Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill Review: The Ultimate Portable Grilling Companion?

There’s a universal frustration among outdoor enthusiasts and apartment dwellers alike: the compromise of portable grilling. For years, I’ve cycled through a graveyard of flimsy, collapsible grills. They promised convenience but delivered wobbly legs, uneven heat, and a lifespan measured in a handful of trips. I remember one particularly disastrous camping trip where the “ultra-light” grill’s grate buckled under the weight of just four burgers, sending our dinner into the coals. It was in that moment of smoky defeat that I realized the true challenge isn’t just finding a grill that’s easy to carry; it’s finding a *real* grill—one with robust construction and reliable cooking power—that you can genuinely take anywhere. The dream is to have that authentic charcoal-seared flavor at a tailgate, on a beach, or on a tiny patio, without sacrificing quality for convenience.

What to Consider Before Buying a Portable Charcoal Grill

A portable charcoal grill is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for unlocking authentic barbecue flavor in places where a full-sized grill is impossible. It’s about freedom—the freedom to cook delicious, smoky food for friends and family at a park, campsite, or right on your small balcony. The main benefit is bringing the high-heat searing and rich flavor of charcoal cooking into a compact, manageable package. It solves the problem of space limitations and the desire for adventure without being tethered to your backyard. Without a quality portable grill, you’re often left with inferior cooking methods that simply can’t replicate that perfect steak crust or juicy, flavorful chicken.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone who values both portability and performance. This includes campers, tailgaters, RV owners, and anyone living in a condo or apartment with limited outdoor space. They understand the superiority of charcoal flavor and are willing to manage the fire for exceptional results. On the other hand, this type of grill might not be suitable for those who need to cook for very large crowds consistently or for individuals who prioritize the push-button convenience of gas or electric grills. If you’re looking for a set-it-and-forget-it experience or need to feed more than 4-6 people at once, a larger, stationary kettle or barrel grill might be a better investment.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: Pay close attention to the grill’s packed-down dimensions and weight. A truly portable grill should fit comfortably in your car trunk without dominating all the space. The Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill excels here with its rectangular, briefcase-like shape, which is far more efficient for packing than awkwardly shaped round grills.
• Capacity/Performance: Look at the primary cooking surface area, measured in square inches. 160 square inches, like the Weber offers, is a sweet spot for portability, comfortably handling meals for 2-4 people. Performance also hinges on airflow control; look for adjustable vents that allow you to regulate temperature for searing hot or cooking low and slow.
• Materials & Durability: This is where many portable grills fail. Look for heavy-gauge steel and a protective coating. The porcelain-enameled lid and bowl on Weber grills are legendary for their ability to resist rust and burn-through, ensuring the grill lasts for years, not just a single season. Avoid thin, painted metal that can peel and rust after the first high-heat cook.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: A great portable grill should be simple to set up and break down. Features like legs that double as lid locks are a mark of clever design. For maintenance, consider how easy it is to clean out spent ash. A well-designed grill will make this process quick and relatively mess-free, getting you back to your adventure faster.

While the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: A Classic Design That Just Works

Unboxing the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill feels less like opening a new gadget and more like being reunited with an old friend. Its design is timeless, functional, and instantly recognizable. The first thing I noticed was the reassuring heft of the components. The porcelain-enameled steel bowl and lid feel substantial and durable, a stark contrast to the flimsy sheet metal of cheaper competitors. Assembly is remarkably straightforward and, as some users have noted, requires no screws for the main body. The pivoting legs simply slide into place. The only real “work” is attaching the plastic handles, which did require a bit of torque to get them snug and prevent any pinching, a minor point echoed in some user feedback. Once assembled, the genius of the design becomes clear. The steel legs pivot upwards to lock the lid in place, creating a secure, self-contained unit that’s incredibly easy to carry by its top handle. It feels less like a grill and more like a rugged piece of equipment, ready to be tossed in the back of the car for the next adventure. This initial experience immediately instills confidence in its longevity and thoughtful engineering.

A Deep Dive into the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill’s Performance

A grill’s true worth is proven over hot coals, not on a spec sheet. After extensive testing at home on the patio, at a local park for a picnic, and during a weekend camping trip, we can confidently say the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill lives up to its legendary name. It’s not just a portable grill; it’s a compact powerhouse that delivers the authentic Weber experience wherever you set it up.

