Menu Management

51 Restaurant Menu Design Examples

By Dana Krook

A menu etched into a log of wood

Your menu is more than a simple list of the items your restaurant has to offer. Using a menu management system to carefully plan your restaurant menu design can improve everything from your brand identity to your customer’s experience and your profits. In fact, good restaurant menu design can increase your profits by 10–15%.

In this article, we cover everything you need to know about menu design, including:

  • The key ingredients of a well-designed food menu
  • 5 online tools for on-brand menu design and logo design
  • 51 examples of great restaurant menu design

Ingredients of Good Menu Design

Creative restaurant menu design is a recipe for success and, just like the menu itself, should always be changing. So, we’ve put together a list of ingredients to make sure you achieve the best possible results whenever you’re ready for a refresh. As you sit down to plan out your menu design, consider each of the following: 

  • Placement and categories: You’ll want to keep your cost and sales data close at hand as you lay out your items into four quadrants (listed below), strategically drawing attention to items that are highly profitable but may not be as popular.
    • Profitable x Popular 
    • Profitable x Not popular
    • Not profitable x Popular
    • Not profitable x Not popular  
  • Limited choices: For each menu category, the magic number is 7. Decision fatigue is a real thing – especially when it comes to food. Too many options can be overwhelming and make people want to stick to what they know. 
  • The golden triangle: Speaking of strategy, make sure to include your high-margin items in the area known as the golden triangle. So where exactly is the golden triangle? According to restaurant consultant Aaron Allen, it starts at the center of the page and then works its way up to the top right corner and across to the top left.
A restaurant menu design example with an image of the Golden Triangle.
  • Color theory: Have you ever been driving along the expressway and looked around at a sea of red and yellow fast food chain signs? It’s hardly a coincidence. The psychological impact of color on our appetites dates way back to our early ancestors who deemed certains foods safe or unsafe to eat based on their color. 
  • High-margin items: Aside from highlighting these within the golden triangle, consider choosing fonts and colors that will attract the guest’s eye. 
  • Photos: When it comes to selecting food photos for your menu, follow these two rules religiously: less is more and quality over quantity.  
  • Menu modifiers: Without venturing into too much choice territory, consider the power of suggestion when it comes to including a couple of menu modifiers directly on your menu. 
  • Cross-selling: Whether it be as classy as a wine or beer pairing suggestion under each high-margin item, or as simple as pairing soups and salads under the same header, cross-selling is real. 
  • Accessibility: Have fun with your design, but make sure it remains readable and uncluttered. Bright fonts on a bright background, or menu descriptions being too small to read will have the same overwhelming effect as an overabundance of options. 
  • Platform: As you plan out your menu design, consider how it would work across your restaurant’s digital platforms, like your website and even social media. If it isn’t likely to translate, you’ll want to include a line item in your budget for digital menu design as well. 

For a more in-depth dive into each of these ingredients, check out:

5 Online Tools for DIY Restaurant Menu Design 

If paying a professional designer to refresh your food menu isn’t in your budget at the moment, there are a number of online services you can turn to for easy-to-customize restaurant menu design templates. Many of these programs can also help with logo design as well.

  • MustHaveMenus: A one-stop shop for restaurant design and marketing, MustHaveMenus has the world’s largest collection of menu templates with over 7,000 designs to choose from. They make it easy to customize, print and share your menus online.
  • Adobe Spark: Unlike many other Adobe products, you don’t need any design or programming skills to use Spark and build a beautiful menu in line with your brand identity. 
  • iMenu Pro: This program has only one focus and it’s menus, so the tools and graphics included are designed with restaurateurs in mind.
  • Poster My Wall: Hundreds of templates, free downloads, and no design skills required!   
  • Flipsnack: This one is a little different because it focuses on digital menu design. If you’re looking to pretty-up your online menu, this tool is great! 
Restaurant Menu Templates
18 Free Restaurant Menu Templates

Creating an eye-catching restaurant menu has never been easier thanks to these free restaurant menu templates.

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51 Restaurant Menu Examples

We’ve put together a list of 51 menu card examples to serve as a bit of restaurant menu design inspiration, including the original image source and what exactly is so good about each one.

By the time you reach the end, you should be fully equipped to design a menu that elevates your brand, increases your profits, and ties into your brand identity in a way that stands out and gives your guests something to talk about in-person and on social media.

