What size are menus?

Most restaurant menus in the UK are A4 (210 × 297 mm), either a single card or folded from A3. Cafes often use A5 (148 × 210 mm), and drinks, dessert and wedding menus suit the slim DL size (99 × 210 mm). The right size is the smallest that fits every dish in type readable in dim light.

What size are restaurant menus?

There is no legal or official menu size, but a handful of paper sizes cover nearly every menu you will see:

What size menu do I need?

Write the menu first, then pick the size. Count the dishes, set them in a clear font at a size you can read at arm’s length in the lighting you actually have, and see what fits. Squeezing a long menu onto A5 forces small type, and customers in a candlelit room will not thank you for it. Some quick rules:

• Up to about 15 dishes: a single A4 or A5 card, one side or two.
• A full menu with sections: a folded menu. One crease gives four pages; a Z or roll crease gives six.
• A separate drinks or dessert list: DL, so it stands apart from the main menu.
• Prices that change often: keep them off the printed menu and on a board or a swappable insert.

What size are wedding menus?

Wedding menus are usually DL (99 × 210 mm) when there is one at each place, laid on the napkin or plate. A5 (148 × 210 mm) is common when there is one menu per table, or when the menu also lists the evening food or the order of the day. Our wedding menus come in both sizes on eight card types, from smooth white and silk to kraft and textured, front only or both sides.

Do I need menus at my wedding?

You do not have to have them, but guests like knowing what is coming, and menus cut down on questions to the caterers. One per guest looks generous and doubles as a keepsake; one or two per table does the job for less. For a buffet, a single menu or a sign at the start of the buffet is enough, with dishes labelled on the table. Whatever you choose, make sure guests with allergies know who to ask: the caterer is responsible for allergen information, and the Food Standards Agency explains the rules.

Do menus need calories?

Only for larger businesses. In England, the Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) Regulations 2021 require businesses with 250 or more employees to show calories on menus and labels for food and soft drinks prepared for customers. Smaller restaurants, cafes and takeaways do not have to, though they can choose to. GOV.UK has the calorie labelling guidance. Allergen information is a separate duty that applies to every food business.

What should a menu be printed on?

Choose by how hard a life the menu will have.

Lamination means a sticky menu can be wiped clean instead of reprinted. Matt lamination cuts glare under restaurant lights; gloss makes food photos richer.

Setting up menu artwork

• Add 3 mm of bleed on every edge and keep text at least 3 mm inside the trim. See bleed and safe area.
• For a folded menu, supply the artwork as a flat sheet with the panels in the order the crease needs.
• Use photos at 300 dpi at the printed size.
• Read every price and allergen note aloud before you send it. What you send is what gets printed.

Upload a print-ready file or add design help at checkout; typesetting a menu into a clean layout is one of the fixed-price artwork options. Prices for each size, paper and quantity are shown live on the product pages. For the rest of a cafe’s print, see cafe and restaurant signage.

Quick answers

What is the standard menu size? A4 (210 × 297 mm) for a main menu; A5 for cafes; DL for drinks and desserts.

What size are wedding menus usually? DL (99 × 210 mm) for one per place, A5 for one per table.

Do small restaurants have to show calories? No. In England it applies to businesses with 250 or more employees.

Should menus be laminated? For table menus that get handled, yes. For a one-off event, it is optional.