Design, Portability, and Legendary Durability

The design of the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill is a masterclass in functional minimalism. Its rectangular “briefcase” form factor is its greatest asset. As one user aptly pointed out, compared to the round Smokey Joe, this shape is infinitely more practical to carry and pack. It slides neatly into a car trunk alongside coolers and chairs, without any awkward legs sticking out. When it’s time to transport, the plated steel legs pivot up and over the lid, locking it down securely. This simple, brilliant mechanism means you can store your tongs, a small bag of charcoal, and other utensils inside without fear of them spilling out. One user even confirmed they fit a whole chimney starter and fuel inside, making it the perfect all-in-one system for a riverside cookout.

But the design’s brilliance is matched by its durability. This is not a disposable grill. The bowl and lid are crafted from heavy-gauge steel coated in a thick layer of porcelain enamel, the same material found on Weber’s iconic full-sized kettles. This finish isn’t just for looks; it’s incredibly effective at retaining heat and, more importantly, resisting the elements. We left our test unit out in an unexpected rain shower, and the water beaded right off with no signs of rust. This aligns with a long-time owner’s review, who mentioned their previous gas version of this grill provided “remarkable service” for over a decade, withstanding years of weather exposure without a cover. While we encountered a few reports of units arriving with cosmetic blemishes like a paint chip or a dented vent, these seem to be isolated shipping or manufacturing issues, and in one case, Weber’s customer service was quick to send a replacement lid under warranty. Overall, the build quality gives you the confidence that this grill is a long-term investment, not a short-term solution.

Cooking Performance and Surprising Versatility

For a grill this small, the cooking performance is nothing short of exceptional. The 160 square inch cooking grate provides a surprisingly spacious platform. During our tests, we easily fit six 1/3-pound burger patties, two large ribeye steaks, or a dozen sausages without issue. This capacity is perfect for feeding a small family of four, as confirmed by a reviewer who has been using theirs twice a week for three months to feed their family. The heavy-duty, plated steel grate is thick and sturdy, providing excellent heat retention and creating beautiful sear marks.

Temperature control is managed via four adjustable dampers: two circular intake vents on the sides of the bowl and two sliding exhaust vents on the lid. This dual-vent system creates excellent cross-flow ventilation, allowing you to dial in your temperatures with a surprising degree of precision. For high-heat searing, we opened all the vents fully and, using a half-chimney of briquettes, easily reached temperatures over 550°F—perfect for steaks. One user noted, this grill is “perfect for direct high heat grilling.” For more delicate items like chicken or for setting up two-zone cooking, the system is just as effective. We followed another user’s advice and banked the coals to one side, leaving a “cool zone” on the other. This allowed us to sear chicken thighs over the direct heat, then move them to the indirect side to finish cooking through without burning. This versatility is a feature that really sets it apart from simpler, less controllable portable grills and allows for serious grilling techniques on the go.

Real-World Usability: From Setup to Cleanup

The entire experience of using the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill is designed for convenience. From car to cooking takes mere minutes. You arrive, find your spot, unclip the legs, pivot them down to form a sturdy base, and place the lid on the side. A thoughtful touch is the pair of hooks on the lid’s interior, which allow it to hang securely on the side of the grill body, keeping it off the ground and acting as a convenient windscreen.

Managing the charcoal is also simple. The grill includes a heavy steel charcoal grate that sits above the bottom of the bowl, allowing air to circulate underneath the coals for a more efficient burn. The distance between the charcoal grate and the cooking grate is relatively short, which is great for searing but requires some management to avoid burning food. We found success with the user-suggested method: “don’t use too much charcoal… enough just to take up the amount of space across in a single layer.” This provides plenty of heat without being overwhelming.

Cleanup, often the worst part of charcoal grilling, is made remarkably easy. After the coals have completely extinguished (which can be sped up by closing all the vents to snuff out the fire), disposal is straightforward. We adopted a user’s brilliant tip: line the bottom of the grill bowl with heavy-duty aluminum foil before adding the charcoal grate, being careful not to block the side intake vents. Once everything has cooled, you can simply fold up the foil with the ash inside for a clean, mess-free disposal. A quick scrub of the cooking grate with a wire brush, and the grill is ready to be packed up for the next trip. This simple workflow makes it a pleasure to use regularly, not just for special occasions.

