcal towards amaretto and grapefruit. Tasmanian wines share space with Italian favourites, while the bar menu extends to baked scallops, salumi and other savoury distractions. Doors open from 4pm Wednesday to Saturday.
88A George Street, Launceston
Stillwater
Stillwater has been a fixture of Launceston dining for more than 25 years, but the wine bar at Ritchie’s Mill deserves attention in its own right. The historic riverside building has timber beams, broad windows and a close relationship with the Tamar Valley’s best producers. Sommelier and co-owner James Welsh oversees a formidable cellar, drawing on local winemakers alongside bottles from across Australia and overseas. There’s cooking from Craig Will’s kitchen for those who fancy more than a glass, with Tasmanian seafood a recurring strength. The river views are an additional reason to secure a window seat.
2 Bridge Road, Launceston
Mudbar
At Mudbar, the Tamar River provides the view, but the oyster menu deserves your attention first. Sourced from farms around Tasmania, they’re served natural, dressed with nahm jim or ponzu, tempura-fried with ginger and chilli, or as wasabi shooters. The cocktail list runs to more than 30 creations, including the Cucumber Cloud with gin, elderflower, pineapple and cucumber. There’s also an extensive Tasmanian Pinot Noir collection, while the kitchen sources lamb from its own farm at White Hills. Take a table overlooking the Seaport boats, with lunch and dinner both well catered for.
Sitchu Tip: Ask where the day’s oysters were harvested. Mudbar works with different Tasmanian farms, and the staff can explain what’s on the menu.
28 Seaport Boulevard, Launceston
Saint John Craft Beer
Eighteen rotating taps at Saint John Craft Beer make ordering a pint an exercise in decision-making. Tasmanian independent breweries share the line-up with interstate and international producers, while more than 100 bottles and cans fill the fridges, available to drink in or take away. The St John Street bar also stocks cider, wine and an extensive selection of gin and whisky, so nobody needs to feign enthusiasm for IPA. There’s a kitchen serving lunch and dinner daily, with a changing menu of substantial pub food and vegetarian options. A separate back bar has another six taps and space for private gatherings.
133 St John Street, Launceston
Boag’s Brewhouse
Launceston has been drinking James Boag’s since 1881, and the refurbished Boag’s Brewhouse carries much of that history. Inside the former Tamar Hotel, dark Tasmanian timber, a mural depicting Launceston’s old pubs and almost 1,000 vintage beer cans and bottles trace generations of brewing. The beer garden remains a fine place for a cold lager, although 2026 brought a difficult chapter for the city. The final Tasmanian-brewed Boag’s beers were packaged in October, ending 145 years of local production as manufacturing moved interstate. The Brewhouse continues trading, maintaining a public connection to one of northern Tasmania’s defining industries.
39 William Street, Launceston
Loved this edit of the best bars in Launceston and looking for somewhere to dine out? Check out our round-up of Launceston’s best restaurants. If you’re after more fun things to do, then check out our list of where to eat, drink, stay & play in Launceston.
