Fun Food and Snack Bar Ideas for a Party

A build your own burger bar is perfect for a casual outdoor summertime party! You can even cook the burgers out on a grill or make them ahead of time so you can enjoy the party too.

Keep the toppings simple and include lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles or add on more gourmet toppings such as sauteed mushrooms, flavored mayonnaise, savory and spicy sauces, cheese or cheese sauce, and anything else you want.

Finger foods and appetizers are the absolute best for parties! They’re easy to eat and work perfectly when you don’t have enough seating for everyone.

Offer a variety of them so your guests have lots of different things to choose from to eat. 

I recommend a combination of hot and cold items plus don’t forget to include items such as hummus, guacamole, or other dips which can easily be made in larger batches. 

I love this as a party for adults, kids or mixed ages! Plan on a few different types of macaroni and cheese such as a traditional one and then maybe two more with different flavors. 

Then you can lay out a bunch of different toppings that everyone can add to make their own delicious bowl of mac and cheese. Crispy bacon bits, pickled jalapenos, chopped broccoli, sliced green onion, blue cheese crumbles, cooked seasoned ground beef, and shredded chicken are just a few quick ideas for toppings.

A breakfast omelette bar party is perfect for a morning or brunchtime party but it could also be used as a breakfast for dinner theme as well. 

Round it out with some delicious breakfast side dishes such as roasted potatoes, hashbrowns, fresh fruit, biscuits, and grits.

Fresh fruit, yogurt, smoothie bowls, oatmeal bars, or breakfast cookies are some ideas on the healthier side of things that work great to add on as well.

Breakfast casseroles are also perfect because you can prep or fully make them ahead of time to make party day much easier.

A waffle bar can work as a breakfast bar or dessert bar depending on the time of day.

Set up a griddle for someone making the waffles during the event or make them in advance and simply reheat them in the oven.

Set out a ton of different toppings for the guests to add on top of their plate of waffles.

Dessert bars like this brownie bar make a great afternoon party idea or evening snack bar food idea when you don’t want to feed everyone a meal. 

Serve up a variety of different flavored brownies, ice cream, and assorted toppings such as sauces, nuts, whipped cream, chocolate chips, fruit, and more for a sweet treat your guests will love!

The make your own pizza party is a kid’s party favorite but it can definitely work for adult parties too.

Use premade pizza disks to make it easier and then line out a variety of pizza sauces and toppings for everyone to build their pizza just the way they like it! 

It’s a good idea to provide pizza boxes for any leftovers. Some great ideas for serving alongside the pizza are a healthy caesar salad, fresh tomato salad or bread salad.

This fun instructional food bar works great for smaller groups. It’s pretty easy to execute and a fun activity to do with a group of friends. 

Prepare the sushi rice in advance and have all the ingredients such as shrimp, salmon or tuna, avocado, cucumber, and more all sliced and ready to go. A quick demo by you and then let everyone roll their own rolls. 

Serve up a tasty sake on the side or white wine and don’t forget some delicious sauces for dipping.

Serve up a bowl of hot ramen for your next themed party!

Another of my favorite snack bar ideas that works easily for a variety of different types of eaters including vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores. 

Make the tasty broth and offer a variety of toppings for everyone to add to the bowl.

A couple of different types of noodles, sliced tofu, beef or chicken, egg, sesame seeds, soy sauce, chilies, vegetables, and more!

A baked potato bar is a hearty snack bar food idea that’s perfect for game day events or any fun gathering that calls out for a filing yet easy dish to make. 

Start by baking the potatoes in the air fryer or oven – you can even do this ahead of time.

For toppings, I love to have shredded cheese, vegan cheese sauce, homemade chili (meat and/or vegan), sour cream, and much more.

A pasta bar is the perfect answer to a dinner time food party idea! All you need to do is cook a couple different types of pasta, have 2-3 different sauces and lots of toppings to add on top.

Personally I like to offer at least one long thin pasta like spaghetti or fettucini and then at least one short pasta.

Don’t forget some cheesy pull apart bread so everyone can sop up all the delicious pasta sauce.

A taco bar is a tasty snack bar idea to set up for Taco Tuesday or Cinco de Mayo celebrations but it also works any time of year for game day events and parties for all ages.

Provide all the items for your guest to make the perfect taco! Shredded chicken or beef taco meat, shredded cheese, veggies, sour cream, and red salsa and salsa verde. Add on some easy-to-eat snacks such as chicken taquitos or quesadillas.