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The 11 Best Bar Carts For Less Than $400

There’s something to be said about rolling bar carts. They are sleek, sexy, and they hold all the booze — think of them as mini bar carts. Typically large pieces of furniture such as hutches, cabinets, and shelving units have been the standard for liquor cabinets and wine racks. The problem is that they are large, take up a lot of room, and usually don’t match the furniture or decor.

If you don’t have the space for a liquor cabinet or you want your stemware and cocktail glasses to be near your wine and spirit collection then you need to consider a cool drink cart for a stylish home bar. Think of a really fancy utility cart made from materials such as metal, glass, mirrors, wood, and plastic. Yes, there are even some that are made of clear acrylic — something straight out of a 1960s futuristic SciFi movie.

Boden Bar Cart by Article

A boden bar cart in an outdoor dining setting.
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True to Scandinavian form, this two-foot-tall wood bar cart is sleek and elegant. This cool bar cart is constructed with powder-coated aluminum with a teak handle. This cart is perfect for that indoor dinner party as well as for the outdoor get-together. Choose from either a dark gray or a white finish. This makes for a perfect accessory to any furniture style and perhaps more importantly, it really showcases your drink collection.

Helix Bar Cart

Helix bar cart wiht stemware and champagne on ice.
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The best part about serving carts is that they can go just about anywhere. You can start off in the living room, then move to the dining room, and then back to the living room thanks to the convenient caster rollers. It’s a minimalistic style with 3 shelves which is enough for an assortment of bottles, glasses, and ice. Every shelf has a protective wrap around 3 sides to keep everything on the shelf. It’s a breeze to roll it from room to room but no matter where this cart lands, you can lock the wheels for added stability.

Carbon Loft Cohn Industrial Dark Brown Cart

An industrial carbon bar cart with two shelves on a U-shaped base on wheeled cart.
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This vintage bar cart is an industrial-styled cart with an antique finish and metal wheels. The mix of wood and metal construction gives off a steampunk design and feel. The metal racks are large enough to hold 10 bottles of wine and up to 15 wine glasses. There is plenty of room on the tabletop for snacks, napkins, and utensils, or perhaps an ice bucket and liquor bottles. The metal wheels make it easy to move the cart from room to room.

Factory Aged Black Row Industrial Farmhouse Bar Cart

The farmhouse bar cart with wine and basket of fruit.
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It doesn’t seem like it but this industrial bar cart has room enough for six wine glasses, five bottles of wine, and all the snacks. The bottles and glasses don’t take up any room because they have their own racks under the main shelf. There are two shelves where you can place additional items like food, dishes, utensils, more bottles, or whatever you need for serving your guests. The rustic brown farmhouse feel is stylish and functional for any occasion.

Lex Bar Cart

The lex bar cart.
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Plenty of storage space for wine and spirits with this metal bar cart. It’s small but mighty and it will hold five bottles of wine and up to nine glasses easily. There is even more storage on the tabletop and the bottom shelf, perfect for extra glasses and dare we say, more bottles? This is not only great as a kitchen bar cart, but its locking wheels allow you to move it to just about any room you need it in, like a game room. The space-saving cart will swivel 360 degrees so you can place it anywhere in the room.

Zephs Black Smoked Mirror Bar Cart

Zephs bar cart with asymmetrical middle shelf.
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This contemporary rolling party cart is constructed of black metal framing with black smoked mirrors and will hold four bottles of wine. The wine racks are adjustable and can be placed on either side of the cart while four glassware racks secure up to eight glasses for quick access. The locking caster wheels hold the cart in a stationary position keeping it in place until you are ready to move it.

Better Homes & Gardens Fitzgerald Serving Bar Cart

The Better homes and garden Fitzgerald bar cart in brass.
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A gold-finished Fitzgerald serving cart will add a level of elegance and style to any home, office, or apartment decor. Even though it is a compact cart, the spacious and sturdy classic open design gives you storage options for bottles and glasses of any size. This bar cart comes with built-in rings that secure three bottles in place and ample room for additional bottles or glassware. When you’re not pushing the cart by the brushed gold handles, you can lock the rolling casters to minimize movement.

Tibo Bar Cart

A fully-stocked Tibo bar cart.
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During the Victorian Era, bar carts were originally used as drink trolleys for tea. We’re still not sure when they changed to bar trolleys but we’re glad they did. During the Silverscreen days of the 50s and 60s, these were some of the best bar carts you could find. It’s a perfectly portable option that stores four bottles of wine and up to eight glasses but never fear, there is plenty of shelf space for additional bottles and stemware.

Metropolitan Mirrored Bar Cart

Metropolitan Mirrored Glass Top Metal Bar Cart by iNSPIRE Q Bold.
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If you like the Art Deco feel, let this Metropolitan Bar Cart from Inspire Q Bold dazzle your party guests. Not only is it stylish but it’s a fully mobile cart with two locking wheels to keep the cart in place. Storage is a snap with the four mirrored shelving units and black backing keeping your supplies from falling off. The four-bottle wine rack and stemware racks keep your wine bottles and glasses out of the way. The cart comes in two colors, champagne gold or matte black.

Midcentury Modern Bar Cart

Wooden Zhori midcentury modern bar cart.
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The dark tobacco-stained wood with aged brass is a signature look for any Midcentury Modern furniture and this bar cart is no different. Roll this cart into the dining room, living room, kitchen, or even the back patio and lock the casters in place. Once you’re settled, you can serve up snacks, wine, or maybe even tea time with this three-tiered serving cart. A bar cart vintage worthy of any home.

Metropolitan Rose Gold Bar Cart by iNSPIRE Q Bold

Metropolitan rose gold bar cart.
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Inspire Q Bold has upped the game for 1920s Art Decor style and charm. The geometric metalwork and rose gold frame really shine through. Easy to maneuver and big enough surface space to mix and pour drinks from, this cart has that vintage feel with a modern twist. The steel and tempered black glass shelf construction have enough storage for all your cocktail needs. There is even dedicated three-ring bottle storage built into the bottom shelf.

What to Look for in a Bar Cart

No matter what style you go with, your bar cart needs to be fully functional. It should be able to roll wherever you need it to go, it should store easily, and you should look at combo pieces that are indoor and outdoor bar carts. Of course just because they are made for the outdoors doesn’t always mean they should stay as a permanent fixture outside. They’ll end up taking a beating from the weather.

With that said, make sure your cart is sturdy, solid, and structurally sound. It’s one piece of furniture that is going to be moving around a lot so you want to make sure it’ll be up for the job. They come in all shapes and sizes so make sure to know the measurements of where the cart is going to be stored when not in use. If you’re ready to go portable, then you need one of these cool bar carts.

Editors' Recommendations

Joe Morales
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joe Morales is a trained chef with over five years of experience working in fine dining and Michelin recommended restaurants…
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