Pancake Boards Are the Newest Instagrammable Brunch Trend

They say we eat with our eyes first. That might explain why most honest diners would admit that half of their reason for visiting trendy restaurants or preparing certain foods is the potential Instagram clout that results. Hell, that’s probably why avocado toast was ever even a thing in the first place.

Well whether you love or loathe aesthetically-driven food trends, you’re probably going to want to know about the latest wave in breakfast-based microblogging: pancake boards.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but I’ll explain anyways. This nascent trend among foodfluencers centers on a massive spread of pancakes flanked by a wide range of toppings and premium fixins’, sort of like a brunch buffet on steroids or a rise-and-shine charcuterie board of sorts.

In most cases, you’ll find all of the syrups, spreads, and fruits you could ever dream of putting on a pancake. Sometimes, these things even feature protein-rich add-ons like scrambled eggs or mouthwatering bacon (which almost feels like cheating) in order to round out the meal.

But of course, the centerpiece remains a set of golden brown pancakes. The more artfully you can arrange them on the board, the better.

Much like avocado toast, it sounds like this recent trend first took off in Australia. But given that the internet renders the concept of geography somewhat irrelevant, it’s already starting to catch on here stateside.

While there’s no doubt these mouthwatering breakfasts look nice, they raise a few practical concerns once you go beyond the initial visual impression. In the midst of cold and flu season, how sanitary is it to present a breakfast buffet free for all like this in a home that hasn’t passed a health inspection? What happens when the pancakes get cold and gross? How often do people end up dropping these heavy boards loaded with food before they can take the perfect photo?

I suppose you’ll have to answer those questions by making a pancake board of your own. Just be sure to invite some people over to help you eat the damn thing.