The Best Dinner Plates, According to Cooks, Designers, and More People With Impeccable Taste

Fable’s stoneware dinner plates are a recent addition to my collection. I find them to be a great choice, especially for the price, which isn’t cheap but is significantly less than some of the hand-thrown ceramics on this list. And still, they have an irregular edge so that when stacked, they look more organic than uniform. That edge is also a nice height. Overall, they’re on the flatter side, which I like — but they’d be able to handle a saucy piece of roast chicken or steak just fine.

Three other people I spoke to are also fans of Fable: Recipe developer and cookbook authorCarissa Stantonuses them for regular meals as well as for dinner parties, because guests can easily put three to five different foods together without worrying about overflow. “I also just love the way they look and feel,” she says. “They have a great weight to them.” Strategist writersBrenley GoertzenandJeremy Rellosaown them, too, and both pointed out the “less mass-manufactured quality.”

Though Stanton, Goertzen, and Rellosa haven’t had any issues with the plates scratching, writer and small-space consultantAlison Mazureksays she especially loves the version with a glossy finish (which I have, too, and which you can find under that same link) because she finds they hold up even better. She’s owned hers for nearly a year and uses them daily for her family, and often when she hosts meals for friends, too.

This recommendation comes courtesy of food writer and cookbook authorHetty Lui McKinnon. “I came to these for the stunning design, but I stay for the quality,” she says. “When you find dinner plates that are stylish and durable, you stick with them. Noble dinner plates don’t chip, are dishwasher-safe, and look so pretty that you will want to leave them out on display in your kitchen, like I do.” Turns out, Noble’s pottery has a rich legacy and also graces the tables ofgreat restaurants across the country.

“Stoneware feels handmade and has a warm, natural look,” says restaurateurBrooks Reitz, adding that with these plates, “the gentle bone color is much more elegant than a ripping, bright white.” He calls them clean and utilitarian. “From afar they are perhaps unremarkable, but up close and in the hand, they are clearly beautifully made,” he says. The designer, John Julian, has other styles, too, likethis onewith a forest-green rim used by Olivia Pollock, senior brand director ofEvite. “It’s classic and suitable for everyday meals with my littles but can also double for elevated dinner parties,” she says.

[Editor’s note: This plate is listed in pounds, so the price shown is an approximate conversion in U.S. dollars.]

When it comes to tableware from bigger-box stores, Crate & Barrel is the clear favorite. This style is the choice of recipe developer and writerCaroline Chambers, who ordered two sets for a dinner party a few years back but quickly adapted them as the everyday plates for her family of five. “They’re only about $7 each, and they look like really pretty ceramics,” she says. “Not a single chip, and I’ve used them exclusively as my plates for about two years.” An added bonus on all Crate & Barrel plates: You can buy them in sets of eight or individually.

Fashion designer, culinary creator, and lifestyle expertPeter Somuses the Aspen Coupe Dinner Plate, which has a cleaner finish and more significantly sloped sides that he says frame food nicely and provide a substantial barrier between fork and floor, if he’s eating in a more casual setting, like in front of the TV. “They are crisp and white and lightweight but sturdy — the veritable little black dress of the dinner table that will make anything I put on it pop,” he says.

These have a more traditional design with a wide rim and are the plates that Strategist senior editorHilary Reidreceived as a hand-me-down from one of her best friends about five years ago. “Not one has cracked, scratched, or really shown any significant sign of wear,” she says. “They are just simple, extremely reliable, boring but not too boring, and in a style that I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of. Plus they stack nicely.”

After I put together the original version of this list last year and found out so many people swear by Crate & Barrel’s plates, I immediately got a set for myself. (As it happens, I was very over my old scratched and chipped set from another unnamed big homewares store.) Instead of going with one of the exact recommended styles, I shopped around for what I liked best and landed on the Hudson line. They’re most similar to the Aspen plates, but just a bit thicker and with minimally higher sloped sides. What I love most is their every-so-slightly off-white color — notquiteas bright white as the others listed here. Somehow, this makes them look even higher-quality than the price suggests. Granted, I haven’t had them as long as some other people, but as of now, they’re in perfect shape — and they clean up beautifully, aren’t too heavy, stack nicely, and look fantastic set out on the table. As I noted above, I also love that I can buy additional plates individually. Not only does this give me peace of mind in case one breaks, but I started with the full set and plan to add a few more down the line so I end up with a particularly robust collection for hosting.

