Cafe Baras – A Cozy Card Game with a Caffeine Kick

I personally don’t start my morning without coffee! So any board game themed around coffee already gets bonus points from me. Add artwork reminiscent of titles like A Pleasant Journey and Maple Valley, and you’ve got something I’m instantly curious about. Welcome to my review of Cafe Baras.

Originally titled 'Cafe Baras', this light card game arrived on the Polish market via Alis.Games. The theme and charming visuals really resonated with me—but setting aside personal bias, is the game actually good? I’ll admit it sparked strong, mixed feelings at first, and it won’t appeal to everyone. That’s mostly because this is a very cozy and relaxed title. Let me explain.

What Is Cafe Baras About?

Cafe Baras is a light engine-building card game dressed in the cozy theme of running your own animal café. Each player starts with a card that generates a single product. Over the course of the game, you’ll play cards from your hand either to expand your café or to serve a customer. Expanding allows you to produce more goods and meet client expectations, while serving earns you money to fund future upgrades.

The gameplay loop is simple: on your turn, choose one of your four cards and play it. You either pay its cost to add it to your café and activate its effect (if applicable), or you use it to serve a customer by fulfilling their product needs. Customer cards show three product icons they’re craving and a preferred décor type.

For each matching product symbol your café offers, you gain coins. If you match all four requirements, the customer becomes a regular. Instead of discarding the card, you slide it under your player area as a loyal patron—worth four points. When any player gains their third regular customer, it triggers the end of the game. Final scoring includes cash on hand, regulars, and café cards. There are also five 'VIP guests' with special goals—each fulfilled objective adds 6 bonus points.

Simple mechanics, right? Time to talk about how it plays.

Is Cafe Baras a Good Game?

As I said earlier, Cafe Baras is very laid-back—partly because of its theme of animal-run cafés in a gentle, cozy world. If you've followed my content, you know that already won me over. The game pairs that theme with accessible gameplay, which can be a great gateway for new board gamers. However, seasoned players or fans of heavier titles might find it a bit too light.

While there’s strategic planning, randomness plays a strong role. Players can plan based on their hand and react to the shared card market (the 'display'), but you’ll always face unpredictability. This is also the game’s only minor form of player interaction—someone might snatch a card you wanted, but it’s rarely out of spite. It’s just part of pursuing shared goals.

Holding four cards at a time helps mitigate the luck factor. With two players, the market changes more slowly, which adds a layer of predictability. Still, I prefer playing Cafe Baras with more players—more turnover in the display makes for more dynamic decisions. It’s more engaging to react quickly to new options than to stare at a stale market.

What I really appreciate is the dual use of cards. Each one can either expand your café or serve a customer. That opens up fun decisions, especially for less experienced players. While Cafe Baras is built from familiar mechanics, the overall design is polished. It’s not groundbreaking, but it works smoothly and delivers a cozy experience.

One note: the first playthrough is best treated as a learning round. Some players need to see how engines and point-scoring work before truly engaging. Despite its accessibility, Cafe Baras is more of a 'easy to learn, tough to optimize' kind of game. Your mileage may vary depending on your gaming background.

Cafe Baras Is Visually Delightful

The art in Cafe Baras is, in my opinion, absolutely delightful. If you enjoyed the illustrations in previous KTBG titles, you'll feel right at home here. The visual representation of products, characters, and whimsical easter eggs is spot-on. Kudos to the publisher for adding fun details like a Power Plants box (which I’ve also reviewed) or an arcade cabinet showing Mario fleeing Donkey Kong-style barrels.

The card quality is decent—thick enough, though lacking linen finish. Sleeving is highly recommended due to the frequency of shuffling. Thankfully, the white-bordered card backs don’t show wear easily, and our front-facing cards held up well after several games.

My only real gripe is with the box insert—or lack thereof. The cardboard 'insert' doesn’t fit sleeved cards comfortably and feels mismatched with the otherwise solid production. If you're not going to offer a functional insert, better to leave the box empty. Still, this is a minor complaint in an otherwise well-produced game.

Final Thoughts on Cafe Baras

Cafe Baras is a relaxing card game that might serve as a filler for seasoned players. Those who dislike randomness or demand innovative gameplay might not find much here. But for casual gamers, families, or anyone seeking a peaceful and charming game night, it’s a great pick.

The engine-building is satisfying, the artwork is delightful, and the decisions—while light—feel meaningful. For three or four players, Cafe Baras offers the perfect low-stakes challenge to share with friends. In two-player mode, it can feel a bit flat.

Thanks to Alis.Games for providing a review copy of Cafe Baras.