How many languages should a restaurant menu have?

Start with your own language and English, then add the languages of your largest groups of visitors. Three or four is a good start; with a digital menu you can add more later in minutes.

Should I translate the names of local dishes?

Usually not. Keep the local name and add a short explanation of what the dish is and what is in it. The name is part of the experience.

Can I use machine translation for my menu?

Yes, as a first version. Then have someone who speaks the language read it once, and check local dish names, cooking methods and portions.

Should prices be shown in the guest’s currency?

Keep the price in your own currency. If you show the amount in the guest’s currency, mark it clearly as approximate.

Do allergens have to be translated?

They must be correct in every language your menu is published in. On a digital menu, allergen labels can be shown in the guest’s language automatically.

Menus for Tourists: Which Languages to Offer and How to Translate Dishes

The short answer

Offer English first, then the languages of your largest groups of visitors, which you can read from your own bookings, reviews and staff. Keep local dish names and explain them rather than translating them word for word. Make sure prices and allergens are identical in every language. A digital menu lets you add a language in minutes and opens it in each guest's own language.

Why it matters

A guest who cannot read the menu orders less, orders the one dish they recognise, or waits for a member of staff to explain. In a busy service that is time your team does not have. A visitor who reads the dish in their own language, with its ingredients and allergens, orders with confidence, and often orders more.

Which languages to offer

There is no single list for every place. Decide from your own guests:

Start with English. Most visitors to Europe can read it, whatever their own language.
Look at your bookings and reviews. Booking platforms and review sites show where guests come from, and reviews are written in their language.
Ask your staff. They know which tables struggle with the menu.
Think about the season. Summer visitors on the coast may not be the same as winter visitors in the city.
Add, do not guess. With a digital menu, adding a language later takes minutes, so start with three or four and add more when you see the need.

How to translate dish names

Machine translation is fast, but presenting a dish is more than translating it. When you check a translation, look at four things:

Keep local names and explain them. "Pastizzi", "halloumi", "boerenkool" or "colcannon" should keep their names, with a line underneath: what it is, what is in it.
Say how it is cooked. Grilled, baked, fried or raw is often the first thing a visitor looks for.
Avoid words that do not travel. A pun, a family nickname for a dish or a local joke rarely survives translation. Describe the dish instead.
Keep portions clear. "For two", "small plate" or "per 100 g" should read the same in every language.

Prices and allergens in every language

The two things that must never differ between languages are the price and the allergens. A translated menu kept by hand, as separate files, sooner or later shows an old price in one language, or misses an allergen added to the recipe last week.

Keep your prices in your own currency. If you like, show an approximate amount in the guest's currency next to it, clearly marked as approximate. For allergens, the EU's 14 allergens have to be correct in every version of the menu.

One menu, every language

The simplest set-up is one QR code on the table that opens the menu in the language of the guest's phone, with a language switcher inside the menu. Guests do not have to find the right code, and you print nothing per language.

Multilingual menus with QRestAI

On QRestAI, you build your menu once and add languages. AI translates categories, dishes, descriptions and options in one go; you read it through and correct any dish by hand, and your corrections are kept when you add new dishes later. Prices, stock and allergens stay the same in every language, the menu opens in the language of each guest's phone, and 12 languages are available, Arabic reading from right to left.

You can try QRestAI free for 14 days with no card required.