Institut Polaire

Ate here recently whilst on holiday in Hobart. We had the seasonal menu. The snapper was excellent, oysters and steak tartare were enjoyable. We were not a fan of the pasta with fava beans and asparagus. The chocolate and caramel tart was nice. Overall this is a good restaurant but very pricey. The meal for two of us was around $500. I would recommend as we enjoyed it but I prob would not be a regular there.

I have been waiting to eat here for a long time and was not only not disappointed but blown away by the high level of service and innovative food as part of my seven course meal. Each course build upon each other and after 90 minutes I had thoroughly enjoyed simply one of the best meals I have had. And the portions were plentiful. Highlights were the scallop sashimi, heirloom tomatoes, snapper and an incredible whisky caramel tort. I ate by myself but the highly trained staff kept me informed and more importantly, very welcome and engaged. Highly, highly recommended!

Order a la carte vs set menu! First of all, the food and service were all excellent. This review is simply to call attention to the way the set menu is crafted. $300 for 2ppl. Not terrible, however one expects a set menu to be priced reasonably compared to a la carte. After doing the math, we realized that it would have been better to just order a la carte vs the set menu. Cost would have been $235 instead while being able to pick what you wanted. Also, some of the items in the set menu were only half portions. Realizing this kind of soured our otherwise excellent meal.

Really stellar service, warm hosts and excellent location - right across our hotel. The oysters were fantastic, the chicken liver - one of the best, prawns were chefs kiss (had tinges of Chinese soya sauce) but the vodka pasta was by far the worst pasta I’ve ever had (sorry guys!) It was watery, under seasoned, watery tomatoes at 42 bucks a pop. Eggs were okay. Bottarga toast not too shabby. So hits and misses hence the three stars. But really the pasta…….

The best restaurant I have to in years. What a find. Absolutely fresh seafood and innovative dishes Congratulations to the owners and staff Wish that I had taken more photos

My friends recently had their wedding ceremony at this fantastic restaurant, and it was an absolute delight! The owner went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. From the beautifully arranged snacks to the exquisite dinner, every detail was carefully thought out. The ambiance was charming, accompanied by delightful music that enhanced the overall experience. The staff was incredibly attentive and friendly, making us feel truly pampered. Whenever I'm in Hobart and looking to gather with friends, this is the first place that comes to mind. The set menu is always a treat, with occasional updates to keep things exciting. And let's talk about the drinks - superb! Their cocktails, featuring their own gin, are incredibly fresh and delicious. Highly recommend this place for any special occasion or simply a memorable dining experience.

Easily one of the best dining experiences we have had. The food, ambience, service, drinks & dedication to their craft is of the highest standard. Every dish was divine. We had a phenomenal Brazilian waitress who was provided such a great experience for us as we were sharing a birthday dinner. Thank you for such a beautiful dinner 🥰

Food - we were given only the a la carte menu. I know they offer a set menu but for some reason they skipped giving us that. We had a prawn main. 2 prawns for $35. That’s it. 2 prawns. They ask you if you’d like bread to mop the sauce, 2 small buns for $8. Prawns were delicious but I left hungry. We also tried the pasta. Under-seasoned and lacklustre for a $40 something dish Cocktails - yum! The best part of this restaurant. Got it really fast Service - we felt welcomed and were shown to our seats quite quickly. It was downhill after that. Other tables definitely got more attention. I won’t read into it but we definitely felt very ignored I was asked twice if everything was good and I murmured “all good”. Yes should’ve said something but I didn’t want to get into it I will absolutely will not return to this place.

In my opinion (which is entirely what these reviews are, so it doesn't REALLY need to be said, and yet) I think Institut Polaire suffers from what the Nant Whisky Bar suffered from, which is that it's essentially a glorified showroom for the product behind the bar, in this case being Sud Polaire gins and Domaine Simha wines. The space itself is very on brand for Sud Polaire (check out their instagram for confirmation). Crisp, cold, white. Some fur. Much luxe. But in li'l ol' Hobart, I just don't know if it fits or works. The prices are pricey. The bar food is glam. My friends and I had a cocktail each and then scurried away to a place around the corner where we could play dumb card games in peace and listen to sick tunes and not feel like our parents were going to come in and tell us to stop touching stuff. Nice drinks but way too fancy.

Called in here for pre-dinner drinks. Cannot recommend highly enough. Great cocktail and food menu. We only had time for one cocktail each and they were delish. We returned after our dinner to finish off with another lovely cocktail. Would have loved to try their food and will next time we are in Hobart. I loved the modern décor, white, plush and classy...marble, fur and a fire. Small enough to be intimate but i think I could see a private room at back for bigger groups. So nice to see something different in Tassie.