Get One of These Versatile Flat-Top Grills and Be the Star of Your Own Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Sitting at the counter of a diner where you can hear the sizzle of the grill in the kitchen and a bell signals when your food is ready is a classic American experience—and one that you can bring to your own backyard by investing in a flat-top grill. They’ve become increasingly popular for the versatile homestyle favorites they offer for every meal, from eggs, hash browns, and pancakes to steaks, smashburgers, and fajitas.

Flat-top grills give you a more controlled cooking experience than, say, a charcoal grill. They can sizzle up meat on one burner while you prep veggies and sides on the other, and are capable of cooking up a large quantity of both. Instead of grill grates, the solid griddle surface is perfect for frying but also gets hot enough for sautéing and searing.

We’ve drawn on our decades of grill-testing expertise and selected a list of the best flat-top grills to consider, along with advice on how to find the right one for you.

For more great outdoor cooking recommendations check out our roundups of the best outdoor pizza ovens, portable grills, and smokers.

The Best Flat-Top Grills

• Best Overall: Blackstone 36-Inch 1825

• Best Value: Royal Gourmet GB4000

• Best Upgrade: Pit Boss 10762 Deluxe

• Best Tabletop: Blackstone 1666 Griddle

• Best for Hosting: Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 900

What to Consider

Traditional Grills vs. Flat-Top Grills

A flat-top grill—also referred to as a griddle grill—won’t replace your traditional charcoal or propane grill completely, but it’s a fun and useful addition to your outdoor cooking arsenal. Some come with an interchangeable surface to swap for a traditional grill grate, but most of the models on our list just have the flat top. Flat-top grills provide a large cooking surface from end to end and have two or more gas burners. This lets you “zone cook” different foods at different temperatures all at the same time on the same cooking area.

Flat-top grills don’t (generally) have a cover or lid like traditional grills and, since there’s nothing to trap the heat, aren’t ideal for low-and-slow cooking or smoking. While they can’t yield the perfect bark on a brisket, a flat-top grill churns out large amounts of burgers or hot dogs or anything else that needs a super hot surface and not much else. Their surface temperature is perfect for seared steaks and won’t have fire flare-ups since grease isn’t dripping into an open fire.

The surface of flat-top grills are either stainless-steel or cast-iron, and both need to be “seasoned” with oil before you start cooking. Apply a thin coat of oil to the entire surface and kick up the heat to a high temperature to let the oil smoke and oxidize for about 10 minutes. Repeat the process to build up a layer and then get to cooking. Stainless-steel requires less upkeep but is generally more expensive. Cast-iron tops need regular maintenance but tend to be more affordable.

Cooking Power

Most flat-top grills are propane-fueled, so you’ll want to consider how many BTUs of cooking power a grill offers. Griddle surfaces can reach temperatures up to around 600 degrees but work best around 400. Two-burner grills will have enough room for most small families, while four-burner grills are better for larger groups, like cookouts with friends. If you plan on entertaining larger parties, the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 900 below has six burners to handle parties or catering.

Features

Perks like folding side shelves, storage shelves, and hooks for grilling tools make cooking easier and more enjoyable by providing extra storage and prep space. Most flat-top grills also have locking wheels and are powder-coated to prevent rust, though we recommend buying a good grill cover to protect your investment.

How We Selected

We relied on knowledge from our extensive grill testing, as well as our experience with brands we know and trust, to determine the best flat-top grills. We’ve tested several of these and noted our impressions from assembly to cleanup to identify standout features as well as any pain points. For any that we haven’t used, we leaned on that past use to inform which specs and features we prized and which models made the cut. To be sure we had options for everyone, we selected grills across a wide size and price range, including portable options.

36-Inch 1825 Flat-Top Grill

Blackstone is one of the best-known brands of flat-top grills, and this model lives up to the reputation. The heavy-duty cast-iron top offers plenty of space to zone cook using the four burners. It has a heat output of 60,000 BTUs, which is standard, but the cast-iron cooking surface has excellent heat retention and distribution. It gets hot enough for searing but can get low enough to soft scramble eggs and cook veggies. A drain at the back of the grill collects grease into a removable catch for easy cleaning.

The Blackstone has plenty of storage and thoughtful details that make cooking easier. Fold-out side tables give you room for prep and a place to put food that needs to come off the grill fast. There’s also a removable cutting board, a paper towel holder, and included hooks for utensils or a trash bag. The wide shelf underneath holds even more, plus two of the four wheels lock.

