How to translate your menu for visitors
Translating a menu is not translating words: it is making sure a foreign guest understands what they will eat, how much they will pay and whether they can eat it. The rules below come from what works in Portuguese restaurants with many visitors — and from what Platerio does automatically when it imports a menu.
Updated October 2026
1. Choose languages for the guests you actually have
There is no single answer for the whole country. According to Statistics Portugal (INE), in 2024 the main foreign market was the United Kingdom in the Algarve (35.1% of non-resident nights), Germany in Madeira (24.1%), the United States in Greater Lisbon (15.9%) and the Azores (17.1%), and Spain in the North (18.0%), the Centre (24.5%) and the Alentejo (16.0%).
English nearly always works as the second language. The third depends on the region: Spanish in the North, Centre and Alentejo; French where many guests come from France. See your city’s page: Lisbon, Porto, Algarve, Madeira.
2. Keep the dish name and explain it
Visitors look for “francesinha”, “bacalhau”, “pastel de nata” — that is what they read in the guidebook or were told to try. Translating the name breaks that link and produces confusing translations (“Little French girl”). What works is the original name followed by one line in the guest’s language: what it is, what is in it, how it comes.
Examples: francesinha, bacalhau à Brás, cataplana. Each dish page has this line in English, Spanish and French.
3. Say what the price includes
- Full and half portions: write “half portion”, “media ración”, “demi-portion”.
- Price per kilo or per 100 g, and how it is weighed.
- How many people a dish serves (seafood rice, cataplana, cozido).
- Whether the couvert (bread, butter, olives) is charged and how much, to avoid surprises on the bill.
4. Translate the allergens too
A guest with an allergy needs to understand the allergens in their own language — that is why the law asks for an “easily understood” medium. Use the official names of the 14 allergens in each language and do not rely on machine translation without checking. See the allergen guide.
5. Review before publishing
Machine translation helps, but it gets dish names, regional terms and quantities wrong. In Platerio everything the AI translates and explains stays a proposal: the owner reviews, corrects and only then publishes. And the menu can be updated at any time, without reprinting.
Frequently asked questions
Which languages should a restaurant menu in Portugal have?
Portuguese and English in most cases; the third language depends on the region — Spanish in the North, Centre and Alentejo (INE, 2024), French where many guests come from France.
Should I translate the names of Portuguese dishes?
No. Keep the original name and add a short explanation in the guest’s language.
Can I use Google Translate for my menu?
It can be a starting point, but always review: dish names, quantities and allergens are where machine translation goes wrong most.