We love a little creativity when we are dining out at restaurants, but some eating establishments just take the concept way too far. Their attempt at making Instagram-worthy food dishes just comes off as a little over the top. Once you check out these 75 hilarious and cringeworthy plating fails, you’ll see what we mean.
These obscure presentation attempts are just completely ridiculous. From food served in a dog bowl to mountains of meat layered on top of a barbie doll, this list has it all. Our favorite though is probably the shrimp cocktail served on top of a glass with a live goldfish in it, because, why not?
1. Lunch In America
This incredible feat of engineering features a little bit of everything. It includes pizza, subs, french fries, onion rings, fried chicken, and even an additional second drink hidden in there. How the restaurant got all the food to balance like that, we have no idea.
2. Grilled Cheese And Soup
It’s not your normal grilled cheese and tomato soup combo. For starters, the grilled cheese is suspended above the soup using a metal hook. You’ll also notice the unusual round shape. It’s because it is made out of a glazed donut.
3. Gourmet Greek Salad
When it comes to fine dining, plating is everything. However, it’s a skill that takes some practice. The chef was attempting to be really clever here and ended up going way overboard.
4. Jello Delight
Is that red Jello served on a feminine pad? That’s what it looks like, but it has to be our eyes deceiving us. No one in their right mind would ever think that serving a dessert like this is a good idea.
5. Scotch Egg Trophy
This is a trophy that anyone would be happy to receive. As stated on the bottom, it’s the “world’s best scotch egg”. The best part is you don’t even have to compete to win. Anyone can order this breakfast of champions.
6. Bloody Bull
A Bloody Bull is a Bloody Mary mixed with beef broth. This restaurant took theirs to the next level. It comes with a rib, slice of brisket, and a little sausage on top.
7. Cake Cups
This one must be a nightmare for the dishwashers. Not only are the glasses dipped in chocolate, but they are also adorned with sprinkles, candy, and cake — full slices of cake. The actual drink is a vanilla or chocolate milkshake.
8. Trash Bin French Fries
This meal is complete rubbish! If we wanted to eat out of a trash bin, there are lots of places outside the restaurant that we could have done it for free. No one wants to have to pay for that privilege.
9. Afternoon Tea
There is nothing better than afternoon tea served in a bookcase. It comes with everything you need to enjoy the occasion. The chef even prepared little sandwiches shaped like books. In a weird sort of way, we actually kind of like it.
10. Shawarma On A Bicycle
If only shawarmas were always served on a bicycle… the world would be a much better place. It tastes so much more delicious this way versus shawarma served on a plate.
11. Meat Barbie
They dressed up a barbie doll in a “skirt steak”, or a dress of meat, or some beef slices, or… well, honestly, we aren’t really sure what’s going on here. All we can do is shake our head at this goofy chef creation.
12. Global Cuisine
Restaurants all around the world are skipping the plates and going straight to ridiculousness. This quality establishment is located in Thailand. They serve eggs in a dust bin and Pad Thai in an umbrella.
13. Ferris Wheel Fish And Chips
We hope you’re hungry. Each spinning basket on the Ferris wheel contains a full fish and chips dish. It’s “carnival food” taken literally, with a touch of British influence.
14. Drink In A Bag
Receiving drinks like this is actually more common than you might think. In many countries, this is how street food and the accompanying refreshments are both served. However, at a restaurant, it’s probably just better to go with normal glassware.
15. DIY Orange Juice
This one reminds us of that old Seinfeld episode where Kramer comes up with the idea to open up a pizza restaurant where you make and bake your own pie. It was a bad idea at the time, and it’s still a bad idea now. Squeezing your own orange juice is even worse though.
16. Mushroom Garden
It’s one of the most delicious dishes we’ve ever seen. The diner ordered mushrooms and they were brought to the table in a small garden. They are about as fresh as you can get.
17. Breakfast On A Shovel
The funniest part about this dish is how they actually served the shovel on a plate. Why not just skip the shovel and go straight for the plate? They added a completely unnecessary extra step for no reason.
