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The Best Serving Carts of 2024
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A serving cart– also known as a bar cart or drinks trolley– is a piece of furniture designed for serving drinks, snacks, or other items. It usually has multiple shelves or trays for holding bottles, glasses, and other accessories. Serving carts often have wheels or casters, allowing them to be easily moved from one location to another.
We looked at the weight limit, storage space, color, and ease of movement of the best serving carts and settled on the Amazon Basics 3-Tier Metal Basket Rolling Cart as our favorite. It has a removable wood cutting board top, three tiers of storage, and is easy to move and assemble.
Our Top Picks For Serving Carts
View all ContentsThe Best Serving Carts
Best Overall
In an enchanting combination of metal and wood, this basket serving cart tops our list of recommendations and offers ample storage space. It features rolling caster wheels at the bottom that make it easy to mov items from one place to the other. This rolling cart is perfect for storing kitchen items, cookware, utensils, dry goods, dishware, bottles, and other bar items.
The top of this serving cart features a removable cutting board that can also be used as a flat shelving area. In addition to this mobile chopping board, the polished chrome finish and durable metal construction make this cart a visually pleasing addition to any space. It’s designed for indoor use with its four smooth pivoting wheels. They offer dynamic mobility so you can move delicate items around without worrying about any damage. The Amazon Basics 3-Tier Metal Basket Rolling Cart takes our top spot for offering a reliable method of storing all your goods.
Pros
- Easy to move
- Durable and long-lasting
- Flat multi-purpose wooden top
Cons
- Lacks assembling instructions
Most Earthy Design
This is a utility and serving cart with wheels offering easy movement. It comes in a rustic brown color and black metal frame for décor with an industrial flair. You can place around 15 kilograms of weight atop this cart and move it around safely. Its practical design can store items from your kitchen, pantry, and bar in a convenient manner.
There are four casters, two of which also have brakes to prevent unwanted sliding. You can safely place all delicate items including bottles, glassware, and other shelf items on this trolley. You can also place it near the stove with cooking essentials stacked upon it. The tray on top is removable and can hold up to 33 lbs of weight. The raised edges around the tray prevent spills, accidents, crumbs, and messes of all kinds.
Pros
- Three large and spacious shelves for storage
- Matte black extra durable frame
- Impressive load capacity
Cons
- Poor shipping and packaging
Brightest Colors
Perfect for outdoor settings, this is an all-metal serving cart in a beautiful solid black color. It offers you a quick, easy and movable storage. You can move the cart indoors as well as outdoors on its four durable wheels. The design, finish and color perfectly blend in with both environments. Two of the four wheels are locking casters which allows you to seal the cart in one position when there are delicate items on it.
This cart requires no elaborate assembly and difficult instructions to follow, just unpack and it’s ready for use. This durable storage shelf cart is capable of holding up to 75 lbs, making it the perfect choice for storing your favorite foods, decorations, bottles, and just about anything else. This serving cart can also fold into a flat form for easy storage and better portability.
Pros
- Easy to maneuver
- Outdoor and indoor use
- Ample storage space
Cons
- No return or exchange policy
Most Utilitarian
This is a silver utility and serving cart that is made from pure alloy steel. It has been constructed from industrial-strength steel and comes with a one-inch diameter pole. You can place items of any kind to be easily stored and displayed as this cart can hold up to 500 lbs on its wheels. There are three shelf units with ample spaceto store many appliances from your kitchen, garage, office, or restaurant.
Each wheel has a four-inch height while two of them are equipped with brakes. You can lock the wheels and prevent the cart from rolling on its own. There is a convenient push-bar design handle on one side so you can easily move the cart with heavy items on it. The shelves can also be adjusted with intervals of one inch.
Pros
- Anti-rust chrome finish
- NSF certified for dependability
- Impressive loading capacity
Cons
- Sharp edges might need some buffing
Most Compact
This is a multi-functional cart that can be used as a storage or utility cart, a bar cart, or a serving cart. It comes in a sleek and smooth chrome finish which makes it perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. The industrial-strength steel construction is made more durable with an UltraZinc plating that prevents rust and corrosion.
This serving cart can also be used to store items of any kind, from bottles and dishware to cooking utensils and pantry stuffers. Three shelves can bear around 500 lbs easily. The heavy-duty PVC wheels come with brakes to ensure that the trolley stays in place when you need it to. This serving utility cart is also NSF and NSF/ANSI certified making it safe for everyday use.
Pros
- Highly durable and sturdy
- Removable steel push-bar handle
- Easy to move and lock
Cons
- Initial assembly might take some time
The Best Serving Cart Buying Guide
Here is a comprehensive buying guide to help you shop better:
How To Choose a Serving Cart?