What Other Users Are Saying

Across the board, the sentiment for the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill is overwhelmingly positive. Many users, like us, praise its perfect balance of portability and genuine grilling capability. One reviewer was so impressed they felt “compelled to write” a review, sharing photos of their grill looking nearly new after 24 uses over three months. Another user who downsized from a full-size Weber Kettle for their patio apartment calls it “perfect,” highlighting its quick setup and easy cleaning for near-daily use.

However, no product is without its flaws, and the feedback provides a balanced picture. The most common critiques revolve around minor quality control issues. One user had a handle weld fail while grilling, a scary and unfortunate defect. Others have mentioned receiving units with small chips in the porcelain enamel or dents near the vents that prevent them from closing flush. While these appear to be outliers, they are important to note. Another small but recurring complaint involves the plastic handles, with several users finding the screws don’t tighten them down completely, leading to a slight wiggle or potential to pinch skin if you’re not careful during transport.

How Does the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill Compare to the Competition?

While the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill is a champion in the portable category, it’s important to understand its place in the broader market. Depending on your primary needs—be it backyard smoking, large-scale entertaining, or high-tech convenience—other options might be more suitable.

1. Royal Gourmet CC1830W 30-Inch Charcoal Grill with Offset Smoker

The Royal Gourmet CC1830W is a completely different beast, designed for the backyard pitmaster, not the traveler. Its massive 811 square inches of cooking space and dedicated offset smoker box are built for slow-smoking briskets and cooking for a crowd. If your grilling ambitions involve long, low-and-slow cooking sessions and you have a dedicated patio space, this grill offers immense versatility and capacity that the Weber simply can’t match. However, it is large, heavy, and completely stationary. This is the choice for someone who wants a permanent outdoor cooking station, whereas the Weber is for those who want to take the party with them.

2. Royal Gourmet CC1830V 30″ Charcoal Grill

This Royal Gourmet model is a more direct, large-format charcoal grill without the offset smoker. It offers a substantial 627 square inches of cooking space, making it an excellent choice for large family gatherings and backyard parties. Features like a front-access door for adding charcoal and a full-width front table add a layer of convenience for stationary cooking. Someone might prefer this over the Weber if their “grilling on the go” means moving it from the garage to the backyard. It’s a classic barrel grill for home use, trading the supreme portability and compact design of the Go-Anywhere for sheer cooking volume.

3. Weber Performer Deluxe 22-Inch Charcoal Grill

The Performer Deluxe represents the pinnacle of Weber’s classic 22-inch kettle grill lineup. It takes the beloved kettle design and mounts it in a feature-rich cart with a side table, charcoal storage bin, and a Touch-N-Go gas ignition system that lights your charcoal with the push of a button. This is the grill for the Weber enthusiast who wants the absolute best in convenience and features for their home grilling station. It offers significantly more cooking area and advanced features than the Go-Anywhere, but it is a large, heavy, and premium-priced unit designed to be the centerpiece of a backyard patio, not a companion on a camping trip.

The Final Verdict: Is the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill Worth It?

After weeks of grilling everything from burgers and steaks to ribs and vegetables, our conclusion is unequivocal: the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill is an outstanding piece of equipment that punches far above its weight class. It brilliantly solves the portable grilling dilemma by refusing to compromise on the fundamentals—build quality, heat control, and cooking performance. This is not just a travel grill; it’s a true Weber, miniaturized. It is the perfect solution for apartment dwellers, campers, tailgaters, and anyone who believes that great charcoal-grilled food shouldn’t be confined to the backyard.

While the occasional quality control issue and finicky handle assembly are minor blemishes, they are vastly overshadowed by the clever design, rugged durability, and fantastic results this little grill produces. If you’re searching for a portable charcoal grill that you will use and love for years to come, your search ends here. It’s a small investment for a product that delivers endless delicious adventures. To see its full feature set and start planning your next cookout, you can check the latest price and availability right now.