The Source Restaurant

My close friend recommended I visit MONA specifically for The Source as it was the best meal he’d had recently. I enjoyed my MONA trip a lot but unfortunately The Source disappointed a bit. The restaurant was super dead and empty. I ordered oysters, truffle cheese toastie, cauliflower, and boats in the source. The oysters were delicious as expected and my favorite dish was definitely the toastie!! Insane cheese pull on that one and so flavorful! The cauliflower was just okay and I actually did not like the boats in the source dish much at all. Overall I felt a little let down with the meal but the service was amazing and I had a very kind and helpful server. I’d consider trying out FARO the higher end fine dining restaurant inside MONA instead of The Source if I am able to visit again!

Lovely restaurant in an interesting museum! It's nice to be able to get a good food while you are enjoying spending time in the museum ground! There are a couple restaurants in MONA but this one is in door so we booked it in case the weather gets bad. The restaurant was upstairs from hotel reception with a cool skull stand in front. Delicious food, friendly staff, and nice decorations! There is a chef set menu with wine pairing if you want to go with something special and substantial! We had one entree and one main each and then share one dessert. I like the beautiful plates they use for oyster 🦪🥰

Service was good and attentive. Food quality was good and beautiful. Setting and ambience is positive with enough space between each table. Really enjoy the cauliflower starters and our mains (Risotto and Fish)!

Just had the most amazing 5 course lunch with wine pairings today. Posh pit on ferry was fantastic as well. Highly recommend Source but book ahead if on weekend. We were so lucky to get the last table.

My wife and I needed a quick meal to meet our ferry departure time, and we expected not to be served as she has several allergies and intolerances and we hadn’t made a booking. The Source took wonderful care of us. The waiters asked several clarifying questions about my wife’s allergies which reassured us that the kitchen was taking great care to ensure her needs were met. The meals we received were wonderful, one of the best seafood dishes she had ever eaten. Overall, it was a delightful meal with great service.

I stopped in for a late lunch on a whim after a wine tasting. The space is stunning and serene, the service is exact, friendly, yet a touch slow- my server was awesome though. This quickly went from the best meal I had in Aus to an absolutely mid-tasting meal. The blanc de blanc was gorgeous, the oysters were the best I’ve had in Oceania, I will never stop talking about the tartare- all elements worked together beautifully and you have to get it with the wallaby. I also ordered the mushroom sundae which I was really excited about, but they were out of it so I was persuaded to try the shrimp starter “boat in the source”. I had a few bites but didn’t eat most of it, it should not be a starter (or on the menu in my opinion). It’s oily, flavorless (desperately needed salt which is saying a lot because I never salt my food when I dine out). While I think the components and execution could be reimagined for something special, this execution was more a savory chunky oatmeal mush with some shrimp and annoying garnish that’s hard to eat around. They were kind enough to not charge me which I appreciated. The lemongrass cream could have been spectacular, but the cream was underwhelming as was the basil ice cream, this also needs to be reimagined - it would be better as a panna cotta with a creamy sorbet. I’d happily come here again, but I’d go with my gut on the food.

We had the four-course degustation at The Source and it was exceptional from start to finish. Every dish was beautifully presented, thoughtfully balanced, and showed real care in both flavour and technique. The pacing was perfect, the service warm and professional, and the ingredients treated with genuine respect. The standout was the coconut dessert — absolutely to die for. Light, clever, and the perfect finish to an already memorable meal. For the same price range as other Hobart restaurants, The Source is in a completely different league. Refined, consistent, and worth every dollar.

Very hip and posh! A real experience like the MONA museum! If you are there … join them! Only negative point: The staff outfit is … not fitting to the rest!

Was poking around for something to do during our Hobart stay and MONA was at the top of our host's guide. When you get to the site - there's information on lunch at The Source. Ferry boat to the museum and into a fancy lunch? Sign me up. It was everything I imagined and more. One of the handful of memorable meals during our trip. Beautiful interior, floor to ceiling windows, fantastic staff and local food. Yes wallaby tartare is on the menu, we ate it and recommend. Another local twist is the incorporation of individualized designs to the plates from local school children and the modern uniforms are designed in AUS and unisex. Beautiful, thoughtful meal and space. We loved it. Ate a leisurely lunch, then wandered downstairs to the ice cream cart and then walked it all off in the museum. A perfect afternoon.

We hadn't planned on going to this place. We were just wandering by and happened to find the cafe next door and saw this place so wandered up and asked if they had a table. Come back in an hour and we were in. It was late January and just a lovely day and everyone was being sat inside. We asked to be sat outside, which we duly were, so we overlooked a field half full of people enjoying a jazz concert. Yes, it was that kind of day - sunny, jazz, great restaurant. I don't expect we'll get that kind of experience unless we time it very well indeed. The food here is fantastic, the service is really welcoming and it's such a great place to have next to MONA. If you can, come here in summer - and try to time it with a concert outdoors and overlook the field outside. Such a great experience.

The wallaby with almond and wattleseed butter was amazing and definitely worth having if you want to try wallaby. The oysters are sweet, large and have a delicious ocean flavor without the metallic aftertaste of some Australian oysters. And the crab tostadas were pretty good. But, the mains, a blue eye in a really seafoodie broth (too oceany and I generally never say that) and the lamb (too fatty) weren't great preparations. The location is good if you go to the museum and the drink list is huge. This is a place to go, but not to detour to.

We were lucky enough to get a full tasting menu in this beautiful restaurant next to the MONA. The atmosphere of the restaurant is quiet and peaceful, with a beautiful view. The food was fantastic, Australian with Japanese influences. My only disappointment was desert: just a simple chocolate sponge cake? Really? After all these masterpieces? Hiring a patissier would definitely make the experience complete.

