Choose Restaurant Empire II
Choose Restaurant Empire II if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. Restaurant Empire II launched in 2009.
Restaurant Empire II vs Hipster Cafe
Restaurant Empire II and Hipster Cafe both land in Strategy, Simulation, Casual on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Simulation, Casual on Steam. Restaurant Empire II (2009) is 13 years older than Hipster Cafe (2022). Restaurant Empire II scores higher on Steam reviews (80% positive) than Hipster Cafe (70% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Hipster Cafe
Choose Hipster Cafe if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Hipster Cafe launched in 2022.
Both Restaurant Empire II and Hipster Cafe sit in Strategy, Simulation, and Casual on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Restaurant Empire II |  Hipster Cafe | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2009 | 2022 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual | Strategy, Simulation, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 24.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 80% positive (180 reviews) | 70% positive (10 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Enlight Software Limited | useful slug |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation, Casual on Steam.
- Restaurant Empire II (2009) is 13 years older than Hipster Cafe (2022).
- Restaurant Empire II scores higher on Steam reviews (80% positive) than Hipster Cafe (70% positive).
- Restaurant Empire II is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Hipster Cafe (19.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
Restaurant Empire II vs Hipster Cafe — FAQ
- Should I play Restaurant Empire II or Hipster Cafe first?
- If you want chronology, Restaurant Empire II (2009) came out before Hipster Cafe (2022). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Restaurant Empire II and Hipster Cafe similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Simulation, Casual on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.