Free bilingual menu maker

How to make an English and Spanish menu in six steps

1. Add your business details. Type your business name and a tagline in both languages. You can add a PNG or JPG logo, which is resized on your device.
2. Build your sections. Press Add section and pick a preset such as Starters / Entradas, or type your own. A note line, like "Served with rice and beans", is optional.
3. Add your items. Press Add item and type the name and description in both languages, a price, and an optional tag such as V or GF. Paste a list adds many at once from lines like Name / Nombre / price.
4. Pick a layout and a language mode. Choose one of six layouts, a paper size and an accent color. Then decide how the two languages appear: stacked, on one line, or one page each.
5. Download your print PDF. Check the preview, then press Download print PDF. If a print shop wants bleed and crop marks, turn them on first.
6. Add a QR code and save your file. Make a QR menu for guests' phones and press Download QR sign (PDF). Then press Save menu file, so you can edit the menu later.

What this free menu maker does

This free restaurant menu maker is for owners who serve guests in English and Spanish. You type your menu, choose a printable menu template, and download a PDF. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.

You can have up to 12 sections, 30 items in each section and 120 items in all. To see how it works first, press Load the sample menu.

Nothing is stored in the browser or on a server. Press Save menu file to download a small file, and open it again with Open a menu file. Closing the tab without saving loses the menu, so keep that file like any document.

Making a bilingual menu that reads well

You type the English and the Spanish side by side. The tool never translates, so it cannot invent a wrong dish name or allergen word. It also never fills gaps: it counts how many items have text in only one language, so you can see what is left.

Keep the items in the same order in both languages, so a guest can switch without getting lost. Put the two names close together, with the description below, or give each language its own page.

Plan for longer Spanish. It usually runs 15 to 25 percent longer than English. Lines wrap and the layout reflows, so nothing overflows, but shorter descriptions give you a calmer page.

Language modes: both stacked (English first, Spanish in italics beneath), both on one name line ("English / Español"), a page in English then a page in Spanish, English only, or Spanish only. If an item has no text in the chosen language, the other language shows instead of a blank.

Layouts, sizes and prices

There are six layouts. Classic is serif with centered headings and dotted leaders. Modern is sans-serif, left-aligned, with accent rules. Bistro has a colored header band. Chalkboard is a dark page with light text. Minimal is a quiet, narrow single column. Banner uses colored section bars. The font can stay automatic, or be always sans-serif or serif.

The accent color is your choice. The tool darkens or lightens it only where needed so text stays readable.

There are four sizes. Letter (8.5 x 11 in) suits a table menu. Half-letter (5.5 x 8.5 in) is easy to hold. Board (11 x 17 in) works for a wall or counter. Take-out (4.25 x 11 in) is a narrow flyer.

The layout engine picks the columns and the largest type size that fits one page, balances the columns, and keeps each heading with the first item below it. Descriptions are never set under 8 points. If the menu is too long, it adds pages and says so.

Prices are typed as text. A plain number gets your currency symbol ($, € or £, or none) and tidy decimals. Text such as "Market price" prints as typed, and "9 / 12" prints as "$9 / $12". The tool never changes a value.

Printing at home or at a print shop

The PDF is a vector file with real, selectable text, and ñ á é í ó ú ü ¿ ¡ all work. Download print PDF gives the clean file, with true black text. Download proof PDF adds guide lines: blue for the trim edge, green for the quarter-inch safe line and orange dotted for the bleed edge. Text always stays at least a quarter inch inside the trim.

You can add 1/8 inch of bleed on every side, which makes the page 1/4 inch larger, and crop marks that start 1/8 inch outside the trim. Dark layouts run their color to the edge only when bleed is on. Otherwise a white border surrounds the dark panel, because office printers cannot print to the edge.

• At home, print at 100 percent or "actual size". Never choose "fit to page".
• Use heavier paper, print one proof first, and check it in daylight.
• At a print shop, ask whether they want bleed and crop marks. Send the print PDF, not the proof, and ask for a proof.

An optional small "Made with Forge Tools" credit line is available. It is off by default.

Adding a QR menu

A QR menu lets guests open your menu on their phones. The whole menu is packed into the link: shortened, compressed and written after the # sign. The part after # is never sent to a server. The visitor's phone reads it. The page opens on this site with an English / Spanish toggle, and has no sign-up or ads.

The menu text is inside the code, so changing the menu means printing a new code. There is no live updating and no scan counts. The code works as long as that page exists on this site. If the tool is removed, the code stops opening a menu.

A code holds about 2,950 characters at most, and a meter shows how full your link is. A 40-item menu with names and prices usually fits, at about 1,100 characters. A long bilingual menu with descriptions will not fit. The "names and prices only" switch leaves descriptions out and makes the code much smaller. If a code cannot exist, the tool refuses and says how many characters to cut.

A dense code needs a bigger print. The tool shows the smallest printed width: never under 2 cm (about 0.8 in), roughly one tenth of the scan distance, with tiny squares of at least about 0.4 mm. Keep a quiet border around it, and keep it off folds and glossy glare. Always test the printed code with two different phones.

Download the QR as PNG or SVG, or press Download QR sign (PDF) for a letter-size sign that reads "Scan for our menu / Escanee para ver el menú".

Common menu terms in English and Spanish

Here is a short glossary, with Mexican and US Spanish first.

• gluten-free: sin gluten
• vegetarian: vegetariano
• vegan: vegano
• house-made: hecho en casa
• market price: precio según mercado
• served with: servido con
• side dish: guarnición
• spicy: picante
• daily special: especial del día
• to share: para compartir
• grilled: a la parrilla
• fried: frito
• baked: al horno
• raw: crudo
• steamed: al vapor
• smoked: ahumado
• mild: suave
• extra: extra
• fresh: fresco
• refill drink: refill de bebida
• with cheese: con queso
• without onion: sin cebolla
• kids' menu: menú infantil
• desserts: postres

These are suggestions. Check them with a Spanish speaker, because regional words differ: "menú" is common in Latin America, "carta" in Spain.

Privacy, allergens and what to check

The PDF and QR code are made on your device. There is no hosted live menu, no auto-translation, no stock photos, no POS sync and no analytics.

The tool does not know what is in a dish. Tags such as V or GF, and any allergy note, are only what you type. Check your local food-labeling and health-department rules, and ask staff to confirm ingredients with guests who have allergies.

Before you print, read the menu once in each language and check every price, spelling and accent.

Frequently asked questions