Sizes that read at the table
For the dish text, work between 9 and 11 points. Names a little larger or in bold; descriptions at most a point smaller. Go below that and, in dim light without glasses, the menu turns into an eye test.
Careful: the same number doesn’t give the same size in every font. What matters is the height of the lowercase letters (the “x-height”). That’s why Sobremesa, set in Cormorant Garamond, starts at 11.4 pt, while Editorial, set in Inter, reads just as well at 9 pt. And the Space Mono used by Ticket, which is very wide, works at 8.6.
Three more details:
- Generous line spacing, around 1.2–1.4 times the type size.
- Watch very thin strokes. High-contrast faces like the Bodoni in Milano are beautiful, but they need a decent size and good light.
- Light weights only for large headings. Text in a thin weight on cream paper disappears on a candlelit table.
One font for headings, another for the text
The classic formula: a font with personality for the venue’s name and the sections, and a very legible one for the dishes. Pairs work well when they contrast in one thing (serif with sans serif, a very heavy weight with a normal one) but share proportions.
Some of MenuDesign’s pairings:
| Design | Headings | Text | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brasserie | Playfair Display | Source Serif 4 | Classic grand café |
| Editorial | Instrument Serif | Inter | Magazine |
| Trattoria | Playfair Display | Josefin Sans | Italian home cooking |
| Poster | Anton | Archivo | Poster, tapas bar |
| Embers | Rye | Bitter | Steakhouse |
| Botanical | Gloock | Karla | Garden, plant-based |
The other option is a single family, playing with weights and italic: Manrope in Signature, Work Sans in Nordic, Inter Tight in Swiss or Bodoni Moda in Milano. It’s the safest way to make everything fit together.
Decorative fonts belong in short text only. The blackletter of Gazette (UnifrakturMaguntia) is perfect for a masthead and impossible in a two-line description. Handwritten fonts are the same: Notebook uses Gochi Hand and Kalam with the text at 10 pt so the notebook lettering stays readable.
Serif or sans serif for your venue
There are no rules, but there are conventions customers recognise:
| Venue | Usually works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fine dining, tasting menu | Classic serif or a very clean sans, one family and plenty of space | Sobremesa, Signature |
| Bistro, brasserie, pub, wine bar | Serifs with tradition | Brasserie, Bodega, Pub |
| Bar, tapas, burger joint | Heavy condensed headings with sans serif text | Poster |
| Café, brunch, healthy food | Friendly sans or a soft serif | Nordic, Botanical |
Figures for prices
Numbers are half the menu and deserve attention:
- Tabular figures: every digit takes the same width, so prices line up in a column (9.50 directly above 12.00). It’s what MenuDesign uses for prices by default, and it’s what lets Swiss align them to the right so strictly.
- Oldstyle figures: they rise and fall like lowercase letters and blend into the text. Sobremesa and Bodega use them for prices.
- One format across the whole menu: either 9.50 and 12.00, or 9.50 and 12.
Not every font includes these variants. If you choose a different font, check how the prices look before you print.
Italics and small capitals
- Italic for descriptions, quantities (“6 pieces”, “for 2”) or footnotes. Choose fonts with a true italic, not text slanted by software.
- Small capitals (capitals the size of lowercase letters) for section headings, appellations or wine producers. They feel classic without shouting; Bodega uses them for its section headings.
- No paragraphs in capitals. They’re hard to read. If a heading is in capitals, open up the letter spacing a little.
Accents and special characters
English menus borrow plenty of words: café, crème brûlée, jalapeño, rosé, purée, sautéed, Gewürztraminer, Côtes du Rhône. And if you translate the menu, you’ll need ç, ñ, ß, à or œ as well. Google Fonts with the Latin character set usually include them; the trouble starts with decorative fonts downloaded from random websites. If a character is missing, the computer swaps in another font and it shows straight away.
A quick test before you decide: type “Crème brûlée, jalapeño poppers, rosé — £12.50 / €14” and check that everything comes out in the same font.
Free fonts and licences
The Google Fonts FAQ says its fonts can be used in commercial projects, including print. Most are under the SIL Open Font License and some under Apache. Be careful with sites offering fonts “free for personal use”: a restaurant menu is commercial use.
Every font in MenuDesign is open source and built into the tool, so the PDF comes out the same on any computer.
Test before you print
Print a page at 100%, without “fit to page”, and read it at one of your tables, at arm’s length and under the light you serve in. Check that the 1 can’t be mistaken for a 7, or the 6 for an 8.
In MenuDesign, each of the 50 menu designs comes with a tested font pairing. If you want to change it, the Design panel lets you choose the heading and text fonts, and the Format panel sets the size automatically or by hand. Start in the editor.
Frequently asked questions
What font size should a menu use?
For the dish text, between 9 and 11 points on paper, depending on the font: typefaces with small lowercase letters, like many Garamonds, need the top of that range. Dish names a little larger or in bold. Print a test and read it under your venue's lighting.
How many fonts can I use on a menu?
Two at most: one for headings and one for the text. Or a single family, using its weights and italic to build the hierarchy.
Can I use Google Fonts on a printed menu?
Yes. Google says its fonts can be used in commercial projects, including print. Most are under the SIL Open Font License and some under Apache. What isn't allowed is selling the font on its own.
Is serif or sans serif better?
Both read well on paper if the size and contrast are right. The choice is more about the character of your venue: serifs tend to feel more classic and sans serifs more contemporary.