Free menu maker with photos of your real dishes

Restaurant menu design basics

Keep it to one page if you can. Group items the way people order (starters, mains, sides, desserts, drinks) and keep each section short; long lists slow people down and push them toward whatever they already know. Put the dishes you most want to sell at the top of each section, where eyes land first.

Write descriptions that say what’s in the dish and how it’s cooked, in a few words: “smoked brisket, pickled onion, house BBQ sauce” sells better than “our famous sandwich.” Leave out the dollar signs if you like; plenty of menus show just “14”. Pick one style and use it everywhere.

Photos on a menu: fewer, better, real

A photo next to every item makes a menu look like a fast-food board. Most sit-down menus do better with three to six photos of signature dishes, which is what the Photo Grid and Diner Classic templates are built around. The Chalkboard template works with no photos at all.

Whatever you show, show the real dish. If the photo on the menu is a plate the kitchen actually sends out, regulars trust it and new customers order it with confidence. That’s why there are no stock photos in this tool.

Printing your menu

Download the PDF and take it to any print shop, or print it at home on heavy letter-size paper. Ask for matte or silk paper, at least 100 lb text or 80 lb cover; glossy paper shows fingerprints and glare under restaurant lights. For a QR menu or your website, use the PNG; it’s sized for phones to zoom in on.