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Weber Traveler Portable Gas Grill, Black

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Gas Grill + Cover, G47770

Gas Grill + Brush + Pans

Gas Grill + Cover + Pans

Gas Grill + Hose + Pans

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About this item.

• One handed setup and collapse. Grill is attached to the cart for quick & easy setup.
• Compact fold takes up minimal space in the garage and fits perfectly in the trunk of your car.
• Large grilling area (15 burger capacity) so that the entire meal is grilled and ready to eat at the same time.
• Purposely designed to optimize gas usage.
• Attach a 16 oz. gas canister or use an adapter hose to connect to a larger tank (sold separately).

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One handed setup and collapse. Grill is attached to the cart for quick & easy setup. Compact fold takes up minimal space in the garage and fits perfectly in the trunk of your car. Large grilling area (15 burger capacity) so that the entire meal is grilled and ready to eat at the same time. Purposely designed to optimize gas usage.

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Customers say

Customers like the quality, portability, ease of use, and ease of cleaning of the barbecue grill. For example, they mention it's an excellent product, very portable, and easy to set up and use. That said, some like the fit, cooking space, and value. Opinions are mixed on temperature control.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers like the quality of the barbecue grill. They say it's an excellent product, with well made grill grates and a sturdy design. Customers also mention that the lighter is built well and that it heats up fast. They also say the wheels are heavy duty and that the grill does a very good job for such a compact unit.

"...The grill grates are well made and clean up well. I bought an aftermarket griddle (half coverage) and have been pleased with that as an option...." Read more

"...It is very versatile , easy to use, mobile & folds easily to transport or store. Well worth the money. Highly recommended" Read more

"...This is a well-designed , well-built, reliable, and sturdy grill for the casual cook…better yet, it heats up fast and the cooking surface is..." Read more

"...And let's not forget, it's a Weber - a name that's synonymous with quality and reliability...." Read more

Customers find the barbecue grill very portable and easy to move and store. They also say it's relatively compact and folds to fit in the RV compartment. Some mention that it'll fit anywhere you like.

"...It is very versatile, easy to use, mobile & folds easily to transport or store. Well worth the money. Highly recommended" Read more

"...checks all the boxes on ease of use, compact, collapsable and easy to transport …and relatively easy to clean…although cleaning any grill is never..." Read more

"... Large cooking area for a portable . I use a 12 x 15 inch pizza stone in this to make great pizzas.-..." Read more

"...No mess on the deck after cleaning it. Grill is heavy and easy to clean...." Read more

Customers find the barbecue grill easy to set up and use. They mention that it has lots of space on the grill and that it goes together 1 2 3 with no tools needed. Some say that the grill comes mostly assembled and that they need to attach the wheels.

"...The fold up system of the Web Traveler and great reviews on ease of use and quality construction gets you over the price tag. Did not disappoint...." Read more

"...It is very versatile, easy to use , mobile & folds easily to transport or store. Well worth the money. Highly recommended" Read more

"...So this grill checks all the boxes on ease of use , compact, collapsable and easy to transport…and relatively easy to clean…although cleaning any..." Read more

"...This grill is the real deal. It's a breeze to assemble and gets hot in a snap, so you won't have to wait long before you can sink your teeth into..." Read more

Customers find the barbecue grill easy to clean. They say the design is ingenious, making cleaning a breeze. Some mention that the grill is fairly easy to take apart and clean, and the inside of the grill wipes out very easy with a little soap.

"...The grill grates are well made and clean up well . I bought an aftermarket griddle (half coverage) and have been pleased with that as an option...." Read more

"...ease of use, compact, collapsable and easy to transport…and relatively easy to clean …although cleaning any grill is never any fun...." Read more

"...The 2-part grate halves make it easy to take inside and clean with soap and a scouring pad. 2nd best feature.Cons:-..." Read more

"...I take the grills out and the inside of the grill wipes out very easy with a little soap and water and the pan under the grill catches any dirt or..." Read more

Customers like the fit of the barbecue grill. They say it has a suitable size and is easy to store. They also love the size of the cooking surface, saying it fits perfectly on her little deck. Some customers also say it's portable, perfect size for family, easy to operate, accurate temperature gauge, and great for small decks, patios, or a trip to the park or beach. It's roomier than it looks and can easily cook for 4 people.

"...the casual cook…better yet, it heats up fast and the cooking surface is surprisingly large ." Read more

"...Can easily get 8 burgers on the surface at one time. Great for small decks , patios, or a trip to the park or beach...." Read more

"...The griddle size is large enough to grill for 4-6 people...." Read more

"Love this grill, we have a small balcony and it fits perfect . It has plenty of room to grill about eight normal size burgers at the time...." Read more

Customers like the value of the barbecue grill. They say it's worth the price and easy to bring on trips.

"... Well worth the money . Highly recommended" Read more

"...Hoping to get about 10 out of it. Making the price reasonable . We use out bbq about 25-40 times per year for camping as a reference for usage...." Read more

"...It's a bit more pricey than some, but I think it is definitely worth it ." Read more

"I bought this to travel with it. Its a bit pricey , but I work on the road, so I needed compact versatile and easy cleaning for RV living, I got all..." Read more

Customers like the cooking space of the barbecue grill. They say it has a big cooking space, enough to cook dinner for four, and has enough room for food. Some customers also say that it's portable and works with large and small gas canisters.

"...I've cooked for groups of 6-8 with the Traveler, plenty of grill space . The grill grates are well made and clean up well...." Read more

"...Didn't need a large grill that takes forever to heat up. This is plenty bi for us and a few guests and nice quality...." Read more

"The grill has a good size cooking area and heats up fast. It easily folds up which is wonderful for storage in a garage...." Read more

"...It is also easy to start up and clean afterwards. It has room for a bunch of food . I was really amazed...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the temperature control of the barbecue grill. Some mention that it heats evenly and quickly, with no variation in temperature when opening the grill top. However, some say that it fails to heat up and the temperature drops really fast with the lid open.

"... Heat up time are quick with the smaller dome lid. I've cooked for groups of 6-8 with the Traveler, plenty of grill space...." Read more

"...reliable, and sturdy grill for the casual cook…better yet, it heats up fast and the cooking surface is surprisingly large." Read more

"...This grill is the real deal. It's a breeze to assemble and gets hot in a snap , so you won't have to wait long before you can sink your teeth into..." Read more

"...Also note that these portable grilles don't build and retain heat quite as well as their larger counterparts, but this still does a very good job..." Read more

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The 8 Best Portable Grills Bring Good Eating Anywhere

Whether you want gas, charcoal, or electric, these grills can go to picnics, beaches, tailgates, and more.

We think of grilling as a backyard pastime: Cooking up burgers and hot dogs out on a perfect sunny day surrounded by family and friends at home. The truth is, though, we love to grill everywhere. We love to grill at a tailgate before a football game. We love to grill on a camping trip. We love to grill on a chill day at the park.

You don’t have to compromise much when grilling away from home, either. While the smaller size of these models means you can’t cook for too many people, they run on charcoal or gas like most other grills, and they get more than hot enough to fire up whatever food you’re hungry for. We’ve tested and picked out the best portable grills for every type of cook just in time for grilling season.

More Grilling Stories: Popular Mechanics Yard & Garden Awards ● Best BBQ Smokers ● Best Kamado Grills

The Best Portable Grills

• Best Overall: Masterbuilt Portable Charcoal Grill
• Best Value: Weber Smokey Joe Portable Grill
• Best Design: Cuisinart CGG-750 Venture Portable Grill
• Best Charcoal: Oklahoma Joe’s Rambler Tabletop Grill
• Best for Burgers and Dogs: Weber Q1200 Liquid Propane Portable Grill

What to Consider

Type of fuel.

Portable grills are fueled by lump and briquette charcoal or propane, each with its own advantages. Lump charcoal is easier to ignite and burns hotter than charcoal briquettes. Because it’s charred wood, it consists of irregularly shaped pieces, and so requires a bit of experience to correctly build a fuel bed.

Bagged charcoal is slightly more difficult to light but is easy to work with in that you ignite a pile of it in a charcoal chimney and pour the glowing coals onto the coal grate. You can easily move these regularly shaped pieces with a coal shovel to put the heat where you need it. Charcoal is dramatic and fun to work with; outdoor chefs generally like smoke and flames.

Propane, both in a 16.4-ounce camper-size fuel bottle and the common 20-gallon size, is tame in comparison. It’s certainly cleaner and quick to set up and light: Open the fuel tank’s valve and light the burner with a match, butane lighter, or the igniter on the grill.

Type of Grill

Aside from fuels, think about your other needs. Do you want to set up, cook, and cool down quickly? Then gas is your obvious choice . Just how compact does the grill need to be and how lightweight? These point you in the direction of a small, sheet-metal kettle or 16.4-ounce propane model.

If durability is your sole criteria and not weight, look at the grill’s build and features that contribute to longevity. Perhaps a cast-iron hibachi is your best choice, or again, maybe it’s a simple, low-maintenance charcoal grill.

How We Tested

We evaluated these grills based on their neatness of manufacturing, consistency of cooking surface, ease of use and assembly, and—for charcoal grills—how easy it is to place and manipulate the charcoal and whether the vents provide sufficient airflow.

We also included a few grills that we didn’t test based on our experience with the brands, user reviews and ratings, and how closely they align with our criteria.

Masterbuilt Portable Charcoal Grill

For its portable charcoal grill, Masterbuilt employed a simple version of technology it developed for its larger digital charcoal grill, the 560 . With the use of a fan and a separate charcoal firebox, you can get this grill hot enough to cook in about the same time it takes to heat up a portable propane grill.

We loaded the firebox with charcoal from The Good Charcoal Company , which is a consistent medium size and perfect for the small, 1.5-pound-capacity firebox. We lit the charcoal with a torch for about 60 seconds, turned the fan to medium, closed the firebox, and in 15 minutes we were grilling burgers. The fan is electric, but that doesn’t mean you have to be tied to an outlet—you can also use four AA batteries. When we tested the battery power with the fan set on medium speed, we were able to grill for about five hours.

The grill features a porcelain-coated, cast-iron cooking grate that helps provide even heat—and which we found easy to clean. We could roll the grill around easily with the collapsible cart, and the dedicated firebox and locking grill lid meant we didn’t spread ashes wherever we went with it. The Masterbuilt portable charcoal grill makes grilling with charcoal easy, fast, and clean.

Weber Smokey Joe Portable Grill

This is a phenomenal small grill , a kettle-shaped classic. A bottom vent and an aluminum top damper allowed us to dial in the airflow. Despite the Smokey Joe’s small volume, there was enough room to manipulate the coal for precise cooking—we mounded charcoal on one side for indirect heating and rotated the lid so that the top damper drew smoke past the food.

The grill’s setup and cooldown are simple, precise, and fast. Years of experience with it have convinced us of one thing: It’s a classic that would be almost impossible to improve upon.

Cuisinart CGG-750 Venture Portable Grill

Packed up, Cuisinart’s Venture resembles a picnic basket, making it about as portable as a table-top grill can get. And it took us less than a minute to set up its three pieces, including a wood top, a grill body with handle, and a base. The top and base combine to form an attractive prep surface that clips alongside the grill.

The single 9,000-BTU burner is fueled by a 16-ounce propane canister that conveniently stores in the base. Being a single-burner grill, the Venture made it a little tricky to manage heat when cooking thicker meats like bone-in chicken, as it’s hard to get away from the heat for longer, indirect cooking.

We set the burner on low for the 100-percent beef burgers we grilled, flipped them once, and then turned up the heat to imprint sear lines from the cast-iron grate. Generally, we found it relatively easy to grill thinner foods and, even better, convenient to turn on and off as needed over the course of an afternoon.

One Popular Mechanics editor used it at her neighborhood block party to grill hot dogs and sausages. It was the hit of the day.

Oklahoma Joe’s Rambler Tabletop Grill

This somewhat simple, unassuming grill turned out to be the sleeper in our test. We were impressed by how easy it was to cook with either direct or indirect heat. The charcoal tray is adjustable, hanging from a ladder rack that can quickly raise or lower the coals as needed.

The burgers came out with fantastic coloring and that inimitable cooked-over-charcoal taste. To cook chicken more slowly, we shuffled the coals to one side, put it in away from them, and closed the lid. The damper on top allows for fine management of the heat, and a large, easy-to-read thermometer made monitoring the temperature simple.

As far as portability, this table-top grill doesn’t break down to take up less space—what you see is what you get, and it might be difficult to transport in smaller cars. We were surprised to find that the Rambler is nearly 50 pounds. That might seem a tad heavy, but it has cast iron grill grates and is fabricated from thick-gauge steel, instead of cheap stamped sheet metal. It’s built to last, though we wouldn’t suggest hiking into the woods with it.

Weber Q1200 Liquid Propane Portable Grill

The Weber Q1200 is compact and light, the most convenient portable grill we tested. It gets the job done almost entirely through conduction—its single burner provides heat to a porcelain-coated cast-iron cooking grid that functions much like a 189-square-inch pan. Narrow slots in the grid provide a path for drippings. With the lid down, you get reliable cooking as hot air circulates over the grid.

The bread test confirmed that the Weber has good middle-of-the-pack heat distribution. But because you can’t control that heat as well, you’ll need to either carefully monitor your food or save this one for burgers and dogs: It will dry out or burn chicken and more substantial cuts of meat. For added convenience, Weber makes a collapsible rolling stand —sold separately–which will be nice to have when you don’t have a picnic table on which to set the grill.

Coleman RoadTrip 285 Portable Stand-Up Propane Grill

For tailgating, camping, or a barbecue in the park, the RoadTrip 285 is easy to haul and set up. It runs on 16-ounce propane canisters—bring spares if you’re cooking for a crew or making multiple meals.

The two-piece grates are made of cast iron and coated with porcelain, covering three burners that yield 20,000 BTUs. The burners all sit under the solid center sections of the grates, which our bread test revealed to be the hottest area on the grill. You will need to carefully manage indirect heat when cooking thicker things like chicken on the bone—we kept it over the open grates around the edges of the grill.

The 25-by-12-inch cooking surface will hold a lot of burgers, dogs, or whatever your preference. And, if you want to mix things up, the grill grates swap out for griddle or stove grates (available separately).

GoBQ Portable Charcoal Grill

This folding GoBQ is a novel, innovative portable grill unlike any other. It packs up in a tube 8-inches in diameter and 14 inches in length, and carries easily by the handle on top or with the included shoulder strap.

Made of silicone-coated fiberglass fabric with a collapsible metal frame, it can withstand temperatures up to 2,200 degrees. We enjoyed the ease of setup, and once we were familiar with the grill, we could open it up in seconds. A flexible metal basket holds the charcoal, and we tested both with it full and with about 12 briquettes for a quick meal.

Once open, the outside carrying case becomes a hood to cover the grill and contain heat. In our testing, we grilled burgers, hot dogs, and bone-in chicken on the GoBQ, all of which culminated with the expected, delicious results.

While the standard fare was quite easy, the chicken cooked over indirect heat required a little more manipulation of the charcoal, which wanted to settle to the middle of the basket. Nevertheless, once we sorted out how to strategically set the charcoal, we could reliably create an indirect heat zone.

Post-grilling, cleaning and packing up was a breeze. After we dumped the charcoal and ash, the fabric cooled enough to touch within about 30 seconds—placing the cooking grate inside the cover with tongs, we then folded the grill, latched the cover, and packed it all away. The GoBQ grill is a great option for traveling, tailgating, or even for folks with small apartments, given its ease of packing, stowing, and carrying.

Weber Lumin Outdoor Electric Portable Grill

The Lumin is as reliable as Weber’s charcoal and gas models and offers much of the same capabilities in a streamlined design. It reaches over 600 degrees Fahrenheit and all you need is a standard outlet to do so.

