An Average Day at the Cat Cafe

Overview

An Average Day at the Cat Cafe is a cozy, slightly surreal cafe management game where you run a tiny cat cafe that serves everything from lattes and mango boba to egg toast and… toilet paper for mysterious night guests.

By day, a line of cute animals — cats, ducks, frogs, bears and other odd little creatures — forms outside your shop, each ordering specific drinks and snacks that you have to prepare to perfection. By night, things get weirder: unsettling beings shuffle in with strange requests, turning your wholesome cafe into something quietly uncanny.

It is a browser-based HTML5 game (with Windows and macOS downloads) from artist–developer Angela He (zephyo) and collaborators, praised for its watercolor-like art, adorable character designs, and addictive “just one more day” flow.

Why this game is truly cozy

1. Soft, pastel art with tons of personality

The cafe, its residents, and its regulars all look like they walked out of a gentle storybook: light lines, pastel colours, and expressive little faces. From buff gym cats who love mango boba to elderly frogs with cane in hand, every customer feels like a tiny character sketch you want to know more about.

2. Familiar restaurant-sim comfort

If you ever loved old Flash-era restaurant games, this is that feeling distilled: juggling orders, assembling drinks in the right order, and rushing from fridge to stove to counter. The loop is simple, repetitive in a good way, and very easy to sink into.

3. Quietly strange, in a good way

Underneath the cute surface is just enough weirdness to keep things interesting. Late-night shifts bring in odd customers with bizarre orders, and the world feels slightly off in a way that’s more intriguing than scary — perfect if you enjoy cozy games with a hint of Halloween energy.

4. Short, snackable sessions

Each in-game “day” is a self-contained burst of hectic service. You can play a few days in a row, then close the tab and come back later without worrying about save files or long-term meta systems. It’s ideal as a low-commitment break.

5. Relaxing… but engaging enough to be satisfying

The combination of adorable art, fun sound design, and a straightforward control scheme makes it relaxing — but the orders can get complex enough to feel genuinely challenging. Many players describe it as “cute but kinda stressful” in a way that keeps them focused without feeling punished.

Gameplay Breakdown

At its core, An Average Day at the Cat Cafe is all about taking orders, making drinks and food correctly, and keeping the line moving.

1. Open the cafe and meet your regulars
   You play as the human owner of a small cat cafe with one resident cat and a surprisingly long queue outside. Customers arrive one at a time and show their order as icons above their heads.

2. Move around the cafe to gather ingredients
   Using keyboard controls and a few interaction keys, you dash between:

   • the fridge (milk, eggs, bread, boba, fruit and more)
   • the coffee station (espresso machine, milk frother)
   • the stove (for toasting and frying)
   • the ice station and sink Different orders require different tools and containers, so you’re constantly planning a little route through your compact kitchen.

3. Assemble drinks and snacks in the correct order
   Getting the right ingredients, containers, and sequence matters. A few common examples:

   • Latte: grab a mug, pull espresso from the machine, add milk, then froth it.
   • Iced latte: grab a cup, add ice, pull espresso, then add and froth milk.
   • Egg toast: take egg and bread from the fridge, cook both on the pan, then move them to a plate before serving. If you add the wrong ingredient or use the wrong container, you’ll end up with a “bad” version the customer won’t accept.

4. Keep the queue under control
   Customers don’t have visible timers, but they will leave if you take too long or serve them incorrectly — and when the first one storms out, everyone behind them can leave too. It quickly becomes a balance of:

   • reading orders in the right sequence
   • avoiding overcomplicating your current task
   • not letting a single tricky order block the entire line

5. Survive the night shift
   As you stay open later, the clientele changes. Strange beings arrive with unsettling silhouettes and offbeat requests (like toilet paper instead of coffee). The core gameplay stays the same — read the order, make it correctly — but the atmosphere shifts from cozy cafe to “odd little liminal diner”, giving late-game runs a unique flavour.

There’s no overarching story or long-term upgrade tree: you simply play through as many days as you can, then start fresh the next time you load the game.

Mini Tips

• Learn a few key recipes early
  Lattes, iced lattes, mango boba, and egg toast appear a lot. Memorising those combos first will dramatically reduce panic when the queue gets long.

• Always grab the right container first
  Many mistakes come from mixing up mugs and cups. Get in the habit of picking the container based on whether the drink is hot or iced before touching any machines.

• Don’t overload your mental queue
  Focus on one customer at a time. Fully finish the first order in line before worrying about the next, or you’ll end up half-making several things and losing them all.

• Watch your cooking time
  Toast and eggs can burn if you forget them on the stove while you chase another ingredient. Try to stay near the pan while something is cooking instead of running across the cafe.

• Treat failure as part of the fun
  Orders will be messed up, lines will storm out, and some nights will go completely off the rails. Runs are short, so it’s easy to laugh it off and start a new day.

FAQ

Is An Average Day at the Cat Cafe stressful or cozy?
It’s both. Visually and thematically it’s very cozy — soft art, cute animals, soothing colours — but the actual gameplay can be hectic, especially as orders stack up. Think “cozy restaurant sim with light time pressure” rather than a totally chill idle game.

How long does a typical session take?
A single run can last anywhere from a few in-game days to a longer stretch if you’re quick and accurate with orders. In real time, most players use it for sessions of 15 to 45 minutes, replaying multiple runs rather than marathoning one endless save.

Is there a story or progression?
There’s no deep narrative or permanent progression system. You unlock new ingredients and see new customers as the days go by, and the tone shifts at night, but each time you come back to the game you essentially start a fresh cafe.

What platforms can I play it on?
The game runs in your browser (HTML5) and also has downloadable builds for Windows and macOS. It’s lightweight and works well on low-end PCs and laptops.

Is the game free?
Yes, it is pay-what-you-want on itch.io: you can play it for free or support the developers with a tip if you enjoyed your shift.

How spooky is the night content?
The night customers and their requests can be a little unsettling or dark-humoured, but there’s no graphic horror. If you’re very sensitive to creepy imagery, you can simply stop playing before the cafe gets too late into the night, or treat it as a slightly eerie twist on an otherwise cozy game.