1. Quo Vadis – London, UK

A black and white breakfast menu with an old timey feel
Quo Vadis

The individual square boxes on this menu allow for highlighting high margin items and make the choices easy to navigate. Simple yet effective.

2. Michi Ramen – Austin, Texas

A menu with pictures of ramen
Michi Ramen

Simple illustrations on this menu make the dishes pop off the page. 

3. Kittyhawk Cocktail Bar – Sydney, Australia 

A menu with an illustration of a plane
Under Consideration – Kittyhawk Cocktail Bar. Designed by Gemma Warriner.

Concept-based menu design can help bring your backstory to life for customers. 

4. The Sinclair – Cambridge, Massachusetts

A narrow long menu surrounded with hardware tools
Under Consideration – Sinclair. Designed by Oat Creative.

An image isn’t always required. Sometimes it’s all about being clean, elegant, and easy to navigate.

5. The Dead Rabbit – New York City, New York

A menu with a comic book feel
Static 1 Square Space

This one gets people talking. The cocktail menu reads like a graphic novel and tells the story behind each drink item listed. 

6. Smoke & Duck Sauce – Atlanta, Georgia

A menu that can be folder into a paper crane
Vigor Branding

You know the types who fidget with their beer labels or tear up their coasters? They’ll love these menus designed to be folded up into little origami cranes. 

7. Eleven Madison Park – New York City, New York

A very simple menu with just the dish title

Under Consideration – Eleven Madison Park. Designed by Juliette Cezzar.

Here we’ve got minimal design, placed in a grid. When it comes to less is more, this menu design takes the cake. 

8. The Fat Cow Japanese Steakhouse – Singapore 

A minimal menu surrounded by wooden blocks
BPANDO – Designed by Foreign Policy

This menu was printed using wooden blocks made to resemble the branding of cows, which speaks to the restaurant’s Japanese style of “Wabi Sabi” beef. 

9. 13 Wives Cocktail Bar – Singapore 

A menu designed to look like a journal entry
Under Consideration – 13 Wives. Designed by Foreign Policy.

This cocktail menu is meant to feel like you’re reading the cocktail mixer’s personal little black book of ideas. 

10. Arthur’s Nosh Bar – Montreal, Canada

A minimal black and white menu
Arthurs MTL

This food menu is simple, fits on one page, and uses an easy to read, black on white typeface.

11. Smith – Toronto, Canada

A menu with old timey illustrations of food
Fab AwardsDesigned by Tracy Ma.

Made to look like a newspaper, this menu offers simple text and black and white images of the seasonally-changing food items on offer.

12. Zapiain – Astigarraga, Spain

A menu engraved on a wooden block
Grabo Laser

When your focus is on wine, your taco list can be short and to the point. This food menu, designed by Grabo Laser, was etched into a wood block which can easily be left on tables. 

13. Ninebark – Napa Valley, California

A menu with an herb tucked at the top
Avroko

Fresh herbs are part of Ninebark’s brand, so they decided to feature them front and center on their menus. 

14. Toko – Dubai, UAE

Extremely colorful restaurant branded items such as menus, dishes, and takeout boxes
Behance – Toko Downtown Dubai. Designed by Brighthead Studio.

With all the minimalism and black and white type in the world these days, it’s refreshing that this Dubai-based Japanese restaurant brand went colorful with its unique marbled menu design.

15. Cafe Vera – Zaragoza, Spain 

A menu on a wooden slate
Under Consideration – Vera. Designed by El Calotipo.

The tactile feeling of holding this solid wood plank menu in your hands immediately elevates the quality of the restaurant brand in your mind.

16. Cellarmaker Brewing Co. – San Francisco, California 

A beer list that resembles a bingo playing card
Pinterest. Designed by Gamut.

Not only is this vintage cellar inspired menu beautiful to look at, it serves as a bit of a bingo game for beer tastings. 

17. Hula de Hawaii – Monterrey, Mexico 

A simple menu with pink accents
Under Consideration – Hula de Hawaii. Designed by Parametro Studio.

When your menu is inspired by all things Hawaii, it makes sense to design it with that in mind. There may even be some strategic color theory work happening behind the scenes.

