Critter Kitchen cover
2025BGG rank #920

Critter Kitchen

by Alex Cutler, Peter C. Hayward · Cardboard Alchemy

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Players1–5
Time60m
ComplexityMedium-Light
Age12+

About the game

What is Critter Kitchen?

It's Restaurant Week in Bistro Bay! Restaurants are competing in food challenges, while also planning an epic meal to impress a celebrity critic. As one of 1-5 players in Critter Kitchen, you'll send your chefs into the city to gather ingredients to create amazing meals and demonstrate that your restaurant is the best in town. Each round, new random ingredients are placed in locations throughout the city. Players simultaneously and secretly plan which locations to send their three chefs to, hoping to collect the best ingredients. Some chefs are fast, but can gather only one item, while others can carry three items but arrive late. Rumors are also available at locations and provide guidance on what the critic desires. Challenges revealed in rounds 1-6 offer the players opportunities to earn stars for crafting dishes with specific ingredient requirements. After round 7, the players must create an epic meal to impress the celebrity critic and cater to their appetites. A multitude of different critics, rumors, and restaurateurs mean every game is fresh! —description from the publisher

How it plays

Mechanics

Auction: Sealed BidContractsProgrammed MovementVariable Player PowersWorker Placement, Different Worker Types

On the shelf

Categories

Animals

Questions players ask

Questions to bring to BoardGameBrain

  • How do setup and the first turn work in Critter Kitchen?
  • When does scoring happen and what ends the game?
  • How should the table resolve an unusual timing or rules interaction?