We had the chance to eat at The Source a few times, in part thanks to the fact that hotel guests get to eat breakfast there every morning if they wish (it's included as part of the package in staying at one of the pavilions). It's located on the top floor of the Ether building, which also includes the reception desk for the hotel. At breakfast time, it's generally pretty empty, so you get your choice of seating; at lunch, though, there are more folks (in large part because the museum itself is quite popular), so I would recommend a reservation, although by the time we showed up to eat (around 2 PM), it began to empty out and was mostly vacated by the time we finished about 90 minutes later. The views are populated of the vegetation on the outer areas ringing the restaurant, as well as of the stage (nice when there is live music) or of the river. Combined with a wait staff that doesn't take itself too seriously but makes sure you are serviced efficiently, and you have a very relaxed setting in which to partake in a meal. The breakfast dishes are pretty standard - you have some sweeter options, some healthier ones, and a lot of hot dishes that include eggs. All of them are quite good, with my favorite likely being the French toast - aside from the brioche being done to airy perfection, the jam (I asked for the rhubarb-apple iteration, as I'm not a marmalade person) was perfect pairing, and with two 'columns' of toast, it ends up being pretty light. The 'hot' dishes are all pretty decently-sized, so you'll likely walk out filled - but they are all quite good. The eggs hollandaise is served with a kombu-based hollandaise, making it lighter and more refreshing than your typical iteration of this dish. Served with a couple of poached eggs, some swirls of puréed avocado, and really good sourdough, and you have yourself a delicious breakfast. The huevos rancheros is also quite good, even if it's a little lighter on the salsa and guacamole than an American-prepared version. The blue corn tortillas provide a hearty base for each bite, and the beans, egg, and avocado combine to fill you up (and it has a hint of spice to boot). The 'continental' breakfast is definitely a splurge from a stomach perspective - with two eggs over sourdough, two slices of smoked bacon (good, if not cooked as consistently as I would prefer), two pieces of chicken sausage (surprisingly good), and a potato 'rosti' (hash browns, basically)...you're going to enjoy the meal but be thinking about skipping lunch. Speaking of lunch - I wanted to see how the main meal The Source hosts did (they do not serve dinner). In short, the food was probably even better. We started with a crab tostada on a squid-ink tostada and paired with avocado and a dash of caviar. The caviar is a bit extraneous - there's a lot happening already - but the fresh crab meat on a warmly-flavored tostada was excellent. We did the local oysters as well, and I really liked them; more than the others we have had, it perfectly mixed the creamy texture and finish with a hint of brine. The smoked oyster mayonnaise (we got a few with this) was also quote good, and if anything accentuates the flavor of the sea. We then moved on to the wagyu beef tartare, which was quite unique - the beef is actually partially seared, and combined with the potato 'chips' topping the tartare, you get a nice mix of the beef flavor with the slightly mushy crunchiness of the chips. Our main was an excellent lamb back strap, which was very flavorful and had loads of flavor despite being a lean cut of meat. We finished off with an excellent cherry and blackberry clafoutis; the best way I can describe it is an eggy, crepe-like cake that had the fruit baked in and some buttermilk ice cream on the side to dollop onto the cake and temper the heat (while adding a little more creaminess). MONA itself is an institution unto its own, but I would definitely carve out time to stop by for a meal here. The food is excellent (as are the cocktails), the decor and ambiance is in the spirit of the grounds and the museum, and it's a nice way to take a break from making one go of the museum and catching some sunlight.

My husband and I had a fun experience splurging on wine, beer, oysters, & ceviche prior to exploring the MONA. A light snack was all we needed! Service was impeccable.

Wonderful Beautifully presented, innovative cuisine, wonderful flavours with brilliant accompanying wines. Staff very friendly. Would recommend.

We had lunch at The Source Restaurant Mona during our Summer Holiday in Tasmania. We were seated on the balcony, overlooking the stage at a table covered in plants. Your table setting quite literally sits on top of what resembles a small green patch of garden filled with little flowers. In terms of the food, it was fantastic. I had the wagyu beef with a flavoursome mushroom and chicken liver parfait. Definitely would recommend. Overall, the Source Restaurant exceeded my expectations. If you're intending to visit Mona, make sure you book at The Source.

We tried The Source for lunch when visiting MONA after we'd spent some time at the Cellar Door. Lunch was absolutely lovely - the food was fantastic and it was difficult to choose what to have as it all sounded fantastic! The staff were lovely and very accommodating - we like to share our meals and the waitress was most obliging by bringing us extra plates so we could split up the meals. A really great experience.

Elegant dining with a fantastic wine list. The web site suggested that it was predominantly focused on a 5, 7 or 9 course degustation menu, but that wasn't available when we went for lunch so I suspect that is dinner only.

Decor and service were beautiful. The food was disappointing. It is probably better to go to the wine bar to eat when visiting the MONA.

The perfect compliment to a MONA visit. The atmosphere is crisp, clean and topped with a bay view. The food is artistic and dances on the pallet. A hearty wine list is available so that the perfect wine is available to accent your culinary experience. The cab merlot from Moorilla is a fine choice.

Brilliant architecture and design, the molecular gastronomy has not reached nearly the same level. I was really disappointed having had such great expectations after being gobsmacked by the rest of the MONA experience. The wine list was excellent.

We stayed at MONA pavilions and really enjoyed our visit to The Source. Service was great and food was very nice, they looked after me with complimentary saki and cake. Great whisky menu too. We also enjoyed breakfast here the morning after which was great, a "must visit" place.