Like other grills from Weber, it comes with a porcelain-coated cast-iron grate for even heat distribution and retention. The double-walled hood keeps the cooking temperature inside consistent no matter what ambient temperature you’re cooking in. In testing, we found the Lumin was user-friendly and versatile enough to cook everything from steaks to seafood to vegetables. It comes with stainless-steel steaming and smoking accessories which was a nice bonus and set-up and takedown were quick and easy. Consider getting the collapsible stand if you want to free up some table space.

Danny Perez is a Commerce Editor for Popular Mechanics with a focus on men's style, gear, and home goods. Recently, he was coordinator of partnership content at another product journalism outlet. Prior to that, he was a buyer for an independent men's shop in Houston, Texas, where he learned all about what makes great products great. He enjoys thrifting for 90s Broadway tees and vintage pajama sets. His spare time is occupied by watching movies and running to impress strangers on Strava.

Brad Ford has spent most of his life using tools to fix, build, or make things. Growing up he worked on a farm, where he learned to weld, repair, and paint equipment. From the farm he went to work at a classic car dealer, repairing and servicing Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and Jaguars. Today, when he's not testing tools or writing for Popular Mechanics, he's busy keeping up with the projects at his old farmhouse in eastern Pennsylvania.

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Scott Gilbertson

The 10 Best Portable Grills You Can Buy

Nothing says summer like cooking over an open flame. Whether it's the salty sweetness on that lightly charred corn or the rich smoothness of smoked meat, warm weather begs us to get outside and light a fire.

This is time of year when, like a groundhog, the grill starts to poke out of the snow and show its rusty, neglected self . If you're in need of a new grill this year, here's our guide to the very best portable grills. We've researched and tested dozens of portable grills to see which can brat the best.

For your other outdoor needs, check out our guides to the Best Camping Gear , Best Tents , Best Rain Jackets , and the Best Binoculars .

Updated May 2023: We've added the Nomad Grill, the GoBQ, and updated prices throughout.

Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off) . This includes unlimited access to WIRED. com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

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Photograph: Weber

Of all the charcoal grills I tested, the Weber Jumbo Joe strikes the best balance of affordability, features, and ease of use. It's big enough (18.5 inches in diameter) to smoke two racks of ribs or to fit burgers and corn for six people (admittedly, this was crowded) but small enough that you'll still have room in the trunk for a cooler and camping supplies.

It's one of the most versatile grills I tested. Grilling, barbecuing, smoking—you can do it all with ease. Thanks to its dual-vent system (one at the bottom, one at the top), you get the same fine-grained level of temperature control you'll find in Weber's full-size kettles.

It weighs 22 pounds and has a handle with a bar that fits over the top to keep the kettle and lid together for easy carrying. I tossed mine in the back of the car for trips to the lake and the park and it never tipped over. The ash catcher at the bottom makes cleaning less of a hassle by allowing you to dump the excess without removing the grill grates.

The Jumbo Joe has a considerable following on the internet. Fans have added thermometers , fastened knobs to make it easier to open and close vents, attached hanging ashcans, and come up with creative ways to cook taller items, like beer-can chicken .

It's not perfect, though. No thermometer is included, and Weber does not make a storage cover for the Jumbo Joe. If you want to do any indirect-heat cooking, you'll want to buy the hinged grill grate for $35 so you can feed in fresh fuel without removing the top grill, and the $23 charcoal basket is also useful. The KettlePizza add-on kit ($250) is fun, but way more expensive than the grill itself; there's a cheaper basic version , but it's currently out of stock. Do yourself a favor, throw away your lighter fluid and get a charcoal chimney starter ($27) .

• The Weber Smokey Joe Premium costs $45 at Amazon and $57 at Weber . This is our top pick for anyone who doesn't need the larger Jumbo Joe. The downside is you lose the lower vent, which means less temperature control. That's not a huge deal unless you're slow-cooking. The Smokey Joe was also more difficult to clean. But if you want a smaller kettle, this is a good option.

Photograph: Nomad

Nomad's striking, suitcase-style grill ( 8/10, WIRED Recommends ) is to grills what the Yeti is to coolers : better in every way, but expensive. The Nomad is well built, sturdy, and easy to carry. It is heavier than the the Jumbo Joe at 28 pounds, but the shape and large handle actually make it easier to carry in my experience. Like the Jumbo Joe, the Nomad uses a dual venting system to achieve good airflow even when the lid is closed. The vents, combined with the raised fins on the bottom of the grill (which elevate your charcoal allowing air to flow under it), allow for every precise control of both high and low temperatures.

The Nomad ships with a single grate, giving you 212 square inches of cooking space, slightly less than the Jumbo Joe above. In practice, this isn't a big difference. I managed to smoke nine chicken breasts, and another time I fit two racks of ribs. If you need to grill for a crowd, pick up the second grill grate for $128 , but even without it I never felt cramped while cooking for five (two adults, three ravenous children).

Juliane Bergmann

Kathy Gilsinan

Julian Chokkattu

Perhaps my favorite part of the Nomad is that, unlike every other grill here, the exterior of the grill stays relatively cool and you can close it up and carry it off shortly after cooking—meaning that, when the no-see-ums descend at dusk, you can scramble back to the car and make your getaway without melting the plastic chair you accidentally packed next to the Nomad. Nomad does offer some custom charcoal ( $36 for 10 pounds ), and it is very nice, but it's expensive.

If flavor is your only criterion, I would argue that charcoal is superior to propane gas . But flavor is rarely the only factor. We don't grill in beautiful meadows under a rainbow every day. Often, we grill after hours on a Friday while we're also trying to set up a tent, inflate a mattress, and wrangle hungry children. And that's when the convenience of propane trumps charcoal.

For those times, your best bet is the Weber Q 1200. It's big enough for a family of four and strikes the best balance between ease of use and cooking performance. It has a thermometer and some side tables to hold your plates and tongs. It's also a champ at keeping a constant, even heat in pretty much any weather conditions. A storm blew in one afternoon, but it just kept on cooking despite the high wind and rain.

It's good at minimizing flare-ups. To test this I marinated some chicken in lemon juice and olive oil and laid it on the grills. Every grill flared somewhat, but the Q 1200 (and the Coleman below) have heavy enameled cast-iron grates that are closed over the burners, which helps keep the flaring under control.

The main downside is its weight. It may be totally unfazed by weather, but it's a heavy 30 pounds. The $117 wheeled stand is worth a look if you plan to transport it a lot. (Also be sure to check out the new Weber Traveler below.) Other nice accessories include the griddle for $65 and a storage cover for $22 .

• The Weber Q 1000 for $229 : It's nearly identical to Weber's Q 1200 but loses the thermometer and side tables. The result is a more compact though still heavy grill. If you don't need the tables and want to save a few dollars, go with this model. Also available from Home Depot .
• Coleman Roadtrip 225 Portable Propane Grill for $209 : The Roadtrip 225 Portable is lighter than the Weber and mostly matches the features of the Weber Q 1200. Coleman also gives you the option to use only one burner, so you can grill a couple of burgers without draining your propane tank. With variable controls, you can sear veggies on one side while cooking meat more slowly on the other. There's a grease pan to catch drips while cooking, and it's removable for cleaning. You also get push-button ignition and 11,000 BTUs of propane grilling power. The Coleman does lack a thermometer and a latch on the lid to let you carry it one-handed, though these omissions don't stop me from recommending it.\

Photograph: Snow Peak

Snow Peak's Takibi Fire & Grill is like the Nomad above, it's extremely well made, but expensive. It was designed to last forever, and by all accounts it does. It has legions of fans, including Gear Team senior associate editor Adrienne So, who says it made her like camping again . Snow Peak CEO Tohru Yamai designed it more than 20 years ago and has only ever received two customer complaints, which is equally impressive.

That's a lot of hype, and I was prepared to be underwhelmed, but the Takibi lives up to the hype and then some. It's not my number-one pick, because it's not quite as versatile as the Weber (you'd have a hard time slow-cooking on it or smoking anything, although there is a $350 oven attachment ), but in most other regards I like it better. It folds flat, leaving more room in your trunk; the grill top is a grid so small things won't fall through, and when you're done cooking it turns into a fire pit. I cooked with wood and charcoal, both of which worked fine. There is an add-on cast iron coal bed ($33) that holds charcoal, but I don't see it as necessary (nice to have perhaps, but not necessary).

While slow-cooking on the Takibi would be challenging, you can at least adjust the grill height to control temperature. It is designed to let heat out the sides, as well as up to the cooking surface, so it's slightly less efficient than a covered grill, but this is only really a factor when cooking large cuts of meat (tent them with foil). It's easy to set up and simple to clean and pack away. My only real complaint is that without a lid you can't smother your remaining charcoal and reuse it, but in most cases when the food is done I load up the Takibi with firewood and enjoy it as a fire pit.

• Primus Kamoto for $150 : The Kamoto is about half the price of the Takibi and nearly as useful. It's slightly smaller, about 15 inches by 20 inches, but once extended, it's big enough to handle 16-inch-long logs (or charcoal) with 255 square inches of cooking surface. That's big enough to handle burgers and veggies for our family of five. Like the Takibi, the Kamoto doubles as a fire pit when you're done cooking, which is handy for campsites where ground fires aren't allowed (like many beaches). It's considerably cheaper than the Takibi, but be aware it's not nearly as well made.

Photograph: GoBQ

The GoBQ is the most portable grill in this guide. It's so small and light it'll fit in a backpack. It's even TSA-approved. Yup, you can fly with the GoBQ. The packable, rollable GoBQ is unlike anything else listed here—it's made of a fire-proof, non-stick, non-toxic silicone-coated fabric, essentially the same stuff that's used in baking mats. The charcoal hangs in a mesh wire basket, and the ingenious grilltop rolls and unrolls. GoBQ says the fabric can withstand over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and should last through 50 or more cooks, making this a good choice for traveling, but not everyday use.

One word of caution: Either use ready-light charcoal, a fire starter, or a charcoal chimney. You don't want to squirt lighter fluid all over the GoBQ. (Really, you don't want to squirt lighter fluid on anything. Ever. Seriously, stop doing that. Get a charcoal chimney.)

The GoBQ weighs just 8 pounds and offers 185 inches of cooking space, making it a good option for couples on the go or a small family looking for a light meal. In my testing, cooking on the GoBQ was like cooking over a campfire. There are no vents to open and close, so you'll have to control heat with the lid and by how you add fuel. It's cooking, the old-fashioned way, but if you haven't done that much you might want to practice before you have hangry kids clamoring for dinner. Still, if your primary criteria is portability, this is the best grill around.

Photograph: Amazon

Not everyone has a yard, and it's increasingly common for apartments to ban open flame grills on balconies. This is where electric grills come in. It's grilling, sort of, but without the flames.

After trying a few different options, I've come back around to the one that got me through apartment life: the George Foreman grill. Some may turn up their nose and say this isn't really grilling, but there's no grilling police (as far as I know), and it's as close as some of us can get—so grill on.

I haven't used the fancier models, but this basic four-serving one served me well for years. You can pull the grills out for easy cleaning, there's a drip pan to catch all the grease, and if you're not in the grilling mood, it doubles as a Panini press.

Keep in mind that this is a little different than normal grilling, since it cooks from the top and bottom, which means your food cooks faster. Make sure you preheat your grill until the green light clicks. This will ensure that your food doesn't stick to the grill plates.

• Kenyon City Grill for $695 : If you don't have a yard but want something a bit closer to grilling than the George Foreman above, then the Kenyon City Grill is a great option. Kenyon has been making electric grills and cookers for around 80 years (its grills are popular on boats, which is partly why this one is made of marine-grade stainless steel), but this is its first portable grill. It delivers where others fail. It cooks evenly and at consistent temperatures. (I was able to get up to 592 degrees off a digital thermometer.) There's very little smoke, though I do suggest using it in a well-ventilated area if you're indoors. The results are quite tasty. I grilled everything from pork chops to asparagus and was quite happy with the results. If you want to expand the City Grill's capabilities, you can buy a flat top surface for $135 that you can use to cook up a pancake breakfast.

The Weber Traveler's sturdy design and easy collapsing and extending system make it the simplest wheeled grill I've tested. Setup and teardown take mere seconds.

Like the Q above, Weber's Traveler uses a single burner that wraps around the entire bottom of the grill. That's covered by a two-piece cast iron grill grate that's solid where it runs over the burner, which acts as a heat diffuser and keeps the burner from getting covered in grease. Speaking of grease, it has a slide-out grease trap that's easy to empty. It also has a built-in thermometer that's reasonably accurate, but I still suggest getting a separate instant-read thermometer.

No matter how you measure it, the Traveler's 13,000-BTU burner gets plenty hot and really shines when searing. The 320-square-inch grilling surface is big enough to grill for a crowd. The only real knock against the Weber is that it is big. It'll still fit in the trunk of most cars, but it definitely takes up a considerable amount of space.

• Coleman Roadtrip 285 for $320 : This Coleman has a couple of advantages, like dual burners for different heat zones. But it also had a nasty habit of pinching my fingers whenever I wasn't careful when collapsing it. So long as you're careful, this one will do everything the Weber does and allow for dual temperature cooking.

Photograph: Target

Cuisinart's Venture portable gas grill looks like something Apple would make, if Apple got into grills. It's really a two-part grill that packs up into a lightweight, easy-to-carry package. The base comes off and features a flip-out propane bottle holder (we discourage you from using those; see why below) as well as serving as a place to cut. The integrated bamboo cutting board fits on top of the base, which gives you somewhere to prep your meal even if there's no picnic table around.

Despite being light and very portable, the Venture features a heavy-duty cast iron grilling surface that cooks evenly and sears well. In fact, I rarely turned this one up past medium, because it gets plenty hot on low. Conversely, don't plan on cooking slow and low with this; it's a “sear things and be done” sort of grill.

My only complaint about the Venture is that the grease tray is small and therefore prone to spilling if you aren't careful when you slide it out. Despite that, this is a clever, fun, well-designed grill that's perfect for searing on the go.

Photograph: Big Green Egg

The iconic Big Green Egg has a cultlike following. But they are, indeed, big . If you can't face the prospect of going without your Big Green Egg for a weekend, the MiniMax Big Green Egg is much smaller, but it still isn't terribly portable. However, if you want to smoke, grill, and bake outdoors, this ceramic cooker is a strong choice.

The Big Green Egg is a Kamado-style cooker (Kamado is a Japanese word that roughly means "stove"), which makes it much more than a grill. The ceramic construction retains heat and turns it into a portable oven as well. The MiniMax Big Green Egg is identical to its larger cousin in nearly every way, but smaller. It weighs 75 pounds, making it by the far the heaviest grill I tested, but the double-handle carrying system makes it easy for two people to carry it. The problem is that the 13-inch grilling surface of the MiniMax can only grill for about four people.

It's big enough to roast a chicken, sear a couple of large steaks at a time, or fit about six 12-inch skewers. But if you're doing meat and veggies for a family of four, you're going to be cooking in batches. In practice, this isn't so bad. Most meats need to rest when they're done cooking anyway, giving you time to do your veggies. In my testing, the Mini Big Green Egg has excellent heat control and, like the larger version, is extremely fuel-efficient.

You can find a local store that carries the MiniMax here.

Photograph: BioLite

The FirePit+ is a sleek, portable mesh box with removable legs, a hibachi-style grill, and an ash bin. It uses a Bluetooth-compatible app to precisely control the airflow, which in turn controls your cooking temperature. Be sure to read through my colleague Adrienne So's full review of the original model for more details, but I set out specifically to see how it grills, and the answer is: very well.

The main drawback when using the FirePit as a grill is its size. It's big enough to cook for four, but it's long and narrow, which makes some things awkward (I suggest you don't try a whole chicken). It's best suited to grilling kabobs and the like. Think “food on a stick.”

Perhaps the best thing about the FirePit is that when dinner's over, you can lower the fuel rack and turn it into, well, a fire pit. And of course it can recharge your devices, but there's something vaguely sacrilegious about sitting around the fire charging your phone.

The terms grilling and barbecue are often used interchangeably, which is fine, but if you get serious about cooking over flame you'll want to learn the distinction. Grilling usually means cooking directly over high heat, while barbecue typically refers to cooking over indirect heat for longer periods of time: You grill steak. You barbecue ribs.

