The Best Restaurants in Cradle Mountain for a Foodie Feast
After soaking up utterly magical scenery and long days spent exploring, you're bound to have your appetite satiated at the best restaurants in Cradle Mountain.
Exploring the jaw-dropping surrounds of Cradle Mountain will most certainly help build up an appetite, and, despite being in the midst of the mountains, you’ll find some stellar options for a good feed at the end of the day.
While the food and dining options are by no means plentiful in the area, the best restaurants in Cradle Mountain run the gamut from fine dining to casual - and you'll still get a fine taste of that much-lauded Tassie food and wine scene.
So, without further ado, here are the 5 best restaurants in Cradle Mountain to check out during your next adventurous stay.
Tullah Lakeside Bar & Grill
On the approach to Cradle Mountain is a tiny picturesque town called Tullah, perched on the edge of Lake Rosebery. The Tullah Lakeside Bar & Grill is a popular local eatery open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The hearty, generously-sized lunches are perfect if you’re on your way in or out of the Cradle Mountain area and need to load up before or after a hike. Try the Oolala Parmigiana – a spin on the classic featuring locally-sourced crumbed chicken topped with Tasmanian brie.
56 Farrell Street, Tullah
Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village Restaurant
Whether or not you’re staying at the Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village, it’s well worth dining at the on-site restaurant. The bistro-style fare is perfect for recharging after a long day of exploring, and the menu has a strong emphasis on local produce. Try the Tassie west coast salmon with duck fat roasted potatoes or the Mountain beef burger if you’re extra hungry, or opt to share smaller plates or a pizza with your table. Top it off with a sweet treat like the chocolate cheesecake with yuzu mascarpone cream and you’ll be more than satisfied.
3816 Cradle Mountain Road, Cradle Mountain
Highland Restaurant
Cosy up by the stone-edged open fire at this well-regarded restaurant in the Cradle Mountain Lodge. Highland Restaurant’s ever-evolving menu shines a light on local produce, with dishes like wallaby scaloppini with mushroom sauce, blue swimmer crab cake with saffron aioli and broccolini with hazelnut puree – and they’ve got the best Tassie wines to match. Easily one of the best restaurants in Cradle Mountain, you best book in advance for this one.
4038 Cradle Mountain Road, Cradle Mountain
The Tavern Bar & Bistro
Also situated at the Cradle Mountain Lodge is the more laidback, timber-clad Tavern Bar & Bistro. An ideal respite at the end of your day exploring in the mountains, it's serving up some great pub-style fare. Think pasta, pizzas, burgers and salads alongside a good ol’ parmi or steak. Replace those calories burned on a walk around Dove Lake with a wood-fired chocolate chip cookie, then hang by the fire or settle in for a round of pool and a cold one. Relaxed and fun, this is one of the best restaurants in Cradle Mountain for the whole family.
4038 Cradle Mountain Road, Cradle Mountain
Altitude Bistro
Forget everything you know about buffets and settle into Altitude Bistro at Cradle Mountain Hotel for their Graze at Cradle buffet – a deluxe offering that alternates between two menus each night. Fancy a Tasmanian Ling Fish pie, or potato gnocchi in local blue cheese sauce? Duck terrine with fig jam or toasted nut and seed salad? Chase them for second servings from the cake buffet, then collapse by the roaring log fire with wide, sugared-up smiles, before rolling yourself home.
3718 Cradle Mountain Road, Cradle Mountain
Derwent Bridge Wilderness Hotel
If comfort food in a cosy enclave is your thing, then the warm and inviting Derwent Bridge Wilderness Hotel is the place to be. From a porterhouse steak to fresh trout and authentic Sri Lankan curries, this hotel’s in-house restaurant has you chasing the alpine chill away the moment you step foot through the front door. Grab a glass of hearty red to round out the cosy factor and nestle by the fire.
15573 Lyell Highway, Derwent Bridge
Dinner sorted at one of the best restaurants in Cradle Mountain and wondering where to explore next? Round out your Tassie trip with a visit to Hobart and Launceston.