The best dinnerware sets you can buy

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The best dinnerware set overall

The best dinnerware set overall
If you are looking for a cost-effective and durable dinnerware set with colorful designs, the Gibson Home Casa Stella Dinnerware Set is your best bet.

What makes the Gibson Home Casa Stella Dinnerware Set special is that it's made of durable stoneware and comes in a variety of colors and designs. The stoneware is dishwasher and microwave safe, though the plate can get quite hot when microwaved so handle with care. The set comes with four 4-piece place settings. Each setting includes a dinner plate, dessert plate, mug, and bowl.

You can choose from 10 different styles, including Red, Casa Estebana, Lewisville Teal, and Madame Floral. Red is the most affordable and popular style, and each piece actually features several different colors in addition to red. The shapes of the pieces vary drastically between styles. For example, the Madame Floral plates and bowls are square shaped, which can add a contemporary look to your dining room.

Best Products, God of Smile, and No Place Called Home all recommend the Gibson Home Casa Stella Dinnerware Set. The reviewer at Best Products found the colors to be particularly vibrant and mentioned that this casual set worked best for quick weeknight family meals.

About 83% of the Amazon buyers who reviewed the Gibson Home Casa Stella Dinnerware Set gave it four or five stars. One of the most common comments from buyers is that the plates are heavy duty and can stand up to the clumsiest of families without chipping.

Others note that all of the pieces seem to have a functional size: not too small, not too big. People also found the colors to be pretty and vibrant. However, there were a couple of complaints about the pieces having slightly different coloration within the same set.

Pros: Durable, affordable, colorful designs

Cons: Reports of inconsistent coloration

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The best all-white dinnerware set

The best all-white dinnerware set
The Nevaeh White by Fitz and Floyd Rim Dinnerware Collection is ideal for buyers looking for a bone china set that is elegant for formal use but not too fancy for daily use.

The Nevaeh White by Fitz and Floyd Rim Dinnerware Collection is the only set in our guide made of high-quality bone china. Why does this matter? The 50% bone ash makeup of this set makes it more pliable, lighter, and thinner. It's also less likely to chip than standard porcelain. The bright white hue of the pieces evokes cleanliness.

The four-piece set comes with a 16-ounce coffee mug, 6-inch cereal/soup bowl, 8.25-inch salad plate, and a 10.25-inch dinner plate. All of the pieces are dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also purchase all of the pieces individually in a variety of styles. If you want to round out your table setting with matching serving pieces, the Nevaeh White collection offers platters, serving bowls, salt and pepper shakers, and more.

The Fitz and Floyd Nevaeh Dinnerware Collection is the top pick in The Wirecutter's look at the best dinnerware sets. The reviewer appreciated that this versatile set worked for everyday use as well as formal dinner parties. In his scratch tests, the reviewer was not able to scratch the pieces with knives and forks. He also noted that the cereal bowls were the right depth and width, and the teacups didn't wobble in the saucers. However, he did note that the plates exhibited some minor pitting on the surface of the glaze.

More than 250 buyers have left five-star reviews of the Nevaeh White Rim Dinnerware Collection on the Bed Bath & Beyond website. Karen801 purchased this set to replace stoneware dishes that tended to chip easily. She found this dinnerware to be much lighter, more durable, and it took up less space in her cupboard.

Others echo these sentiments. One buyer commented on how easy it is to clean the pieces. The most helpful critical complaint was from someone who had their coffee mug crack along the bottom and leak coffee. This does not appear to be a common problem.

Pros: Durable, scratch-resistant, lightweight

Cons: Experienced minor pitting in some tests

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The best vitrified ceramic dinnerware set

The best vitrified ceramic dinnerware set
If you are looking for durable, visually-appealing dinnerware and have a little extra money to spend, consider purchasing the Fiesta Dinnerware Place Setting.

The Fiesta Dinnerware Place Setting, more commonly known as "Fiestaware," has an almost cult following. I know this because I grew up in the cult. I remember when my mother first brought the colorful dish sets into our home. I didn't know what the big deal was. But, she was happy, and I had something to eat on.

Decades later as I visit my mom's house, the dinnerware is still going strong with nary a chip. Fiesta is so confident in the chip resistance of its vitrified ceramic pieces that it offers a five-year chip resistance warranty. Vitrified ceramic has very low porosity, which makes for a stronger material.

Fiestaware is best known for its Art Deco styling and concentric circles in a range of colors. Though there may only be a couple dozen colors available at a time, Fiesta has produced countless colors since the dinnerware was first introduced in 1936. Some of the most popular colors currently are Ivory, Tangerine, Daffodil, and Turquoise. Fiesta even offers an online app called Colorama for seeing if the colors you are interested in go well together.

House Tipster has been obsessed with Fiestaware for decades. The reviewer appreciates the vivid, fade-resistant colors. She displays them on open cabinets and exposed shelves. She found that the different colors tended to mix-and-match quite well, but if you find a particular color that you especially like, she recommends buying up all the pieces you want because Fiesta is known to discontinue certain colors.

The Spruce Eats put Fiestaware as their top overall dinnerware set. The reviewer noted that the pieces are incredibly crack and chip resistant. The Wirecutter was much more critical of the dinnerware. The reviewer did not like how flat the bowl bottoms are and found the pieces to be too casual and heavy for formal use.