I used both methods to test, grilling everything from steak and salmon to corn and even kale. ( This recipe for grilled kale is my go-to for testing how hard it is to clean a grill. It's delicious but incredibly messy.)

For the charcoal options, I also smoked ribs, pork, and brisket, If you're planning to smoke, I highly recommend investing in some kind of thermometer system. At home I like SmartFire's BBQ controller ($375 AUD ) . It has adapters based on your grill and offers one temp probe and three food probes. There's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, so you can keep tabs on your cook from anywhere. It even has a handy storage case for everything.

That said, most of the time when I hit the road I grab Weber's Connect Smart Hub ($100) . It's not as sophisticated as the SmartFire, but it's more portable, and two probes is generally all I need on small grills. I also never cook without my trusty Thermopen One ($100) .

The ubiquitous disposable, green propane bottle is convenient, but it's a huge source of pollution . It's illegal in many jurisdictions to throw them in the trash, though that doesn't stop many people, it seems, given how many of these end up in landfills every year. Don't be that person.

Instead, I use this 11-pound refillable propane tank ( Amazon, $80 ). Cooking outdoors over both stove and grill, three meals a day, an 11-pound tank lasts me about two weeks. It's small and light enough to not be any more difficult to cart around than the four to six 1-pound bottles it replaces.

You can also buy an adapter ($15) to refill your smaller canisters, though this may not be legal nor advisable, depending on where you live and your level of common sense, as you can easily overfill or break the valve. If you live in California, you may also be able to bring in 1-pound canisters for free refills or exchange empty canisters for full ones.

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• Dining and entertaining

The Best Portable Grills

By Lesley Stockton and Tim Heffernan

Portable grills aren’t just great for toting to a campground, park, or tailgate. If you don’t have the space or budget for a full-size grill, they might also be the best option for your backyard. After grilling 65 burgers, 30 pounds of chicken, and 25 pounds of bratwurst on nine portable grills, we have recommendations for both gas and charcoal options.

The Weber Q 1200 Gas Grill is our pick because of its no-fuss convenience and stellar performance. For charcoal purists, we recommend the Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill 18″ , which is just as capable as a full-size kettle at searing and grilling food to perfection.

Everything we recommend

Weber Q 1200 Gas Grill

Best portable gas grill.

This propane grill is sturdy, easy to use, and big enough to grill burgers for a small crowd. It’s on the heavy side, but it has comfortable handles for transport.

Buying Options

Weber Q 2200 Gas Grill

A bigger portable grill.

This larger version of our pick offers more cooking area and higher heat output. It’s also 10 pounds heavier.

May be out of stock

Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 Portable Gas Grill

A more compact portable gas grill.

This 20-pound propane grill folds up like a suitcase, and you can carry it with one hand. But it runs hot.

Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill 18″

Best portable charcoal grill.

Although working with charcoal isn’t as easy as turning the dial on a gas grill, this smaller version of the classic Weber kettle grill offers better temperature control than any other portable charcoal grill we tested.

The Weber Q 1200 Gas Grill is the best of the portable propane models we’ve tested. It outperformed the competition at both high-heat searing and low-and-slow grilling, with the fewest flare-ups. And it’s well-built, with a push-button ignition and temperature control dial that are easy to use.

The cast-aluminum firebox evenly distributes heat across a grilling grate big enough to fit six large burgers or a whole cut-up chicken. The spacious dome lid has a built-in thermometer that lets you know when the grill is hot. And small fold-out side tables on either side are convenient for keeping grill tools within reach.

Though this 30-pound grill takes some strength to lift, its roomy handles make it comfortable for one person to carry.

The Weber Q 2200 Gas Grill offers the same high-quality build and stellar grilling performance as our top pick, the Weber Q 1200, but with a 48% bigger grilling grate, it can hold up to ten burgers or two whole cut-up chickens.

As with the Q 1200, the features that set the Q 2200 apart from the competition include a cast-aluminum firebox for even heating, a push-button ignition, and fold-out side tables.

However, this 40-pound grill isn’t lightweight by any stretch of the imagination. And heating the larger grill surface will burn through propane faster.

If you want a lighter, more compact propane grill, the Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 Portable Gas Grill is designed for one-handed toting. It’s slightly larger than a briefcase and weighs 10 pounds less than our top pick, but it holds the same amount of food—about six burgers.

In our tests, the Grill2Go X200 produced intense heat that was ideal for searing steaks but had us battling some flare-ups when cooking chicken pieces. Although we wouldn’t want to use it as a primary patio grill, it’s a decent dedicated portable grill for camping and tailgating.

Grilling with charcoal takes a bit more patience and finesse than gas, but if you prefer that smoky flavor, the lightweight Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill 18″ matches the searing and grilling abilities of Weber’s full-size kettle , our pick for the best charcoal grills . In our tests, the well-placed vents in both the lid and the firebox provided precise temperature control that no other portable charcoal grill we tried—including two other Webers—could match.

The Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill is lighter than our gas pick, weighing under 20 pounds, but it’s not smaller. Its cooking surface holds about seven burgers or one whole, cut-up chicken.

Other features make it pleasant to use: The tripod base is stable on uneven terrain, and the simple ash catcher keeps hot embers from falling on the ground. The heat-resistant lid handle stays cool enough to grasp without a towel or oven mitt, and the carrying handle locks the lid in place for easy transport.

The research

Why you should trust us, who should get this (and how to choose between gas and charcoal), how we picked, the best portable gas grill: weber q 1200, a bigger portable gas grill: weber q 2200, runner-up portable gas grill: char-broil grill2go x200 portable gas grill, the best portable charcoal grill: weber jumbo joe charcoal grill 18″, the competition.

Senior staff writers Tim Heffernan and Lesley Stockton spent 16 hours testing portable grills for this guide. They did so on the heels of testing full-size gas and charcoal grills, as well as grill accessories . Lesley built on her decade of experience in professional kitchens (much of it spent on the grill station) to design and run all of these tests.

Before testing, we pored over other professional reviews, such as those at Meathead’s AmazingRibs.com , and analyzed online customer reviews of dozens of models. Tim also spoke with more than a dozen experts, including Joe Salvaggio of Big Apple BBQ in New York City and senior product managers from major grill makers in attendance at the 2017 Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo .

Portable grills aren’t just for camping, picnicking, and tailgating; they’re also great for city and apartment dwellers with limited outdoor space. And they can be a good option if you don’t have the budget for a full-size grill.

But portable grills are generally not as versatile as a full-size grill. Our picks fit about half as much food as their full-size counterparts (six burgers versus 12) and aren’t ideal for large cuts of meat that require slow or indirect cooking, such as roasts or pork shoulder. If you have the space, you’ll probably be happier with one of our full-size gas or charcoal picks.

This guide covers both propane gas and charcoal grills. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

Get a gas grill if: You want to grill more than once a week, or you want something that’s clean, quick, and easy to pack up when you’re done grilling. And you’re willing to sacrifice a little heat and smoky flavor for convenience.

Gas grills ignite with a press of a button and preheat in minutes. A temperature dial lets you control the heat as easily and quickly as on a kitchen range.

Portable gas grills work with 1-pound liquid-propane canisters that are small, packable, and available at most hardware stores. When you’re done cooking, the grill cools quickly, and you don’t have to worry about dumping out ashes.

Get a charcoal grill if: You want a smoky flavor and high-heat searing, or you want something affordable for occasional grilling.

Grilling with charcoal does have some downsides that make it less convenient, especially with a portable grill. Briquettes are bulky and messy, staining anything they touch with soot and ash. Plus you have the added chore of snuffing out hot coals and emptying ashes after grilling.

Charcoal is also smokier than gas, a possible issue for smaller, fenced-in spaces.

We wanted to find picks that were compact enough for easy transport but could also serve as a functional home grill for folks with small outdoor spaces. So we looked for the following:

A generous cooking area: The ideal portable grill is big enough to accommodate a full meal for two or a main course for a small crowd.

Even, easy-to-control heat: On a gas grill, this means having well-designed heating elements and flame shields to help reduce the risk of flare-ups, which happen when open flames aren’t properly shielded from drippings. A cleverly designed grilling grate that channels grease away from the fire can also help.

On a charcoal grill, this means having well-placed, easily accessible vents in both the lid and belly of the grill, which allows you to control the temperature of your grill by adjusting airflow to the coals. More space between the coal bed and the grilling grate also lessens your chances of ending up with charred food and allows you to create hot and cold spots for searing and indirect cooking.

Quality construction: For a gas grill, a cast-aluminum firebox is best. Aluminum is durable, corrosion resistant, and excellent at evenly absorbing and reflecting heat, so you have fewer hot spots.

Porcelain-coated cast-iron cooking grates are best at searing foods, though cast iron does add an extra 5 to 10 pounds to the total weight of a grill. We also prefer an open grate design that allows ambient heat from the firebox to brown the areas in between the grill marks.

Materials aren’t as big a concern with charcoal grills. They’re commonly constructed from thin porcelainized steel with thin wire-rod grilling grates. This simple construction is what makes them budget friendly and lighter weight. And with proper care, a charcoal grill should still last for many years.

Given these criteria, we ruled out a few styles of portable grill from the start:

• Collapsible models: These are made from thin steel and are probably not durable enough for regular use.
• Portable kamado grills: Their 12- to 14-inch diameter grilling surfaces are too small to justify the price.
• Hibachis: Though we did test one hibachi-style grill, these models are less versatile than our picks because they’re lidless and primarily for high-heat grilling.
• Gas grills that work with a 20-pound propane cylinder: We prefer 1-pound liquid-propane tanks because they’re small and lightweight enough to stash in a backpack or tote bag.

Ultimately we landed on nine grills to test. We started by loading the grates of each with 6-ounce burger patties (without crowding, of course) and assessed the evenness of the heat, the temperature control, the searing performance, and any flare-ups.

Then we grilled bone-in chicken to test for flare-ups and how well the gas and charcoal grills could sustain a medium-low cooking temperature over 45 minutes.

Finally, we enlisted fresh bratwurst links to gauge each grill’s ability to handle a grate full of fatty meat. Sausage casings can leak or break, causing major flares.

The Weber Q 1200 is flare-up resistant and excellent at maintaining consistent heat. It’s constructed from quality materials, has some nice extra features, and is reasonably comfortable to carry (although heavy).

It holds a good amount of food.  The Weber Q 1200 is roomy. It’s capable of grilling six large burger patties, a whole cut-up chicken, or 10 bratwurst links at a time. And the single-tube 8,500 Btu burner runs along three edges for better heat distribution, so all the grill space is usable.

It cooks evenly.  In our tests, the Q 1200’s heavy-duty cast-aluminum firebox was the best at evenly absorbing and reflecting heat. That, along with the U-shaped burner, provided the most consistent grilling of all the portables we tested, with the fewest hot spots.

The Q 1200’s design caused the fewest flare-ups of any model we tried, thanks to built-in channels in the porcelain-coated cast-iron grill grates. These helped keep grease and drippings away from the flames while still allowing ambient heat to brown between grill marks. In our tests, burgers from the Q 1200 had the most seared surface area of all the burgers we grilled, and more browning means better flavor.

While the high heat setting perfectly seared burgers without burning, the Q 1200 also outperformed the competition at steady medium-low heat for items such as bone-in chicken and sausage links.

It’s easy to use.  The push-button ignition and clearly marked heat-control dial make the Q 1200 easy to start and regulate. Weber’s propane coupling fits 1-pound canisters (best for using this grill on the go) but also accepts an adapter for 20-pound propane tanks.

The Q 1200’s small fold-out side tables are handy for keeping grill tools within reach, though we wouldn’t feel confident resting a large tray brimming with meat or other heavy things on them. The thermometer in the dome lid is nice, but it isn’t necessary other than for letting you know when the grill is hot and ready.

Wirecutter staff who have used the Q 1200 at home have found it easy to clean both the grates and the grease tray under the grill. You don’t need to buy Weber’s specialty tins for the grease tray either—instead, just line the catch pan with aluminum foil and pull it off when you’re done.

It’s built to last. The enameled body is easy to clean and rustproof. Weber’s warranty covers most of the hardware—including the lid, firebox, burners, cooking grates, and plastic components—for five years. All other parts are covered for two years.

In general, Weber’s grills have a great reputation for performance and longevity. When we surveyed over 1,000 Wirecutter readers about their grills, a large majority said they owned a Weber. And of those Weber owners, 69% said they were extremely satisfied with their grill. Another 29% were moderately satisfied.

Be sure to clean your grill thoroughly to keep it working as long as possible. If you use the grill only occasionally, you may need to wipe down the burner tubes to make sure they light effectively.

If you plan to keep the grill outside, it’s worth investing in a bonnet cover to protect it from the elements. You can also get a collapsible cart for it if you don’t have a table that will work.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It’s not the easiest grill to move.  When the side tables are tucked inside the grill for transport, the Q 1200 is about the size of a small carry-on suitcase. It weighs about 30 pounds, and you need two hands to carry it, because it doesn’t have a latch to hold the lid securely to the firebox. But the position of the side handles helps to evenly distribute its 30-pound heft and lessens the burden of hoisting and moving the grill.

It’s pricey.  The Weber Q series grills are the most expensive portables we’ve tested. But the price is justified by the grill’s build-quality and Weber’s warranty and overall reputation for longevity.

If you’re looking for a bigger portable grill, the Weber Q 2200 Gas Grill has the same features, performance, and build as our pick, but with almost 50% more grilling capacity. It can fit up to 10 large burger patties, two cut-up chickens, or 16 large bratwurst links at a time.

The larger Q 2200 is a great choice for car camping and tailgating, or even for folks with very limited outdoor space that won’t accommodate a full-size grill. But it weighs 40 pounds and is quite bulky for one person to carry—we wouldn’t want to lug it very far on foot.

Another caveat: The Q 2200 produces 12,000 Btu (significantly more than the Q 1200, which produces 8,500 Btu) to compensate for the extra grilling capacity. But that also means you’re going to burn through propane canisters faster on the Q 2200 than on the Q 1200.

The Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 Portable Gas Grill is a solid compact grill for remote cookouts because it’s rugged, lightweight, and easy to carry. It’s not as good as our Weber picks at searing food, but it heats evenly and is easy to use.

It’s the easiest grill to carry. Unlike Weber’s gas grills, the Grill2Go X200 latches tightly shut with two clips on the front. This allows you to effortlessly carry the whole thing with one hand (convenient if you need to lug it a few hundred yards).

At 20 pounds, the Grill2Go X200 is also 10 pounds lighter than the Weber Q 1200, even though it fits the same amount of food (six burgers, or a whole cut-up chicken).

It gets hot—sometimes too hot—but it’s not great at searing.  Like the Weber models, the Grill2Go X200 has a thick cast-aluminum body for even heat distribution. But a couple things prevented us from achieving results as beautiful as we got from Weber’s gas grills.

For one, the Grill2Go X200 has a maximum 9,500 Btu output, versus the Weber Q 1200’s 8,500 Btu. When we preheated it for five minutes on high, the Grill2Go X200 reached over 600 °F, while the Weber Q 1200 never broke 525 °F. As a result, we had to manage moderate flare-ups while cooking burgers, chicken, and brats.

The perforated stainless steel grilling grate also blocked a lot of ambient heat, so our food got seared where it touched the grilling grate but lacked the all-over consistent browning we saw from the Weber Q-series grills.

It has a decent warranty (though Weber’s is better).  Char-Broil covers the Grill2Go X200’s lid, firebox, and burner for five years and everything else for one year. Weber covers more parts on its gas grills for five years and nothing for less than two years, but those grills also cost significantly more.

To get the most out of the Grill2Go, be sure to clean it properly and store it somewhere out of the elements (or at least covered). The carrying case (sold separately) isn’t weatherproof, but you can use a heavy-duty contractor-style garbage bag or a tarp for protection.

The Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill 18″ is the only charcoal portable we tried that can sear and cook foods about as well as a full-size backyard grill . It’s a good choice if you like cooking with charcoal or don’t want to spend a lot, but it’s less convenient than gas, especially when you’re on the go.

It’s roomy.  The generous 17.5-inch diameter grilling grate holds a little more than the Weber Q 1200. It accommodates seven burgers, a whole cut-up chicken, or 10 bratwurst links at a time.

And since the spacious firebox fits a full chimney starter’s worth of coals, you can get two or three rounds of grilling per load.

It produced the best results.  In our tests, the Jumbo Joe charcoal grill made the best seared burgers, barbecued chicken, and grilled bratwurst. Plus, cooking with charcoal gives your food that smoky flavor that you can’t get from a gas flame.

It’s easy to control (for a charcoal grill).  Though using this grill isn’t as easy as turning the dial on a gas grill, the Jumbo Joe’s two adjustable vents, in the lid and firebox, allowed the quickest and easiest temperature control of all the charcoal grills we tested.

Even after loading the Jumbo Joe grill with a full chimney starter’s worth of red-hot embers (about 90 briquettes), we could still tamp down the temperature to medium heat. We couldn’t do that with the 14-inch Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill, where the single vent and the lack of airflow caused the coals to extinguish while we were cooking.

It’s well designed for travel. Though some things are inherently inconvenient  about a charcoal-fueled portable grill, the Jumbo Joe has some design features that make it easier to travel with.

Even though the Jumbo Joe isn’t the smallest or most compact charcoal grill we tested, it is lightweight (about 18 pounds) and easy to carry. A swiveling metal arm holds the grill together for transport and doubles as a lid holder while you’re grilling. The comfortable plastic handle allows you to lift the grill with one hand, while a heat shield keeps it cool to the touch during grilling.

We appreciate the stable tripod base, which keeps the grill steady on uneven ground. And we give the Jumbo Joe points for having an ash catcher, even though it’s just a flimsy aluminum pan. But at least there’s a barrier to keep hot embers from falling on the grass or your deck.

It’s built to last.  Weber’s warranty covers the bowl and lid for 10 years, the “one-touch cleaning system” (a fancy name for the simple mechanism that shovels ashes out of the bottom) and plastic components for five years, and all other parts for two years.

Weber has a great reputation for reliability, and when we surveyed Wirecutter readers about their grills, Weber owners were overwhelmingly satisfied with their choice. As long as you clean your grill properly and shield it from the elements, it should last many years. Weber doesn’t make a grill cover for the Jumbo Joe, but a contractor garbage bag or a woven poly tarp should do the trick if you want an extra barrier from the elements.

This is not a comprehensive list of all the models we’ve considered. It only includes models we tested that are still available.

The tiny Cuisinart CGG-180T Petite Gourmet Portable Tabletop Gas Grill suffered major flare-ups when cooking burgers and turned into a raging grease fire when cooking chicken pieces. Everything we cooked on this grill had a dark, sooty film and tasted like torched fat.

We were impressed with the high-heat grilling performance of the Weber Go Anywhere Charcoal Grill . But when the firebox got hot, the side vents that regulated airflow stuck in place, rendering us unable to control the temperature—critical for slow-cooking things like chicken and sausages.

Keeping coals lit in the Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14″ was a challenge. This smaller Weber kettle comes equipped with only one vent, located in the lid. The lack of airflow meant we couldn’t keep the coal bed lit throughout a single cook, leaving us with pale burgers and undercooked chicken.

We’ve tested an older version of the Lodge Sportsman’s Pro Cast Iron Grill , a hibachi-style grill that generates an intense amount of heat and excels at searing, making it ideal for steaks. But the lidless design limits its ability to tackle slow-cooking tasks. At 30 pounds and with a long cool-down time (again, cast iron), it’s also not going to be very portable.

This article was edited by Marguerite Preston and Marilyn Ong.

Meet your guides

Lesley Stockton

Lesley Stockton is a senior staff writer reporting on all things cooking and entertaining for Wirecutter. Her expertise builds on a lifelong career in the culinary world—from a restaurant cook and caterer to a food editor at Martha Stewart. She is perfectly happy to leave all that behind to be a full-time kitchen-gear nerd.

Tim Heffernan

Tim Heffernan is a senior staff writer focusing on air and water quality and home energy efficiency. A former writer for The Atlantic, Popular Mechanics, and other national magazines, he joined Wirecutter in 2015. He owns three bikes and zero derailleurs.

Further reading

Our Favorite Campfire Cooking Tips, Tricks, and Gear

by Wirecutter Staff

Here’s how the Wirecutter crew gets creative with fireside cooking when we’re car camping, from tools we use to our favorite recipes.

The Best Grill Tools and Accessories

by Lesley Stockton, Michael Sullivan, and Tim Heffernan

After testing more than 90 tools from spatulas to tongs to grill gloves and more, we have recommendations for everything you need to have an amazing barbecue.

The Best Pizza Oven

by Lesley Stockton

We’ve tested four portable outdoor pizza ovens and two indoor countertop ovens to find those that are easier to use and make delicious pizza at a good price.

The Best Gas Grills

by Tim Heffernan, Lesley Stockton, and Michael Sullivan

We’ve tested eight grills since 2017. The Weber Spirit II E-310 is our top pick for its durability, ease of use, and great value.

• Yard & Outdoors

Article updated on March 17, 2024 at 6:00 AM PDT

Best Portable Grills of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

I tested more than 12 models from leading brands including Weber, Char-Broil and Cuisinart. These are the best small gas grills and portable charcoal models for your warm-weather adventures.

Our Experts

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to consider

Should you choose gas, charcoal or something else?

Your portable grills need enough cooking capacity while remaining easy to move around.

Cost and value

Should you spend $400 on a portable grill? We'll break it down.

What's the best portable grill for 2024?

What's the best portable grill?

Portable grills have come a long way. These small cookers are mighty, with enough power to fuel a full campsite or beach barbecue with beef , chicken , fish and veggie burgers . I've seen their prowess up close, having tested all the top portable grills from leading brands (and a few new players) over several summers. For most people, Weber's powerful and portable grill remains the best. I've picked this one several years in a row, and that's because no other grill of the more than 12 I've tested touches the sturdy Q series in terms of quality, power and overall value.

Even so, there are other small grills to consider if you prefer cooking with charcoal or need a superportable grill to strap on your back for a hike up a mountain. Grills now come in all sizes, shapes and weights, with some as small as a handbag and others that attach to the back of your car for a different kind of mobility.

A few of the small grills we fired up to find the best in class.

Whether it's a small and portable charcoal grill or gas model to take to a beach bash, tailgate, camping trip or music festival, we've tested over a dozen small grills and portable cookers to find the best small grills. Below you'll find the nine best portable grills for outdoor adventures in 2024.

Best portable grills for 2024

• Efficient design means plenty of grilling capacity
• Sturdily built
• Powerful burners
• Easy to clean
• On the expensive side
• Heavier than some on this list

Best portable grill overall

Weber q-1200 portable gas grill.

This sleek portable gas grill from Weber is superior in almost every category and was a fairly clear winner as the best portable grill overall. It's easy to assemble, with just a few parts, and once completed feels solid and sturdy, even when given a few vigorous shakes. The igniter works well and, once lit, the grill got hot, reaching its advertised 500 degrees Fahrenheit after just 15 minutes with the lid closed. The flame is easy to control and keeps a consistent temperature throughout cooking, even when grilling with the flame turned low. 

With 189 square inches of cooking surface, this grill was not the biggest on the list, but it's plenty big enough to cook burgers, chicken, fish, and veggies for a group of six hungry people. It's also nice-looking with flare-out trays to hold your plates and grilling tools, plus an ergonomic design. It comes in a bunch of fun colors, or jet black if you prefer. Despite its sturdy build, the Q-1200 is still light and limber enough for a camping grill to take on a camping trip or for one person to carry with relative ease. This grill, like all on the list, can use any small propane tank sold at most camping or hardware stores.

• Attaches to your car so you don't have to find space inside your vehicle
• No greasy seats
• Perfect for tailgating
• Large grill top
• Unclear how well it holds up over time

Best grill to hitch to your car

Hitchfire forge 15.

This grill is for serious tailgaters and is specifically designed to ride on the back of a car attached to a hitch. The monster Forge 15 has 355 square inches of cooking space so you can feed the whole gang and two powerful 7,500-BTU burners (15,000 total) will make sure your steaks, dogs and sausages get a proper seer. 

The best part about this Hitchfire grill is that it won't take up any precious space in your trunk or hatch since it rides outside the car. That means more room for chairs and coolers. There's even a built-in bottle opener because Hitchfire clearly knows its audience. 

You  will  need a proper hitch to attach it, however, and I'd suggest taking a short test drive to ensure it's properly installed. And worth noting you'll also want two small propane tanks to get the whole grill lit. There's also an adapter sold separately to rig it up to a full-sized tank if you prefer.

• You won't find a reliable gas grill for cheaper
• Light and portable
• Small cooktop
• Less power than the Weber

Best budget portable gas grill

Cuisinart petit gourmet tabletop grill.

This portable gas grill from trusty kitchen brand Cuisinart has foldable legs and a twist start ignition. It has a decently sized 145 square inches of grilling surface with an easy-to-clean porcelain grilling grate (which is a lot handier than having to buy new grates). It uses natural gas tanks and ignites quickly with a steady and consistent flame. However, it was ultimately less powerful than the Weber (just 5,500 BTUs), topping out around 400 F. It didn't maintain its heat quite as well but wasn't terrible in that regard either.

The Cuisinart gas grill is definitely lighter and a bit more portable than the Weber. It also feels slightly less sturdy while grilling, but is not flimsy by any means. It was equally easy to assemble. At just over $100, it is the best portable grill on a budget -- especially if you don't plan to use it more than a handful of times per summer. The Cuisinart portable grill also runs on any small propane tank you can find at camping or hardware stores.

• More affordable than gas grills
• Simple and sturdy
• Light and easy to carry
• Charcoal can be messy to transport
• Harder to control heat

Best budget portable charcoal grill

Weber smokey joe premium.

Surely you've seen -- and possibly owned -- one of these little guys in the past. The Weber Smokey Joe is a staple at park cookouts and on camping trips and that's for good reason. It's simple yet very soundly designed. It doesn't take much skill to operate and it works great. 

The Smokey Joe doesn't have fancy features but it has what you need including ventilation dampers that allow you to control the temperature with ease and a body made from enameled porcelain which keeps it from rusting. This Premium model has a built-in lid rack so you don't have to put the grill cover on the ground while you're flipping burgers and chicken.

Charcoal, with its inherent messiness, may not be ideal depending on your portable grill needs but this is a workhorse that will get the job done and last you a good while. Plus, it clocks in at a budget-friendly $48 (for the black model), making it my pick for the best cheap portable charcoal grill.

• Weighs only 9 pounds
• Can be carried over your shoulder
• Perfect for hiking
• Rolls up to keep charcoal locked inside
• Expensive for a charcoal grill

Best charcoal camping grill

Gobq charcoal grill.

While the Weber Original Kettle may have taken the top spot in CNET's list of  best charcoal grills , this newcomer is my pick for the best portable charcoal grill. A smart and solid build allows you to take this small grill anywhere, including on a long hike. 

Carrying a dusty, dirty charcoal grill around isn't usually an attractive proposition, but the creators of the GoBQ have mostly solved the issue through intelligent design. The entire unit folds out and up in about 20 seconds and then wraps up again after you're done, securing all the nasty cooked charcoal. 

It's only nine pounds -- the lightest of any on this list -- and with the fitted carrying case can be slung right over your shoulder and taken out for grilling on the go. This take-anywhere charcoal grill is probably the most portable of all the grills I tested and is perfect for campers or hikers who need a small, portable grill while on the move. 

The GoBQ also performed well, cultivating a steady and hot fire, and has a robust 185 square inches of grilling space. There are no bells and whistles on this grill, so you'll have to adjust and maintain the fire as you would most charcoal fires or campfires -- with a careful flow of oxygen and good charcoal management. It's a little more expensive than some on the market, but it's built to last. If you want portable charcoal grilling in a truly portable package, this is the best small grill to buy. 

• Super small and weighs just 2 pounds
• It's a fun party trick
• Doesn't require fuel
• Small cooking capacity
• Takes longer than traditional grills

Best portable solar grill (Update: Currently out of stock)

Gosun go portable solar cooker.

Perhaps you didn't even know this was a category. Well, it is and these GoSun solar-powered grills actually work pretty well. When I tested it, it got scorching hot and cooked chicken thighs, sausage, fish and veggies all in under 25 minutes or less. 

This solar oven requires no charcoal, propane or any fuel source (hooray for the environment!) and is super light and transportable. It's a perfect camping cooker except you do need sunlight for this to function so I wouldn't rely solely on this for eating if you're heading into the woods for an extended period. 

The big drawback with this nifty portable oven is its cooking capacity. Since food has to be loaded into a tube, you can't really cook many of the traditional barbecue meats such as ribs. Some foods such as burgers need to be formed into a more cylindrical or elongated shape to fit inside. The slender device is perfect for cooking hot dogs, most veggies, fish and chicken pieces which slide in with ease.

It's also worth noting that you'll be getting more of a broiled result versus a traditional grill since there is no actual flame so don't expect char marks on your oblong burgers. There are a few sizes, including this mid-size GoSun Go  and the larger if you're planning on cooking for a group.

• Can be discarded after use
• Extremely light and easy to carry
• Great for a one-day hike or beach trip
• Not very powerful
• Small cooking area
• Can be used only once

Best one-time use portable grill

Casus biodegradable bamboo grill.

Single-use grills exist, and while they may not be the most practical option for everyday use, if you have one long hike planned and want to do some grilling, this is a good option. The Casus grill can only be used once, of course, but it actually gets fairly hot in about five minutes and stays lit for over an hour. It also has enough space to cook three or four burgers, sausages, dogs, veggies or chicken. 

If you're worried about the garbage pile factor, this grill is actually 100% biodegradable made with bamboo charcoal cakes on a bamboo grate, so you could technically bury it after use without harming the earth or the creatures around. Note, that you should remove as much grease as possible before burying the grill.

How we test portable grills

In testing these models, I considered the weight and general portability of each along with the total square inches of grilling capacity they afforded. I also tested how hot each grill gets and how well it maintains that heat using a thermocouple. Convenience and quality are both paramount, so I evaluated the ease of assembly and overall sturdiness of each grill along with the quality of the frame and grill grates. Finally, the ultimate test: I cooked a variety of  meat ,  fish ,  meat substitutes  and vegetables on each to see how the portable grills performed in their most critical of duties.

To evaluate these grills I assembled each one from scratch and then cooked an array of foods at various temperatures to see how they performed. Foods cooked included steak and burgers, which do best with a hot sear. I also cooked chicken breasts, which appreciate a hot grill to get those outer marks and retain juices but ultimately require a lower and more consistent heat to cook the chicken through without burning the outside. I also tested more delicate foods like fish, mushrooms and Beyond Meat (plant-based) to see how the grills performed at lower temps, but also to see how the different grill plates would handle more delicate foods.

Temperature and control

Temperature control is crucial with any grill. It's a little-known secret that the built-in thermometers on most grills don't work well, so I used a thermocouple thermometer to see how hot the surface above the grill became and how well they could hold that heat. Most grills performed about as well as advertised, with some topping out at as much as 100 F hotter than others. The better grills also generally ended up reading out a more consistent temperature throughout cooking. (Temperature consistency is important, especially if you don't plan to be chained to your grill for the entire cooking process.) I not only measured the temperature of the grill but also its consistency at its holding temperature, both high and low temps, and flagged when there were issues. 

Assembly and sturdiness

I also took into account ease of assembly and how sturdy a grill felt once it was assembled (for those that required assembly). Though the limits of a pesky time-space continuum would not allow me to measure the quality or durability of each grill over time, there were sight and touch tests employed to help determine how hefty and hearty a grill was. I also dug through verified purchase reviews to determine if any had any consistent or glaring wear-and-tear issues to be concerned about. 

