- Game Type: Board Game
- Publisher: Lucky Duck Games / Cardboard Alchemy
- Players: 1-5
- Time: 60 minutes
- Theme: Adorable critters running gourmet restaurants
- Mechanics: Worker placement, resource management, spatial planning
- Release Year: 2024
“It’s Restaurant Week in Bistro Bay! Challenges are set for restaurants to meet, and a Critic will be coming to determine who is the greatest competing restauranteur! As one of 2-5 players, you’ll be sending your Chefs out into the city to gather ingredients to make those meals.
Critter Kitchen is game where players secretly decide where to send their 3 different Chefs (workers) in an effort to gather the best ingredients faster than their competitors. Rumors abound about the Critic coming to town, and your Chefs have opportunities to listen in. Play with a different Critic, Rumors, and Restaurateur abilities to ensure a different experience every game!”
What’s in the box?
Pojo Note: There are two versions of this game: A Standard edition; and a Kickstarter edition. The standard edition is available at Amazon.com and other stores. The Kickstarter edition has higher quality materials, but both games play exactly the same. The Kickstarter edition is no longer for sale, but you might find copies on eBay. Some of the photos here from our home games might show Kickstarter components.
The Standard edition is packed with a lot of goodies:
• 1 Box
• 1 Chipboard insert
• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Waterfront board (long game board)
• 8 Gameboards (locations, 2 larger)
• 5 Player boards
• 1 Solo Player mat
• 5 Folding Player shields
• 6 Punchboard A (ingredients, spice, rumors, soup, stars, Zous Chefs, etc)
• 5 Punchboard B (plates for players)
• 160 Poker cards – Player locations, Zous Chefs, Critics, Challenges, Restaurateurs, Rumors, Solo Decks, Reference
• 1 Cloth bag
• 5 Mouse meeples, silk screen printed both sides
• 5 Lizard meeples, silk screen printed both sides
• 5 Boar meeples, silk screen printed both sides
• 5 Chef hat meeples, silk screen printed both sides
• 1 wood round marker, silk screen printed both sides
Gameplay Overview
Critter Kitchen is a drafting game that is played over 7 rounds. Here is a simplified overview of game play. Players will:
- draft ingredients for 3 rounds
- cook some meals
- draft ingredients for 3 more rounds
- cook some more meals
- draft ingredients for 1 more rounds
- Prepare the final meal for the Restaurant critic.
Ingredients on the board change every round, and every will send their chefs out simultaneously to get ingredients. Different meals are revealed every round too, indicating what players should prepare for restaurant week.
Each player is given a screen to hide ingredients they draft. Players 3 sous chefs (meeples) that will gather ingredients from different locations on the gameboard. One meeple is small and fast but can only carry one ingredient. One meeple is large and slow but can carry 3 ingredients. And one meeple is medium sized with average speed and can carry 2 ingredients.
All players simultaneously, and in-secret, use cards in their hands to reveal what locations they are sending meeples to get gather ingredients to prepare meals. Faster chefs gather first and have first choice of the finer ingredients, but take less. All players reveal where they are sending their chefs at the same time, and send their meeples out to gather ingredients.
Players will make meals 3 times during the course of the game. Each meal is worth stars. The player with the most stars at the end of the game wins.
Critter Kitchen gameplay is a balance between tactical short-term plays and strategic long-term planning. Do you want to make great meals after rounds 3 and 6? Or do you want to make an amazing meal for the critic after round 7? It’s a delicate balance.
The meal challenges will be different every game. Different restaurant critics show up every game – changing the final meal you need to prepare every game. And a variety of extra chef meeples are up for draft each round on the gameboard to give you an advantage the following round. This adds variety to future game plays of Critter Kitchen.
Art & Components:
Top-notch. Each critter is bursting with charm, the kitchen boards are vibrant and functional, and the custom wooden tokens are satisfyingly chunky.
Weaknesses:
-
Slightly longer playtime than some family games in this genre.
-
Can be a bit AP-prone (Analysis Paralysis) with 4-5 players due to the spatial and tactical decisions.
- Can be a bit of a table hog
Pojo’s Game of the Day Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Critter Kitchen is a hearty, feel-good game meal. It blends solid mechanics with irresistible art and a surprisingly satisfying depth. It’s perfect for families and hobby gamers alike who want a low-conflict, high-reward experience. If you’re a fan worker placement or general cozy strategy games, this is a no-brainer.
Pros:
✅ Super cute but not shallow
✅ Tight, smart gameplay
✅ Excellent components and table presence
Cons:
❌ Can run a bit long
Look for Critter Kitchen at Amazon.com and other stores.
