Cafe World vs. Restaurant City - Which Foodie Facebook Game Should I Play?

Zynga's newest Facebook game, Cafe World, launched less than a week ago and it's already gaining a huge following on the popular social network. The game sets you up with your own cafe, letting you hire friends as waiters to help serve hungry customers. But how does it stack up to Restaurant City, the 6 month-old food shop game from competing social games developer Playfish? We pit the games head-to-head so you can decide which restaurant you'll want to be the top chef of.

What's for Dinner? (and Lunch, and Breakfast)

Cafe World'

s food selection ranges from Bacon Cheeseburgers to Shrimp Cocktails, from Pot Roast to Stir Fry. In order to cook each item, you'll need to pay for the ingredients (from 15 coins for the Baconburger to 5000 coins for the Impossible Quiche), prepare the ingredients by clicking on the stove a few times, then waiting a set amount of time for it to cook (cheaper foods take less than an hour, and at level 9, the most expensive food takes 2 days). When it's ready, there will be a certain number of servings available for your customers (again, depending on the complexity and price of the dish) -- if you don't serve it in time, though, the food will spoil and you'll have to start from scratch.

Free gifts in Cafe World serve as 'boosters' for customers. You might receive a Shirley Temple, which yields 5 extra coins per customer currently seated at your cafe.

Restaurant City's approach to food is much different -- in order to cook a dish, you'll need to collect the ingredients required (by trading with friends, buying them in the market, or answering daily quizzes) for it. Each dish can be leveled up to 10, with each level requiring more ingredients to complete -- higher level dishes will earn you a higher praise from your customers. Once you've 'learned' a dish, it'll become a permanent part of your menu and your cooks will automatically serve it.

The dishes in Restaurant City are also divided up into four categories - Starters, Main Course, Desserts and Drinks. The choices range from Garden Salads to Lamb Samosas, Lasagna to Mapo Tofu, Creme Brulee to Parfaits, Lemonades to Bubble Tea.

Click to see the rest of our comparison between Cafe World and Restaurant City >