# Restaurant menu design: layout, type and print sizes [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/restaurant-menu-design) A menu is read in dim light, by someone hungry, in about the time it takes to pour the water. Here is how to lay one out so it reads easily, prints cleanly and matches everything else you publish. ## The short version - Good restaurant menu design follows the order people eat in, gives each section a clear heading and keeps every dish to a name, a short description and a price. - Prices are easiest to read when they follow the description in the same type, rather than lined up in a column that invites scanning for the cheapest dish. - Body type on a printed menu should be large enough to read by candlelight, usually around 11 to 12 point with generous line spacing. - At 300 dpi, an A4 menu is 2480×3508 pixels, A3 is 3508×4961 and US Letter is 2550×3300, plus bleed if the colour runs to the edge. - A QR menu should be a phone friendly page in the same look as the printed menu, not a photo of the paper one. Good **restaurant menu design** comes down to three things: an order that follows the meal, type that reads in low light, and prices placed so the dish is judged before the number. Group dishes into a few clear sections, keep each one to a name, a short description and a price, and leave enough space that nothing feels crammed. Then print it at the right size and give the QR version the same look. The details for each step are below. ## Menu layout: order and hierarchy People read a menu the way they will eat: something to start, something to share, a main, maybe dessert. Put sections in that order and give each a heading clearly larger or heavier than the dishes beneath it. Within a section, place the dishes you most want to sell near the top, where eyes land first. [Visual hierarchy](https://gradiently.design/guide/visual-hierarchy) explains why this works on any page. | Menu size | Dishes | Best layout | | --- | --- | --- | | Café or bar snacks | Up to 15 | Single page, one column | | Neighbourhood restaurant | 15 to 30 | Single page, two columns, or a folded A4 | | Full menu with drinks | 30 or more | Separate food and drink cards | | Tasting menu | 5 to 12 courses | Tall, narrow card, one course per line | Match the layout to the number of dishes. A menu that needs a page turn usually needs editing first. Editing is the best design tool you have. A shorter menu is faster to read, quicker to cook and easier to keep fresh. If a section has more than eight or nine dishes, consider splitting it or cutting the slowest sellers. ## How to show prices on a menu There are a few long standing conventions in menu writing, and they are about calm rather than tricks. Let the dish come first, keep prices quiet and avoid formatting that turns the menu into a price list. ### Avoid - Prices lined up in a right hand column with dotted leaders - Currency symbols on every line - Prices in bold or a larger size than the dish name - Boxes and starbursts around a highlighted dish ### Do - The price straight after the description, in the same type - Plain numbers, with the currency stated once if needed - Dish names as the strongest line in each entry - A little extra space around the dish you want to feature Descriptions should help someone choose, not decorate. Name the main ingredient, the method and one detail that makes it yours: "Hake, brown butter, capers, charred leeks." Mention allergens the way your local regulations require. ## Best fonts and font sizes for menus Menus are read in candlelight, by people without their reading glasses, sometimes at arm's length. Pick type for that room, not for your screen. One display font for headings and dish names, one plain text font for descriptions, and no more. [Font pairing](https://gradiently.design/guide/font-pairing) has combinations that work. - **Dish descriptions:** around 11 to 12 point on paper, with line spacing about 1.3 times the size. - **Dish names:** one or two points larger, or the same size in a heavier weight. - **Section headings:** clearly larger, often in capitals with a little extra letter spacing. - **Contrast:** dark ink on a light ground for long lists; light type on dark only for short menus. - **Script fonts:** fine for the restaurant name, hard work for a list of dishes. An A4 portrait menu with a heading reading Tonight and a small plates section on a calm, light gradient background An A4 menu at 300 dpi: a clear section heading, dish names first, descriptions in a plain face. ## Menu sizes for print Design at the print size in pixels at 300 dpi, so the printer gets a sharp file. A4 and A3 are standard across the UK and Europe, US Letter in North America. A5 works for drinks cards, kids' menus and table cards. - A5 1748×2480: 1748 × 2480 - A4 2480×3508: 2480 × 3508 - US Letter 2550×3300: 2550 × 3300 - A3 3508×4961: 3508 × 4961 Common menu sizes drawn to scale. A3 suits a single sheet menu or a wall poster; A4 folded in half makes a neat booklet. > **Colour to the edge needs bleed** If your background runs right to the edge, the printer needs a little extra around the outside, usually 3 mm, plus crop marks. Keep dishes and prices well inside the trim. [Bleed and margins](https://gradiently.design/guide/bleed-and-margins) explains it. Gradiently has menu templates in the Studio, and on Pro exports a print PDF with bleed and crop marks. Because the background is a Mark rendered at the size you choose, it stays sharp at A3 rather than being a stretched screen image, and it softens itself behind the text so every dish stays readable. ## QR code menu design A QR menu should be a page built for a phone, not a photo of your paper menu that diners have to pinch and zoom. Keep the same sections, fonts and colours, so the two feel like one menu. 1. **Build a phone page** One column, sections as headings, large tap targets for jumping between food and drink. 2. **Match the printed look** Same fonts, same order, same colours, so nobody feels sent somewhere else. 3. **Print the code large enough** Give it plenty of space on a table card and test it from a seated distance in your actual lighting. 4. **Say what it opens** A short line beside it: "Scan for the menu and allergens." 5. **Keep both up to date** When a dish changes, change the paper and the page on the same day. ## Matching your menu to your socials Your menu is the most handled piece of branding you own. When a new dish arrives, the feed post, the specials board and the printed menu should all look like the same restaurant. Design them from one background and one type pair, and resize rather than redesign. A portrait Instagram post announcing a new dish of hake with brown butter on the menu's gradient background The Instagram post for a new dish. An A5 table card reading Chef's special, today, ask your server, on the same gradient background An A5 table card in the same look. For the feed side, see [restaurant social media posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/restaurant-social-media-posts), and for chalkboards and screens behind the counter, [menu board design](https://gradiently.design/guide/menu-board-design). ## FAQ ### What size should a restaurant menu be? A4 (2480×3508 pixels at 300 dpi) and A3 (3508×4961) are standard in the UK and Europe, and US Letter (2550×3300) in North America. A5 suits drinks and dessert cards. ### What font size should a menu use? Around 11 to 12 point for descriptions on paper, slightly larger or heavier for dish names, so the menu reads in dim light. ### Should prices be in a column on a menu? It is usually better to place the price straight after the description in the same type. A right hand column encourages scanning for the cheapest dish. ### How do I make a QR code menu look good? Build a one column page for phones in the same fonts, colours and order as your printed menu, and print the code large enough to scan from a seat. ### How many items should a menu have? As few as your kitchen and concept allow. If a section has more than eight or nine dishes, it is usually worth splitting or editing.