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Discovering Moonah, Hobart’s Creative, Ever-Evolving Neighbourhood
Moonah: once factories, now falafels and fine art — Hobart’s northside comeback kid with flavour, grit and serious cool.
Moonah has a habit of making Hobart’s CBD look a little less essential. Just five kilometres north of the city, this former industrial suburb has become one of Hobart’s most interesting neighbourhoods for food, coffee, vintage shopping and independent art. Along Main Road, the day’s itinerary might begin with excellent coffee at Plain Jane, take a delicious detour for falafel at Saba’s and end with an op-shop find you absolutely didn’t need. In between, there are Taiwanese kitchens, Sri Lankan curries, local breweries and exhibitions at Moonah Arts Centre.
Once a landscape of orchards, workshops and factories, Moonah still wears its working-class history well. Its real charm belongs to the people who’ve made it theirs: family-run restaurants, specialty grocers, independent makers and a creative community with plenty to say.
Forget the waterfront for an afternoon. From the best cafes and restaurants to bars, shopping and things to do, here’s our guide to discovering Moonah, Tasmania.
In This Guide
The Best Cafes in Moonah
Plain Jane
Plain Jane by name, anything but by nature. A sibling to Hobart’s much-loved Machine Laundry Cafe, this retro charmer brings Formica tables, excellent coffee, mismatched chairs and a healthy appetite to Moonah’s Main Road. The three-cheese toasties have earned their following, while Nonna’s baked eggs arrive with tomato-braised beans, taleggio, salsa verde and garlic sourdough. Feeling adventurous? There’s a Japanese okonomiyaki pancake, too.
73 Main Road, Moonah
District B
The B in District B has a story: it refers to the street in Mongolia where founder Turuu Lkhagva grew up. Now it’s a favourite morning stop on Moonah’s Albert Road, where Sydney roaster Single O supplies the house blend and rotating single origins keep coffee devotees interested. Pair your flat white with the much-loved bacon-and-egg brioche, an almond croissant or a cinnamon scroll from the pastry cabinet. Seating is limited, but the friendly service makes even a takeaway coffee feel like a proper visit.
96 Albert Road, Moonah
BAKED Gluten Free
BAKED Gluten Free has been making Moonah a happier place for coeliacs since 2014, and the pastry cabinet is reason enough to visit. There are plump jam doughnuts, pillowy brioche, golden focaccia and seed-studded loaves, all made in a dedicated gluten-free bakery. Coffee comes from sister business Lottie Lane Coffee Roasters, whose roastery is just behind the cafe. Grab a table for breakfast, then choose something for later. The doughnuts, we suspect, may not survive the journey home.
10 Sunderland Street, Moonah
Shake Coffee Roasters
At Shake Coffee Roasters, ordering coffee is rather like choosing wine. Tell the barista what you’re in the mood for and you could be steered towards a blueberry-bright espresso, a peachy pour-over or something altogether more adventurous. Co-owner and head roaster Ian Merrigan ethically sources and roasts the beans in-house, with single origins changing regularly. The croissants are baked throughout the day, too, so the idea of leaving with just a takeaway flat white is… optimistic.
85 Main Road, Moonah
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Wondr by Villino
At Wondr by Villino, the best seat in the house overlooks the coffee roastery. Villino’s Moonah headquarters doubles as a cellar-door cafe, with a glass wall onto the roasting operations and a brew bar dedicated to espresso, cold brew and rotating single-origin pour-overs. The house Wondrland blend brings jammy sweetness and biscuit notes, while pastries make an excellent excuse to stay.
Sitchu Tip: Before you go, browse the freshly roasted beans and brewing gear. Your home coffee setup may never recover.
43 Sunderland Street, Moonah
The Best Restaurants and Bars in Moonah
St Albi Bar & Eatery
When Lucy Baker opened St Albi in a Moonah warehouse a decade ago, she was told nobody ate ‘north of the flannelette curtain’. These days, the tables tell a different story. Behind concrete walls and steel beams, amber lighting and a long bar set the scene for Cajun-rubbed steaks, Tasmanian oysters and duck-fat potatoes with rosemary salt. Order the seafood chowder if the weather turns, and a glass of local pinot noir regardless. Moonah’s dining credentials were never going to stay a secret.
