In a restaurant, a menu is a printed brochure or public display on a poster or chalkboard that shows the list of options for a diner to select. A menu may be a la carte – in which guests choose from a list of options – or table d'hôte, in which case a pre-established sequence of courses is served. In the 2000s, many fast food restaurants switched to digital menus which are displayed on flat-screen LCD televisions. Digital menus can have items or prices changed without having to reprint paper menus, and as well, the screens can be used to play video commercials advertising certain menu items.

Depending on the restaurant, the menu may display a list of wines and their prices, or this information may be available in a separate brochure called the wine list. Some restaurants may also have separate menus for beer, liquor, and mixed drinks, and for desserts. In some restaurants, each menu item has a number, and the customers are asked to "order by number". Menus vary a great deal in terms of their length and the amonut of detail that they provide. In some restaurants, the entire menu fits on a single sheet of paper. In other restaurants, the menu is bound into a brochure or binder, as it contains a number of pages. A menu may be long either because the restaurant carries an extensive selection of items, because the menu has a lengthy description of each item and its preparation, or from a combination of these factors.

In addition to providing a list of the restaurant's food and drink items, menus can also be used to provide other information to the diners. Some menus describe the philosophy of the chef or owner about food and cooking; the resume of experience of the head chef and other senior chefs; the mission statement of the restaurant, and so on. "Menu" can also be used in a more general sense, as synonymous with diet, the selection of foods available generally to a particular location or culture.