Play Panic Restaurant Online

Panic Restaurant came out in 1992 for the NES, developed and published by Taito. It was part of that wave of late-era platformers that tried to stand out with a unique theme rather than just pushing technical limits. The game has a certain charm that feels very much of its time, before the 16-bit consoles completely took over.

You control a chef named Cookie, who fights through a restaurant taken over by living, hostile food using his trusty frying pan. The main goal is to clear six themed stages, like a freezer or a bakery, each ending with a boss such as a giant pizza or an angry cake. You explore screen by screen, whacking enemies and breaking blocks to collect ingredients that power up your pan's range and attack. The pacing is brisk, and the difficulty can spike unexpectedly, especially during some of the more chaotic enemy patterns. It feels like a solid, compact challenge with a lot of personality packed into a short playthrough.