Three portable grill subjects assembled and ready for testing.

Other portable grills we tested

PKGO Charcoal Grill  This was a very solid charcoal grill and the only reason it dropped off of the main list is because of how heavy it is. Though it's a manageable size, at 35 pounds it's a little heavier than a grill I'd personally want to be lugging around. The PKGO it's solidly built and has a very cool dual function where the lid pops off and flips over into a hibachi so you can actually double your cooking surface and get that close-to-the-coals hibachi seer if you're looking for it. If you don't mind a little extra weight on your grill

Everdure Cube Portable Charcoal Grill : I really love this small and stylish charcoal grill with its built-in cutting board and prep container. The only thing keeping it off this list was the steep $200 price ... which is a whole lot for a small charcoal grill. That said, it's well-built and easy to maneuver (under 20 pounds) and if you've got the extra coin lying around, I say go for it. 

Magma Firebox Single-Burner : This is another grill I liked, but it's not portable or affordable. The burner alone weighs 26 pounds and costs $450 but you'll need to add the grill top accessory , which costs another $450 and weighs another 26 pounds to do any actual grilling. This model was engineered with boaters in mind, so if you're setting sail, you might give the pricey Magma a closer look.

Giantex tabletop propane grill : I had no major issues with this grill. It worked fine, got hot and cooked evenly. When compared to the Weber Q and NomadiQ I simply like the design of those small gas grills better. The Weber Q is more solid and has those handy built-in shelves while the NomadiQ is simply the most portable gas grill I've ever seen. That said, this is a fine grill and worthy of the $170 price.

Char-Broil Portable Gas Grill : This grill is cheap and the product matches the price tag. It was rickety once assembled and didn't feel like it would last more than a season. But for $33, what more could you really hope for? If you need something to get you through a camping weekend or two, this should do the trick.

Char-Broil: Char-Broil Deluxe Tabletop Grill : While the above Char-Broil might work as a no-nonsense budget grill, this model is way too poorly designed and crafted to waste $90 on. One of the worst bangs for your buck in the small grill category and a definite stay away.

BioLite Grill and Fire Pit : This is a solid option if you covet a fire pit that transforms into a grill for beach hangs and backyard barbecues. This $300 model worked well but we found the build a little chintzy for such a pricey grill.

Factors to consider when buying a portable grill

The biggest decision you'll make is what fuel your grill uses. Gas grills are largely thought to be the easiest, especially since they don't require a large and heavy propane tank. Coleman and other outdoor brands make small, portable propane tanks that weigh only a few pounds. Charcoal is a good option, too, and cheaper but it's almost always messier, especially after the cooking is done. You might want to avoid charcoal if you're planning to regularly bring your grill in a car or truck.

There are other grill types including electric and solar. Electric grills require, well, electricity which isn't always easy to find when you're on the move. Solar grills are cheeky and work well, but they have limited power and cooking capacity.

Figure out how much cooking you'll need to do and for how many hungry people. The smallest grills have grill tops that fit only a few burgers while the larger grills on this list have grilling areas as large as some full-sized grill.

A portable grill likely isn't going to do as much or last as long as a full-sized grill so it should cost less, too. Grills on this roundup range from the super affordable around $100 to pricier models that cost a few hundred. The Weber Q-1200 clocks in a reasonable $250 and is built to last, which is why we put it at the top of the list.

Portable grill FAQ

What's better a portable gas or charcoal grill.

In general, gas or propane grills make for the best portable grills since they're clean, easy and fast to get fired up. Charcoal is a fine alternative but the charcoal is heavier and messier than a small propane tank and charcoal generally takes longer to light. Small electric grills are also an option and while they sound great, remember you might not always have access to power, especially if you're camping or spending a day in the park. Plus, you won't get any of that flame-grilled goodness since there's no, well, flame. 

What's the best reason to buy a portable grill?

While a full-sized grill is ultimately the best option if you're not planning to move it from your backyard or deck, small grills have gotten better and more dynamic over the years and can shoulder a lot of the same cooking load as their bigger cousins. There are more types of small grills now using every fuel source imaginable, including the sun. Portable grills are perfect for campers, city folks living in apartments and anyone without a big backyard or who finds themselves often on the move. 

How much does a portable grill cost?

Portable grills cost anywhere from $50 for a simple Weber charcoal grill all the way up to $500 or more for fancier gas and propane grills with bells and whistles galore. My favorite portable grill, the Weber Q-1200, sits at about $259 but you can find it for less on sale. Most sturdy small grills should last you several years to a decade if the unit is cleaned, covered and cared for properly.

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The 7 Best Portable Grills, According to Our Tests

Gas and charcoal, tabletop and standing, these portable grills came out ahead in our outdoor lab tests.

In This Article

• Our Top Picks

Our Favorite Portable Grills

How we tested portable grills, factors to consider, other portable grills we tested, our expertise.

Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore

A far cry from the open-fire, thin metal tabletop models we grew up with, modern portable grills are designed to perform just like full-sized grills in terms of heating, retention, capacity, and ease of use. The best portable grills are also designed to be super lightweight, easy to move, simple to use, and easy to clean on top of that performance. Plus, they're more affordable.

We've spent years testing grills across all categories — 98 grill models across six categories, to be exact — from the best smokers and kamado grills to charcoal grills and gas grills . Along the way, we've pinpointed a few of the best portable grills designed to travel. Whether you’re looking for a gas or charcoal grill, a tabletop model, or one with a stand and wheels, we tested dozens of portable grills to find the best options for grillers who travel.

Best Charcoal Splurge

Nomad grill & smoker.

Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore

The NOMAD is a compact, stylish design with excellent heat control and retention.

The dampers could provide a bit more heat control, and the domed grill grates are good but slightly shift the cooking temperature in the center of the grill.

The NOMAD portable grill sports a modern design, folding together like a briefcase for carrying, with heat dissipation in mind to keep the exterior cool while cooking. Like the PKGO, the NOMAD can function as a closed grill, or you can use each side independently as a hibachi-style cooker, doubling the cooking space. The magnetic grates stay in place during transport. They are slightly domed for strength and can invert for use as a vegetable cooker basket.

The NOMAD is sleek but has few frills and is all about functionality. It's designed to be generally safer to use, as it retains and dissipates heat to the exterior. It also has side dampers to adjust airflow and regulate the temperature when it's closed. The built-in thermometer skewed about 30 degrees lower than our test probes, but the heat retention was good overall. Read our full in-depth NOMAD grill review for more testing insights.

Dimensions: 20 x 14 x 10 inches | Weight: 28 pounds | Cooking Area: 212 square inches per side (about 10 total burger patties)

Best Gas Tabletop

Weber portable gas grill.

The Weber Q 1200 provides the quick and even heat of larger grills with a small enough footprint to fit in most car trunks with space to spare.

It’s somewhat heavy, and we had to fiddle with the gas bottle, which raised some concerns.

The Weber Q 1200 remains at the top of our list of tabletop gas grills because it packs the performance of larger grills into a portable gas grill footprint. Assembly is simple thanks to the manual providing pictogram-style instructions, and the whole task took just 12 minutes for us to be ready to cook. Attaching the gas bottle took a little finagling that sparked safety concerns but ultimately resolved once connected. After the easy task of lighting the grill with the pushbutton ignition, the grill grates came to cooking temperature in just eight and a half minutes — a tough task for most portable grill competitors.

You might expect hot and cool zones in a smaller, portable grill. However, the circular, 8,500-BTU tube burner provides even heat across the enamel-coated cast iron grates, and all of the food we tested cooked evenly, with no excessive charring or lack thereof. The grill runs hotter with the lid down than the temperature indicated on the built-in thermometer, and there were minimal flare-ups in cooking. Cleanup is easy; using a grill brush on the grates and wiping down the inside of the lid to prevent grease buildup did the job. This is a reliable compact grill, and it's a workhorse that can be used indoors or outdoors.

Dimensions: 16 x 41 x 17 inches | Weight: 31 pounds | Cooking Area: 189 square inches (about four burger patties at a time)

Best Gas Standing

Weber traveler portable gas grill.

The Traveler has the added benefit of wheels and performs at a level expected of larger grills, with quick, even heating and no hot spots.

The grates are slightly difficult to clean, and brushing them requires you to hold onto the grill as it shakes in the process.

We found the Weber Traveler intuitive and approachable — it's a dream to assemble, light, and use. With a similar burner and grate design to the Q 1200 but a larger cooking area and an upgrade to 13,000 BTUs, the Traveler is better suited to family-size groups. The stand is easy to operate, with clear indicators for raising and lowering it. Since the base is included, you won't need to hunt for a safe cooking surface or crouch down to flip burgers, but it requires a little more storage space and room in your trunk.

Performance-wise, it cooks consistently across the grates without hot or cool spots. While it is one of the heavier grills we tested, the wheels simplify moving the grill around. Cleanup is easy using a top-down approach of wiping the inside of the lid with soapy water, cleaning the grates with a grill brush, and emptying the grease collector.

Dimensions: 23 x 44 x 37 inches | Weight: 47 pounds   | Cooking Area: 320 square inches (about six burger patties at a time)

Best Gas Value

Cuisinart venture gas grill.

The Venture is an easy model to transport, set up, and cook with, and results are fairly consistent.

There are hot spots around the edges, and detaching the top can be troublesome.

The Cuisinart Venture, with its picnic basket appearance, is a good entry-level grill for the uninitiated and a value model or nice gift for grillers . It’s a model intended for direct-heat cooking, as there’s no lid to control humidity for “low and slow” cooking. But, in that, it performed very well in our cooking tests. The burner packs 9,000 BTUs under enameled cast iron, providing adequate heat for small-group cooking. The grill comes to temperature quickly, but there is some variation in hot spots, especially towards the outside edges of the grill, which charred more than the center, where foods cooked slower.

In our tests, foods cooked fairly evenly and sported aesthetically pleasing grill marks. Heat regulation is easy, with one knob to control everything. We found that one person can set it up in under five minutes. And with generally good cooking results, it's an easy model for someone to get started with gas grilling.

Dimensions: 13 x 16 x 11 inches | Weight: 21 pounds   | Cooking Area: 154 square inches (closer to three or four burger patties at a time

Best Charcoal Value

Everdure cube portable grill.

The CUBE is highly portable and has a good capacity for one to two people.

The CUBE doesn’t have a lid, so it’s limited in functionality to direct heat cooking, and the firebox could be easier to empty.

Portable charcoal grills have special considerations. Everdure designs premium grills in collaboration with chef Heston Blumenthal, so you can’t expect a run-of-the-mill design. The grill has nicely sized handles for carrying and setting up this grill is foolproof. Place your pieces in position, and it’s ready to go. The grill grate real estate is ideal for serving two people. Our test load of two burgers, two brats, and two ears of corn consumed most of the acreage but still left enough room that the food wasn’t touching and the grill wasn’t overloaded. 

The stainless steel grates take more work to clean than cast iron, but this was manageable. The firebox pops out for easy emptying, but the handle bolts make removing it without tipping a little difficult. The grill has no lid for cooking, as the top consists of a storage compartment and cutting board . As such, you’re grilling with direct heat and should keep that in mind when meal planning.

Dimensions: 14 x 17 x 9 inches | Weight: 15 pounds | Cooking Area: 104 square inches (about three burger patties at a time)

Best Charcoal Tabletop

Pk grills pkgo grill grilling system.

It’s built solidly, heats quickly, and distributes heat evenly.

It’s heavy, and some hinges for the cast iron cooking grates would be helpful. 

The PKGO scored top marks in our testing, with good reason. First, assembly is a non-issue, as it consists of lining up the grates after taking the grill out of the box, and it took longer to unpack than to make it ready to cook. The cast aluminum body, top, and cast iron grates are built to last, and the included Flipkit turns the two-piece top and bottom into two hibachi grills that double your cooking area.

One of the only problems we encountered was correctly positioning the grates. Still, we found it heated quickly and was ready to cook in 10 minutes after adding lit charcoal from a chimney, while side vents gave us greater control over lower-temperature cooking. Cooking tests showed good caramelization and even cooking of meats and grilled vegetables , with the heat concentrated at the center of the grill. 

Cleanup was easy, as dumping the spent ash was a simple task. We followed this with a quick wipe-down with soapy water to remove remnants. Finally, we should note that, at 40 pounds, this grill is more suited to car camping or picnicking, where it’s only a short walk to where you’ll be cooking. It would also fare well as a supplemental grill when cooking for a crowd in your backyard.

Dimensions: 15 x 21 x 13 inches | Weight: 40 pounds | Cooking Area: 204 square inches per side (about five burger patties each)

Best Charcoal Standing

Masterbuilt portable charcoal grill and smoker with cart.

The hopper and fan arrangement give excellent heat control, and the grill is very easy to move for its size. Plus, cupholders!

Setup requires a degree of time and thought to complete successfully, and the sear on food could be deeper for the temperature.

Unlike other charcoal models we've tested, the Masterbuilt features a charcoal hopper and fan to regulate its temperature, similar to a pellet grill . While it’s 52 pounds, it’s easily movable thanks to its stand and wheels. Our tests showed it to be relatively consistent in its temperature, and while it didn’t give the best caramelization, the foods we cooked did have a satisfying crunch to their texture and good grill marks.

The setup took less than 20 minutes, but instructions are very detailed and require close attention to succeed on the first try. The shelves provided the biggest challenge, with little clearance for your hands to attach them easily. The components fit snugly and stay put when transporting, and the grill is a good size for cooking for three or four people. The fact that it pulls double duty as a smoker is a bonus.

Dimensions: 19 x 45 x 36 inches | Weight: 52 pounds | Cooking Area: 200 square inches (about five burger patties will fit)

For tabletop models, we like the Weber Q 1200 for its ease of use and heat management, which make it equally effective for cooking a burger or vegetables as it is for cooking more delicate items, like fish. For standing models, we recommend the Masterbuilt Portable Charcoal Grill and Smoker . It has great overall temperature control and excellent portability.

To assess assembly and portability, we conducted two initial tests. These tests depended on whether the grill was gas-fueled or charcoal.

• Assembly: The first step for each grill was to assemble it. We rated each grill on the clarity of instructions and how easy it was to accomplish the task and get grilling.
• Portability: Next, we judged the grills' portability, observing how easy it was to move and if lids or grates fell off easily. For those with carts, this included how easy or difficult they were to move, pop up, and collapse. Then, we rated them on how easy they were to light, add charcoal (if applicable), and how long they took to reach a cooking temperature.
• Heat retention and distribution: We tested each for their heat retention and distribution via cooking a prescribed set of items. For gas options, that was grilling onions and burgers and toasting buns. During this time, we measured the temperature before and after placing the food on the grill and at what temperature it recovered after loading it. We conducted the same temperature measurements for the charcoal grills with a different lineup of food: two bratwursts, two burgers, and two ears of corn. We judged the food for browning, grill marks, and overall doneness.
• Cleaning: What’s to test after cooking? Cleanup, of course. We rated the grills on ease of cleaning, including dumping ash and unused charcoal for applicable models. After rating the grills’ overall performances in these areas, we looked at those scores and weighed them against their retail prices. Rating each area on a scale of one to five, we averaged the category scores to arrive at the final score for each grill.

Construction 

When you’re looking for a portable grill, materials count. Look for construction that will stand up to the elements, especially if it will live outside when not in use. Sturdiness is a big factor for safety and sanity when considering a tabletop or pop-up model. A grill that rocks and wobbles will provide significant challenges when you attempt to cook on it. As a rule of thumb, a grill with thicker construction will retain and spread heat better than one with thin walls and bottoms, with some exceptions. The Everdure CUBE, for example, has a thinner construction but is specifically designed to distribute heat evenly.

Prep and Cooking Area

Consider the size of the group you’ll regularly be cooking for. Smaller grills in the 100- to 150-square-inch range are suitable for one or two people, maybe three as a stretch. Larger grills are better suited for three or four people. While you won’t conveniently feed a large crowd on a portable grill, a larger model will minimize your cooking time for more people, but by the same token, it may be larger than you need if it’s just going to be you and someone else.

