This year, a lot of new restaurants opened for business. Some of these newcomers were big places. Some of them were small places. Some of them were even big places filled with lots of small places.

Considered as a whole, all these debutants reflect the continued diversification of WA’s food – and perhaps even cultural – landscape with more and more operators looking beyond the usual western European touchstones for inspiration.

The best of these openings, however, ensured hospitality’s freshmen class of 2024 ticked the box for quality as well as quantity. And whether they brought something new to the table or helped us to experience the familiar anew, these establishments all boast that elusive x-factor that (still) makes eating out such a treat.

You’ll find that X-factor at the following places: the dozen newcomers that impressed me most throughout 2024, listed in alphabetical order. Each of these places brought joy to my year working as this publication’s food writer. I hope they brought similar happiness to your year, and beyond.

Ah Um (Northbridge)

Like the groundbreaking Charles Mingus jazz album it’s named after, the Astral Weeks crew’s new 25-seater defies pigeonholing. Still, that doesn’t make its mixtape of Japanese (sake! Grilled chicken skewers!), European (steak tartare!) and Australian (great local wines!) hits any less enjoyable. Make a reservation, get dressed up and make an evening of your visit.

Busselton Pavilion (Busselton)

Welcome to the modern-day pub. It’s a place where Australiana (roast chook, prawn rolls) and Asian flavours (XO beef tongue skewers) co-exist peacefully in the kitchen; where staff care as much about non-alcoholic options as they do blockbuster wines; and where big-city ambition meets coastal cool. All, no less, in a 500-person space with the soul of a small bar.

Casa Pizzeria (Mount Hawthorn)

If you’re familiar with Paul Bentley’s focaccia at Casa or his past life as a bakery owner in Mexico, you won’t be surprised to know that the pizza at Casa’s next-door expansion is terrific. (The pizza, incidentally, is a sturdy, electric oven pie built to travel.) But what might surprise you is how good the rest of the offering is, from the lively salads and fun arancini to excellent gelato churned in Italo-leaning flavours.

de’sendent (Margaret River)

For a region blessed with so many superb lunch options, Margaret River is a little light-on when it comes to great dinner spots. Ann Spencer and Evan Hayter – formerly of national Good Food Guide regional restaurant of the year finalist Arimia – decided to do something about that and brought Arimia’s farm-to-table sensibilities to an intimate, soigné dining room in the heart of town. And the good people of Margaret River – plus clued-up visitors – dined and celebrated happily ever after.

Gibney (Cottesloe)

Is Gibney the restaurant that restored Perth’s faith in fine dining? It might be a bold statement, yet so is the Kailis Hospitality Group’s magnum opus by the sea: a clubby 200-person clubhouse serving updated brasserie classics and some of the planet’s finest wines. Most importantly, Gibney also elegantly and effortlessly argues that big can be beautiful. A landmark newcomer for (Western) Australia.

Ginza Nana Alley (Perth)

The seasonal January deluge of I’m-skiing-and-eating-in-Japan posts seems to have started early this year – oh wait, that’s just everyone in Perth making a beeline for Ginza Nana Alley. Since the Hifumiya crew’s new Japanese food and drink wonderland opened in November, it seems as if every food influencer and their insta-famous dog has been through, slurping Onomichi-style ramen, eating skewers of smoky yakitori and smiling at colourful vending machines.

H&C Urban Winery (Fremantle)

A pub and urban winemaking facility with space for 400 that trades seven days? H&C Urban Winery deserves respect for its ambition alone. Thankfully, its place in this wrap isn’t a pity vote. The drinks offering (led by vino, naturally) is great while Gordon Kahle’s menu covers all bases from snack time and counter meal dining to something a little more – gasp! – restaurant-like.

Margot’s (Perth)

Does William Street need another wine bar? It does when that (sort-of) wine bar slings some of the city’s finest charcuterie, cool plates that riff on Eastern European deli culture, plus banging cocktails. Margot’s is a surprise package, in the very best ways possible.

Pauly’s Chicken & Ribs (Noranda)

Ben Kotkis – the indomitable dynamo behind Leederville’s Yalla Bala – affectionately refers to Paul Bahbah as the “Palestinian prince”. I humbly suggest that Pauly – the namesake of Noranda’s favourite new charcoal chicken joint – have his royal status upgraded to “Perth’s king of juicy, smoky chook and plus-sized lamb ribs with succulence and finger-licking savour for days”.

Shirley’s (Fremantle)

After opening in March as a small plate-slinging wine bar, Shirley’s was rebooted by owners Jody and Kenny McHardy in September as a cosy bistro of-sorts: the sort of traditional setting where Kenny’s classically founded cooking – barbecued prawns humming with harissa on a celeriac remoulade! Joyously pink Wagin duck! – can really shine, especially when enjoyed in an entrée-main-dessert format.

Special Delivery (Doubleview)

Although Anisha Halik and Jacob D’Vauz began cooking at the Doubleview bowls club in 2023, this was the year that the two young gun chefs made their Wednesday and Friday night kitchen takeovers Facebook-official. Enter Special Delivery Perth: a twice-weekly pop-up that sees cool, typically Asian-inspired one-plate meals – char siu chicken Maryland or beef rendang with rice, say – share chalkboard menu space with burgers, fish and chips and other bowlo classics done right.

Willi’s Pizza Bar (Perth)

Goodbye Willi’s the wine bar, hello Willi’s the upmarket pizza parlour where rectangular, cheesy Detroit-style pies, pizza-adjacent snacks and a class drinks offering come together to create a pub dining experience Perth didn’t know it needed.