One scathing review goes viral, and world-class chef Emily O’Malley’s empire is suddenly on the line. In Delicious: Recipe for Renewal, she has to cook her way through six high-pressure restaurants to rebuild her reputation – and you’re the one keeping the kitchen alive.

What we love: How much story a single shift can hold. Between the frantic order-taking and the very real threat of a queue full of impatient customers, Recipe for Renewal keeps you genuinely invested in Emily’s comeback. Upgrades give your game a boost – a faster coffee maker here, a revamped menu item there – and the interactive mini-games, where you actually plate dishes and prep ingredients, give you a moment to shine as a chef. Oh, and there’s a diorama mode for designing your dream restaurant, which you’ve absolutely earned.

Quick tip: Prioritise helpers early. They free you up to focus on the more demanding orders and make the bonus levels, which ramp up fast, far less punishing than they’d otherwise be.

Meet the creators: GameHouse has been building casual games since 1998, and the Delicious series has been their flagship franchise almost as long. The studio, headquartered in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, has turned Emily into one of mobile gaming’s beloved characters.