If you’re shopping for a serving cart, take a look at some of these important things to consider before making your final purchase:
Mobility
Get a cart that you can easily move around from one place to the other. Some models may have wheels that don’t glide as smoothly as you’d want them to. This is why you need to check the kind and quality of wheels.
This won’t be a matter of concern if you’re getting a serving cart to be placed in a stationary spot. But if you want the freedom to roll the cart out into the porch or another room when needed, you should select one with good-quality wheels. Check if the wheels of the serving cart have locks or brakes that you can use to keep it stationary when needed, as well.
Storage
While you might be more inclined towards how the serving cart looks and how you’d decorate it further, don’t forget to check how functional it actually is. If you’re buying the cart for outdoor and indoor use, make sure it has plenty of storage space and wide shelves that are spaced appropriately so you can store and move whatever you like. It should be able to accommodate anything you need from it.
Style
Serving carts can add to the look and feel of a space. This is why you need to pick the style according to the surroundings it’ll be placed in. Classic styles will go with almost all kinds of décor and color schemes, while contemporary designs with sleek edges only work may work with a different room. The shape and finish should match the rest of the furnishings in the room it will spend the most time in.
How Tall Should a Serving Cart Be?
The height of a serving cart should be selected according to how it will impact the usefulness of the cart.
If you’re placing it in a living room to store your collection of drinks and glassware, you can expect to have people making their drinks at the cart. This means the height should be such that most people can easily reach and mix a cocktail. A comfortable height would perhaps be thirty inches or more. Similarly, if you’d be putting the serving cart mostly in the kitchen and it happens to have a flat board on top, you can use it as a cutting board or prep station. A thirty inch height is perfect for this purpose as well.
If you’ll be moving the serving cart from one room to the other often, like in the home office or bathroom, you may prefer getting a compact design so it can fit smaller spaces and move safely. If you’ll be putting the cart next to your sofa or sun lounger, you can go for a lower height for easy accessibility.
What Are Some Common Uses of a Serving Cart?
Here are approaches to differently style your serving cart:
Mobile cocktail and wine bar
You can set up convenient mobile cocktail and wine bar using a serving cart. You can use all your cocktail supplies and equipment: including syrups, botanicals, garnishes, mixers, shakers and fancy glasses to make up epic cocktails.
Afternoon tea and morning coffee
Serving carts can also be set up for afternoon tea and to decorate your china, lacy cloth, and teapot. You can decorate yours with flowers, cake and bite-sized sandwiches, side plates and a selection of teas for your guests.
You can set up a coffee bar in your office or home with a coffee machine and set of mugs, making it easier to get started on your workday.
Dessert trolley
If you’re hosting a fancy event, you can finish up your main course by wheeling in your dessert trolley with tasty sweet treats. You can put up a wide selection of desserts, chocolates, and fresh fruits with beautiful cutlery and plates.
Cheese trolley
For another after-dinner treat, you can set up a cheese board. Place side plates, small fruit bowls and baskets of biscuits for cheese and have a delightful experience.
Mobile sideboard
Serving carts can hold your everyday supplies near you for easy and quick access. This includes crockery, mats, glasses, table linen, remotes, water bottles, laptop, notepads and more.
Tips and Advice About Serving Carts
A few tips include:
- If you have a small space and would like to store the serving cart away when it’s not in use, consider a compact design or one that folds.
- If you’re getting the cart for outdoor use, choose a coated metal frame to prevent rusting.
- Always pick a cart with brakes on wheels so it stays stable when loading and unloading items.
- Good quality wheels go a long way. PVC is a strong and durable material for wheels.
Conclusion
Shopping for a serving cart gets tricky because there are plenty of carts that look alike but are designed with different specifications to serve different purposes. You need to go through their weight limits, build quality, number of shelves and much more to find the right one for your needs.
To help you navigate through your options and find the best fit, we’ve put together this buying guide where we explore the options in detail. Our list of recommendations for the best serving carts in 2023 also highlights their respective features so you can decide for yourself.
People Also Asked
What are serving carts used for mainly?
Service carts are used typically in restaurants and households to display and deliver food or for convenient acces to items.
What are some other names for serving carts?
Serving carts are also called pushcarts, handcarts, carts, go-carts, bar carts, or wheeled carts.
How much weight can a regular serving cart hold?
Typically, serving carts have a maximum weight holding capacity ranging from 300 to 700 lbs.
Where should you place a serving or bar cart?
A serving or bar cart should be placed someplace in the house where everyone gathers. It could be the living room or placed under the staircase entryway.
