Multilingual Menus for Barcelona Restaurants: Use Local Dish Information Cards to Explain What a Portion Includes

Barcelona restaurants preparing multilingual menus can start by answering “What exactly is this portion?” rather than adding more languages. Keep the local dish name, followed by a clear description of the main ingredients, preparation, unit of sale, and what the price includes. Guests can then distinguish an individual portion from a sharing portion and separately ordered accompaniments, while staff answer specific questions.

Give people unfamiliar with the dish an information card

Use the fields below to organize information in-house. Fill them in with details about dishes that your restaurant has confirmed before preparing customer-facing descriptions. This is not a translation review record; it is a factual source to help guests understand the dishes.

• Local dish name: ____; a one-sentence description guests can understand: ____.
• Main ingredients and preparation: ____; whether it contains bones, shells, or other features that may affect a guest’s choice: ____.
• Unit of sale: ____; the portion size, volume, or number of pieces covered by that price: ____.
• Included in the price: ____; items to order separately or pay extra for: ____; available sizes or options: ____.
• Size shown in the photo: ____; serving times or daily variations: ____; person responsible for explaining it: ____.

You can’t tell whether a dish is an individual portion, for sharing, or part of a set meal from its name alone

The same dish name can refer to different recipes and portion sizes at different restaurants, so descriptions should be based on your own dishes, not copied from online recipes. A serving suggestion can help guests choose, but it cannot guarantee that the portion will suit everyone’s appetite. If there are different sizes, list each unit and price together. If a photo shows a drink or side dish that must be ordered separately, make that clear before the guest chooses.

Use the card to help front-of-house staff answer four questions: What will be served? How much does this price buy? What else needs to be selected? What costs extra? If something is unclear, first fill in the missing facts in the source description; don’t let the translation guess at a complete combination.

Let language convey the facts, not make choices for guests

Choose which languages to offer based on everyday inquiries and your capacity to review translations on an ongoing basis. Let guests choose their language rather than inferring it from their nationality or appearance. Have someone who knows the dishes and the target language check the dish names, descriptions, portion sizes, and included items. When the source text changes to reflect a new recipe, size, or accompaniment, update the relevant translations and staff explanations too. You can keep distinctive local dish names and explain them in short, accurate sentences; there’s no need to add a long description to every dish.

Dietary requirements need to be checked against the recipe and kitchen practices

AESAN explains that verbal allergen information provided by food service establishments must be supported by written or electronic information that customers can consult. An ingredient description on a dish information card does not replace complete ingredient information and cannot establish that there is no risk of cross-contact. If a guest mentions an allergy or another dietary requirement, have the responsible staff member check the recipe and preparation conditions first. If these cannot be confirmed, say so clearly; do not use a photo, icon, or translation to make a safety guarantee.

Connect the information to the actual ordering process

At restaurants where guests can only browse the menu on their phones, staff take the order. At restaurants that offer QR code ordering, clarify who takes over after the order is submitted. Opening the menu does not mean an order has been placed. When a phone order is handed over to a staff member, check for any existing records first. Paper menus and in-person explanations should remain available; online menus and ordering require an internet connection.

Before opening, view the dish cards from a guest’s perspective and check that portion sizes and separately sold items are placed close to the prices. At closing, note which details guests repeatedly ask about—for example, an unclear unit or a mistaken assumption that a drink is included—and update the relevant descriptions instead of continuing to add languages.

Turisme de Barcelona’s dining guide provides context on Catalan cuisine, seasonal ingredients, and small plates. Your restaurant’s information cards should still be based on your own dishes; don’t use the guide to infer the proportions of visitors who speak different languages, assume recipes are uniform, or predict business results.