Set close to Hobart's biggest backpacker joint, this classic pub attracts plenty of travellers, as well as local regulars ready to share tall stories over beer.
Montgomery's is the quintessential Aussie city pub. Just cool enough (in a retro way) to attract a young crowd, but filled with enough character to keep the regulars happy. There's no polished chrome or lime greens crying out for attention, just solid wood furniture, a few booths and a couple of smaller rooms to slip off to if the bar gets a bit crowded.
The pub has sat on this corner for longer than anyone can remember doing pretty much exactly what it does now - serving beer. So there's an intergenerational - and very Hobart crowd - the mix of people you might come across in big country town pubs where there isn't much marketing spin and everyone just rolls in.
The food is honest bar grub, and you can eat for less than $10. The continuing creep of modern Australian cuisine has just crept in here too, so while the menu still favours steak sandwiches, wedges, and tomato soup, there are antipasto, Asian-style platters and Tassie seafood meals also available, averaging $15 to $20.
If you want to be accepted as a local, just say: "a bit warmer in here!" as you enter - it seems to be a kind of password. Then drink up.
Robert Stevenson