Recipe developer and writerRebecca Firkseruses these matte-finished Casafina plates. “I think many ‘organic-shaped’ dishes from commercial purveyors look purposefully inauthentic, so I like that these are evenly round,” she says. She prefers the look of the flatter shape, too, but notes there’s still enough of a lip to catch food and assures that they’re extremely durable. “I’ve had these for over four years with no noticeable nicks or scratches from flatware, and I’ve run them through the dishwasher countless times,” she says.

Sylvan Mishima Brackett, owner ofRintaroin San Francisco, got his first set of Apilco plates from Chez Panisse, where he used to work. When the restaurant collaborated with Heath Ceramics to create custom tableware, it gave away the formerly used Apilco pieces to the staff. “I’ve stuck with them ever since,” Brackett says. He calls them “simple and elegant,” noting that they don’t call attention to themselves, which allows the food to be the focus. They stack tightly in the cupboard, so he can fit a dozen (same as with the company’s salad plates and bowls, which he also has). “And after years of use, they still look exactly the same — not a single chip or crack or stain,” he says.

Recipe developer and cookbook authorClaire Saffitzrecently invested in a new set of dinnerware, doing a “huge amount of research” to find the pieces that checked her many boxes, she says: organic form, matte white for versatility, and between ten and 11 inches. She loves that they’re handmade and feel special. Still, they’re a great weight and durable. “I wasn’t certain about the prominent lip,” she says, “but now I really like how it frames the food and contains everything.” She does note that a matte finish means cutlery can leave marks, but those can be removed with special cleaning (and don’t bother her too much anyway).

WhenJen Kim, founder of Le Dinner Party, first started hosting supper clubs, she made her own hand-thrown plates. And while they were beautiful, she eventually found herself more drawn to plain white bone china as a clean background on which to plate her food. “I love the shape of this plate and how timeless it looks,” she says.

“After years of chipping handmade plates and buying things in sets of four, I finally decided to replace all my dishware with Villeroy & Boch Manoir plates and bowls,” says writer and creative directorAli LaBelle. “I feel like such a grown-up — I’m 36 — with a cabinet full of matching dishes that look fancy, but in reality, they’re easily replaceable when I inevitably drop one while doing the dishes.” Though white, her plates have a bit of detailing around the perimeter — a design, LaBelle says, based on one of the company’s first patterns from the 1700s. “This current version has been around since the ’80s, so I don’t think it’ll ever be out of production,” she says.

For a similar look as the plate above but at a more affordable price point, consider this one from Pottery Barn recommended by recipe developer and expert hostIsabelle Heikens. She uses her set more than any other when she has people over. “When I was growing up, my mom always said food looks best on a white glossy plate, and I tend to agree,” she says. “But what I like about these is the border. It really adds to the table. It looks good on top of a charger plate or with a salad plate on top. It fits with any table design and reads as just a bit nicer — a bit more special — because of the frilly edge.” They’ve held up great, too, without a scratch mark or chip in sight, even though Heikens isn’t overly precious with them.

“On balance, I try to buy inexpensive dishware because I constitutionally cannot treat them with delicacy and care,” saysNew Yorkerfood columnistHelen Rosner. At $4 a pop, these Ikea plates fit the bill, though their cheap price tag doesn’t affect how lasting they are. Rosner has owned them for 15 years, and they’re still in near-perfect condition. Otherwise, they also check her three dinner-plate nonnegotiables: They’re round, they’re white (because all food looks good on white, and they can be used just as easily for fancy dinner parties as everyday meals), and they have a decent rim. “Without a rim, you end up with this vast, flat emptiness, which is both aesthetically unwieldy in terms of plating and functionally annoying when it comes to using a knife,” she says.

Strategist writerErin Schwartzsays Muji’s plates are “the Platonic ideal of inexpensive but nice-looking.” (They own the lunch-plate size, which is only an inch smaller in diameter than the dinner plate and perfect for their needs.) They describe the color as a subtle off-white and note that the plates “don’t have that chunky, thick-walled feel you get from some cheap models where the glaze is absolutely shellacked on.” Both Schwartz and recipe developer and food stylistSue Li, who owns the plates in a brighter white that isn’t currently available, say the dishes aren’t too delicate to throw in the dishwasher with Li adding that she doesn’t feel devastated if one happens to break, given the affordable price point.

For another affordable option, consider this set from Corelle, recommended by food stylistRebecca Jurkevich, who likes that these are lightweight, can go in the dishwasher, and are unimposing so that the food can be the star. The best part? “I am so not fancy at home,” she says. “Anything beautiful that I’ve owned gets destroyed, so here we are. They are (nearly) unbreakable. Who doesn’t love that?”

