Best Kitchen Shoes for Chefs in 2021 Comfortable & Protective

Being a chef, we usually stand around the kitchen counter for many hours. As a result, it is primitive to be precise in your wardrobe. So, You should always wear the best kitchen shoes for chefs that can bring comfort and safety to your feet.

If you work for those long shifts in the kitchen and are looking for a new pair of kitchen shoes, then you have landed in the right place. 

We have crafted a list of best kitchen shoes available for the male and female chefs. Let’s review all of these comfortable shoes one by one.

1. Skechers for Work Men’s Flex Advantage

Skechers is a popular and trustworthy brand in the lifestyle footwear industry. The award-winning company offers many stylish and comfortable work shoes. The Work Men’s Flex Advantage is a standout product among these affordable and long-lasting shoes.

The Flex is a lightweight and good-looking pair of the best kitchen shoes for chefs. Moreover, the slip-on design of these shoes with elastic gores at the opening allows their quick on and off. Their mesh fabric upper makes them exceptionally breathable and keeps your feet comfortable for many hours.

The Flex features slip-resistant traction outsoles. So, consequently, it allows you to move around your kitchen counter freely, even on a wet or oily surface. Likewise, the padded collars offer enhanced support to your ankles. The memory foam insoles benefit the shoes with cushioning.

Skechers has made the Flex with imported synthetic material and added a soft fabric shoe lining. The reinforced stitching of these shoes provides durability and ensures their long-lasting performance.

Prominent Pros	Notable Cons
Lightweight	No toe-safety
Slip-on design	Flour or any other powder may absorb into the mesh fabric
Elastic gores at the opening
Mesh fabric upper
Slip-resistant traction outsoles
Padded collars
Memory foam insoles for cushioning
Reinforced stitching

2. Merrell Men’s Jungle Moc

The Merrell shoes offer you ultimate comfort during your hours-long standing in the kitchen or any other workplace. Likewise, Merrell has designed the men’s Jungle Moc with comfort in mind. These shoes are not only comfortable but also stylish and durable.

Merrell has made the Jungle Moc with imported, 100% suede leather. Moreover, the pigskin lining complements high-quality suede leather to offer you uncompromised comfort and durability.

The slip-on design of the Jungle Moc with dual elastic insets at the opening allows their quick on and off. However, the breathable mesh lining keeps your feet always dry. Similarly, an EVA blended contoured footbed eliminates organic odor to keep your feet fresh all the time.

The rubber outsoles feature an advanced highly slip-resistant M Select GRIP technology. In short, it enables you to move on your kitchen floor with no hassle, even if it is wet or oily.

The insoles with compression-molded EVA foot frame add cushioning to the Jungle Moc. Moreover, Merrell air cushion in the heel absorbs sudden shocks brilliantly and helps to reduce stress on your feet.

Prominent Pros	Notable cons
100% suede leather with pigskin lining	No toe-safety
Slip-on design	It is a bit tricky to clean the suede leather.
Dual elastic insets at the opening
Breathable mesh lining
EVA blended contoured footbed
Rubber outsoles with M Select GRIP
Compression-molded EVA foot frame
Merrell air cushion in the heel

3. Crocs Men’s and Women’s Specialist Vent Work Clog

The Crocs Specialist Vent Work is a pair of classic clog shoes that serve well both men and women. Crocs, Inc. has made these shoes with its proprietary closed-cell resin, Croslite. The Crostile material enriches the Crocs Vent with various comfort features.

The Crocs Vent are soft, comfortable, lightweight, and non-slip best kitchen shoes for chefs….. Moreover, the massaging footbed, vented side panels, and a roomy fit of these shoes offer you ultimate comfort during your hours-long shift in the kitchen.

The grippy, non-slip outsoles of the Crocs Vent offer superior gripping. They ensure safe and hassle-free movement on the kitchen floor even if it is wet or oily. Likewise, the closed-toe design and dense vamp area protect your top foot and toe from falling objects.