18. Mini Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington is a delicious dish whereby steak is covered with pate, duxelles, ham, pastry, and then baked. This is a mini version of the dish served on barbed wire. What great thinking by the chef!
19. One Strawberry
The presentation is probably a little excessive. Especially when you consider that the entire dish is made up of a single strawberry cut in half. We don’t even want to know how much it cost.
20. Hanging Chips
They strung up a couple of potato chips on a miniature close line and called it a dish. While we imagine it probably took a good amount of work to create this one, it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s the first and last time that this customer will be ordering it.
21. Cotton Candy Hairdoo
Cotton candy is pretty awesome on its own. There’s no need to complicate things by serving it on a porcelain horse head. It just comes off as a little try-hard.
22. Stairway To Sushi
We don’t really see a whole lot of problems with this creative sushi display. Although, those wooden stairs would be kind of hard to clean properly. How much raw fish sushi has been displayed on those in the past?
23. World’s Tallest Burger
We’ve seen burgers that are so big they need a knife stuck through them for support, but this is the first time we’ve ever seen a burger skewered on a sword. It’s not going to be easy to eat. The bun to meat ratio is way off.
24. Glowing With Excitement
We can only imagine how awkward that poor guy must feel drinking this obscure creation. Just to clarify, it’s a cocktail served inside a light bulb on top of an inflatable pink flamingo inner tube.
25. Two Olives
Once you eat olives served on silver spoons underneath a miniature olive tree, you can pretty much never go back to eating them out of jars again. That would just be way too boring in comparison.
26. Seafood Platter
At first glance, it just looks like a poorly designed succulent planter. Where is the food? You have to look really closely to find it hiding there in the back on the tiny cracker.
27. Carrot Latte
Remind us why we went to the hipster coffee shop again? You know, the one where they serve their lattes in hollowed out carrots? We keeping returning thinking we’ll enjoy them more next time and we never do.
28. Chicken Tikka Staircase
It’s like the sushi on a staircase except with chicken tikka and chutney. The chutney is tucked away in a little room underneath, right behind Harry Potter. You can’t see him, but he’s in there.
29. Finger Food
It’s finger food designed to be eaten with a fork. In fact, it comes with a whole hand. It’s made by freezing water inside a latex glove. Then they added the tiny salad on top.
30. Pretentious Caesar
It’s so much cooler than a regular caesar salad. The romaine lettuce is bundled in a circular crouton and you get to cut up the lettuce and apply the dressing yourself. Hopefully, other restaurants don’t steal the idea.
31. Citrus In Sugar
The diner ordered off the tasting menu. When the first course came out, the waiter asked him to hold out his hand. They then dumped this sugar-coated mix of citrus fruits in his palm.
32. Bread In A Handbag
They ran out of bread baskets in the kitchen and had to come up with a new solution on the fly. This was the result. Or at least, that’s what we imagine must have happened. Why else would you do this?
33. Dog Bowl Dinner
It’s a meal fit for a king. That is if the king is a dog. The only way this sloppy dish makes sense is if the restaurant is called “The Doghouse” and all the customers are canines.
34. Lego Bread Basket
It’s probably a better way to serve bread than the restaurant that does it in a handbag, but not by much. Can you imagine being the cook that has to painstakingly put these baskets together? Every time they go through the dishwasher, they would fall apart again.
35. Fritters In A Gelatin Shoe
Fritters are always tasty, but fritters served in a gelatin shoe? Not so much. We just don’t really get the point. It’s neither appetizing nor fun.
36. Cake Drink
These unusual cake concoctions were served up at a “dessert bar” in Los Angeles. When it comes to arty food creations, LA is pretty much the center of the universe. It’s probably the only place in the world where starting a dessert bar is a viable concept.
