If you had spent the past year eating each of your three meals a day at a different recently opened restaurant, you’d only get through about a third of the eateries that have opened in Seattle during that time—and that doesn’t even count new restaurants in neighboring suburbs. That should give you some perspective on how difficult it’s been to whittle down this roundup of the area’s best new restaurants to 50. It’s also why we know that it’s entirely possible that we may be missing some diamond in the rough. (Feel free to tell us what we’ve missed on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.)

Because this has been a year of both quantity and quality when it comes to restaurant openings, it takes a lot to stand out from the competition, and we’re seeing restaurants get creative on their paths to success. There’s been a rise in micro restaurants, such as Archipelago, By Tae and Taneda, which have very few seats and very carefully curated menus. Wood-fired cooking continues to be a strong trend in standouts like Homer and Samara. And we’ve seen an uptick in global cuisines, from Eastern European–inspired Jewish delis to high-end Chinese hot pot restaurants.

With locations ranging from Pinehurst to Hillman City, Bellevue to Mountlake Terrace, our top 50 are the new restaurants that scored the highest in quality of food, atmosphere, customer service and value. Now, start eating.

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