Is the Blackstone 28 Omnivore Griddle with Hood Worth It?
By Marcus Hale, lawn & garden · updated 2026-07-25
Worth it if you cook for a crowd, skip it if you're cooking for two
Worth it if you cook for a crowd
around $400price at time of review — check Amazon for current
- Worth it ifYou regularly cook for a crowd, big breakfasts, tailgates, weekend batches
- Skip it ifYou mostly cook for one or two people
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Picture the moment your griddle is jammed with burger patties, and the second you flip them the surface temperature drops and everything starts cooking slower than the food still waiting behind it. You end up standing there, spatula in hand, wondering if a bigger griddle would actually fix the backlog or just give you more steel to lose heat across. That doubt is exactly what the Blackstone 28 Omnivore griddle with hood is built to answer.
Here's the mechanism most listings gloss over. The Omnivore plate is a different rolled steel than Blackstone's original griddle top, thinner and backed with reinforcing ribs on the underside. Thinner steel conducts heat faster, so when you drop a cold stack of patties or a cup of batter onto it, the surface recovers its temperature in seconds instead of minutes, and it does that on fewer BTUs, which is where the fuel efficiency claim actually comes from. Built-in wind guards trap that heat at griddle level instead of letting an outdoor breeze skim it away, which matters more on a patio than in a kitchen. Two independently controlled H-style burners let you run eggs on low at one end while the other stays hot enough for a smash burger, so you're not shuttling food on and off heat to manage doneness. The rear grease trough means you're pushing debris backward as you cook rather than scraping a flat surface afterward, and the hood gives the whole unit a lid when it's not running, so it isn't sitting exposed between cookouts.
So the size number on the box is almost beside the point. What you're actually buying is recovery speed, the ability to keep cooking at temperature when a griddle full of cold food hits it all at once, and that's what decides whether a backyard cookout feels smooth or stalls out waiting for the next batch.
Worth it if
- You regularly cook for a crowd, big breakfasts, tailgates, weekend batches
- You want faster recovery between rounds of food instead of waiting for the plate to reheat
- You cook outdoors where wind steals heat off an open griddle
Skip it if
- You mostly cook for one or two people
- You don't have the patio or deck space for a 28 inch griddle with side shelves
- You want the cheapest way into griddle cooking
If you're cooking for one or two people, skip the Omnivore plate and save your money.
If you cook for a crowd regularly, birthday parties, weekend breakfasts for the whole family, this is a quiet yes, the recovery speed is the whole point and you'll use it. If you're usually cooking for one or two people, a smaller griddle without the Omnivore plate will do the same job for less money and less counter space. Either way, now you know what the extra steel is actually for.
Check price on Amazon · around $400 or Add it to your Amazon cart to sit on it
Before you go
What does omnivore mean on a Blackstone griddle?
It refers to the redesigned griddle plate, a thinner rolled steel with reinforced ribbing that heats and recovers temperature faster than Blackstone's original plate.
Is the Blackstone griddle hood worth it?
Yes for storage and protection, it keeps the plate covered between cookouts so you're not draping a tarp over it, though it doesn't change how the plate cooks.
Is the Blackstone omnivore better than the original?
For recovery speed and fuel efficiency, yes, the thinner Omnivore plate heats back up faster after cold food hits it, though the original plate is thicker and holds heat slightly longer once it's up to temperature.
Full spec sheet
| Brand | BLACKSTONE |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 32.7"D x 21.7"W x 17.7"H |
| Special Feature | Durable |
| Color | Black |
| Fuel Type | Gas |
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