Seafood restaurant menu

Usual sections

1. Oysters and raw bar: oysters, tartares, ceviche.
2. Shellfish: prawns, langoustines, crab, lobster.
3. Molluscs: mussels, clams, scallops, razor clams.
4. Starters: calamari, crab cakes, fish soup, salads.
5. Fish: of the day, grilled, baked whole, fish and chips.
6. Rice and pasta: paella, linguine with clams.
7. Desserts.

Price per kilo, per 100 g or per piece

A seafood restaurant uses several ways of pricing side by side. Choose the clearest one for each item and always write it the same way:

Two tips that avoid surprises:

• Give a guide weight: “Portion approx. 250 g” or “Each 600–800 g”.
• Give the weight before cooking. Have your staff tell the guest, or show the fish or lobster at the table.

Market price

“MP” or “Market price” is useful for the fish of the day or shellfish whose price varies a lot, but it can’t be an excuse not to tell the guest. They need to know the price before they order:

• A board with the day’s prices, where guests can see it.
• Or staff who say it when taking the order.

Add a note at the foot: “MP: market price. Please ask for today’s price.” And don’t overdo it: if half the menu is at market price, guests become suspicious.

Rice and pasta dishes

• Price per person with a minimum number of people: “Per person, min. 2”.
• A guide waiting time: “approx. 25 min”.
• If the stock is made from shellfish, mark it in the allergens even if there isn’t a prawn in sight.

Allergens: crustaceans and molluscs are separate

• Crustaceans: prawns, langoustines, crab, lobster, crayfish, shrimp.
• Molluscs: clams, mussels, oysters, razor clams, cockles, scallops, octopus, squid, cuttlefish.
• Fish: in stocks and fumets too.
• Sulphites: used as a preservative on some crustaceans, especially frozen or cooked prawns; check your supplier’s label.

A seafood paella can contain crustaceans, molluscs, fish and sulphites all at once. Mark them all, checking each recipe and each supplier label.

Oysters and other shellfish served raw carry a higher food safety risk: buy them from approved, traceable suppliers. In the US, most states follow the FDA Food Code, which asks for a consumer advisory on the menu next to raw or undercooked items, raw oysters included.

Platters and sharing dishes

Seafood platters for two or more need three clear facts: how many people they serve, what’s on them (with approximate pieces or grams of each item) and the total price or the price per person. “Seafood platter for 2: 300 g prawns, 4 langoustines, half a lobster, 6 oysters… 85” needs no questions. If the contents vary with the market, say so and have your staff go through them before the guest orders.

Design

• Mariner, the template’s style, with the feel of a harbour.
• Azulejo, Mediterranean, for coastal cooking and paella.
• Beach Bar, more relaxed, for terraces and the beach.
• Market, like a fish-market chalkboard, for a seafood bar.

In tourist areas, a bilingual menu (a second language under each dish) saves a lot of explaining in the dining room.

Make it in MenuDesign

Open the seafood menu template or take a photo of your current menu. Prices accept free text (“9.50 / 100 g”, “68/kg”, “MP”), so you can write them exactly as you want them to appear. Mark the allergens, choose a format and download the PDF. Free, no account needed.