Similarly, the dual function heel straps of the Crocs Vent keep the shoes securely on your feet. On the other hand, the non-marking design leaves no scuff marks on the floor and helps to keep it clean. Likewise, the Crostile material allows you to clean and sterilize these shoes quickly.

Prominent Pros	Notable Cons
Unisex shoes	Some people may not like clog shoes.
The Crostile material
Soft and lightweight
Massaging footbed
Vented side panels
Grippy, non-slip outsoles
Closed-toe design and dense vamp area
Dual function heel straps
Non-marking design
Easy to clean

4. Skechers for Work Women’s Soft Stride

The Work Women’s Soft Stride is another affordable and long-lasting pair of shoes from Skechers. The Stride brings you comfort and protection during your hours-long working in the kitchen.

The Stride is a stylish, good-looking pair of lace-up shoes. The foot-hugging PU insoles of these offer athletic cushioning to your feet. Moreover, Leather upper with detailed stitching and side panels allows your feet to breathe and keeps them comfortable for many hours.

The slip-resistant outsoles of the Flex with the tread pattern offer a tremendous grip. Hence, they allow you to move around your kitchen counter freely, even on a wet or oily surface. Likewise, the padded tongue and collars enhance the stability and comfort level.

Skechers has made the Stride with imported leather and added a synthetic sole. Both the insoles and outsoles are removable. Above all, You can replace them when they have reached the end of their lives.

Prominent Pros	Notable Cons
Removable, foot-hugging PU insoles	No toe-safety
Leather upper with side panels	A bit difficult to clean tread pattern
Slip-resistant outsoles with the tread pattern
Padded tongue and collars
Detailed stitching

5. Skechers for Work Men’s Keystone Sneaker

The Work Men’s Keystone Sneaker is another durable and stylish pair of shoes from Skechers. The Keystone Sneakers provide enough comfort, support, stability, and traction to your feet for many hours in the kitchen. 

The Keystone sneaker is a lightweight, nice-looking pair of lace-up shoes. The EVA midsole and the PU footbed offer ultimate comfort by making a cushion inside the boots. The footbed is removable. So, consequently, you can replace it with a customized orthopedic inner of your choice. 

The synthetic leather upper of the Keystone sneaker is water-resistant and lasts a lifetime. However, the rubber outsoles of these sneakers have remarkable traction and are highly slip-resistant. Hence, they allow you to move on the kitchen floor without any hassle, even if it is wet or oily.

Prominent Pros	Notable Cons
Lightweight and durable	No toe-safety
Removable PU footbed	Non-porous upper sole
EVA midsole with a cushion
Water-resistant leather upper
Slip-resistant rubber outsoles

6. Skechers Men’s Diameter Murilo Shoe

The Men’s Diameter Murilo looks more stylish on the feet than any other kitchen shoe. They are sporty style, casual shoes, yet it has all those features which a chef needs during his long-hours shift in the kitchen. 

The oiled leather with canvas-detailed uppers gives the Diameter Morilo a stunning look. On the other hand, the fabric lining in the leather uppers makes these shoes supremely comfortable by offering breathability. 

The EVA midsole and the removable memory foam insole benefits the Diameter Morillo with cushioning. The memory foam insole is removable.  So, consequently, you can replace it with an orthopedic inner of your own choice.

The flexible rubber outsoles of the Diameter Morillo produce a non-slip base and offer exceptional traction control. These slip-resistant outsoles make these shoes suitable for almost every workplace, including a wet or oily kitchen floor.

The padded collar and tongue of the Diameter Morillo offer enhanced support to your ankle. Likewise, the top metal studs protect your top foot and toe from falling objects. The stitching accents make these shoes very durable and long-lasting.