Consider the prep area, too. Grills with side table attachments, stands, and other prep areas ranked higher in our tests, as we rated grills for their overall design. When cooking outside, a clean, workable surface makes prepping convenient and efficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

This depends. Some portable grills have an adapter available for 20-pound tanks, but not all do, so we’ll consider a one-pound tank. Burner BTUs vary, so their fuel consumption does, as well. Given that, a one-pound tank usually lasts an hour for higher BTU ratings and an hour and a half for lower ratings.

Some portable grills come with non-heat-conductive feet and have designs intended to disperse the heat before it reaches the grill's exterior. With that, some consider them to be plastic-table safe. It’s better to err on the side of caution, however, than ruin a table or, worse, have the grill fall when the table melts.

Strong Contenders

Dyna-Glo Signature Series Portable Tabletop Charcoal Grill ( Amazon )

The Dyna-Glo scored highly for performance but was edged out for Best Value by its weight (40 pounds) and a more complicated assembly process that could require a second person to accomplish easily.

Expert Grill Premium Portable Charcoal Grill ( Walmart )

This could be a good starter grill for someone who wants to try grilling but doesn’t want to make a large commitment to the endeavor. Its biggest drawbacks are wobbly legs, even when ensuring that the attachment hardware is fully tightened, and visible air gaps in the lid that limit the ability to control the temperature.

  SnS Slow ‘N Sear Travel Kettle Grill ( SnS Grills )

The Travel Kettle suffered in a couple of areas. First, the setup was challenging as the legs were difficult to install properly. Next, the heat distribution was uneven, where a uniform layer of coals still resulted in a hot spot in the center.

What Didn't Make the List

We tested many grills, and not all of them could be winners. While it’s hard to always be awesome, some of the grills didn’t perform at the level expected of their brand’s reputation. Some had portability problems like the lids and grates falling off when moving them. For example, without a lid lock handle, the Weber Smokey Joe 14-Inch Charcoal Grill isn’t an ideal portable option. Despite Weber’s gas grills performing exceptionally well, the Smokey Joe and its Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill left food unappealing. We found that the heat didn’t transfer to the grate, or the grill didn’t recover its temperature after opening it to put the food on.

Other grills, like the Napoleon 14-Inch Portable Charcoal Kettle Grill, radiated heat towards the center of the grate, which left the edges too cool to cook effectively and food not cooking evenly. Others couldn’t accommodate all the food from our tests without overcrowding. The features of some grills didn’t perform adequately, such as dampers not effectively regulating the temperature. In some cases, grills lost points for assembly in areas like the legs being challenging to attach.

• Greg Baker  is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and food writer with four decades of experience in the food industry. His written work appears in Food & Wine, Food Republic, and other publications.

Related Articles

• Grilling & Outdoor Equipment

The Best Portable Charcoal Grills for Every Budget, According to Our Tests

We have top picks from Masterbuilt, Weber, and PK Grills.

Summer Rylander is a freelance food and travel journalist based in Germany. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, The Kitchn, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Salon, HuffPost, and more .

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Serious Eats / Nick Simpson

The Winners, at a Glance

The criteria: what to look for in a portable charcoal grill, our favorite portable charcoal grills, the competition.

• Why We're the Experts

Straight to the Point

If you’re looking for a portable charcoal grill that offers big-grill performance in a mobile package, we recommend the Masterbuilt Portable Charcoal Grill and Smoker with Cart . We have lots more recommendations below—including models from PK Grills, Oklahoma Joe’s, Weber, and more.

If you’ve spent even five minutes researching grills, you know there’s a lot to choose from. Between gas grills, charcoal grills, pellet grills, and smokers—each with price points that can vary from a couple-hundred bucks to thousands of dollars—making a choice can feel pretty daunting. To complicate things even further—just kidding, we’re only here to help!—we recently tested portable charcoal grills, and we’ve got a great set of grates to fit every budget.

• The Best Portable Charcoal Grill: PK Grills PKGO Portable Charcoal Grill and Smoker
• The Best Portable Charcoal Grill with a Cart: Masterbuilt Portable Charcoal Grill and Smoker with Cart
• The Best Aesthetic Portable Charcoal Grill: Everdure CUBE Portable Charcoal Grill
• The Best Budget-Friendly Tabletop Portable Charcoal Grill: Dyna-Glo Signature Series Portable Tabletop Charcoal Grill
• A Very Durable Portable Charcoal Grill: Oklahoma Joe’s Rambler Tabletop Charcoal Grill
• The Best Splurge-Worthy Portable Charcoal Grill: NOMAD Grill and Smoker
• The Best Lightweight, Inexpensive Portable Charcoal Grill: Expert Grill Premium Portable Charcoal Grill
• A Beginner-Friendly Portable Charcoal Grill: Char-Griller Portable Charcoal Grill
• The Best Kettle Portable Charcoal Grill: SnS Grills Slow ‘N Sear Travel Kettle Grill
• A Portable Charcoal Grill Pick from Weber: Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill
• The Best Budget-Friendly Weber Portable Charcoal Grill: Weber Smokey Joe 14-Inch Portable Grill

Testing the Best Portable Charcoal Grills

• Assembly Test: We assembled each portable charcoal grill, timing how long it took to do so.
• Temperature Control Test: We used a probe thermometer to monitor the temperature of the grill as we fired it up and attempted to adjust the temperature. We also looked at how accurate any built-in thermometers were, compared to the probe thermometer.
• Corn, Burgers, and Brats Test: We grilled two corn cobs, two burgers, and two brats on each grill, evaluating how well and evenly each grilled.
• Cleanup Test: We cleaned each grill per the manufacturer's instructions, looking at how easy it was to do so.
• Usability Tests: Throughout testing, we evaluated how easy each grill was to setup, use, and move.

What’s a Portable Charcoal Grill?

As the name suggests, portable charcoal grills are portable! While most grills can be moved around to some extent, these are smaller, lighter, purpose-built grills meant for mobility. This means they also tend to be among the most budget-friendly grills, and they’re convenient for smaller spaces like patios or balconies.

Firing up a portable charcoal grill is guaranteed to make you the most popular person at the beach, park, or campsite this summer—just be sure to check local regulations first to make sure grilling is allowed.

Should You Buy a Portable Charcoal Grill or a Standard-Size Charcoal Grill?

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

We know it’s annoying to be told “it depends,” but, well, it depends. If you’re only planning to grill at home and you have the extra space for a standard-size charcoal grill , you might as well give yourself the additional cooking surface and opt for the full-size version.

If you’re tight on space or like the idea of being able to bring a small grill along on road trips or weekend outings with friends, a portable charcoal grill might be just the thing.

Charcoal grills tend to be pretty straightforward in design anyway, so portable models aren’t the place to expect bells and whistles. When we let our testers loose on over a dozen portable charcoal grills, we wanted their feedback on factors like assembly and clean-up, heating speed and retention, ease of flipping food, and whether they dealt with problems like sticking or flare-ups.

The portable charcoal grills that scored highest in our tests excelled in a few key areas:

Portability

This might seem obvious, but we wanted to make sure each portable grill was actually portable. We’re less likely to use a grill that needs a complete tear-down and reassembly each time we want to take it somewhere. And, ideally, a portable grill should be lightweight enough to be manageable by just one person—though we do have a few in our list that are best transported with a helping hand.

We’re not expecting perfect stability on a sandy beach or rocky campsite, but if a portable grill is sitting on a tabletop and wobbling with each burger flip ? Not ideal.

Ease of Use

Again, the whole point of a portable charcoal grill is to be able to use it in situations where a grill may not be an obvious choice. We sought out grills that were easy to assemble and clean and retained heat well enough to cook food our testers actually wanted to eat.

With that, let’s get into the portable charcoal grills we’re happy to recommend.

The Best Portable Charcoal Grill

Pk grills pkgo camp & tailgate grilling system.

What we liked: This grill scored high right out of the box—literally, thanks to the fact it arrived mostly assembled. This was also where testers became very aware of the PKGO’s heft; its cast iron construction means this portable grill clocks in at 39.5 pounds. It won’t be the easiest for everyone to move around, but this also means it’s nice and stable. 

Our testers appreciated how easy it was to add charcoal without making a mess, and noted how the food had plenty of room on the grates. Burgers and sausages “sizzled immediately when placed on the grill” and came away with “very defined grill marks,” according to testers’ notes. The PKGO was equally easy to clean—pretty much a dump-and-go situation—though it did take a long time to cool down enough to handle. 

Overall, testers agreed that this grill is “great for an avid camper or outdoorsy person,” with the caveat that it’s too heavy to realistically carry over long distances. They also liked the clips on the sides that ensured the lid stayed closed during transport or storage.

What we didn't like: Its weight may be a detriment to its portability, but the PKGO “retains heat so well that the weight actually makes it more attractive,” according to one tester, who added that this grill is worth the investment because it “performed so well and the quality of the build is so durable.”

• Cooking area: 204 square inches
• Dimensions: 13.03 x 20.9 x 15.3 inches
• Weight: 39.5 pounds
• Warranty: 20 years (bowl and lid), 3 years (grates and plastic components), 2 years (metal parts and accessories), 1 year (temperature gauge)

The Best Portable Charcoal Grill with a Cart

Masterbuilt portable charcoal grill and smoker with cart.

What we liked: With its useful rolling cart, testers confirmed that Masterbuilt’s portable charcoal grill is “incredibly easy to move” and “stable when fully unfolded” thanks to the wide base. Once you’ve got it where you want it, charcoal was easy to add through the hopper.

Food came off of the Masterbuilt with a nice sear and the grill retained heat well enough that our tester never had to refill the coals during a 45-minute cooking session. Ash was easy to clean up (thanks again, hopper!) and general consensus was that this grill “would be good for a small beach-going or camping family.” It even has two built-in drink holders. Testers also agreed that the Masterbuilt portable charcoal grill is both beginner-friendly and suitable for experienced grills who can make the most of its ability to double as a smoker. 

What we didn't like: Our testers cautioned that the hopper door gets quite hot and you’ll definitely want to use BBQ gloves if you’re planning to add coals while cooking.

• Cooking area: 200 square inches
• Dimensions: 18.8 x 27 x 36 inches
• Weight: 52 pounds
• Warranty: 1 year

The Best Aesthetic Portable Charcoal Grill

Everdure cube portable charcoal grill.

What we liked: The Everdure CUBE is probably what comes to mind first when most of us think of a portable grill. It’s “small and easy to move” and “really easy to use” according to testers, though it’s definitely suited to just one or two people—you won’t be feeding a crowd with this one!

One tester described the CUBE as “literally a drink cooler converted into a grill and I’m here for it.” This little grill is nice and lightweight, and well-balanced thanks to rubber feet at all four corners. When it comes to cooking, the CUBE delivers with surprising performance. Testers reported “definitive grill marks” on the brats, charing on the corncobs, and a nice sear on the burgers. 

The Everdure CUBE portable charcoal grill is “definitely a beachgoer type of grill” that is “easy to move, easy to use, and easy to clean.” While its small size may limit how efficiently you can feed multiple people, this is a portable grill you’ll actually want to use. It's also available in a handful of fun colors.

What we didn't like: Again, this is a small grill and its size may be limiting for some.

• Cooking area: 103.9 square inches
• Dimensions: 9.1 x 16.7 x 13.7 inches
• Weight: 15.43 pounds
• Warranty: Not specified

The Best Budget-Friendly Tabletop Portable Charcoal Grill

Dyna-glo portable tabletop charcoal grill.

What we liked: At 44 pounds, this grill might require a second set of hands to help assemble and move, but it’s sturdy once you get it in place. Testers liked the expansive cooking area and while they did notice some hot spots while cooking, food came off the grates nicely cooked and with pleasing grill marks . 

Due to the Dyna-Glo’s heft, this probably isn’t the grill you’ll carry along to the park, but it’s a great option for small outdoor spaces. Testers agree this grill will appeal to grilling beginners thanks to its sectioned grates that allow for the easy addition of charcoal, as well as the conveniently placed vent dampers and ash catcher. Similarly, experienced grillers will appreciate the cast iron construction that retains heat well and clocks in at an accessible price.

What we didn't like: Again, this isn't a grill for moving any sort of distance.

• Cooking area: 287 square inches
• Dimensions: 24.17 x 18.35 x 21 inches
• Weight: 40.7 pounds

A Very Durable Portable Charcoal Grill

Oklahoma joe's rambler tabletop charcoal grill.

What we liked: Despite being “heavy and cumbersome to carry,” the Oklahoma Joe’s Rambler scored high among our testers, who appreciated the grill’s capacity both for charcoal and space on the grates for cooking. “Food that was in contact with the cast iron grates browned exceedingly well,” noted one tester, who also commented that the Rambler “handled well and was easy to clean," thanks to its pull-out ash tray. 

This grill is perhaps more of a small-format grill than a true portable unit—a lack of wheels adds to the difficulty of moving it around—but the heavy-duty construction means the Rambler retains heat like a champ. The charcoal tray is also height-adjustable, meaning you can easily achieve either high heat, or keep things low and slow. Overall, “this grill feels priced exceptionally well for its durability and performance.”

What we didn't like: At 48.5 pounds, you'd likely need two people to move this grill around.

• Cooking area: 218 square inches
• Dimensions: 19.5 x 21.8 x 26.8 inches
• Weight: 48.5 pounds
• Warranty: 2 years

The Best Splurge-Worthy Portable Charcoal Grill

Nomad grill & smoker.

What we liked: The NOMAD portable grill definitely carries the highest price tag on our list, but our tests proved it’s worth the splurge if you’re serious about grilling on the go. 

Not only does the NOMAD come fully assembled, the suitcase-style design means it’s about as portable as a portable grill can get. There are no legs, so you’ll need to find a flat surface, but it’s a sturdy piece of equipment with its rubber feet and magnetic grates. Because the NOMAD unfolds, you’re provided with a generous cooking surface—212 square inches as-is, or you can purchase the optional second grate and enjoy 425 square inches of grilling space. During our single-grate test, two corn cobs, two burgers, and two brats fit with ease, though only the brats came off with visible grill marks. The corn was warmed through while the burgers had more of a sear. It also as an interesting, honey comb-shaped grate pattern.

“This is a good grill for its portability and ability to cook well,” reported one tester, who says the NOMAD is one of the most accessible portable grills for beginners because “it’s not difficult to set up or use and the dampers don’t leave much room for error.” That said, it may not be ideal for avid grillers, but for camping or tailgating purposes? Definitely.

What we didn't like: Of course, its price tag is *very* high compared to the other grills in this review.

• Cooking area:  212 or 425 square inches
• Dimensions: 20.5 x 4.75 x 27.25 inches
• Weight: 28 pounds
• Warranty: Limited lifetime

The Best Lightweight, Inexpensive Portable Charcoal Grill

Expert grill premium portable charcoal grill.

What we liked: When it comes to affordability, this grill is tough to beat. Testers liked how lightweight and easy it was to carry, and while the portable Expert Grill isn’t the most stable unit out there, it gets the job done without fuss. “This grill has a lot of room,” one tester noted, pleased with the amount of available space to flip food and move things around. 

All told, it’s the price that really sells this grill, which “feels like it would belong to a beginner or someone who is not ready to commit to a full-size charcoal grill.” Testers agree that this model is “a good fit for tailgating or RV camping, where it can sit on a truck bed, fold-out table, or picnic table.” 

Expert Grill may not have given us a luxury grill with this portable pick, but it’s a darn good price for a very functional piece of equipment. Also? It’s cute.

What we didn't like: The legs are wobbly, which gave testers pause.

• Cooking area: 262 square inches
• Dimensions: 17.5 x 17 x 24.5 inches
• Weight: 18.5 pounds

A Beginner-Friendly Portable Charcoal Grill

Char-griller 2-in-1 portable charcoal grill.

What we liked: Here we have another budget-friendly portable charcoal grill, this one from Char-Griller. It’s quite stout, which does mean it’s less easily portable than the comparably priced Expert Grill, but it’s very sturdy and testers appreciated the lack of wobble.