37. Brie Ice Cream
As far as plating goes, this chef is in uncharted territory. Instead of using a tinier plate to display their little scoop of brie ice cream, they just broke a big one in half. Making the situation even more confusing is the fact that the brie ice cream looks like an egg.
38. Bell Pepper Drink
First restaurants started doing away with the use of plates. Now they are getting rid of cups too. What is up with this new foodie trend?
40. Caged Cocktail
If you ever order this goofy caged cocktail, just make sure you don’t accidentally lose the straw. If you do, there is literally no way to drink it without spilling it everywhere. Although, the other option is to just refuse to order one in the first place.
40. Russian Doll Pickle
The whole dish was served on a cutting board, but the most absurd part is the side pickle. They hid it inside a Russian doll. It could be worse. They could have put a miniature pickle inside multiple layers of Russian dolls.
41. Terrarium Dinner
We have no idea what this dish is. All we know is that it is sitting in a terrarium with a tiny table lamp shining on it. The Twitter user confirmed that yes, it is edible, and it tasted decent. That’s a plus, at least.
42. American Breakfast
You know how they say it came with “everything except for the kitchen sink”? Well, this festive breakfast actually included the kitchen sink. As if the fireworks weren’t enough already…
43. Hard-Boiled Egg Presentation
It’s a hard-boiled egg served on top of a 15mm isolating ball valve. It’s unclear whether it comes pre-cracked in half or not. Either way, it’s a pretty nifty idea. All hard-boiled eggs should be served like this.
44. Grapes And Cheese Mousetrap
Technically, the mousetrap isn’t set to go off. However, it still seems a little dangerous. A little kid could easily get their fingers pinched in there. Also, grapes and cheese? What kind of combo is that?
45. Carrot Cake On A Mirror
If you look at it from the right angle, it appears as though the piece of cake is bigger than it really is. It’s a really good way to cut back on food costs. Both the customers and the restaurant owners are happy about it.
46. G&T Assortment
In case you couldn’t tell from the picture, it’s a yogurt ice cream toothbrush with a mint crème paste, served with a gin and tonic. It’s all pretty straight forward. We’re surprised you didn’t figure it out on your own.
47. Guillotine Beef Wellington
What better way to chop up your Beef Wellington than with a mini-guillotine? It’s super smart. It takes up so much less space on the table compared to the normal knives that most restaurants give you.
48. Test Tube Coffee
They ordered a strong black coffee and this is what the server brought out. It’s basically a couple of sips. It must be some really potent stuff they cooked up in a lab somewhere.
49. Sweets And Chocolates
Here we have a couple of assorted sweets served on a giant Lego block. It looks a little tacky. Adding insult to injury is the fact that at least two of the sweets look like unwrapped Tootsie rolls. They couldn’t even spring for some decent chocolates…
50. Piping Hot Onion Rings
Onion rings are so much more delicious when served hanging from salvaged piping. At least according to this chef. The reality is that the entire presentation is just one giant mess.
51. Hanging Fruits
Here we have another weird hanging food contraption. It’s like a jungle gym for fruits. All of them are suspended from metal skewers hung over a big metal bar.
52. Saw And Dessert Combo
It would not be fun to do the dishes at this restaurant. They serve all of their deserts on rusty saws! It seems like an accident and lawsuit waiting to happen.
53. Umbrella Table
The chef really went overboard with this one. They even had a piece of glass specially made into the shape of an octagon with a hole in the middle to bring their dream of serving food in an umbrella to fruition.
54. iPad Foie Gras
Every meal at this eating establishment is served on top of an iPad. They change the image on the background wallpaper to match the dish. Just make sure you don’t accidentally break the plate, or your dining costs could end up going way up.
55. Suspended Spaghetti
This spaghetti dish is served suspended up in the air. Sure, it looks cool. However, when it comes to actually consuming the food, not only is the spaghetti hard to eat, but it also cools down extremely quickly.
56. Dusty Sandwich
In addition to being served on a dustpan, the sandwich also comes with a dirty brush. We aren’t sure what good the brush does since it’s finger food anyway. However, we imagine it’s supposed to add to the “presentation”.
