Be careful. After reading this list of foodie haunts and restaurants on Bruny Island, you might not have the appetite for any other activity.

If Tasmanians are obsessed with their local produce you better bet that Bruny Islanders – who really, live on an island within an island – are even more so.

Located south of Hobart and reachable by ferry, Lunawanna-Allonah offers Tasmanians and mainlanders alike a chance to escape to a remote rugged landscape, wild in nature and stocked with gourmet produce sourced from the land.

Save the hiking boots for later in your Bruny Island adventure. First, you need to check out this list of the best Bruny Island restaurants, cafes and foodie experiences.

The shortlist

Best design/most Instagrammable: The Izzy Bar
Best casual eats: Bruny Island Cheese Co.
Best for seafood: Get Shucked Oysters
Hidden gem: Bruny Baker Bread Fridge

1. The Izzy Bar

Best for: Funky vibes, wine, pizza

The Izzy is named after Bruny’s iconic isthmus (which, let’s be honest, is a bit of a tongue twister, hence the abbreviation), seen out the windows of this cosy and artfully decorated restaurant and bar. ‘Fire food’ reigns supreme here, with a giant wood-fired oven the kitchen’s crowning glory, used to produce 48-hour long-ferment pizzas when it’s cranked to full temp and lower-temperature dishes when the flame is tamed on Wednesdays and Thursdays (plus there’s an open fire to huddle around outside). There are vegetarian and vegan menu options, too.

This is the kind of place where everything is produced with love, from housemade pickles, preserves and other condiments, to a selection of veggies pulled straight from the garden.

Cuisine: Artisan, modern Australian, pizza

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Smooth tunes, design-led interior

Review: 5/5

Location: 3349 Bruny Island Main Road, South Bruny

2. Get Shucked Oysters

Best for: Seafood, a snack

Slurp down oysters, which have travelled just a few metres away from the ocean at the licensed Get Shucked farm and restaurant. These plump beauties are a must; a fresh and scrummy treat for those looking for a reasonably cheap plate of Tassie oysters. There is also a drive-through if you’d rather take them home.

Cuisine: Oysters

Average price: $-$$

Atmosphere: Casual, outdoorsy

Review: 5/5

Location: Lease 204, 1735 Bruny Island Main Road, Great Bay, North Bruny

3. Bruny Island Cheese Co.

Best for: Cheese platters, beer

Beer and cheese come together in a match made in heaven at the Bruny Island Cheese Company’s cellar door.

As well as their local cheese tasting boards, they serve up locally brewed beers with help from their pals at the Bruny Island Beer Co. brewery. Stouts, ales and IPAs, as well as Tasmanian wines and tasty condiments, are all available at this dog-friendly cellar door.

Cuisine: Cheese, beer

Average price: $-$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Review: 5/5

Location: 1807 Bruny Island Main Rd, Great Bay

4. Bruny Island Premium Wines

Best for: Wine tasting, lunch

On the outskirts of Lunawanna township, you’ll find Australia’s most southern vineyard, Bruny Island Premium Wines. Owner and winemaker Bernice Dillon, a through-and-through Bruny Islander (she’s a direct descendent of one of the island’s first settlers), makes nearly all of the wine on her own. Wine varieties vary depending on the year and season, and you can try these (along with a selection of cider) in the tasting room at the front of the building. For a meal, you can grab a table in the casual restaurant, which has industrial, cafeteria vibes, while overlooking the vines.

Cuisine: Wine, seafood

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Review: 4/5

Location: 4391 Bruny Island Main Rd, Lunawanna

5. Hotel Bruny

Best for: Casual meals, water views

Hotel Bruny is Bruny’s local pub, located in the northwest of the south island. Despite its plain exterior, it has delightful water views by day and a lively atmosphere by night, always popular with locals and tourists alike. The menu has a good mix of options, including your typical pub favourites like burgers, pizzas and thick, juicy parmigianas.

Cuisine: Pub fare

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Casual

Review: 3/5

Location: 3959 Bruny Island Main Rd, Alonnah

6. Mari Bruny

Best for: Asian-inspired dishes, coffee

Mari Bruny is a family-run restaurant in the heart of Adventure Bay, next door to the small grocery store and directly across the road from the beach. The changing menu often has an Asian spin, with delicious curries and meat dishes, and this is also one of the few places you can grab a coffee on the island (despite Bruny’s incredible food offering, cafes serving good coffee are few and far between).

Cuisine: Multicultural, coffee

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Casual

Review: 4/5

Location: 710 Adventure Bay Rd, Adventure Bay

7. Bruny Island House of Whisky

Best for: Whisky aficionados

Did you know Tassie is famous for its whisky? The world-famous drink is made with locally grown malted barley and is differentiated by its rich, ‘full palate’ taste. See what all the hype is about when you sip on a dram or two from the over 150 Tasmanian single malts on offer at the Bruny Island House of Whisky. Not buzzed about whisky? There’s gin available, too. Whatever your poison, the knowledgeable staff will be available to help you find a tipple to your taste.

