Hi there! Are you looking for some food bar ideas for an upcoming party?
Great! You’re in the right spot.
Food bars are a wonderful entertaining idea.
After a little prep work, you can retire most of your hosting responsibilities and relax with your guests.
Everyone gets the freedom to customize their own creations!
Who doesn’t like that?
You can simply put out an assorted spread and let your guests take it from there!
Below I’ve gathered up 10 crowd pleasing food bars that are meant to be main dish style party fare.
Below each food bar idea is an in text link that will lead you to the tutorials on how to create these tasty spreads.
Let’s get to it!
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#1) DIY Taco Bar
Hannah Drake assembled this lovely upscale taco bar that goes way beyond ground beef!
You can follow the link if you are interested in seeing the rest of her spread!
But don’t feel bad about creating a ground beef taco bar. Guests will love it, and with the right amount of toppings you can’t go wrong!
#2) Pasta & Chicken Food Bar Idea
Source: Julie’s Cafe Bakery
What an excellent flavor combination in this impressive party food bar!
Kids and adults will love the fried chicken tenders and make ahead pasta salads.
Don’t forget to take a little help from your super market to make this spread easy to assemble.
#3) Build Your Own Pasta Bar
Alexa’s Get Together showcases this super smart idea!
An assortment of cooked pastas, sauces and toppings that guests can heap into a bowl.
Yum!!
#4) Sandwiches, Wraps & Salad Brunch Food Bar Idea
Source: Pinterest
This amazing food bar is lovely for brunch, or anythime for that matter.
I love that the sandwiches, wraps and salads can all be prepped well ahead of time without sacrificing on flavor.
The fresh fruit and yogurt parfaits are perfect.
#4) Nacho Food Bar Idea
Who doesn’t like nachos? Mom’s & Munchkins created this epic sweet and salty nacho bar display!
On the left you have savory items, meats, and traditional nacho toppings.
And on the right, the sweets. What a fun idea!
#5) Charcuterie Board Idea For A Party
Source: Unkown
A charcuterie board is an amazing food idea for any and every party.
Finger foods that are full of variety can be snacked on at guests leisure, with loads of beautiful presentation ideas.
In fact, I have an entire post dedicated to them and linked below. 😉
#6) Mac & Cheese Food Bar Idea
Mama Challenge is responsible for this creative genius!
Both kids and adults are going to go crazy over this one.
Adding protein topping like pepperoni, bacon, and grilled chicken to a homemade mac and cheese is an awesome main dish party food idea.
#7) Hot Dog Food Bar Idea
Source: The Flour Handprint
A hot dog bar is an awesome and affordable option to feed a crowd.
This assortment takes inspiration from some designer dogs with incredible flavors you are going to want to check out.
#8) Baked Potato Bar
Delicious Made Easy shows readers how to create three lovely baked potato creations.
They sky is the limit as far as a baked potato bar goes!
My mind is jumping from cheese, ham and broccoli creations to chili, cheese and scallions. Yum!
#9) Sandwich Food Bar Idea
Livin The Mommy Life set up this simple yet sophisticated sandwich bar at one of her daughter’s birthday parties.
What a great idea!
If you’re looking to spice it up a bit, consider croissants, rolls and flat breads as well as bacon, sprouts, and homemade sandwich spreads.
This is a the perfect no fuss entertaining idea.
#10) Build Your Own Salad Bar
Moms and Munchkins reminds us that salad bars aren’t just for the restaurants.
Guests love creating their own main dish salads piled with fresh greens, filling toppings and flavorful dressings.
The only thing this spread is missing is a basket of some freshly baked baguettes if you ask me. 😉
#11) Burger Food Bar Idea
Intentional Hospitality showcased this wonderful burger food bar idea.
This is so much more than a simple backyard barbeque!
Notice the assortment of cheeses, grilled toppings and sauces.
#12) Outdoor Grilled Pizza Bar
This pizza bar By Stephanie Lynn might be my favorite of the bunch!
She allowed guests to assemble their favorite pizzas, and then briefly cooked them on the grill.
You should head over to her blog to see the rest of the party.
She arranged small salads inside of mason jars! I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen anything cuter. <3
#13) Fajita Food Board Idea
Source: Foxes Love Lemons
Fajitas are a nice change up from a taco bar, and always a big hit.
Well seasoned chicken or steak pair perfectly with less expensive sides like rice and sautéed peppers and onions.
#14) Breakfast Food Bar Idea
Pinterest is full of inspiring ideas like this breakfast food bar idea!
We eat breakfast at any time of the day, and you shouldn’t rule it out as a main dish idea for your party.
Of course a breakfast food bar is a great idea for brunch or morning entertaining, but an savory chicken and waffle bar could work at any time of the day!
#15) Epic Party Food Taco Bar Idea
Source: Pinterest
This amazing taco food bar deserves it’s own area code.
The display is genius, allowing guests to access the table from any angle to build and top their tacos.
#16) Amazing Grazing Table Party Food Bar Idea
A grazing table, similar to a charcuterie board is another wonderful option for a party food bar.
Notice the incredible variety in foods, color, and flavor to keep your eye moving and guests happily grazing.
Important Food Bar Tip!
Did you find some party food bars you are excited to try?
Great, now it’s time to dig into the details, and you might want to give some thought to presentation/display etc.
Do you need to keep food cold or warm? How is your serving platter selection?
You can find all of those answers (and then some) HERE where you can shop party food serveware.
For more party inspiration, check out these similar posts below…
- 18 Irresistible Finger Food Party Snacks
- 15 Drink Station Ideas That Are Ready For A Party
- 35 Impressive Housewarming Party Ideas
- How To Make A Heavenly Charcuterie Board
Cheers for now.
<3 Ang
Thanks so much for sharing! This is still my daughter’s absolutely favorite!
Thanks for the great idea Autumn! Loved your beautiful spread. <3
All your ideas are fantastic! So yummy looking and doable. Thank you Ang❤