Just like the year’s biggest cultural moments, the things that defined the food and drink space in 2024 were about as subtle as a shade of toxic neon green. From croissants on steroids to butter sculptures of butts, it was all about the camera eating first this year, perhaps more than ever.

But when we looked at the bigger picture, we saw the cuisines of South Asia hit thrilling new heights; an unlikely turn for Irish everything; and everyone riding out cozzie livs at the pub. Come with us, as we look back on the best (and worst) food and drink trends of the year.

Nearly 850,000 people born in India now call Australia home. Those numbers aren’t fully reflected in our restaurants, but things are improving fast. In the past 12(ish) months we had a ton of exciting openings. In Melbourne: Mischa Tropp’s Toddy Shop and Kolkata Cricket Club; Jason Jones and Brahman Perera’s Hopper Joint; Helly Raichura’s Enter Via Laundry Bar; Parathaas; Magan; and the rebooted Southall. In Sydney: Brendan King’s Derrel’s; Sarah Tiong and Rashedul Hasan’s Ogni; and Kurumba (from the family behind The Fold). Plus, Marshi’s Kitchen in the Adelaide Hills. – Nick Connellan, Australia editor

My daddy is Irish, so Catholic fire and brimstone were my Bluey and Bingo growing up. But even God would agree: there’s nothing more unholy than the diet of an Irish person. Consider the spice bag – a Dublin salad of fried chicken, chilli, onion, capsicum and hot chips shaken (and served) in a brown paper bag with a mystery blend of Chinese-ish spices. Add curry sauce – hangover cured. All things Irish went viral in Australia this year, but when Paul Mescal ate the spice bag at Paddy Chan’s in Sydney, we hit fever pitch. Meanwhile, Gen Zs are running Guinness taps dry because they can’t stop “splitting the G”. Heaven help us. – Dan Cunningham, acting features editor (food & drink)

Two-toned drinks were something I first came across at Matcha Mate last year. Co-owner Chian Ting uses a French press to aerate milk by hand so it’s light enough to sit on top of iced black coffee or matcha. This year I’ve seen these drinks everywhere in Melbourne, from Matcha Mate’s ube matcha latte to Byrdi’s monochromatic Nice One Gary cocktail, Enter Via Laundry Bar’s mango lassi and Raya’s viral pink matcha latte. – Audrey Payne, Melbourne food & drink editor

Earlier this year, we asked a bunch of the country’s top bartenders for their predictions for the drink of summer. The majority reckon fizzy, boozy lemon is the drink of right now. Fancy, locally made limoncellos, whisky highballs and Suntory’s -196 Double Lemon were on everyone’s puckered lips this year. Even Hard Solo’s controversial rebrand didn’t sour the drink’s chances – it’s now on tap at seemingly every pub in the country. – Dan Cunningham, acting features editor (food & drink)

Margot Robbie has the Midas touch. She’s an amazing actress, and her production company, Lucky Chap, keeps turning out hits. Even her gin, Papa Salt, has escaped the realm of celeb spirits to become a real contender in the Aussie drinks scene. In summary, Margot can do no wrong. Her famous mates getting in on the booze biz? We’re less convinced. The Rock has tequila, Ryan Reynolds has gin, the Kylies (Jenner and Minogue) have a seltzer and wine to their names, respectively. Snoop Dogg has a whole line of drinks that even he reckons is shit. Should A-list alcohol be left behind in 2024? No, but if you’re going to bring out a celebrity spirit in 2025, be more like Margot. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

Everyone seems to have been to Copenhagen this year and come back with a love for Danish fashion and Scandi breakfast plates. The latter’s appeal is obvious; it’s a rainbow smattering of ingredients where every bite can be a different combo. (One Broadsheet contributor went so far as to proclaim “bits and pieces are better than bacon and eggs”.) Maybe it’s the chip on my shoulder after overdosing on #eurosummer content from my cold Melbourne bedroom, but now and then I see an especially sparse breakfast plate that looks like the “healthy” McHappy Meal where Macca’s swaps fries for apple slices. I’m sorry, that’s called cleaning out the fridge. – James Williams, creative solutions manager