18. Chick-a-Biddy, Atlanta, Georgia

A light brown menu with yellow accents
Under Consideration – Chick-A-Biddy. Designed by Tad Carpenter.

Yellow is the happiest color. No really. It’s been shown to trigger the release of serotonin in our brains, which in turn stimulates our appetites.

19. Fieldwork Brewing – Berkeley, California (multiple locations)

A two ring rolodex menu
Under Consideration – Fieldwork Brewing Co. Designed by Gamut.

This craft brewery got a little crafty with their two-ring rolodex-style menu, which allows them to add and remove items as their taps change and rotate.

20. Nudo – Spokane, Washington 

A pop-art inspired menu
Nudo Ramen. Designed by Jesse Scheller.

Make your pop art really pop by contrasting it against neat and tidy columns. 

21. Admiral Maltings – Alameda, California

A menu with a chart for beer information
Gamut – Admiral Maltings

This California brewery’s menu doubles as a chart that lists the flavour profiles and ingredients of their beers. 

22. One Night Only – Singapore

A menu that looks like notes inside a vintage binder
Behance. Designed by Foreign Policy

Themed around the idea of ephemera and the transient nature of old Americana road trips, this restaurant designed their menu to fit their vibe.

23. Fade Street Gastro Bar – Dublin, Ireland

A menu overcrowded with illustrations
Steve Simpson

Keeping the actual menu clean and simple is good for your bottom line. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun and get a little loud with your cover design.

24. Mr. Brown – Barcelona, Spain

Menus hung on the wall form the word "Mr. Brown"
Jerome & Zimmerman

This restaurant menu was designed to be part of the decor when it’s not in use. 

25. The Clifford Pier – Singapore 

A simple menu with a tropical vibe
Under Consideration  – Clifford Pier. Designed by Foreign Policy

The designers behind this menu know the value of a strong first impression. 

26. La Banane – Toronto, Canada

A menu that looks like it was created on a typewriter
La Banane 

This single page, black and white design is so classy it hurts. 

27. Parson’s Chicken & Fish – Chicago, Illinois

A busy menu with red borders.
Thrillist

Has all that red and yellow made you hungry for some fried chicken yet?  

28. Biderman’s Deli – Austin, Texas

A simple black and white menu
Biderman’s Deli

This deli serves up breakfast staples, so they’ve kept their menu as simple and straightforward as the contents. 

29. La Cubana – Toronto, Canada

A menu with a red border and red text
La Cubana

Limited choices, simple design, doubles as a placemat. This Toronto-based, Cuban-inspired joint is covering all their menu design bases.

30. Kuro Sushi – Poznań, Poland

A black menu that looks like a maki roll when rolled up
Under Consideration – Kuro. Designed by Artentiko.

These food menus come rolled just like your maki! 

31. Black Bean Deli – Orlando, Florida

A simple black and white menu
Black Bean Deli

 This Orlando-based Cuban joint keeps it easy to read on their behind-the-counter menu board. 

32. Bar Raval – Toronto, Canada

A menu with dishes/drinks on the left side and graphics on the right
Taylor Fladgate WordPress

This Spanish tapas joint is known for its extensive wine list, so they’ve designed a menu that highlights this focus.

33. The Golden Girl Rum Club – Springfield, Missouri 

A menu with fun illustrations for each dish
Under Consideration – The Golden Girl Rum Club. Designed by Frank Norton.

This menu is as fun and quirky as the cocktails within it, an individual image for each of The Golden Girl’s signature cocktails. 

34. Hiding in Plain Sight – Amsterdam, Netherlands

A menu that looks like a vintage book
Under Consideration – Hiding in Plain Sight. Designed by Moulsari Jain.

When stashed on a bookshelf, this menu really lives up to the restaurant’s name. 

35. The Noble Experiment – San Diego, California

A menu with old english lettering
Under Consideration – Noble Experiment. Designed by Dane Danner.

When it comes to noble experiments, these San Diegans got it right with a gold embossed textured menu.

36. Hero – Paris, France

A menu with red text and red lines
Under Consideration – Hero. Designed by Safari Sundays and No Vacancy 

Clean and clear design allows this restaurant to get away with a more complicated layout.

37. Evo Vegetarian – Portland, Maine

A menu with a dedicated page for each section
Under Consideration – Evo. Designed by Might & Main.