Once the grill is up and running, testers did like the spacious cooking surface, evenly cooked food, and resulting char marks which yielded brats with “a wonderful outside texture and flavor with a juicy inside.” 

Overall, this is another portable grill best suited to beginners, but for the price, we’ll back it as a pick for anyone in the market for a small charcoal grill.

What we didn't like: The Char-Griller can be troublesome when it comes to adding charcoal, which must be done from the smaller side of the barrel, where the charcoal chimney “just barely fits inside to be able to pour the coals without spilling ash and hot embers.”

• Cooking area: 250 square inches
• Dimensions: 19 x 18.7 x 21.1 inches
• Weight: 37 pounds

The Best Kettle Portable Charcoal Grill

Sns grills slow 'n sear travel kettle grill.

What we liked: Testers liked the portability of this grill, which “can be easily carried by an adult” and “would be great for a day trip with a small family.” The Slow ‘N Sear kettle grill is also easy to clean and cools down quickly, which is convenient for packing up but perhaps less ideal for heat retention during cooking. 

You probably won’t win any grilling competitions with the SnS Slow ‘N Sear, but if your goal is a truly portable charcoal grill that won’t take ages to cool down after use, testers concurred that the price is fair and “the overall quality of the grill is good.” 

What we didn't like: Our testers struggled with uneven heating, reporting a difference of 35°F between a sausage that had been in the center of the grate versus one that had been closer to the edge for the same amount of time.

• Cooking area: 18-inch diameter
• Dimensions: 21 x 20.25 inches
• Weight: 17.8 pounds
• Warranty: 10 years (bowl and lid), 5 years (ash removal, plastic components, side shelf), 2 years (remaining parts)

A Portable Charcoal Grill Pick from Weber

Weber go-anywhere charcoal grill.

What we liked: With one of the most respected names in the grill game, it should come as no surprise that there’s a Weber on our list. The Go-Anywhere is a portable charcoal grill at a favorable price that’s easy to assemble and lightweight enough to carry with ease. 

It isn’t Weber’s standout performer, though. While our testers had no issues with grilling burgers and corn cobs, the bratwursts cooked unevenly in comparison. But as one tester noted, “there are no bells and whistles in any capacity—this grill performs the bare minimum and does so admirably.” In other words, as long as your expectations are modest, the Go-Anywhere is a solid choice if you’re looking for a well-constructed grill under $100.

What we didn't like: Again, uneven cooking plagued this pick a bit.

• Cooking area: 160 square inches
• Dimensions: 11.5 x 19.5 x 15 inches
• Weight: 13.45 pounds
• Warranty: 10 years

The Best Budget-Friendly Weber Portable Charcoal Grill

Weber smokey joe charcoal grill.

 Amazon

What we liked: The Smokey Joe is certainly budget-friendly at less than $50. It’s quite small and lightweight, and though testers noted the importance of keeping the grill upright and steady to avoid dislodging the lid and grate while carrying it, this is an easy grill to move around. 

Though the Smokey Joe doesn’t get as rip-roaring hot as many of us may hope for in a grill, this is an affordable, practical, beginner-friendly option for cooking food in places where you otherwise wouldn’t.

What we didn't like: As you can probably assume from the 14-inch diameter, there’s not a lot of room to work while cooking. While testers were able to fit two burgers, two brats, and two ears of corn all in one go, the sausages were undercooked and the rest “looked baked, not grilled,” according to notes. 

• Cooking area: 14-inch diameter
• Dimensions: 17 x 14.2 x 14.5 inches
• Weight: 9.5 pounds
• Americana Walk-A-Bout Portable Charcoal Grill : This grill was able to cook food satisfactorily, but testers thought it just felt too cheaply constructed, even for its low price.
• Napoleon 14" Portable Charcoal Kettle Grill : Testers just thought this grill was too average to choose over other models. “I would spend more money on a grill that I could trust to prepare a good-quality product rather than take the less expensive route and purchase something I would be unhappy with after the first time cooking on it,” one tester noted.
• Char-Broil Portable Kettle Charcoal Grill : “Don’t spend one red cent on this grill!” wrote one tester, whose most positive feedback about this inexpensive model was that it’s easy to clean.

How light is a portable charcoal grill?

It varies! Depending on their size and construction, the portable charcoal grills we tested ranged from just under 10 pounds to over 50 pounds. 

How do you start a portable charcoal grill?

It’s helpful to use a chimney starter when lighting a charcoal grill. Instead of squirting lighter fluid all over the charcoal, you pile charcoal into the chimney, stuff the bottom with newspaper, and light with a match. When the coals are hot, simply transfer them to your grill.

How do you dispose of charcoal after grilling?

Before anything, let it cool completely in the grill. Once the ash and spent charcoal are cool, you can worry about cleaning it up. Lump charcoal (with no additives) can be composted. However, spent briquettes should go in the landfill. You can wrap them in aluminum foil before adding them to your outdoor trash can. Some cooks even have a dedicated metal trash, kept near their grill, for collecting old charcoal and ash.

Can a portable charcoal grill fit in a car?

Yes. However you may need to account for the space required if you have a grill with collapsible legs, a very small car, or both. And don't make us remind you that the grill should be 100% cool before transporting it!

Why We're the Experts

• Summer Rylander is a food and travel journalist based in Nuremberg, Germany.
• She has written numerous stories for Serious Eats, including  a review of pasta drying racks  and a piece about how to choose between  ceramic and nonstick skillets . 
• For this article, we put 14 portable charcoal grills through numerous tests, designed to evaluate their quality, value, and (of course) portability.

More Serious Eats Recipes

8 Best Portable Grills to Buy in 2023

Top-tested charcoal and gas grills you can take on the go.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Portable grills aren't just for people on the go: They're great for small spaces or smaller budgets, too. These convenient cookers come in a variety of styles from gas to charcoal and electric, which makes them great buys whether you're a grilling beginner or you want a second grill that uses a different fuel option.

In the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliance and Culinary Innovation Lab , we've tested more than 60 grills over the years to find the best grills on the market, including gas grills , traditional charcoal grills , kamado style grills, electric indoor grills and even pellet grills for smoking. To round up the best portable grills that'll have you grilling like a pro on the go, we assessed all of our testing data and scoured the market for the best, newest and top-selling models. In our latest test, we spent more than 20 hours prepping, unboxing, assembling and testing, cooking 40 chicken thighs and 10 steaks on 10 new portable grills. Here are the best portable grills you can buy, according to testing:

Our top picks:

Best Overall Portable Grill

Weber q1200 liquid propane grill.

Best Value Portable Grill

Coleman gas grill.

Best Lightweight Portable Grill

Nomadiq portable propane gas grill.

Best Portable Charcoal Grill

Weber smokey joe premium 14-inch portable grill.

Best Portable Grill for Camping

Biolite wood & charcoal burning fire pit.

Best Portable Grill for Tailgating

Pk grills pkgo camp & tailgate grilling system.

Best Stand-Up Portable Grill

Weber traveler portable gas grill.

Best Portable Grill for Picnics

Everdure cube portable charcoal grill.

You can read more about how we evaluate portable grills in our Lab and consumer tests — plus everything you need to know to shop for your perfect grill — at the end of this guide. Looking for more great grilling guides? Check out our guide to best grilling accessories and how to clean your grill to get it ready for grilling .

As bulky as the Weber Q1200 portable grill may look in pictures, we were pleasantly surprised that it's actually quite lightweight and can easily be carried by one person: Its two oversized handles make it easy to move and the shelves fold in for ultimate portability. Initial assembly is quick and simple, and the grill turns on with a touch of the battery-powered igniter. Its roomy cooking surface feels more like a quality full-sized grill than other portable grills we tested and the sturdy feet keep the grill stable during cooking. This grill is powered by a 14.1- or 16.4-ounce propane tank, which screws onto the right side of the grill; the temperature knob is located directly below, which makes handling a little tricky, but doable.

While it is a little less powerful than the other top-performing portable grills we tested at 8,500 BTUs per hour, it still cooked relatively quickly, and produced nice sear marks on juicy steak and chicken in our tests with no noticeable flareups. If you want more heat, a 12,000 BTU version is also available . Like most of Weber's grills, the Q1200 has a disposable drip tray below the grill, which makes clean-up much easier than some portable grills with drip trays that need to be washed out periodically. We especially liked that the shelves that were big enough to hold tools, plates and cutting boards.

• Weight : 30 pounds • Dimensions : 20.5" L x 40.9" W x 24.6" H • Cooking area : 189 sq. inches • Power : 8,500 BTUs per hour

This portable gas grill has been a Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab favorite for years. It's small and compact, which makes it quite portable, yet sturdy and powerful for good, fast cooks. We've tested both this model and the larger stand-up model with shelves , and were impressed with the sear marks we got on chicken, steak, burgers and hot dogs. It's simple to use and starts with the push of a button.

A 16.4-ounce propane tank attaches to the back of the grill with a sturdy, easy-to-secure attachment. It has two plastic temperature knobs on the front of the grill; one knob controls in the inner flame ring and the other controls the outer. Combined, they allow for high-temp cooking. The cast iron grates are easy to scrub clean with a grill brush and the drip pan (located inside the grill) removes so you can wash it before storing.

• Weight : 25.59 pounds • Dimensions : 28.81" L x 18.31" W x 10.63" H • Cooking area : 225 sq. inches • Power : Up to 11,000 total BTUs

This small portable gas grill from NomadIQ gets major points for being truly portable: It's lightweight, but sturdy and stable when open. In our tests, this grill did not heat the most evenly, but it did produce a nice, grilled steak and was able to cook four bone-in chicken thighs on medium in under 30 minutes (even without a lid, which usually speeds up cooking). It has two separate cooking zones — and each side can be used independently and to cook at different temperatures at once. A dual-ended hose connects to a 16.4-ounce propane tank. The attachment and tank made setup a little cumbersome, but overall didn't affect the cooking process.

In our cooking tests, we barely noticed any flare-ups, and after, the ceramic, nonstick plates were easy to clean (they're even dishwasher safe, according to the manufacturer). We were especially impressed with how the grease drained directly into the drip pans that rest on the grill's feet during use and didn't make a mess. We also appreciate its true portability: It folds up and even the feet tuck away to make the whole carrying experience even smoother with a long carrying strap. Just be sure wipe down the sides before packing away to ensure the drainage holes and outside parts of the grill are clean.

• Weight : 12.3 pounds • Dimensions : 25.6" L x 16" W x 7.5" H • Cooking area : 226 sq. inches • Power : almost 5,000 BTUs each

This Weber grill is a mini version of the brand's well-loved charcoal kettle. Testers appreciated the solid but portable build and how quickly they were able to set it up. The fact that the carrying handle doubles as a lid holder is also useful for keeping an eye on the food when cooking. It has a small coal bed and lightweight ashtray that can be stored inside the unit when cool; plus, all the features of its bigger, top-tested counterparts, like an oversized stay-cool handle and easily adjustable vent.

We love the versatility of this model: It comes in a variety of sizes and price points based on different features. This one is 14 inches wide, under 10 pounds and comes with a carrying handle so you can easily take it on the go, and it can also be bought with a cover for easier transporting.

• Weight : 9.8 pounds • Dimensions : 15.4" L x 15.6" W x 9.2" H • Cooking area : 147 sq. inches • Power : Charcoal

BioLite Wood & Charcoal Burning Fire Pit

The beauty of this pick is it functions as a portable fire pit and charcoal grill, which makes it great for camping. It has two oversized handles for carrying and its legs fold up to make moving it even easier. It can be used with firewood or charcoal – just slide on the included grill grate to use as a grill. The sides of the fire pit are perforated so you can see the flames, and it comes with an app-controlled fan to control the size of the flames.

In our tests, steak cooked well and got nice grill marks. We learned that the coal bed can be adjusted for better temperature control — a useful feature that we find highly important in charcoal grill tests. The grill grate is narrow, especially compared to other portable grills we tested, but can still fit about four to five chicken thighs side-by-side, or two large steaks. We tried this grill out along with the brand's grilling kit (available for purchase separately), and found the accessories to be good quality and useful.

• Weight : 19.8 pounds • Dimensions : 27" L x 13" W x 15.8" H • Cooking area : 130 sq. inches • Power : Charcoal

PK Grills PKGO Camp & Tailgate Grilling System

This portable charcoal grill is a workhorse. It's made of cast aluminum and has cast iron grates, which make it heavy, but so worth it: The heavier materials mean more durability and good sears or low and slow smokes.

We love that the lid, which has two vents that stay cool enough to adjust during cooking, stays put on the grill in the open position and has a large, oversized handle for easy check-ins. Best of all, the lid can be inverted onto an included base and used as a second grill. It even comes with a second coal holder and cooking grate. In our tests, this grill quickly cooked a steak and four chicken thighs, all of which were juicy and tender.

• Weight : 45.1 pounds • Dimensions : 20.9" L x 15.3" W x 13.03" H • Cooking area : 204 sq. inches • Power : Charcoal

This grill is built into the cart so it's one full, sturdy piece. The bars on its stand are thick, its feet are stable and the wheels are large enough to roll on grass. It turned on with just one touch of the igniter, even after being stored outside all year without a cover. (We surely recommend covers, however, to extend the lifespan of your grill and prevent any potential rusting.)

In our tests, its built-in thermometer confirmed it reached 600ºF in less than 10 minutes . It made great steak quickly and nicely browned chicken thighs in under 20 minutes with no noticeable flareups. Grease drips into a disposable drip pan, which makes cleanup easy. The lid, cook box and cast iron grates are all porcelain enameled for added non-stickability, easier cleanup and good heat retention.

In our tests, the side shelf proved to be useful, as did the tool holders located on the front of the grill. Beneath the shelf, we found that the one-pound propane tank attached easily. Weber claims that the grill is designed to optimize gas usage, which we didn't actively test but we did notice anecdotally that it lasted longer than the other portable grills we tested.

• Weight: 49 pounds • Dimensions: 42.72" L x 22.05" W x 14.65" H • Cooking area: 320 sq. inches • Power: 13,000 BTUs per hour

This portable grill is small and efficient. We love how compact it is and how it can be used nearly anywhere. It has two large carrying candles and latches on either side to hold all of the pieces in place. The bamboo lid doubles as a cutting board that rests on top of a plastic container where you can store grilling accessories.

In our tests, steak and chicken cooked quickly and got nice char marks without any flare-ups. Ash falls through the coal holder holes onto the bottom of the grill for a neat grilling experience, and the stainless grill grate is small and easy to wash in your sink once you get home.

• Weight : 15.43 pounds • Dimensions : 13.67" L x 16.73" W x 9.05" H • Cooking area : 115 sq. inches • Power : Charcoal

How we test portable grills

We've been testing grills for decades in the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliance and Culinary Innovation Lab . We've tested more than 60 grills, including gas grills, charcoal grills, pellet grills and smokers and more. We've also tested a slew of portable grills as part of our typical grill testing over the years. Each time we test, we use the same testing methodology and ingredients to make sure our results are comparable. We also update our tests as needed to ensure they're still relevant and we're keeping up with the trends and latest innovations.

This year, we put a total of 10 portable grills to the test side-by-side, by following our typical grill testing protocol: Cooking one steak and four chicken thighs on each. These tests allow us to understand how the grills work and assess their cooking ability in terms of cook time, power and flare-up prevention. We also tested bread on each gas grill to give a visual map of how evenly each grill heats.

In addition to performance, we test ease of use and score each grills on the types of features they have like shelves, storage space, amount of wheels, etc. While size isn't a deal-breaker or -maker, stability is. We also ensured our winning portable grills could be transported easily by one person.

What to look for when shopping for the best portable grill

✔️ Fuel type: The biggest thing to decide off the bat is whether you prefer to use gas or charcoal. Gas tends tends to be easier to prep and work with, though it can run out (how long each tank lasts depends on the grill, its output and what temperature you use). Charcoal can take some getting used to in terms of ignition and coal stacking and is a bit messier to clean up, but it does deliver a nice, smoky flavor that people love.