Approximately 78% of the buyers who rated the Fiestaware on Amazon gave it five stars. Kim Davies, the most helpful reviewer, gave the set four stars because the ivory dinnerware she ordered ended up looking more like a pale yellow. Though, other than that, she was happy.

Many of the other buyers appreciated that all of the pieces are made in the United States and are lead- and cadmium-free. Lead and cadmium have been shown to have negative health consequences.

Pros: Lead- and cadmium-free, chip-resistant, available in countless colors

Cons: Expensive, heavy

The best heavy-duty dinnerware set

The best heavy-duty dinnerware set
The Brasserie All-White Dinnerware Place Settings complement any décor and are durable enough to go under the broiler.

What sets the Brasserie All-White Dinnerware Place Settings apart from other dinnerware in our guide is that this set is made of high-fired porcelain. High-fired porcelain can handle your oven's broiler, which is a great feature for adding a crispy finish to certain dishes. The pieces are heavier and larger than standard dishware and therefore sturdier.

The dinner plate is 11.25 inches in diameter, the salad plate and soup bowl are 9 inches in diameter, the mug in the 16-piece set has a 13-ounce capacity, and the cup in the 20-piece set has an 11-ounce capacity. Williams Sonoma also offers all of the pieces individually.

The reviewer at The Wirecutter praised the Williams Sonoma Brasserie All-White Dinnerware because of its durability. He noted that the pieces are substantially thicker and heavier than the other items he recommends. However, he liked that the plates could go under the broiler. Though he found the price to be a bit steep, the reviewer appreciated the bright white hue, the even glaze, and the absence of pitting. Remodelista and Houzz also recommend this set.

The Brasserie All-White Dinnerware Place Settings have an average rating of approximately 4.6 stars based on 22 reviews on the Williams Sonoma website. One buyer has used their 20-piece set on a daily basis for more than two decades and has not broken any pieces. The reviewer highly recommends the set because the pieces stand up to abuse and work with any décor.

Another buyer who has had her set for just as long has experienced five broken pieces of the 12+ place settings she started with. She mentioned that she's starting to experience a loss of glaze after 20 years of regular use.

Pros: Incredible durability, broiler-safe, bright white hue

Cons: Expensive

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The best affordable dinnerware set

The best affordable dinnerware set
If you are looking for cost-effective dinnerware and can live with minor imperfections, the AmazonBasics Dinnerware Set is for you.

At the time of this writing, our top pick, the Gibson Home Casa Stella Dinnerware Set, was actually about 64 cents cheaper for a 16-piece set than the AmazonBasics Dinnerware Set. So, why is this set our budget pick? The lower price for the Casa Stella set is based on the least expensive style: Red. The other styles cost up to three times as much. Also, the design of the Casa Stella set may not be for all tastes. On the other hand, the AmazonBasics set is a white that works with any interior.

The AmazonBasics Dinnerware Set is BPA-free and made of AB-grade porcelain. It is dishwasher, freezer, oven, and microwave safe so you can use the pieces for a variety of purposes. Each set comes with four 4-piece place settings: 10.5-inch dinner plate, 7.5-inch salad/dessert plate, 5.5-by-2.75-inch bowls, and 4-inch tall mugs with handles. Amazon backs this set with a one-year warranty.

The Spruce Eats recommends the AmazonBasics Dinnerware Set as a good budget option because of the pieces' durability and resistance to scratching and chipping. However, the writer notes that the white finish has more of a gray tinge to it. A Best Pro and Jane's Kitchen also recommend this set.

About 81% of the buyers who reviewed the AmazonBasics Dinnerware Set on Amazon gave it a positive rating. The most helpful review comes from Desmond L. who gave the set three stars. He found the pieces were a great value, had a good weight, and were attractive. Yet, he said the salad and dinner plates came warped and didn't line up properly. This seems to be a common sentiment.

Buyers are happy with what they got for the price, but they note imperfections. Another buyer pointed out that the white was somewhat gray.

Pros: Inexpensive, durable, one-year warranty

Cons: Dishes may come slightly warped, more of a grayish white color

Check out our other buying guides to complete your table setting

Check out our other buying guides to complete your table setting
The best drinking glasses you can buy

High-quality drinking glasses can handle hot and cold liquids, are resistant to breaking when dropped, and don't spill easily. The Libbey Polaris Drinking Glasses are our top pick because they are inexpensive, feature a weighted base, and have an attractive design. Here are our picks for the best drinking glasses you can buy:

The best flatware and silverware you can buy

High-quality flatware is appealing to the eye, durable, requires minimal maintenance, and makes eating enjoyable. The Villeroy & Boch New Wave Flatware is our top pick because it's made of heavy-duty 18/10 stainless steel, has a distinct look, and is quite easy to eat with. Here are our picks for the best flatware sets you can buy:

The best dining tables you can buy

A top-quality dining table accents your interior décor, can withstand years of daily use, and provides comfortable seating with minimal waste of space. The Origami Drop Leaf Rectangular Dining Table is our top pick because it's made of durable acacia wood and the leaves fold effortlessly when you don't need the extra space. Here are our picks for the best dining tables you can buy:

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