Clean, clear, and classic menu design.

38. So9 – Melbourne, Australia 

A simple black and white menu laid out in a grid
Under Consideration – So9. Designed by BrandWorks.

By breaking items down into different categories, you have the opportunity to suggest pairings with items in different boxes, which will boost your sales.

39. MataMata – Paris, France 

A simple black and white menu with the dishes laid out in columns
Under Consideration – MataMata. Designed by Content Design Lab.

This grid makes the golden triangle easy to execute. 

40. Gaslamp Social Provisions – Spokane, Washington

A menu with an illustration of an elephant
Under Consideration –Gaslamp Social Provisions. Designed by Jesse Scheller.

Simple illustrations that fit your restaurant’s theme can go a long way toward tying your brand identity together – especially when you carry that theme across your social media profiles as well.

41. Alamo – Zaragoza,  Spain 

A menu engraved on a piece of log
Under Consideration – Alamo. Designed by Noem9 Studio.

If you have the resources, make like a tree and leave a lasting impression on your guests with menus printed directly onto a slice of a tree trunk.

42. Catch and Release – L.A., California

A menu with illustrations of fish
Under Consideration – Catch and Release. Designed by Farm Design.

The Catch and Release menu highlights their specialty, with a fish index card to help guide guests.

43. Clerigo Tapas Bar – Porto, Portugal 

A simple black and white menu
Under Consideration – Clerigos. Designed by White Studio.

The golden triangle is being used to perfection here.

44. Savio Volpe – Vancouver, Canada

A menu in a simple book format
Under Construction – Savio Volpe. Designed by Glasfurd & Walker.

Some menus tell a story. This one illustrates the adventures of a clever fox, the namesake of the restaurant.

45. El Vez Burrito – New York City, New York

A neon green menu
Under Consideration – El Vez Burrito Bar.Designed by Roberto DeVicq.

Burritos are fun and so are this restaurant brand’s logo design and menu. 

46. Flamingo – Hegyeshalom, Hungary

A menu on a wooden clipboard
Under Consideration – Flamingo. Designed by Akos Sarkadi-Toth.

For menus that change regularly, include a permanent piece like this wood board with binder clips, and print off new menus when needed. 

47. Real Sports Bar – Toronto, Canada

A menu with bold typography choices
Under Consideration – Real Sports Bar and Grill. Designed by Jar Head Designs.

At first glance, it may seem like there are too many choices on this menu, but the strategically placed categories and carefully selected fonts and bolding make it easy for guests to navigate and pleasing to the eye. 

48. Coldwater Creek – Wollongong, Australia 

A menu divided up into boxes with red and white stripes in the background
Under Consideration – Coldwater Creek. Designed by The National Grid.

This menu design ticks off a lot of boxes: color theory, strategic categories, limited choices, and eye-popping design.

49. La Principal – Bogota, Colombia

A menu with an ample amount of food photography
Under Consideration – La Principal. Designed by Arutza Rico Onzaga.

Food photography done right. 

50. C. Senor – Dallas, Texas

A fun colorful playful menu
Under Construction – C. Senor. Designed by Hungry Studio.

This list wouldn’t be complete without at least one example of a food truck menu. The simple design of this menu board uses the right mix of colour and eye-catching fonts.

51. Batinse – Quebec City, Canada

A simple black and white menu with a big logo in the middle
Under Consideration – Batinse. Designed by Deux et Quatre.

Another example of golden triangle perfection paired with excellent logo design.


Whether you’re just starting out or considering a rebrand, a well-thought-out restaurant menu design can go a long way to improving your bottom line. Working within the parameters listed at the top of this page will ensure your success – whether you’re jumping on a new design trend, or sticking with a tried and true classic look. 

For more tips and tricks to achieving the ultimate restaurant menu design, check out:

Cover of the Ultimate Guide to Menu Design
Your Guide to Menu Design and Creation

Strategic menu design has been proven to grow profits by 15%.

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Photo of Dana Krook
by Dana Krook

Dana is the former Content Marketing Manager at TouchBistro, sharing tips for and stories of restaurateurs turning their passion into success. She loves homemade hot sauce, deep fried pickles and finding excuses to consume real maple syrup.

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