Ristorante Italia
ElfinWerks, Red Glove · Board game · 2011
2–5 · best 4
90 min
Weight 2.4/5
7.4
rating
Ludopedia
6.8
rating
BGG
7.4
rating
Ludopedia
6.8
rating
BGG
Our Verdict
RECOMMENDED
Management game fans will love this auction/worker-placement hybrid. The chef skill tracker is brilliant!
Highlights
- Restaurant theme beautifully integrated
- Meaningful strategic choices
- Two complexity levels
Keep in mind
- Some untranslated components
- Bidding may intimidate beginners
Rules manual not indexed yet
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About the game
What you do in a play session
In Ristorante Italia, you own an Italian restaurant competing for customers and prestige. The game spans 4 phases (each with 3 rounds), where you manage everything from the menu to your chefs' skills — all to win the final National Cooking Contest. Each round, you pick 2 actions: bidding for ingredients, hiring staff, expanding the restaurant, or training your team (yes, there's a 'cook-o-meter' for that!). Two strategies work: chasing quick profit with crowd-pleasers OR investing in gourmet recipes with rare wines. The trick? Knowing when to pivot. Random events like food critics and VIP visits spice things up. Play the simplified (novice) or full (expert chef) version.
Gallery
Box and component photos
Tap any photo to open fullscreen. Photos submitted by the community or publisher.
Best player count
BGG community vote
2
REC
3
BEST
4
BEST
5
REC
Soundtrack
Ambience suggested by Melodice
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Mechanics, categories, families and credits
Mechanics
Categories
Families
Publisher
ElfinWerks, Red Glove
Designer
Giulio Guerra, Marco Mutta, Riccardo Guerra
Artist
Guido Favaro
Community
Data from BoardGameGeek
947owners
156wishlist
35want to play
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers before you buy
Best player count?
3-4 is ideal. 2 feels more controlled, 5 gets auction-heavy.
Need cooking knowledge?
Nope! It's about management, not real recipes (though you might get hungry).
Which version to pick?
Newbies: start with Novice Cooks. Veterans: go straight to Great Chefs for depth.
Luck-dependent?
80% strategy (your choices), 20% luck (random events testing adaptability).
Actual playtime?
90min is accurate after learning. First game might take 2h.
Language-dependent?
Yes, some cards have English/Italian text. Fan translations exist.
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