✔️ Size: This detail is especially important when it comes to portable grills. We think that the more cooking space, the better — but that makes the grill bulkier, which is an important consideration when it comes to portability. The larger the cooking grate, the more you can cook at once, but if portability is the most important to you, opt for a smaller size or one that folds up or is on wheels.

✔️ Stability: A flimsy grill won't cut it, especially when it comes to portable grills. All of the picks on our list were sturdy and didn't move around during cooking and testing. The ones that did were nixed from our list, even if they were light and portable, due to safety hazards.

✔️ Lid: Lids allow foods to quick cooker, and while we prefer to have this option, not all of our recommended picks come with lids. The ones without lids still produced good results (even if they took a bit longer).

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliance and Culinary Innovation Lab where she oversees all kitchen appliance content and testing. This is her third season testing grills for Good Housekeeping and has had her hands on at least 35 grills and counting. She's a professional, trained cook, recipe developer and grill aficionado. The summer is favorite season, mostly because she can put one of her many grills to the test nightly.

Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute 's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal .

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Choose from propane, electric, or natural gas portable BBQ grill options, all in a sleek, stylish package. Napoleon’s signature cooking grids ensure that you’ll still achieve the perfect sear, with even heat distribution on a non-stick surface… wherever you are!

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Check out some of the most-loved features of our line-up of portable BBQ grills, helping you experience fantastic grilling wherever life takes you:

Generous Cooking Area : Grill for crowds with ease!

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Ergonomic Control Knobs : Easy, smooth temperature control.

Iconic WAVE™ Cooking Grids : Porcelain coated grids in Napoleon’s signature wave pattern, deliver consistent heat transfer for the perfect sear. These grill grates also help prevent your food from falling into the burners, so you can enjoy every last bite!

ACCU-PROBE™ Temperature Gauge : Know when your grill has reached optimal grilling temperature with our highly accurate gauge.

10 Year Napoleon Limited Warranty : Peace of mind that you can enjoy your portable BBQ grill for years to come.

Whether you’re looking for the perfect portable BBQ grill to serve large groups, or need a versatile, compact unit to keep up with your adventurous lifestyle, Napoleon offers a great selection of high-quality, well-priced grills, with the features you’re looking for. Explore our full line-up of travel grills to see why you don’t have to sacrifice performance for portability!

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The 10 Best Portable Grills For Barbecuing

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RVers have many options when it comes to portable grills. A variety of barbecues fueled by propane and charcoal are available in a range of sizes, and some also collapse for easy storage.  These ten grills are among the best for RV travel and cooking your food to perfection.

1. Camco Olympian Portable Grill

You can mount Camco’s Olympian Portable Grill to your RV or simply use it as a tabletop grill.  They come with a mounting bracket (for use on your RV’s mounting rail) and folding tabletop legs.

You can mount the Camco Olympian Grill on your RV, or just use it as a tabletop grill. Photos via Amazon.

The stainless steel Olympian 5500 and 6500 grills connect to your RV’s low-pressure propane supply.  They come with a quick-connect hose and connect valve, as well as a cast-iron smoker plate and a grease tray.  The 5500 model has 180 square inches of cooking space with 12,000 BTU per hour; the 6500 is nearly double in size at 316 square inches with 14,000 BTU.

2. Coleman Road Trip Grill LXE

Coleman’s Road Trip Grill LXE can be set up and put away in seconds.  The collapsible grills have 285 square inches of cooking space and last about an hour on a propane cylinder with 20,000 BTUs of power.  They also have side tables that you can slide out for extra room.

Coleman LXE Road Trip Grill

Another cool feature about these grills is their interchangeable cooktops.  You can take out the grill grates and swap them with Coleman’s griddle or stove grate (sold separately).

3. Smoke Hollow Tabletop Grill

Smoke Hollow’s 10,000 BTU grills are not as powerful as Coleman’s LXE grills, but they do nearly double what Cuisinart’s grill offers (listed below).

They’re also larger than the others, with a 305 square inch cooking surface and a 105 square inch warming rack.

Smoke Hollow BBQ Grill

The stainless steel grills are easy to fold up and take on-the-go with a locking lid and carrying handle.  They operate on disposable one-pound propane cylinders and cost about $100 on Amazon .

4. Cuisinart Petit Portable Tabletop Gas Grill

Cuisinart makes a more compact tabletop grill with only 145 square inches of cooking surface. The 5,500 BTU grill has a simple portable design with fold-away legs and a briefcase-style carrying handle.

Cuisinart Petit Gourmet Portable Tabletop Gas Grill

It also has a removable, dishwasher-safe grate that is easy to clean.  Cuisinart offers the gas grills in red , black , and stainless steel .  You can also get these grills with a cover and/or a telescoping stand .

5. Weber’s Go Anywhere Grill

Weber’s Go Anywhere Grill is their most travel-friendly design.  This charcoal grill has 160 square inches of cooking space and steel legs that fold up and secure the lid during transport.  The durable lid and cooking box are also coated in porcelain to prevent rust and last for years.

Weber Go Anywhere Grill

The lid has adjustable vent holes to regulate the grill’s airflow when cooking.  It also comes with a heat-safe nylon handle so you can lift the lid and flip food as needed.

The Go Anywhere Grills are currently about $55 on Amazon .

6. Quick Grill

This stainless steel grill has a simple folding design that is easy to set up and store away. It can be used with charcoal or wood and has a 12″x 12″ grill surface when expanded, ideal for cooking a one or two person dinner.

Quick Grill

You can find the folding grills on Amazon for about $34 .  The company also makes a bigger version, the Quick Grill Large ($44).  It has a 17.5″ x 12″ cooking space and similarly folds down flat when not in use.

7. Coleman PerfectFlow Grill/Stove

These Coleman grill stoves have two 10,000 BTU burners: one is a stove grate and the other is a removable aluminum grill grate.  Just hook up your gas bottle, turn the knob, and the unit heats up within seconds.

Coleman PerfectFlow Insta Start Grill/Stove

They’re compact in size, yet large enough to cook dinner for about four people.  The grill stoves also have useful side panels that fold up to block wind or fold down for extra cooking space.

8. Coleman Sportster Propane Grill 

Coleman’s Sportster Propane Grill (much like their Road Trip LXE Grill) is easy to transport with a collapsible stand and wheels.

Coleman Sportster Propane Grill

It’s less powerful than the LXE with only 11,000 BTUs of power and has a smaller, 225 square inch cooking grate.  On the other hand, the Sportster grill is also half the price at only $110 on Amazon .

The grill has a lift and lock system and comes with a removable tray that collects grease.  It turns on by the push of a button without the need for matches.

9. Blackstone Gas Grill & Griddle

Blackstone’s portable grill and griddle combo is a larger option more ideal for tailgating and weekend camping trips than full-time RVing . But it’s also bigger and more powerful with two burners: the H burner with 15,000 BTU and the cast iron burner can produce 20,000 BTU.

Blackstone Gas Grill & Griddle

It comes with a heavy-duty grill box, cast iron grill grates, and a steel griddle plate.  You can use both the grill box and griddle at the same time or just pots and pans on the two burners.

10. Gourmia Portable Charcoal Electric BBQ Grill

Gourmia’s modern charcoal grills have a battery-operated turbo fan that reduces smoke and regulates the temperature while cooking. Their grills have a smaller 11.8″ cooking surface and a double-grill pan system to catch drips of grease.

Gourmia Portable Charcoal Electric BBQ Grill

They’re about $150 through their website and come with a removable non-stick plate, lifting tongs, and carrying bag.

You may also like: Perfect Your Grilling Game With These 10 Must-Have Accessories

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Trains Moscow to Elektrostal: Times, Prices and Tickets

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Moscow to Elektrostal by train

The journey from Moscow to Elektrostal by train is 32.44 mi and takes 2 hr 7 min. There are 71 connections per day, with the first departure at 12:15 AM and the last at 11:46 PM. It is possible to travel from Moscow to Elektrostal by train for as little as or as much as . The best price for this journey is .

Get from Moscow to Elektrostal with Virail

Virail's search tool will provide you with the options you need when you want to go from Moscow to Elektrostal. All you need to do is enter the dates of your planned journey, and let us take care of everything else. Our engine does the hard work, searching through thousands of routes offered by our trusted travel partners to show you options for traveling by train, bus, plane, or carpool. You can filter the results to suit your needs. There are a number of filtering options, including price, one-way or round trip, departure or arrival time, duration of journey, or number of connections. Soon you'll find the best choice for your journey. When you're ready, Virail will transfer you to the provider's website to complete the booking. No matter where you're going, get there with Virail.

How can I find the cheapest train tickets to get from Moscow to Elektrostal?

Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. You can find train tickets for prices as low as , but it may require some flexibility with your travel plans. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets. Unfortunately, no price was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find price results. Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets.

How long does it take to get from Moscow to Elektrostal by train?

The journey between Moscow and Elektrostal by train is approximately 32.44 mi. It will take you more or less 2 hr 7 min to complete this journey. This average figure does not take into account any delays that might arise on your route in exceptional circumstances. If you are planning to make a connection or operating on a tight schedule, give yourself plenty of time. The distance between Moscow and Elektrostal is around 32.44 mi. Depending on the exact route and provider you travel with, your journey time can vary. On average, this journey will take approximately 2 hr 7 min. However, the fastest routes between Moscow and Elektrostal take 1 hr 3 min. If a fast journey is a priority for you when traveling, look out for express services that may get you there faster. Some flexibility may be necessary when booking. Often, these services only leave at particular times of day - or even on certain days of the week. You may also find a faster journey by taking an indirect route and connecting in another station along the way.

How many journeys from Moscow to Elektrostal are there every day?

On average, there are 71 daily departures from Moscow to Elektrostal. However, there may be more or less on different days. Providers' timetables can change on certain days of the week or public holidays, and many also vary at particular times of year. Some providers change their schedules during the summer season, for example. At very busy times, there may be up to departures each day. The providers that travel along this route include , and each operates according to their own specific schedules. As a traveler, you may prefer a direct journey, or you may not mind making changes and connections. If you have heavy suitcases, a direct journey could be best; otherwise, you might be able to save money and enjoy more flexibility by making a change along the way. Every day, there are an average of 18 departures from Moscow which travel directly to Elektrostal. There are 53 journeys with one change or more. Unfortunately, no connection was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find connections.

Book in advance and save

If you're looking for the best deal for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal, booking train tickets in advance is a great way to save money, but keep in mind that advance tickets are usually not available until 3 months before your travel date.

Stay flexible with your travel time and explore off-peak journeys

Planning your trips around off-peak travel times not only means that you'll be able to avoid the crowds, but can also end up saving you money. Being flexible with your schedule and considering alternative routes or times will significantly impact the amount of money you spend on getting from Moscow to Elektrostal.

Always check special offers

Checking on the latest deals can help save a lot of money, making it worth taking the time to browse and compare prices. So make sure you get the best deal on your ticket and take advantage of special fares for children, youth and seniors as well as discounts for groups.

Unlock the potential of slower trains or connecting trains

If you're planning a trip with some flexible time, why not opt for the scenic route? Taking slower trains or connecting trains that make more stops may save you money on your ticket – definitely worth considering if it fits in your schedule.

Best time to book cheap train tickets from Moscow to Elektrostal

The cheapest Moscow - Elektrostal train tickets can be found for as low as $35.01 if you’re lucky, or $54.00 on average. The most expensive ticket can cost as much as $77.49.

Find the best day to travel to Elektrostal by train

When travelling to Elektrostal by train, if you want to avoid crowds you can check how frequently our customers are travelling in the next 30-days using the graph below. On average, the peak hours to travel are between 6:30am and 9am in the morning, or between 4pm and 7pm in the evening. Please keep this in mind when travelling to your point of departure as you may need some extra time to arrive, particularly in big cities!

Moscow to Elektrostal CO2 Emissions by Train

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You can spend time exploring the galleries in Electrostal History and Art Museum in Elektrostal. Take in the museums while you're in the area.

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• Ramenskii History and Art Museum
• Malenky Puppet Theater
• Drama Theatre BOOM
• Likino Dulevo Museum of Local Lore
• Noginsk Museum and Exhibition Center
• Pavlovsky Posad Museum of Art and History
• Saturn Stadium
• Fairy Tale Children's Model Puppet Theater
• Fifth House Gallery
• Church of Vladimir
• Malakhovka Museum of History and Culture
• Orekhovo Zuevsky City Exhibition Hall

Destinations in May

Destinations in 2024.

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NEW CHRISTMAS TOUR 2024 - Bournemouth - Norfolk Royale Hotel - BROCHURE ADDITION . 2024 EUROPEAN HOLIDAYS - Early release - ITALY - Lake Garda / Alassio Click here to download our 2024 Brochure All Our Holidays Include In The Price: Free Door to Door Taxi ( Subject to Area ) ~ Luxury Coach Travel ~ Reserved Coach Seats . Personally Selected ...

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KM Travel of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Request a brochure by: Calling: 01226 245564 email: [email protected] . download: click here to download the 2024 Tour Brochure.

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5. £339. Nil. Please note prices are based on two persons sharing a twin/double room. Single room supplements may apply, please call check single availability/price. Price Includes: * Luxury Coach Travel * Local Departure Points. * En-suite bedrooms * Excursions. * Half Board Accommodation.

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Lovely holiday. Review of KM British & European Coach Holiday. Reviewed 9 December 2023. Just back from a T&T break at Exmouth. The hotel and food were brilliant, and the driver James was the best. However we had a bad start after waiting nearly one and a half hours in cold and rain at Ilkeston for the coach. I know there was traffic problems ...

Geeveetravelchesterfield, Chesterfield. 1,657 likes · 24 talking about this · 29 were here. DOOR TO DOOR COACH HOLIDAYS DAY TRIPS AND PRIVATE HIRE

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KM Travel of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Tel: (01226) 245564 [email protected] . Home. Booking Guide Request Brochure Customer Information Contact Us. Skip to content. Request a brochure by: Calling: 01226 245564 . email: [email protected] download: ... Please note prices are based on two persons sharing a twin/double room ...

Central Air Force Museum The Central Air Force Museum, housed at Monino Airfield, 40 km east of Moscow, Russia, is one of the world's largest aviation museums, and the largest for Russian aircraft. 173 aircraft and 127 aircraft engines are on display, and the museum also features collections of weapons, instruments, uniforms (including captured U2 pilot Gary Powers' uniform), other Cold War ...

The journey from Moscow to Elektrostal by train is 32.44 mi and takes 2 hr 7 min. There are 71 connections per day, with the first departure at 12:15 AM and the last at 11:46 PM. It is possible to travel from Moscow to Elektrostal by train for as little as or as much as . The best price for this journey is . Journey Duration.

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The trains and stations of the Moscow Metro

2 Comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Cities , Travel , Video

The Moscow Metro is the third most intensive subway system in the world after Tokyo and Seoul subways. The first line was opened on May 15, 1935. Since 1955, the metro has the name of V.I. Lenin.

The system consists of 12 lines with a total length of 305.7 km. Forty four stations are recognized cultural heritage. The largest passenger traffic is in rush hours from 8:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 19:00.

Cellular communication is available on most of the stations of the Moscow Metro. In March 2012, a free Wi-Fi appeared in the Circle Line train. The Moscow Metro is open to passengers from 5:20 to 01:00. The average interval between trains is 2.5 minutes.

The fare is paid by using contactless tickets and contactless smart cards, the passes to the stations are controlled by automatic turnstiles. Ticket offices and ticket vending machines can be found in station vestibules.

Tags:  Moscow city

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Tomás · August 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm

The Moscow metro stations are the best That I know, cars do not.

Alberto Calvo · September 25, 2016 at 8:57 pm

Great videos! Moscow Metro is just spectacular. I actually visited Moscow myself quite recently and wrote a post about my top 7 stations, please check it out and let me know what you think! :)

http://www.arwtravels.com/blog/moscow-metro-top-7-stations-you-cant-miss

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Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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