I got my start with board games with Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan, which are still pretty effective. Is there anything from the past five years or so that hit that big and is that approachable?
I love Happy City as a general gateway to modern board games. It is very quick to teach game with a little bit of engine building and set collection. There is an advanced variant that adds more complicated cards and a spacial element that I have not had an opportunity to try.