If you want to upgrade the aesthetics and functionality of your kitchen, adding a kitchen cart or island is the fastest and easiest route to success. Kitchen carts and islands not only add space for preparing meals, but many include shelving and storage, which you can use for frequently-used equipment or easy-grab pantry items. Even more, they can be used as extra space for hosting larger groups of people—especially if you have barstools or other chairs to place around them for more seating.
The Best Kitchen Carts and Islands
What to Consider
A kitchen cart or island is a serious purchase, because they're items that you will likely not just use but look at every single day. Keep the following in mind, and you’ll end up with a great fit for your needs and space.
Size
Measure your kitchen carefully to determine how much real estate a cart or island could take up without compromising your family’s ability to move around comfortably. If you can, cut paper or cardboard in a similar size and tape it to the ground to get a sense of how much space your kitchen cart or island will take up. Most of our options are on wheels, so you can move them around to find the best location in your kitchen.
Material
If you want to match the overall look of your cart or island with your space, select the material (generally wood, wood composite, granite, or a form of metal) carefully. Also keep the finish color in mind.
Storage
We've included carts and islands with open shelves, as well as those with shelves behind closed doors. Keep what you’ll be storing (and whether you want people to see it all the time) in mind before making your final choice. How many items do you need to store? Several of these carts and islands come with copious space, and include options to store wine and spices.
How We Selected
We reviewed hundreds of kitchen carts and islands, and kept a variety of space, price, design and user needs in mind. We only included items with both positive critical and customer reviews, and all of the kitchen carts and islands you'll find below have average customer ratings of four out of five stars or higher.
For more great additions to your culinary space, check out our picks for the best kitchen cabinet organizers, pan organizers, and dish racks.