49 Albert Road, Moonah
Moonah Hotel & Cellars
Ask a longtime Moonah local where to find the Mustard Pot and they’ll send you to Moonah Hotel & Cellars. A Main Road fixture since 1934, the pub now belongs to Mountain Culture, with Status Quo pale ale among twelve rotating taps. The kitchen knows its audience: house-made beer cob loaf with cheesy sauce, slow-cooked beef, cheddar and jalapeño pie, and Wednesday parmas. Claim a spot in the beer garden, then browse the adjoining bottle shop.
99 Main Road, Moonah
Luna Chan
Before Luna Chan opened on Moonah’s Main Road, its owners were serving Taiwanese gua bao from a truck at Hobart markets. The permanent address hasn’t lost that street-food spirit. Order soft buns filled with soy-dressed pork belly, crushed peanuts and coriander, add spring onion pancakes with soy syrup, then consider a bowl of slow-braised pork rice or beef noodle soup. There’s local beer on tap, too. The correct number of baos to order? We’re still conducting research.
127A Main Road, Moonah
Chulesi Nepalese Restaurant
At Chulesi, ordering dumplings is not a one-and-done affair. There are steamed momo, pan-fried kothe momo, chilli-tossed momo and jhol momo swimming in hot tomato broth. The 32-piece platter makes an excellent argument for indecision. Beyond the dumplings, try chana chatpate, a lively tangle of puffed rice, black chickpeas, potato and lemon, or the khaja set with beaten rice, chicken choila and spiced accompaniments.
Site 1/73-75 Main Road, Moonah
Saba’s Falafel
Tiny in footprint, huge in reputation: Saba’s is Moonah’s falafel temple. Chickpea patties emerge hot and crisp, tucked into pita wraps with zesty salads and tahini that drips down your wrist. Eggplant platters, vegan-friendly extras, and a sweet halva finish keep regulars in the queue. It’s a counter-service spot, casual and cheerful, but don’t mistake it for simple. Every bite is fresh, generous and better than the last.
shop2/75 Main Road, Moonah
Sacred Bites Indian Asian Fusion
Paneer tacos at an Indian restaurant? We’re listening. At Sacred Bites, a little beyond Moonah in New Town, the starters wander happily across borders: chicken tikka tucked into soft tortillas, pulled-jackfruit bao and Nepalese momo with house-made achar. Then come lamb Madras, kofta palak and warm naan for mopping up the last of the sauce. The intimate dining room is best approached with friends and a willingness to order far too much. One curry each? That seems a dreadful waste of a menu.
Unit 17/119 New Town Road, New Town
Hazel Breeze
Hazel Breeze delivers Sri Lankan comfort food that sings with spice. The kottu roti clangs on the hotplate before arriving chopped and fragrant, string hoppers soak up curries laced with chilli, and devilled chicken hits with sweet fire. Everything is cooked with fresh Tasmanian produce, but the flavours are pure Colombo street food. It’s family-run, casual and brimming with warmth; every plate feels like heritage made tangible. For spice fiends, Hazel Breeze is essential Moonah dining.
40 Springfield Avenue, Moonah
The Albert Brewery
Anyone who says all lagers taste alike hasn’t spent an afternoon at The Albert Brewery. Moonah’s serious-about-lager taproom pours everything from crisp Czech pilsner to a dark lager with toffee and chocolate notes. Start with a tasting paddle, add smoked-bacon flatbread or bratwurst blanched in lager, and settle in for live music on the weekend. The machinery has its own story: brewing equipment from a former Dutch test brewery, complete with a control panel straight out of the Cold War. Tours run Fridays.
Sitchu Tip: Book the 30-minute Friday brewery tour ($25), which includes a tasting paddle and a closer look at that extraordinary brewing equipment.
73-75 Albert Road, Moonah
Local Pizza
You could order a Margherita at Local Pizza. But when the menu includes Spud Lyf, Kevin Bacon and Notorious P.I.G., where’s the fun in that? At the Berriedale original, a short detour from Moonah, long-fermented dough carries everything from potato, bacon and sour cream to smoky eggplant, babaganoush and dukkah. There are dedicated vegan versions with cashew cheese, too. Make it dinner after MONA, and don’t leave the crusts: there’s ranch, chilli oil and truffle aioli for dipping.
Sitchu Tip: Order the three-dipper deal for $6 and give those leftover crusts the attention they deserve.
52 Maroni Road, Berriedale
The Best Shopping in Moonah
Hobart City Mission Moonah Mega-Store
Twenty thousand pieces of clothing. That’s not an op-shop browse; that’s an afternoon with no fixed end time. Hobart City Mission’s Moonah Mega-Store packs its Main Road premises with pre-loved fashion, furniture, books, homewares, toys and electrical finds. Arrive with an open mind and a little boot space, especially if you’re prone to falling for an old armchair. Plus, every purchase helps fund the charity’s community programmes, including emergency relief.