57. Tennis Theme
This is what lunch at the Wimbledon tennis tournament looks like. Everything is brought to the table on tennis rackets. Hopefully, the restaurant has a good vacuum because there are going to be a lot of crumbs on the ground later.
58. Bread In A Cap
This bread served in a flat cap was delivered as an appetizer at a restaurant in Yorkshire, UK. It’s better than being served in a shoe. Although, by how much is yet to be determined.
59. Cotton Candy Hair
We’re not sure what this food dish is to be honest. If we had to guess, we would say it’s some sort of large cotton candy dessert. It’s definitely more artsy than it is practical.
60. Picnic Disaster
This restaurant places their food on a mini-picnic table on top of a table. It sort of defeats the purpose. Having a picnic is about enjoying the outdoors and not worrying about the eating surface. However, here we have an improper eating surface all while still being cooped up inside.
61. Watering Can Idea
It’s always nice to have a jug of water at the table so you can refill your glasses yourself without relying on the server. Although, using a watering can as the jug is not the way to go. It’s almost guaranteed this water has a metallic flavor to it.
62. Lightbulb Bubble Tea
Not only are these containers of bubble tea absolutely massive, but they are also served in lightbulbs. Here’s to hoping that they don’t have the electric filaments still floating around inside.
63. Trump’s Bacon Dish
If you are looking to sample bacon on a clothesline like this, you’re in luck. Just find your nearest Trump Hotel. This is what classy looks like, folks. If it’s good enough for the President, it’s good enough for us.
64. Bathtub Gin
It’s a throwback to the Prohibition Era where alcohol was illegally produced in bathtubs. The difference is that this alcoholic cocktail is served in a bathtub too. Although, at least it probably won’t blind you.
65. Table Art
This one appears more like an abstract painting than it does a dessert. We admit it is definitely beautiful. However, here is the kicker — it’s created on the restaurant table…
66. Food Organizer
Canapés are a type of bite-sized appetizer. These ones are served inside a tiny desk. Just when you think you’ve finished them all, you open the drawer and discover that there are more hiding in there.
67. Deconstructed Spaghetti Bowl
If you’re among the zero percent of the population who has always wanted to mix their own spaghetti when eating out, you’re in luck. This fancy Italian restaurant serves each of their spaghetti ingredients in a separate container.
68. Spaghetti Mountain
Another spaghetti fail can be found at this restaurant where they just put all the pasta in a big pile in the middle of the table. There are no serving dishes or plates, just a heaping mountain of spaghetti and a couple of forks.
69. Tasty Lipstick
It looks like lipstick but it’s actually a cleverly disguised dessert. Inside the tube is a frozen beet and strawberry concoction. It comes as the appetizer at a modern art gallery.
70. Wasabi Spongecake
As if wasabi spongecake wasn’t already weird enough on its own, the chef decided to serve it on a piece of dead wood. The food looks just like some random plant is growing on the bark.
71. Tree Trunk Panna Cotta
Here we have another chef who used wood for their plating. This one is an Italian panna cotta dessert served on a slice of a tree trunk. It’s not the most appetizing plating, but it is all-natural.
72. Snowboard Dinner
The main downside we see here is that snowboards are probably going to be tough to fit inside of a dishwasher. They also take up a lot of space on the table. The average length of a snowboard is about the length of five normal plates.
73. Shoe Bread Basket
There is a lining preventing the bread from touching the insides of the shoes. However, we still don’t really get this idea. Just the thought of a shoe sitting on the table makes us cringe, not to mention placing food inside.
74. Syrup Problems
Anyone with half a brain would realize that serving pancakes on a board is a bad idea. There is simply no way to catch the syrup. It runs right off the side of the board and onto the table.
75. Nachos Packet
This restaurant serves their nachos in the same packet that they got the chips out of. Not only that, but they also include some french fries. Nachos and french fries are a classic combo.
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