One Piece: Grand Gourmet Review

I’ve always enjoyed management simulation games, particularly those that take a familiar concept and add their own unique personality to it. Whether it’s running a hospital, building a theme park, or managing a bustling business, there’s something incredibly satisfying about starting with very little and gradually turning it into something special. One Piece: Grand Gourmet immediately caught my attention because it combines that familiar management formula with one of anime’s most recognisable franchises. Rather than embarking on another grand adventure with Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, this time I’m stepping into the world of restaurant management, working alongside Sanji to establish a new branch of the famous Baratie restaurant. It’s an unexpectedly delightful combination, and one that kept me coming back for just one more day in the kitchen.

Developed by Kairosoft and published by Bandai Namco, One Piece: Grand Gourmet puts me in charge of helping establish a second Baratie restaurant. There’s trouble brewing across the seas, with a rival establishment threatening the reputation of the original restaurant, and it’s up to me and the Straw Hat crew to turn things around. Naturally, this involves plenty of cooking, expanding the restaurant, attracting customers, and making sure everyone leaves with a full stomach.

At its heart, Grand Gourmet follows the familiar management simulation formula that Kairosoft has become known for. I begin with a relatively modest restaurant, a handful of employees, and a limited selection of dishes. From there, it’s a gradual process of expanding the premises, improving the menu, recruiting additional staff, and attracting increasingly recognisable faces from the One Piece universe.

The gameplay loop is surprisingly addictive. There’s always something that needs attention, whether it’s improving the restaurant’s layout, developing new dishes, gathering ingredients, or working towards the next objective. I particularly enjoyed how the game gradually introduces additional mechanics without making the experience feel unnecessarily complicated. There’s enough depth to keep me thinking about my next move, but it’s never so demanding that I feel overwhelmed by the number of things happening at once.

One of my favourite aspects of Grand Gourmet is its approach to cooking. Working alongside Sanji, I’m able to develop an increasingly impressive menu by discovering new recipes, experimenting with ingredients, and combining different dishes into unique meal sets. Naturally, the game takes full advantage of the One Piece universe, with some wonderfully imaginative creations inspired by the characters and locations throughout the series. From familiar favourites to more unusual dishes involving Devil Fruit abilities, there’s plenty of variety to discover.

Finding new recipes and ingredients also gives me a reason to explore the surrounding areas. Luffy and the other Straw Hat members can venture out to different locations, gathering resources and encountering potential customers along the way. These expeditions provide a welcome change of pace from the restaurant management itself, while also contributing to the ongoing progression. I found this particularly enjoyable because it gives the characters something meaningful to do beyond simply standing around the restaurant waiting for customers.

Attracting new customers is another important part of the experience. With more than 400 characters from the One Piece universe appearing throughout the game, there’s an impressive collection of familiar faces to encounter. Each character has their own preferences and requirements, and satisfying these can turn them into regular visitors. Seeing characters from different parts of the series wandering around my restaurant is a genuine treat, particularly when their personalities and relationships are reflected through special interactions and character events.

Of course, running a successful restaurant involves more than simply serving good food. The layout and appearance of the establishment are equally important, and Grand Gourmet gives me plenty of freedom to create something that feels like my own. With more than 200 furniture, building, and decorative items available, there’s a substantial amount of customisation to experiment with. I can completely change the atmosphere of my restaurant, incorporating different themes and decorations inspired by locations throughout the One Piece world.

I particularly appreciate that these customisation options aren’t purely cosmetic. Certain characters have preferences when it comes to the restaurant’s appearance, meaning that decorating the premises can actually help attract specific customers. It’s a relatively simple addition, but it gives me another reason to experiment with different layouts rather than settling on the first design that works.

There’s also a satisfying sense of progression as the restaurant gradually becomes busier and more successful. What begins as a relatively small establishment eventually develops into a much larger operation, with additional facilities, more employees, and a considerably more extensive menu. Managing everything becomes increasingly involved, but that’s exactly what makes the experience so enjoyable. I constantly find myself looking for ways to improve efficiency and make the restaurant more appealing to visitors.

Visually, Grand Gourmet adopts the charming pixel-art presentation that Kairosoft is particularly well known for. The character sprites are wonderfully expressive, and there’s a surprising amount of personality in the way everyone moves around the restaurant. Seeing so many familiar One Piece characters represented in this style is easily one of the game’s biggest attractions. It also helps that the various locations and decorations capture the spirit of the source material without trying to recreate everything in unnecessary detail.

The presentation isn’t particularly demanding, but I think it suits the gameplay perfectly. There’s a colourful, welcoming atmosphere that makes the restaurant feel lively, especially once the customer numbers start increasing. The interface is also relatively straightforward, although there’s naturally plenty of menu navigation involved when managing recipes, employees, decorations, and restaurant upgrades.

On Nintendo Switch 2, the game benefits from being available in both docked and handheld modes, with touchscreen support providing another convenient way to interact with the menus. I found the overall presentation well suited to Nintendo’s hybrid console, particularly given the pick-up and play nature of the gameplay. There are, however, some performance inconsistencies worth mentioning. As the restaurant grows and more customers fill the screen, the game can experience visible slowdowns, which is disappointing on hardware with considerably more power available. It’s not something that completely ruins the experience, but I would have liked to see a little more optimisation.

Ultimately, though, these issues don’t take away from what is otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable management simulation. The combination of restaurant building, character interactions, exploration, and recipe discovery provides plenty of reasons to keep playing. There’s a surprising amount of content here, and I can easily see fans spending many hours unlocking characters, experimenting with their menus, and turning their little restaurant into a thriving business.

Final Thoughts

One Piece: Grand Gourmet is a wonderfully entertaining management simulation that makes excellent use of its source material. I went into the experience expecting a fairly straightforward restaurant management game with a One Piece skin, but there’s considerably more here than I initially anticipated. The cooking mechanics, character interactions, customisation options, and exploration activities all come together to create an experience that’s both accessible and surprisingly addictive.

What I particularly appreciate is how naturally the One Piece universe fits into the gameplay. Having Sanji oversee the kitchen makes perfect sense, while sending Luffy and the rest of the crew out to gather ingredients and attract new customers gives everyone a meaningful role. The inclusion of more than 400 characters is also a fantastic touch, making the restaurant feel like a celebration of the franchise rather than simply another licensed game.

There are some performance issues on Nintendo Switch 2, particularly as the restaurant becomes busier, and the underlying management mechanics won’t necessarily appeal to everyone. However, I found the overall experience incredibly enjoyable, and there’s enough variety and progression to keep me invested for a considerable amount of time.

Whether you’re a longtime One Piece fan or simply someone who enjoys management simulation games, Grand Gourmet has plenty to offer. It’s charming, accessible, and packed with enough little details to make running a restaurant across the Grand Line an unexpectedly rewarding experience. I certainly didn’t expect to spend so much time worrying about restaurant layouts and customer satisfaction when setting sail with the Straw Hat Pirates, but here we are.

A Nintendo Switch review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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