Prominent Pros	Notable Cons
Sporty style, casual shoes	Not waterproof
Oiled leather with canvas-detailed uppers
Breathable fabric lining in the uppers
Removable memory foam insoles
EVA midsole with a cushion
Slip-resistant, flexible rubber outsoles
Padded collar and tongue
Top metal studs

7. Merrell Women’s Jungle Moc

Just like the Merrell Men’s Jungle Moc, the Women’s Jungle Moc is also a comfortable, stylish, and durable pair of shoes. The Merrell shoes offer ultimate comfort to chefs and other workers during their hours-long shifts.

Merrell has made the Jungle Moc with imported leather and added a synthetic sole. Moreover, Aegis antimicrobial treated lining in the synthetic upper takes comfort and durability to the next level.

The slip-on design of the Jungle Moc allows their quick on and off. However, The dual elastic insets at the opening keep them firmly on your feet. The breathable mesh lining keeps your feet always dry and fresh smelling by eliminating organic odor.

The rubber outsoles feature an advanced M Select GRIP technology and are exceptionally slip-resistant. Their supreme traction allows you to move on your kitchen floor with no hassle, even if it is wet or oily.

The insoles with the compression-molded EVA foot frame benefit the Jungle Moc with cushioning. Moreover, Merrell air cushion in the heel and nylon arch shank absorbs sudden shocks in no time and reduces stress on your feet.

Prominent Pros	Notable Cons
Synthetic upper	No toe-safety
Aegis antimicrobial treated lining	It is a bit tricky to clean the leather uppers.
Slip-on design
Dual elastic insets at the opening
Breathable mesh lining
EVA blended contoured footbed
Rubber outsoles with M Select GRIP
Compression-molded EVA foot frame
Merrell air cushion in the heel
Nylon arch shank

8. Skechers for Work Men’s Rockland Systemic

The Work Men’s Rockland Systemic is a decent-looking pair of Oxford-style casual shoes from Skechers. These lace-up style shoes have some distinctive Sketchers features to accommodate a chef during his hours-long standing in the kitchen.

The Rockland Systemic features a leather upper and leather overlay that makes it a very durable pair of shoes. However, the lace-up closer keeps these shoes firmly on your feet.

The low-profile rubber outsoles the Rockland Systemic with the tread pattern offer an outstanding grip. In this way, they allow you to move around your kitchen counter freely, even on a wet or oily floor.

Prominent Pros	Notable Cons
Oxford-style casual shoes	No toe-safety
Leather upper and overlay	Non-porous upper sole
Lace-up closer	No cushioning
Low-profile rubber outsoles

The Bottom Line: Which is the best pair of kitchen shoes?

We have reviewed eight different work shoes, and all of them have their benefits. As we have stated earlier, the essential features in a pair of best kitchen shoes for chefs are comfort and safety. 

Let’s make another quick review of all these comfort and safety features that can affect the performance of the kitchen shoes.

Porous Upper: It keeps your feet breathable and helps to eliminate organic odor.

Cushioned Insole: It prevents foot disorder by providing heel cushioning.

Non-slip outsole: It improves the grip of the shoe on the floor and allows the hassle-free movement on slippery surfaces.

Toe safety: It protects your toe and the top foot from falling objects.

You have read a detailed review of each pair in the list and a quick review of the different comfort and safety features. Now, you should be able to pick a product that can serve you best during your hours-long standing in the kitchen.

Frequently asked Questions

What type of sole should be worn in the kitchen?

Chefs stand in the kitchen for many hours, and there is a great mess on the kitchen floor. Therefore, chefs need leather or steel-toe material for working long hours in the kitchen. Rubber shoes or sneakers are also the best options as they are soft and non slipry. 

Why do Chefs wear clogs?

Chefs have to work long hours in the kitchen, their feet tired due to continuous standing and walking around the kitchen. Therefore chefs wear clogs as a part of their uniform for comfort and protection.

Why working shoes have porous upper?

Porous upper keeps them breathable and helps to eliminate organic odor.

Why chef shoes have padded collars and tongues?

Padded collar and tongue provide extra support to your ankles.