In ancient times, olive oil was referred to as liquid gold because of its numerous health benefits. Fast forward to now, and it’s more fitting due to the price. Heatwaves and droughts in the Mediterranean, paired with a cold and short growing season in Australia, have driven up the price of our EVOO, with four-litre tins rising from $30 to more than $60 in the span of a year. – Tri Nguyen, senior creative solutions manager

Most successful comeback this year? Frozen yoghurt. Following its first breakthrough moment in the early ’90s, the ice-cream alternative started making waves in Australia when Yo-Chi debuted in Melbourne in 2012. But then gelato reclaimed the throne, and we all thought froyo was a goner. Not anymore. Rain, hail or shine – froyo, or “grown-ups’ Cold Rock” as Broadsheet’s James Williams called it, is suddenly the hottest ticket in town. Expect to queue. For ages. – Callum McDermott, Hot List editor

The Japanese shaved ice dessert kakigori (and its Korean counterpart, bingsu) was definitely available in Australia before this year, but when Japanese chef Hiroshi Kawamata moved to Melbourne and set up Sebastian Kakigori – a store dedicated to the dish – it changed the kakigori game. Other spots including Sydney’s Kakigori Kaiji and Fuwa in Melbourne also opened this year. If you’ve never tried shaved ice desserts, there’s never been a better time to do so in Australia. – Audrey Payne, Melbourne food & drink editor

Cooked oats have never been considered flash, but then 2024 arrived – a golden year for the Goldilocks among us. Sydney newcomer Superfreak cemented itself on the It List with a melty round of butter crowning a bowl of oat, rye and buckwheat. Meanwhile, a top Sydney coffee roaster riffed with a sunny serve of sago pearls. Congee also became a cafe-menu fixture – take AP’s bacon-and-egg-topped bowl, and the one at Melbourne’s Sanhe, for the devotees. Via Porta’s Italian coconut rice porridge took us into pudding territory, the recipe for which you can find in Broadsheet’s latest cookbook, The New Classics). – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food & drink editor

I’ve loved food-centric still lifes since the days of Soupe Opéra (if you know, you know). And it feels like they came back in a big way this year. We really reached peak food print, with local artists immortalising everything from leaning towers of heirloom tomatoes to Lao Gan Ma’s iconic mascot. In my day job, I can barely edit a restaurant gallery before 10.30am because I’ll start hankering for an early lunch. So I’m not sure if I can get on board this sushi train, but I’ll gladly watch it go by. – Holly Bodeker-Smith, newsletter editor

The French have had an interesting year. On the one hand – super successful Olympics! On the other, croissants have been remixed beyond recognition. In Sydney, Korean bakeries like Tenacious Bakehouse, Crescent, and Moon Phase are leading the charge – combining viennoiseries with the flavours of home. The result? Pastries packed with injeolmi (sweet rice cake) to crookies stuffed with pandan and coconut. At Adelaide Filipino cafe, 34 Wyatt Street, they’ve gone ahead and just stuck a whole leche flan inside a croissant. To les français, this might be sacré bleu news. To the rest of us, the results are hard to argue with. These things are, fortunately, as delicious as they are turbo. – Callum McDermott, Hot List editor

I know, and I’m sorry. People love that old butter couch and I’ll wear butter-coloured clothes any day. But I just can’t do the sculptures that seem to have popped up more and more this year. – Audrey Payne, Melbourne food & drink editor

“If cost of living is really that bad, why are the pubs so packed?” was a question we asked ourselves a lot this year. Turns out, the question is also the answer – the pubs are packed because the cost of living really is that bad. Diners who may once have chosen a wine bar or bistro are hitting their local boozer instead. Some pubs told us they’re having their best business year on record. Wild. – Nick Connellan, Australia editor

Have we reached peak sandwich? Evidently not. In the first six months of this year, Broadsheet Melbourne published 16 articles about new sanga spots. Meanwhile, sandwich scenes around the country continued to expand. But why are we still so obsessed with things between bread? It’s probably for the same reason why we’re packing out the pubs. As Broadsheet’s Daniela Frangos wrote earlier this year, the sandwich trend plays nicely into the lipstick effect, “a theory that suggests consumers are more likely to buy little luxuries or mood boosters like lipstick or, well, sandwiches, in times of economic hardship”. – Dan Cunningham, acting features editor (food & drink)