To translate a menu into English well, keep the Italian name of the dish and add a short English description below it, with the main ingredients. In Italy allergen information must be given in Italian anyway, and you can add it in English using the names from the EU regulation. Machine translation is fine as a draft, but the menu should always be checked by a native speaker.
Keep the Italian name, translate the description.
The names of traditional dishes are part of their charm, and translating them word for word makes them disappear. It’s better to keep the original name and add a line in English below it explaining what it is, with the main ingredients and how it’s cooked. A few examples:
- Trofie al pesto: short twisted pasta with basil pesto.
- Farinata: thin chickpea flatbread, baked in the oven.
- Cima alla genovese: stuffed breast of veal, served cold and sliced.
A short, concrete description helps more than an adjective: “homemade”, “slow-cooked” or “wood-fired” only say something if they are true.
The words that confuse.
- Coperto: translate it as cover charge, and show it clearly next to the prices: international guests may not know it.
- Antipasti: starters for British English speakers, appetizers for Americans.
- Entrée: best avoided. In American English it’s the main dish; in British English it can mean a small dish served before the main course, so the same menu would be read in two ways.
- Acqua naturale and frizzante: still water and sparkling water.
- Piatto del giorno: today’s special. Su richiesta: on request.
- Senza glutine: gluten-free, only if you can truly guarantee it.
Allergens, in two languages.
Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 requires mandatory food information to be in a language easily understood by consumers in the country, and states that it can also be given in several languages. In Italy, Legislative Decree 231/2017 requires allergen information to be in Italian: the English version is added, it doesn’t replace it. How to show allergens is explained in our guide to allergens on the menu.
For English, it’s best to use the same names as the EU regulation, so people with allergies recognise them straight away:
| No. | Italian | English (Regulation (EU) 1169/2011) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cereali contenenti glutine | Cereals containing gluten |
| 2 | Crostacei | Crustaceans |
| 3 | Uova | Eggs |
| 4 | Pesce | Fish |
| 5 | Arachidi | Peanuts |
| 6 | Soia | Soybeans |
| 7 | Latte | Milk |
| 8 | Frutta a guscio | Nuts |
| 9 | Sedano | Celery |
| 10 | Senape | Mustard |
| 11 | Semi di sesamo | Sesame seeds |
| 12 | Anidride solforosa e solfiti | Sulphur dioxide and sulphites |
| 13 | Lupini | Lupin |
| 14 | Molluschi | Molluscs |
Prices, portions and service.
- Prices by weight, such as fish: price per 100 g, with the weight clearly shown.
- Dishes for more than one person: for two people or minimum two people.
- Fixed-price menus: set menu, with a list of what’s included.
- The same prices in Italian and in English: a translated menu with different prices causes problems and distrust.
Why machine translation isn’t enough.
Machine translation is useful for a first draft, but it doesn’t know your dishes: it may translate names word for word that should stay in Italian, get an ingredient wrong or mix up portions. And a mistake about ingredients can be serious for someone with an allergy. Use the draft as a starting point, correct it with someone who knows the kitchen and have a native speaker read it. We also cover this in our guide to a multilingual website for tourists.
Your English menu on a digital menu.
With a digital menu, guests choose their language with one tap and find the same layout as the Italian version, with the same prices. When you change a dish you update it in every language at once, without reprinting anything. How it works is explained in our guide to digital menus with QR codes.
With Aleryc.
With Aleryc’s digital menu, languages are chosen together based on the guests you welcome most often, and each version is looked after as carefully as the Italian one. You know your dishes, ingredients and allergens: we organise them clearly in every language and always recommend a final check by a native speaker.
Sources.
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Article 15 and Annex II
- Normattiva: Italian Legislative Decree no. 231 of 15 December 2017, Article 19 (in Italian)
- Cambridge Dictionary: “entrée”
Sources checked on 27 October 2026. This guide is for information only: for questions about your business’s obligations, contact your trade association.