Christene Barberich, author of the newsletterA Tiny Apt., likes Heller stackable dinnerware — an especially useful option if you host a lot. You can fit many in a small cabinet because they fit neatly into each other to create an especially sleek tower. They’re made from melamine, a hard plastic material that doesn’t break or chip, even when literally dropped. But the iconic design (these exact plates have been in production for over 60 years) give them an air of sophistication you’d be hard-pressed to find with most other melamine dinnerware.

When not using her decorative-edged white plates (the Pottery Barn Heirloom Stoneware above), Heikens turns to these natural-color stoneware ones. “They feel a little more laid-back, a little homier,” she says. “The sand color has dimension to it, and the darker rim is a nice detail.” Still, it’s a neutral-enough color that all food looks good against it. It also has slightly more raised sides, so it works better for saucier dishes.

I also have a mismatched collection of bistro-style plates. Mine are both dessert and salad size, but they come in many different options, including a 10.25-inch one that would work for dinner. They’re cheap as can be: A set of 12 will run you $5 a plate. For anyone who regularly hosts, this is ideal. They’re durable, too; I’ve owned mine for nearly a decade, and they’ve never broken, chipped, or gotten even a single scratch. The look is distinctly retro (something you would find in a classic bistro or diner) but not over the top or cheesy. Many New York–based restaurants of all different kindsuse them too.

Cook and writerEthaney Leelikes these incredibly affordable plates from H&M. “They are surprisingly really great quality and a perfect size for a dinner plate — not too big, not too small,” she says. “I really love how the red trim adds a sweet bistro feel.”

Emily Fiffer, the other co-owner ofBotanica, has lugged big plates, small plates, and bowls back from Onora in Mexico City. “Owning a restaurant, I’m all too familiar with breakage, so I love the weight of these. They’re so sturdy!” she says. “Plus they’re beautiful.” She appreciates that they’re not crazy expensive, as some handmade ceramics can be, and says they “read casual or a bit elevated depending on the audience and situation.”

Falcon Enamelware’s plates are, as the name suggests, made of enamel. This means they’re super-durable — so much so that they were recommended by multiple experts as the very bestoutdoor dinner platesyou can buy. “They feel substantial and have a nice weight to them,” interior designerAlex Yeskesays. Recipe developer and writerRosie Kellettuses them inside, too. “You truly can’t break them,” she says. “They are incredibly easy to wash, stack, and store. And they look so chic.” They’re mostly white but offer just a bit of visual intrigue with a rim that comes in four color options.

Recipe developer and cookbook authorKristina Choalso uses enamel plates for eating outside, but hers come from Crow Canyon Home. The brand has more design options, and Cho especially likes the classic splatter, which comes in nine colors.

If you like the look of a fine border on a light-colored plate but prefer porcelain over enamel, consider these from Serax’s collaboration with Ann Demeulemeester. Reid bought a set on sale as a birthday gift to herself and uses them for special occasions.“The thin black trim is extremely elegant,” she says. “The trim bleeds just slightly into the cream part of the plate, which I think makes them more interesting than your typical white plate with a trim.” (Just note: These are hand-wash only.)

Dorotea plates are one-offs, each hand-built and carved with intricate, mostly floral patterns. The glazes used, both in deep and soft shades, are stunning. While it’s likely outside of most people’s budgets to collect enough to make a full mismatched set, editor and cookbook authorAran Goyoagasays one would make a great gift as a special-occasion plate, or get a smaller one to use for little desserts or appetizers.

Recipe developer and writerJenny Rosenstrach, founder of Hedley & BennettEllen Marie Bennett, recipe developer and cookbook authorNisha Vora, and Cho all love the same qualities of their East Fork plates.Rosenstrach uses them for her family of four every day — and they’ve managed the wear and tear without any chips or scratches. Bennett calls them thick, sturdy, and not too delicate. Cho appreciates how practical they are: Even with constant use and running through the dishwasher, they still look good as new. And Vora notes that even though they’re on the more expensive side, they’re worth it for how well they hold up.

All of them are also drawn to the look: the exposed brown clay around the perimeter, which Rosenstrach says gives “just a little visual interest without distracting from the food,” and the speckled glazes. The plates come in seven core colors that are always available, but the brand releases more limited-edition seasonal and collaboration colors regularly, too — most of which are poppier rather than neutral. They mix and match well, Vora says.