15 Main Road, Moonah
Things to Do in Moonah
Artosaurus Gallery & Studios
Artosaurus began with a mother’s question: where would her dinosaur-mad son Declan make art after finishing school? Sara Lindsay and her friend Rhonda McLaughlin answered with a gallery and studio for artists of all abilities. Today, the Moonah shop brims with Tasmanian-made prints, ceramics, textiles and jewellery, while small-group painting and comics clubs invite you to have a go. You might leave with a handmade gift and a sudden desire to make something yourself. Their motto? ‘Make Art. Be Happy.’
71a Main Road, Moonah
Moonah Arts Centre
Moonah Arts Centre has a very agreeable idea of a Saturday: live music, something delicious from a local food stall and a free gallery wander afterwards. Its monthly Moonah Music afternoons bring emerging and established musicians together, while exhibitions, theatre and hands-on workshops keep the Morrison and Breytenbach-designed building busy the rest of the week. There’s even an annual Glenorchy Open, inviting artists of all abilities to show their work. Stop in out of curiosity; leave with a new favourite artist.
23-27 Albert Road, Moonah
Visit MONA
Ten minutes from Moonah, David Walsh has built a museum that seems determined to unsettle you, then pour you a glass of wine. At MONA, descend into sandstone-cut galleries where ancient artefacts and provocative contemporary art invite equal measures of wonder and argument. Arrive on the camouflaged ferry from Hobart, or drive straight from your Moonah cafe crawl. Afterwards, emerge blinking into daylight for Moorilla wine on the lawns above the Derwent. You may not agree on the art. That’s half the fun.
Sitchu Tip: MONA is free for Tasmanian residents, but everyone needs to book an entry ticket. Allow at least three to four hours to explore.
655 Main Road, Berriedale
Walk GASP! or Ride the North–South Track
Moonah’s creativity doesn’t stop at the gallery door. Along Elwick Bay, GASP!‘s 3.2-kilometre foreshore trail passes sculptures, tidal wetlands and saltmarsh, with a boardwalk that gets you wonderfully close to the water. Take it slowly; there are birds to watch. For something with a little more mud on its boots, the North–South Track covers 11 kilometres between Glenorchy Mountain Bike Park and The Springs, threading through peppermint woodland and stringybark forest. Walk or mountain-bike it, but save the nice shoes for lunch.
Sitchu Tip: GASP! is the gentler option, with a flat, accessible pathway suitable for prams and wheelchairs. The North–South Track is a more demanding, shared-use adventure. Allow half a day on foot and check mountain weather before setting out.
Evolo Room Escape
If your friendship group has ever argued over who gets to read the map, Evolo Room Escape has a few challenges for you. Tasmania’s original independent escape-room creators have four Moonah adventures: steal a diamond, outwit Wild West outlaws, save the world as secret agents or race your mates to Mars. The locally designed puzzles demand cooperation, quick thinking and a healthy tolerance for your most competitive friend. Sessions run 60–75 minutes, and you’ll have the room to yourselves. Book ahead.
Sitchu Tip: Bringing a crowd? Space Race splits six to 16 players into competing teams, with opportunities to distract and sabotage your opponents through a dividing window. Friendships may be tested.
103 Albert Road, Moonah
Around Moonah: Worth the Short Detour
Gould’s Lagoon Wetlands
Arthur Gould had the right idea in 1938: give the birds their own sanctuary and let the rest of us visit quietly. A short drive north of Moonah, Gould’s Lagoon has recorded more than 100 species, from black swans and cormorants drying their wings to lorikeets having a very loud conversation. Follow the gentle 2.5-kilometre trail, step onto the boardwalk and settle into the bird hide. Bring binoculars and a little patience; the best entertainment here tends to arrive on wings.
Sitchu Tip: The bird-viewing platform is accessible for wheelchairs and prams. Find the car park off Hestercombe Road.
Hestercombe Road, Granton, Tasmania
Moonah has a funny way of extending an afternoon. You came for lunch, found a second-hand treasure and somehow have three more addresses to investigate. There’s still plenty of Tasmania to fall for, too. Find somewhere lovely to stay with our guide to Hobart’s best Airbnbs, or head north for cellar doors and country pleasures in the Tamar Valley.
