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Small charcoal barbecue for a patio

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have a couple of metres of patio, or a rented balcony, and you still want charcoal without buying a cart the width of a sofa. This page is the small charcoal barbecue for a patio case inside these listings: which compact grills still have a lid, and what a balcony restriction actually is. The Products Compared editorial team wrote it on 21 October 2026 from listing figures, GOV.UK smoke-control rules and London Fire Brigade balcony advice. We did not measure your lease. Full rows sit on the [barbecue comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/barbecue). A qualifying purchase through our links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a couple of metres of patio, or a rented balcony, and you still want charcoal without buying a cart the width of a sofa.

Our top picks

Weber Weber Compact Kettle 47 cm

Best overall

Weber Weber Compact Kettle 47 cm
8.9/10about £49.49
View offer
HOMION HOMION kettle 43.5 cm

Best value

HOMION HOMION kettle 43.5 cm
7.9/10about £28.99
View offer
Amig Amig AZKAR

Alternative

Amig Amig AZKAR
7.1/10about £17.89
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Patio, not a balcony by default
  2. 2.The lidded compacts
  3. 3.The grill that names a balcony
  4. 4.What to leave for a larger garden

Patio, not a balcony by default

Start with where the fire will sit. GOV.UK’s smoke-control page says you can use an outdoor barbecue in a smoke control area; the restricted case on that page is a chimney on a building. Outdoor smoke can still be a statutory nuisance if neighbours complain. That is not the same as a balcony ban. London Fire Brigade’s BBQ safety page says do not use a barbecue on a balcony, because flames, sparks and embers can spread through the building. Newham Council’s April 2025 balcony policy prohibits BBQs on balconies of its residential buildings. Fire England also advises against balcony use. None of those lines is a single nationwide criminal offence quoted here. A lease or landlord rule is often what actually stops you. If the lease is silent and the brigade says no, treat the brigade advice as the safety default and cook on open ground if you have it. Never finish a cook indoors, in a tent, under an awning or in a caravan. Carbon monoxide has no smell. Lighting steps stay on how to light a charcoal barbecue. Buying criteria beyond footprint sit on the charcoal barbecue buying guide.

The lidded compacts

For a patio couple who want a lid, the Weber Compact Kettle 47 cm is the answer with the thickest review base: £49.49 on the 19 October 2026 check, 4.5 from 377 ratings, about 9 kg, stand and wheels, bullet grate 1,548 cm² for four to six people. Weber UK sells the same model number (1502054) at £94.99 including VAT and calls it the limited-space kettle. One UK review chose it for two and still hosted more than ten once. There is no thermometer in the Compact bullets; one reviewer expected one from the description. A cover is a common outdoor recommendation and is not listed in the Amazon box line. Ignore the field that prints 47 square centimetres. The HOMION 43.5 cm kettle at £28.99, 3.5 kg, 4.1 from 150, puts a lid and a grill cover in the included line. Reviews call it fine for two and good value against dearer small kettles. They also expect a short life, call it flimsy, and say the bottom vent only opens when cold. It is the budget patio lid kettle, not a multi-year Weber substitute.
Weber Weber Compact Kettle 47 cm

Testsieger

Weber Weber Compact Kettle 47 cm
8.9/10about £49.49
View offer

The grill that names a balcony

The Amig AZKAR at £17.89, about 2 kg and 56 cm high, puts terrace and balcony in the title and scores 3.9 from 43 ratings. UK reviews say it suits a couple, assembles easily, and has no lid. The missing lid is the cooking limit. The balcony wording is a product title, not permission from your landlord or the fire brigade. Do not take a 2 kg open box onto a balcony because the listing marketed one. If you only have a balcony and the lease or brigade rules out charcoal, this category will not solve that. Look at sibling fuel types only after you confirm outdoor ground you are allowed to use. Working height at 56 cm feels low in the reviews, and the cook is open to wind. For closed-lid patio heat, stay with the Compact or the HOMION kettle.

What to leave for a larger garden

Leave the Weber Premium 57 cm (£239.00, listed around 75 × 57 × 107 cm) for gardens that will use the six-to-eight claim. Leave House Of Home XL at 84 × 112 × 118 cm and 22 kg for a wide patio with room to build a cart. Campfire’s length lines of 113.5 cm or 124 cm and the KEYO carts around 112–122 cm wide are crowd shapes, not balcony shapes. Store the cold grill under a cover if it lives outside. Do not wheel a warm kettle indoors to save space overnight. Ash goes on bare soil when cold, not into a bin on a shared landing. If neighbours report nuisance smoke, the council path remains even when smoke-control chimney rules do not apply.

Common questions

Can two people use the Premium 57 cm instead?
They can, but they will pay £239.00 and store a larger bowl. The Compact already claims four to six people on the bullet. Skip the Premium unless you regularly host beyond that.
Does the Amig count as a balcony grill because the title says so?
No. The title is marketing. London Fire Brigade advises against barbecues on balconies. Check your lease. The Amig also has no lid.
Is a balcony barbecue illegal everywhere in the UK?
Not as a single nationwide offence quoted on GOV.UK’s smoke-control page. Lease rules, landlord policies and fire-service advice often ban it. Some councils, such as Newham for their own residential balconies, prohibit BBQs in writing.
What if the lease is silent but the fire brigade says no?
Follow the safety advice: do not cook on the balcony. Use open ground you control, or choose another cooking method.
Can you store a lit or warm grill indoors?
No. Carbon monoxide has no smell. Cool fully outdoors, then store. Never finish a cook in a tent, under an awning or in a caravan.

Related pages

Best barbecue

Kettle or barrel

Barbecue

Charcoal barbecue buying guide: lid, vents and grate

How to light a charcoal barbecue: safe outdoor fire

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 22 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK: smoke control area rules (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK: smoke control enforcement in England (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: fire safety outdoors (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. BSI: BS EN 1860-1:2024 solid-fuel barbecues (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Weber UK: how to control charcoal temperature (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Weber UK: charcoal kettle prices (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. The Guardian, 11 June 2026: best BBQs and grills tested (retrieved 22 October 2026)