Generally, when we review gear, we’re looking for top performers for tasks like blending, crisping, and cutting. But narrowing down the best silverware sets is far more subjective. Because unless it’s oddly shaped for artsy aesthetic purposes, most flatware does exactly what it’s supposed to do: Transport food from a plate or bowl to your mouth. Ideally it also comes out of the dishwasher unscathed.

The best silverware sets

Check out the rest of the sets we recommend

Beyond being a functional tool, good silverware will also feel nice in your hand and elevate your tablescape—both matters of personal preference. So to help narrow down your options, I reviewed six of the most popular, highly rated sets you can order online and used them in my own home for at least a few weeks.

Below, find my (admittedly subjective) take on the best silverware sets to buy right now, whether you want classic, modern, or something in between.

BA’s favorite flatware: Made In

If you’re looking for silverware that’s substantial and timeless, let me introduce you to the restaurant-quality flatware from DTC brand Made In. Made In makes cookware and tableware in sustainable manufacturing facilities around the world, and the mirror-polished flatware comes from Italy. It’s curvy in all the right ways, hefty to hold but not too heavy, and is free of any ornate embellishments. And given the high quality, the price is nice too; a 20-piece set (four 5-piece place settings) is just under $200. I’ve been using this as my everyday flatware since I first tested silverware sets in 2022, and I can’t imagine I’d ever want to swap it for anything else. Most of my pieces go through the dishwasher at least once a day, and they still look great years later, with very minimal signs of wear and tear.

The best budget flatware set: Oneida Colonial Boston

If this Early American–inspired flatware looks familiar, it probably is. Although the form has been minimally altered for a slightly more modern design aesthetic, it’s pretty much the same Onedia cutlery set that graced so many honey oak dinner tables in the ’80s and ’90s. Made from 18/10 stainless steel, the contemporary Colonial Boston flatware features a brushed satin handle that is, admittedly, a little scratch prone (but hey, the scratches might just add to the vintage vibe). This affordable flatware is available in a 20-piece set (service for four) or a 45-piece (service for eight plus a serving spoon, pierced serving spoon, sugar spoon, serving fork, and butter knife). Colonial Boston flatware is also available as open stock—meaning you can buy extra spoons, forks, and knives without buying four whole table settings.

The best modern silverware set: Fortessa Jaxson

Abstract adaptations of everyday items are cool and all, but I don’t want a fork that looks like a Cybertruck if I can’t overload it with a giant bite of salad. Actually, I wouldn’t want a fork that looks like a Cybertruck even if I could fit more than a single bean onto its three tiny tines. That’s why, for those of you with more abstract aesthetics, I offer up Fortessa Jackson, which is modern flatware that’s also functional. The slim four-sided handles are nicely weighted and give this line its modern look. It’s available with both polished and brushed handles (I prefer the brushed). More importantly, the parts that are supposed to cut and move food actually do, as long as you don’t mind perfectly round spoon heads, that is.

The best mixed material silverware set: Mepra Fantasia

Mixed-material flatware (wood or resin handles, metal fork tines) is an easy way to add visual interest to your table setting, but most of what you can find online is low-quality or high-maintenance. The colorful bistro-style stuff looks cheap, and wood-handled flatware generally requires hand-washing. But then there’s Mepra’s popular Fantasia line. This high-quality Italian-made flatware is made of 18/10 stainless steel with resin handles and comes in a variety of colors (options vary by retailer), and it’s durable and dishwasher-safe. Overall, the pieces are noticeably smaller than most of the other sets I tested—especially the “teaspoon,” which is so tiny it looks more like a sugar spoon. It may be laughably small, but it’s actually my favorite little spoon to use for eating yogurt or ice cream and stirring my lattes.

The best lightweight silverware set: Henckels Alcea

Heft can be indicative of quality, but accessibility-wise, heavy flatware isn’t always ideal. So if you’re in search of something lightweight that still looks and feels nice, the 18/10 mirror-polished Alcea from Henckels is a great option. Henckels is a Zwilling/J.A. Henckels sub-brand that generally offers similar products (both are probably best-known for their knife sets) at lower prices. Depending on where you shop, you can get a 60-piece set of this durable, lightweight flatware for about $100–$120.

The best semi-formal silverware set: Lenox Pearl Platinum

While “silverware” and “flatware” are used interchangeably to refer to forks, knives, and spoons, everything I’ve tested here is technically flatware. To truly qualify as silverware or “silver flatware,” the pieces would need to be made with silver or at least be silver-plated, and I did not test any sterling silver flatware sets. That said, if you want something that looks like it might have come from Tiffany, but you don’t have $1,300 to drop on a single place setting, the Lenox Pearl Platinum flatware offers a similar elegant look thanks to a mirror polish and minimal embellishments. Though the knife handle is hollow, the rest of the pieces are nicely weighted, and Lenox offers a limited lifetime warranty against defects.

The best silverware set if you want serving pieces included: Mikasa French Countryside

Mikasa may be best known for colorful vintage and contemporary dinnerware sets, but the brand actually has all of your tabletop needs covered with dinnerware, serveware, drinkware, and flatware. And if you like the shiny Lenox flatware above, but prefer to spend your money on something that includes serving pieces, consider Mikasa’s French Countryside. The two sets are visually quite similar (the Mikasa has slightly more embellishment), but both the 45-piece and 65-piece Mikasa sets come with standard 5-piece place settings plus a 5-piece serving set (a serving spoon, pierced serving spoon, cold meat fork, sugar spoon, and butter knife).

How we picked the best flatware sets

Most of the gear we test and review here has to perform in some way (think blenders making smoothies, air fryers crisping nuggets, or chef’s knives mincing garlic and breaking down squash). But unless it’s oddly shaped for artsy aesthetic purposes, flatware generally performs as intended.