Cuisine: Whisky, gin

Average price: $$$$$

Atmosphere: Sophisticated

Review: 4/5

Location: 360 Lennon Rd, North Bruny Island

8. Bruny Island Gateway Cafe

Best for: A quick bite

Make the last (or first) thing you do on Bruny Island a stop here. Located at the ferry terminal at Kettering (i.e. the Tassie mainland), you can buy a coffee at the Gateway to have out on the deck, overlooking the marina, to watch the boats go by.

Cuisine: Coffee, casual cafe food

Average price: $-$$

Atmosphere: Laidback

Review: 3/5

Location: 79 Ferry Rd, Kettering

9. The Honey Pot and Bruny Island Honey

Best for: Honey tastings

The European bees that occupy Bruny Island Honey’s 1000-odd hives are transported all over Bruny and Tasmania to collect the nectar of many flowers, resulting in a deliciously varied selection of honey to try (including prickly box, fennel and the distinctive Tasmanian leatherwood). Pick up a jar or two to take home and make sure you try a scoop of their famous honey ice cream.

Cuisine: Honey, ice cream

Average price: $

Atmosphere: Casual

Review: 4/5

Location: 2184 Bruny Island Main Rd, Great Bay

10. Bruny Island Raspberry Farm

Best for: Crepes, scones

Spend a sunny afternoon with the kids picking raspberries and other fruits at Bruny Island Raspberry Farm. Note, the farm and its cafe are seasonal (fruits gotta grow, y’know), so check the company’s Facebook page or ask a local before visiting. 

Cuisine: Raspberries, sweet snacks

Average price: $

Atmosphere: Casual, outdoorsy

Review: 3/5

Location: 69 Lockleys Rd, Adventure Bay

11. Bruny Island Chocolate

Best for: Fudge

Chocolate lovers should make for Bruny Island Chocolate on Adventure Bay Road. There are no tastings available so you can browse the shelves (including more than 10 varieties of fudge made with Tasmanian cream) and snaffle some up to try when a sweet craving hits.

Cuisine: Chocolate

Average price: $

Atmosphere: Gift shop

Review: 3/5

Location: 55 Adventure Bay Rd, Adventure Bay

12. Island Social

Best for: Coffee, community feels

Island Social is the Covid project of a passionate local who set up a down-to-earth little cafe inside the cricket club at Alonnah. There’s a small selection of cakes and other cabinet snacks, and the interior has homely, lounge room vibes. Grab a coffee and sit on the deck with a view over the cricket pitch and out the ocean.

Cuisine: Coffee

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Relaxed, local

Review: 3/5

Location: 14 School Rd, Alonnah

13. Spirit of Bruny

Best for: Gin lovers

The Spirit of Bruny micro distillery can be found down a dirt road and up a hill, meaning top ocean views once you get there. Settle in for a tasting paddle, including the signature citrusy and lightly peppery ‘White Wallaby Gin’ and the passionfruit vodka, made with passionfruit grown on the back fence.

Cuisine: Gin, vodka

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Casual living room, water views

Review: 3/5

Location: 391 Simpsons Bay Rd, Simpsons Bay

14. Bruny Baker Bread Fridge

Best for: Fresh sourdough, a quirky island experience

Most days, the ‘Bruny Baker’ John Bullock comes out to deliver his freshly baked wood-fired bread, ready to eat.

But where to get it? It’s more than a little unusual. Instead of your regular storefront, this fluffy, baked goodness is loaded into two (defunct) retro fridges at the turnoff to Sheepwash Road.

Just drop your cash into the honesty box (or make a bank transfer to the account scratched onto brown paper inside the fridge door) and help yourself. Get in early, as the bread tends to sell out quickly, though it does typically get restocked throughout the day, such is its popularity, and you can text John on the number inside the fridge door if you’re itching to know when the next delivery is due.

Cuisine: Bread, sourdough

Average price: $

Atmosphere: A shady spot by the side of the road

Review: 4/5

Location: Sheepwash Rd, Alonnah

15. Bruny Island Safari Tours

Can’t decide on the above? Go with the locals on a Bruny Island Safari Tour (one of the top tours on the island), and hop on their Bruny Island Food, Sightseeing and Lighthouse Tour. Get a lift from Hobart with your guides, then cross on the ferry to search for the white wallaby and climb the Cape Bruny Lighthouse, and also sample whisky, oysters and cheese.

16. Bruny Island Traveller

Pennicotts Wilderness Journeys also run a food tour, Bruny Island Traveller, direct from Hobart. Meet up at their office in Hobart to travel on the SeaLink Bruny Island Ferry. Highlights include tastings at the Bruny Island Cheese & Beer Co., a visit to The Neck, lunch at Pennicott’s restaurant and a drive-through at Get Shucked Oysters for all your oyster needs.

This article was originally written by Kate Bettes with updates by Emily Mcauliffe.

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