Cooking City alternatives

Players often leave Cooking City due to excessive ads, high costs for progression, and a feeling that levels are designed to force spending. Alternatives like Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy and Cooking Craze offer similar gameplay but come with their own challenges regarding ads and in-app purchases.

Why users look for alternatives to Cooking City

Many users find the game forces them to watch an excessive number of ads, often after every level or for rewards, even if they've paid to remove ads.^R4^R6^R8^R13
Players report that progression becomes difficult or impossible without spending money on in-game items or boosters.^R3^R7^R12
Some users experience glitches in side games, such as missing ingredients required to complete tasks, making levels impossible to play.^R3
The cost of in-game items and upgrades increases significantly, while the money earned from levels does not keep pace.^R2

The alternatives

Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy

4.9★ · 780,175 ratings · Free

Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy offers a fast-paced, stressful, yet fun cooking experience where players must quickly serve customers and decide on upgrades ^R5. It involves carefully noting customer orders, including specific additions like beer, lettuce, or sauce, and managing upgrades for kitchen equipment as customer volume increases ^R5.

Better for: This game is better for players who enjoy a high-adrenaline, chaotic cooking challenge and find satisfaction in managing complex orders and upgrades under pressure ^R5. However, be aware that many users report a significant number of ads, even after paying for ad removal, and a design that encourages in-app purchases for progression ^R4^R6^R7^R13.

Head-to-head: Cooking City vs Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy

Cooking Fever

4.5★ · 339,563 ratings · Free

This alternative has too few reviews to judge its specific offerings or who it suits better.

Better for: This alternative has too few reviews to judge.

Head-to-head: Cooking City vs Cooking Fever

Cooking Craze

4.7★ · 257,303 ratings · Free

Cooking Craze is described as an addictive and enjoyable cooking game that has been played by users for years ^R16. It involves serving customers and upgrading kitchens, with some players appreciating its "OG" status among cooking games .

Better for: Cooking Craze is better for players who are looking for a long-standing, established cooking game, especially those who appreciate its original offline play option . However, potential players should be prepared for frequent ads, a design that often pushes for in-app purchases to progress, and reports of the game being slow, unresponsive, or crashing ^R15^R17^R18^R19.

Head-to-head: Cooking City vs Cooking Craze

Cooking Diary® Restaurant Game

4.7★ · 163,506 ratings · Free

This alternative has too few reviews to judge its specific offerings or who it suits better.

Better for: This alternative has too few reviews to judge.

Head-to-head: Cooking City vs Cooking Diary® Restaurant Game

My Cafe

4.7★ · 93,041 ratings · Free

My Cafe offers a different experience focused on story mode and building a personal cafe, where players can make decisions and enjoy the process of creating their own establishment ^R33. It requires patience for recipes but provides a relaxing, addictive experience, with some users playing it before work ^R33.

Better for: My Cafe is better for players who prefer a cafe management simulation with a story mode and customization options over pure, fast-paced cooking action ^R33. It suits those who are patient with recipe discovery and enjoy a more narrative-driven game ^R33. However, be aware of reports of frequent ads, issues with special orders requiring specific ingredients that are hard to obtain without paying, and technical problems like infinite loading screens or game freezes ^R29^R32^R35.

Head-to-head: Cooking City vs My Cafe

Stick with Cooking City if

You should stick with Cooking City if you enjoy its specific gameplay loop and are not significantly bothered by the ad frequency or the occasional need for in-app purchases to progress, or if you find its challenges more manageable than those reported in alternatives.

Evidence note: Cooking Fever and Cooking Diary® Restaurant Game had too few reviews to provide a detailed pitch.

Frequently asked

Do Cooking City alternatives have fewer ads?

Not necessarily, as many users report that Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy and Cooking Craze also feature a high volume of ads, often after every level, and sometimes even after paying to remove them ^R4^R6^R13^R17. My Cafe also has complaints about advertising ^R29.

Are Cooking City alternatives less expensive to play?

Users report that alternatives like Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy and Cooking Craze can also be expensive, with levels often designed to be difficult to pass without spending money on boosters or in-game currency ^R3^R7^R12^R19. My Cafe also has issues where special ingredients often need to be purchased with gems ^R35.

Do any alternatives offer a different type of gameplay?

