Professional Chefs Swear By These 5 Dinner Plates, and Prices Start at Just $8

Whether you prefer a more polished or organic look, the best ceramic dinnerware lets your food shine and sets the scene for the meal. More important than aesthetics, however, is that your dinnerware stands up to daily use. 

To find the perfect blend of form and function, we spoke with chefs who evaluated their favorite pieces on style, cleaning, and durability. These chef-approved recommendations work in high-volume restaurants, and all of them can become household heirlooms with proper care.

Chef-Approved Ceramic Dishes:

• Fortessa Smoke 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, $140 at nordstrom.com
• Made In The Tabletop Set, $319 (originally $356) at madeincookware.com
• Rosenthal Tac 02 Dinnerware Collection, $60 at bloomingdales.com
• East Fork Potter's 5-Piece Dinner Set, $156 (originally $182) at eastfork.com
• Crate & Barrel Dinner Plate at Crate & Barrel, $8 at crateandbarrel.com

Fortessa Smoke 16-Piece Dinnerware Set

If you're looking for durability and organic shapes but gravitate toward mid-century modern, this is your set. Don't be fooled by Fortessa's glasslike, almost ethereal look: this vitrified stoneware is made to withstand commercial kitchens and heavy household use, from the dishwasher to the oven (up to 400°F). In fact, Fortessa fires each piece twice to reinforce it against chips and scratches.

"I really love Fortessa for ceramic plates. They've been a tried-and-true partner with my restaurants for a while. They're very reliable and constantly innovating. They represent a number of different sources and artisans, so they always have something that fits my needs," says James Beard Award-winning chef Jose Garces.

Made In The Tabletop Set

Made In's glazed ceramic pieces are even glazed on their undersides, ensuring the greatest durability and protection from scratches and bacteria. Made In is so confident in its dinnerware that it promotes a one-year no-chip guarantee. Made of vitrified ceramic, which increases its non-porousness, this set is dishwasher, microwave, and freezer-safe as well as oven-safe up to 570°F.

"My favorite pieces of ceramic dinnerware are my bowls, purchased from Made In. It is highly important to have beautiful ceramic to elevate the presentation of each dish, and I consider our ceramic dinnerware another important ingredient to the dining experience. You know what they say: you eat with your eyes first," says Ricardo Sandoval, executive chef at Frame in Philadelphia. Need a matching casserole dish? Made In makes those, too.

Rosenthal Tac 02 Dinnerware Collection

White plates are the go-to for fine dining, letting the food shine. Rosenthal's simple white porcelain pieces are also scratch- and wear-resistant and able to withstand heavy use. As the collection is sold open stock (that is, as individual pieces), you can order pieces as needed. Even if you're not looking for, say, a sauceboat or covered sugar bowl now, you might revisit the option later.

"Rosenthal is my favorite dinnerware," says Brett Naylor, owner of Wilder in Philadelphia. "It is affordable and beautiful. Their white plates look very different from each other and have the perfect tint. They also have amazing patterns that are both elegant and fun."

East Fork Potter's 5-Piece Dinner Set

Each piece of East Fork Pottery is a little unique, as it's all handmade, which means charmingly non-uniform glazes and surfaces that look cohesive and a bit rustic. Rims are left unglazed, giving each piece a distinctive, stylish, and intentionally hand-crafted look.

"East Fork Pottery is some of the best dinnerware you can find for your restaurant. It's reasonably priced and stands up to the demands of a restaurant that churns through several hundred covers a night. In addition, the company works with other local artisans, so you'll always find great home goods and serving goods," says Ted Golden, a restaurateur who also runs the Foodie Buddha dining series in Atlanta.

Crate & Barrel Dinner Plate

With pieces starting at $8, Crate & Barrel's Farmhouse dinnerware costs less than the competition, but value aside, its elegant, durable design makes it a strong contender. Produced in Portugal, it's compatible with the dishwasher, microwave, and warming oven.

"We bought this collection from Crate & Barrel for our new house. We wanted something we would like for a long time — so we ended up with a simple white dish collection that had some texture to it. Also, it's very affordable and easy to replace when you have kids," says chef Marcie Turney, chef-owner of Safran Turney Hospitality in Philadelphia.