Simulation and management games are furiously addictive when done right, and few genres accomplish this better than Restaurant simulators.
We’ve got everything from cozy games to frantic races against time, so don that cooking apron, wash your hands, and let’s get started.
11Little Dragon’s Café
Relaxing And Stress-Free
Little Dragons Café
Little Dragon’s Caféis an adorable adventure game made by the creator of the legendaryHarvest Moon.
The pedigree is instantly noticeable, butLittle Dragon’s Cafédoes enough to distinguish itself. Your objective is togather ingredients for the café menubefore using them in cooking minigames.
Your pet dragon will help you acquire ingredients across the map, and you’re able to explore new areas as it grows.
In an odd creative choice,there’s zero moneyinLittle Dragon’s Café. It may seem strange to focus on, but I enjoy seeing my coffers fill up in games like this, and I doubt I’m the only one.
Still, if you want a cute, relaxing take on restaurant management,Little Dragon’s Caféis worth checking out.
10Dave the Diver
The Perfect Catch
Dave the Diver
Dave the Diveris a wonderfully unique 2D adventure game where you don’t just work in a restaurant; you’re the whole production line!
While there is amuch grander overarching story, you catch fish inDave the Diver, which you can then use as ingredients for a Sushi Bar. You’re not the chef, but you handle everything else, from the menu to cleaning and serving.
Moredangerous catches yield more expensive dishes, and you even have to manage Bancho Sushi Bars' social media presence.
Dave the Diveris just as much an aquatic adventure as a Sushi Bar sim. Eventually, the game does lean more heavily into the restaurant side of things, but it’s one of many things you’ll tackle around the mysterious Blue Hole Lagoon.
9Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop
One Of The OG’s
Key Information
Office Create Corp.
Nintendo 3DS
Release Date
TheCooking Mamaseries has been around for decades, offering a satisfying “hands-on” approach to life as a chef.
MostCooking Mamagames are on handheld Nintendo consoles and fullyutilize the unusual hardware. For example, you can blow on food to cool it down using the console microphone.
As with thebest cooking games,food prep is simple but addictive, forcing you to juggle multiple mechanics that wouldn’t work elsewhere.
You’respoiled for choice ofCooking Mamagames. The one I’ve played the most isCooking Mama: Sweet Shopon the Nintendo 3DS, and I recommend it because shop management is pretty fun.
Sadly,Cooking Mama: Cookstaron the Nintendo Switch wasdiscontinued shortly after launch. It’s a can of worms I won’t open here, but for now, you’ll have to rely on older hardware to enjoy the series.
8The Ramen Sensei
Become A Noodle Tycoon
September 2022
The Ramen Senseiis acutesy management simwhere you create banging bowls of ramen to serve a never-ending swarm of demanding customers.
Recipe creation is far more in-depth than you may expect, andyour choices matter. Seeing your creations become a hit with customers is satisfying, andThe Ramen Senseirewards you for experimenting.
It’s fun trying new ideas in the kitchen, but you can’t neglect your management duties. You must handle everything fromhiring staff to competing with rival chains. It’s a busy game despite the simple visuals.
The Ramen Senseiis made by Kairosoft, and they are known for grindy titles. I enjoy the pace, but the game throws a lot at you at the start, so don’t sweat it if things don’t click right away.
7Cook, Serve, Delicious 3
Yes, There’s A Trilogy
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Cook, Serve, Delicious 3certainly fits the bill of “running a restaurant” but plays very differently from your typical management simulator.
Gameplay isnotably more arcadeyas you race to prepare orders in your humble food truck. Time is always of the essence as you hurry to assemble everything from pretzels to bubble tea.
Food prep is pretty involved but intuitive, and you have multiple stations to work with.
Cook, Serve, Delicious 3is fast-paced and will put your micromanagement to the test. It’s arguablythe most challenging game on the listand your reflexes are in for a workout if you want to keep your customers happy.
I’ve recommended the last game in the trilogy for the updated visuals, but you can’t go wrong with any of theCook, Serve, Deliciousgames.
10 Best Co-op Indie Games
Teamwork makes the dream work.
6Lemon Cake
The Adorable Restaurant Sim You’ve Never Played
Lemon Cake
Lemon Cakeis a charming management sim where yourestore an abandoned bakeryto its former glory.
The bakery has three sections, each with a unique gameplay loop. Most of your time will be spent preparing orders in the kitchen, but you also have to ensure the restaurant floor is clean and customers are served.
You mustattend to your garden and livestockoutside opening hours, as your bakery is nothing without those fresh ingredients.Lemon Cakeis deceptively deep, with multiple skill trees and unlockable recipes.
There’s a lot to do, and the gameplay is more stressful than the gorgeous art style suggests. That said, there’s plenty to unlock, and seeing those sweet profits roll in after a hard day’s work never gets old.
5Cuisineer
A Roguelite Cooking Game?
I’m a sucker forRoguelites, andCuisineermanages the difficult task of combining the genre with cooking and restaurant management.
The gameplay loop is wonderfully simple. Go out into the world to collect ingredients andturn your spoils into delicious mealsat your very own restaurant.
You can expand the restaurant as you find more materials, and plenty of townsfolk will request favors in exchange forfancy new recipes. Combat is solid and feels like something you’d find inHades, albeit with much cuter enemies.
Cuisineermay be a little off-base if you’re just looking for a traditional cooking game. If you’re open to trying something different, there’s a lot to love in this adorable adventure title.
4TasteMaker
Create A Twisted Restaurant
Jelle Booij
April 2023
TasteMakeris a fantastic restaurant management simulator that allows you tocreate your business empirefrom the ground up.
Most games on this list have you simply managing a counter or station, butTasteMakerlets you design your restaurant from scratch.You decide everythingfrom the building layout to the staff, and it feels so rewarding when the cash comes in and you can expand.
TasteMakerhas a distinct graphics style compared to many titles in the genre, and gives you so much freedom andways to make your own fun.
You can design some horrific restaurant layouts. You can even force your patrons to use a sadistic restroom where they just stare at each other the entire time! Whether you play seriously or to terrorize everyone in the building,TasteMakeris a great andoften funny indie titlethat slips under the radar.
3Pixel Café
This One Packs A Punch
Baltoro Games
November 2023
Pixel Caféis a superb bar simulator with simple mechanics and anaddictive gameplay loop.
You spend most of your time behind a bar with multiple counters serving everything from pancakes to cocktails. Each customer has different requests, and assembling everything before they run out of patience is a delicate balancing act.
There’s a lot to do, but the controls are intuitive, and you can evenbriefly slow down timeto bang out the orders pronto.
Pixel Caféis a solid restaurant/bar sim but has asurprisingly hard-hitting storyattached to it. There’s more to the game than just management, and there’sa free demo on Steamif you want to ensure the combination is right for you.
2Overcooked
Put Your Friendships To The Test
Overcooked
Overcookedis a fun, if infuriating,cooperative chef simulatorwhere you manage a kitchen with your friends.
The game starts innocently enough, challenging you to make Onion Soup but quickly gets much more complicated. Before you know it, you’re dashing around the kitchen at breakneck speed, managing cooking times, special orders, and even the washing up.
One false move can set the kitchen on fire, and the 3-star scores for each level become lessons in patience.
Overcookedis fun with the right group but pretty intense, so it may not be for everyone. The sequel,Overcooked 2, is another excellent multiplayer game, but it’snotably more challengingthan the original.