Yes, My Cafe offers a different gameplay experience focused on a story mode, building and customizing a personal cafe, and making narrative decisions, rather than just fast-paced cooking ^R33.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 42 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

[R4] Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy 1/5 · US Ads, Ads, and More Ads!!!!: I have been playing cooking madness for years. I played so frequently that I PAID to remove ads from the game so I could keep playing as much as I wanted. Now when I log on, I see that in order to redeem the Weekly Pass rewards or other challenge rewards, I have to watch ADS??? For something I accomplished?????? So what was the point of me paying for no ads if now I hav
[R6] Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy 3/5 · US Fun… at first.: This was fun at first, until the ads hit. Then you can only do one level at a time before you are hit with ads. Not just 1 but 2. Once 1 ad is over the next one starts. LONG ads too. Not 15-30 but 60-90 seconds each one. It killed it for me. Too many options of games out there to stick with a full on ad game.
[R8] Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy 4/5 · US Pretty fun game just has a whole lot of ads.: 4/5
[R13] Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy 1/5 · US Too many ads: The game is great, but the sheer volume of ads you are forced to watch on this game is not worth the trouble. Nobody should be having to pay to not have to see ads after EVERY level and then some. Do better.
[R3] Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy 3/5 · US Great start: I really really love this game I play 3 somewhat similar. I have lost interest lately For one some of the side games have a glitch. It’s asking for whip cream on desserts yet there isn’t any. So it’s impossible to play. Also it’s impossible to play some levels without xtra help and spending more a more $. But like I said it was fun at first .
[R7] Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy 1/5 · US Expensive game: Yes, it’s technically free, if you ever want to pass a level or palsy for a side event, have to pay. I’m so frustrated that I bought the weekly pass, but since there wasn’t a new “restaurant” ready yet, the only to earn points for the pass is in side 3 restaurants, which for some is ridiculously difficult! I have played this game long time and it’s never been out of new restaurants
[R12] Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy 3/5 · US PLEASE READ: I like this game a lot but it’s chaotic and wants you to spend money. Otherwise great game
[R2] Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy 4/5 · US Expensive: The game is good, but why do prices increase so much when the money for levels doesn't? · translated
[R5] Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy 5/5 · US Fun Serving Customers Food Items - Promptly: I have played many Merge games, but this one is different - and more fun. Carefully noticing if customers’ order include a beer, lettuce and/or sauce on meat. Also Deciding when/if I need to upgrade for more stove eyes, salad, etc. as the customers/ crowd increases. stressfully-FUN. Through Level 6, no ads!!!! I don’t know if ads will come later.
[R15] Cooking Craze 2/5 · US Too slow, non responsive: There is so much going on that this game has become one of the slowest, most unresponsive games. When ‘bonuses’ are offered, the time to move from one step to another wastes bonus time. No longer enjoyable to young players and often simply closes.
[R16] Cooking Craze 5/5 · US Love game, need more levels: I’ve been playing this game for years now. And I’m upset that after all this time they still have not updated with more levels. I don’t want to go back a play the same cities and levels I’ve already beat.
[R17] Cooking Craze 3/5 · US ADS ADS ADS: bruh the ads are ridiculous. It’s every other play attempt. I get watching an ad to get 30 seconds of playtime to complete a level, but I don’t get the ads every other time you complete a level. It’s deterring me from the game honestly. I tried to look to PAY for an ad free version and I don’t see it.
[R18] Cooking Craze 2/5 · US Keeps crashing: I love this game and I don’t write much reviews. But it crashed every 10-15 minutes and then ads pop up that you did not press. The bugs need to be fixed or will be deleting game soon
[R29] My Cafe 1/5 · US My advertising cafe: My advertising cafe
[R32] My Cafe 1/5 · US Can't log in: Your stupid game stopped working. Endless loading, then it says there are technical issues. Support doesn't work at all. They're just there for show. · translated
[R33] My Cafe 5/5 · US I recommend this game, it’s not to much!: I love playing this game before work, it is a little addicting I will say but it’s great I love the story mode and how you can decide and the building my personal cafe! You do need patience for the recipes but I’m good with that and I’d prefer if you could actually do a 360 for the cafe but overall it’s great!
[R35] My Cafe 2/5 · US Fun for a day: This game is fun until the customers start only placing special orders. You can only get the special ingredients from phone orders (that don’t refresh offen and you only get a few each refresh) or you need to buy the ingredients with gems that you’ll need to pay money for once you use them up. Would be fun if the customers kept getting regular orders as well as the special orders so
[R19] Cooking Craze 4/5 · US Love the game BUT: I have played this game since it first came out. I do love it….But if you don’t buy booster and spoons, it’s nearly impossible to beat some levels. I may stop playing due to the fact I have spent soooooooo much money to play this game. Can’t afford it anymore smh

Synthesized from 42 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store