GB4000 Flat-Top Grill

This flat-top from Royal Gourmet offers a ceramic-coated griddle top to prevent food from sticking. Its four burners have a combined output of 52,000 BTUs, with each boasting a push-button ignition. Fold-out tables on both sides boost prep space, plus there’s a sturdy bottom shelf. We especially liked the rails on all four sides under the grill to hang tongs, towels, and other utensils. Four hooks are included but you can add plenty more.

The castor wheels lock into place for stability, but they’re not as well-built as others we tested. They don’t glide as smoothly, and the housing may wear out if exposed to the elements over time. However, the rest of this grill is heavy-duty. Overall, it’s a great choice if you’re shopping for value.

10762 Deluxe Flat-Top Grill

The Pit Boss flat-top grill has a large, stainless-steel cooking surface and 62,000 BTUs of cooking power. Five burners allow you to cook a variety of foods at different temps and all have push-button ignitions so you don’t have to fuss with matches.

The two fold-out shelves at the sides provide plenty of prep room but also fold up and over the cooking surface to double as a cover. A roomy storage shelf underneath also offers extra storage space. It’s a hefty grill but still easy to move thanks to the castor wheels, two of which lock in place.

The Deluxe comes with a five-year limited warranty. And multiple reviews state that Pit Boss was helpful when trouble-shooting damaged products or missing parts, though we didn’t have an issue with this.

1666 Griddle Flat-Top Grill

This little grill from Blackstone is ideal for car camping, tailgates, or beach cookouts. The cooktop, while small, has two burners underneath and enough space to accommodate a steak or burgers on one end and veggies on the other.

It has the same grease-management system as other griddles in the brand’s lineup, draining it via a hole in the back of the cooktop. It’s portable enough for RV’ing and taking on the road, but we should note that it’s still a hefty 38 pounds.

Flat Top Grill 900

Camp Chef’s 900 boasts an impressive cooking area with features and extras to match. The six-burner cooktop lets you make a variety of foods at different temperatures and comes pre-seasoned so you’re ready to fire it up once it’s assembled.

Both the cooktop and legs are adjustable to ensure you have an even cooking surface even if your deck or patio isn’t. Grease drains to the side into a removable receptacle that you can wash in the sink.

Fold-out tables on both sides have a bar on which to hook utensils or hang a trash bag, and there’s a tank holder to keep propane off the ground and out of your way. The grill comes with a one-year warranty but replacement parts are available on the brand’s website.

CGG-888 Round Flat-Top Grill

There’s a lot to love about this flat-top grill from Cuisinart, mainly that it takes up less space than common rectangular models. Its two burners put out a combined 30,000 BTU of heat, and the 22-inch-diameter cooking surface offers a decent amount of space. The oversized grease pan surrounds the cooktop and siphons runoff into an easy-to-remove bin.

Another major plus is its vented dome cover, which gives you the option of steaming, roasting, and even baking—a feature other flat-top grills lack. There’s also space beneath the grill surface to hide the propane tank—a nice design feature for both practicality and aesthetic.

It has four wheels with two locking castors, a folding prep table, and a towel rack. It also comes with a limited three-year warranty.

Flatrock Flat-Top Grill

Traeger’s flat-top propane grill features three burners to help create specific heat zones, with a range of 325 to 600 degrees to griddle, fry, steam, sauté, and more.

A standout feature of the Flatrock is its recessed cooktop, which affords it some protection—and therefore, better heat retention—on windy days. Other flat-top grills have no protection from wind and can kick up smoke because of it. The three cooking zones are separated by baffles underneath the cooktop so you have three distinct zones of temperature.

There are massive folding side shelves that make for a spacious prep area, along with a flip-back cover to keep the grill clean when it’s not in use. Other highlights include automatic igniters for fast lighting and a drop-through port in the griddle surface that leads to a small grease bucket for easy cleanup.

Read More About Grills, Smokers, and Accessories

Grills

Best Charcoal Grills | Best Gas Grills | Best Pellet Grills | Best Kamado Grills | Best Indoor Grills | Best Small Grills | Best Portable Grills

Smokers

Best Smokers | Best Charcoal Smokers | Best Electric Smokers

Grill Accessories

Grill Mat | Grill Covers | Grill Gazebo | Grill Cleaner | Grill Brushes

You Might Also Like

• The Do’s and Don’ts of Using Painter’s Tape

• The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere

• Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?