The plates from Heath Ceramics’ Coupe Line got the most mentions — from recipe developer and cookbook authorDan Pelosi, recipe developer and cookbook authorOdette Williams, social-media consultant and writerRachel Karten, chef and founder ofValerie ConfectionsValerie Gordon, Strategist senior editorWinnie Yang, and Cho (who saves these plates for special occasions more than the East Fork ones she owns). The praise makes sense: The company is iconic, producing gorgeous ceramic tableware since 1948. Every person mentioned the timeless and casual-meets-sophisticated look of these with the multiple earthy glaze colors (some in matte and others glossy). “They just say ‘relaxed elegance,’” Gordon says. Most also noted their durability — including sets that were inherited or bought secondhand. One final note: Heath and East Fork plates are often compared for their similar aesthetic and price point, and Yang, who has both, says Heath’s are “much lighter” and have a “more uniform finish.”

Recipe developerGrace Elkushas been using her Lail Design pottery for more than four years. The plates look a bit like a cross between East Fork (with the very subtly speckled glaze) and the Heath Coupe line (there’s no unglazed border, and the style of the lip is similar). Lail is a smaller business than those two, though, so she warns that the pieces may not always be in stock (though they do come back). And like East Fork’s and Heath’s, the price point is worth it. “They double as my everyday piecesandwhat I pull out for guests,” Elkus says. “They’re super-durable — I’ve never had one chip — and I don’t have to be too precious with them. I toss them right in the dishwasher.”

[Editor’s note: These are currently sold out, but check back soon to see if they’re back in stock.]

Strategist senior editorAilbhe Maloneregistered for these Denby plates for her wedding five years ago. “Denby is a prestige ceramicsware company (like Moorcroft or Wedgwood), so I knew they’d last a long time,” she says. “They’re handmade in England but still dishwasher safe and hefty enough that we use them every single day.” The color is also a plus: While not technically a neutral like white, pale blue acts as a complimentary backdrop for most foods. “In the winter, when I’m serving up beige and brown stews and pastas, it’s lovely to see them pop,” Malone says.

[Editor’s note: This plate is listed in pounds, so the price shown is an approximate conversion in U.S. dollars.]

Writer and cookRuth Reichlowns and loves these plates, made by her neighbor Mary Anne Davis. She was originally drawn to the bold colors, “but since then I have come to love their thinness,” she says. “Despite their seeming fragility, I have been putting them in the dishwasher every day for 30 years, and they’re still in great shape.”

Multimedia storyteller and copywriterSimone Spilkatypically collects unique tableware pieces when traveling — but when she saw this very affordable set at a friend’s house, she ordered the plates immediately. “They’re sturdy and look super-chic,” she says. “Plus I like a neutral color since the rest of my tableware is very colorful.” While the black is currently sold out, you can get them in a dark gray for a similar effect.

Strategist contributorKiki Aranitais partial to these confetti plates. She’s rough with her’s and puts everything through the dishwasher, often on a heavy cycle. (Although she often adds to her collection, she bought her first Felt+Fat dishware a decade ago, and it’s still in great shape.) The plates have a notable lip that is “less prone to chipping than any other plate,” she says. “The whole thing is easy to balance on my wrist when I’m serving multiple guests.”

Aranita also has some of these Spode plates, which she was inspired to buy after staying at Coqui Coqui’s perfumeria-hotel in Valladolid, Spain. “They have this amazing enclosed garden breakfast room that uses all blue-and-white Spode-like dishes,” she says. “I was determined to re-create the look when I got back to the States.” She likes that they’re lighter than stoneware and “strike a balance between fragile and durable,” she says.

Le Creuset may be known for its cookware (and, most specifically, its iconicDutch oven), but Strategist writerJordan McMahonloves its dinnerware, too. He was gifted this set nearly a year ago and says they’re the first plates he’s had any strong feelings about. To start, they’re hardy: “Not that anyone should try this, but a small pot fell on one of my plates when it was in the sink, and while the pot got a pretty gnarly chip, the plate remained intact,” he says. They have a substantial rim that helps food stay in place and creates a put-together look overall. And the color (McMahon has the red, though it’s available in several shades) really pops.

For another solid-but-colored option (though the plate does come in white, too), Strategist senior writerLiza Corsilloloves Bauer plates, designed by Russel Wright. (She has been into them ever since she went to visit his house that’s now a museum in Garrison.) She likes that they’re pretty plain with just a small lip, giving the same fluidity of all his ceramics. “It makes them feel organic and not overly designed,” she says.