MenuNative Get the app

Available on Android · Coming soon to iPhone

Read any menu like a local.

Snap the menu and every dish is translated right where it is written, explained, with how to eat it. Then you show your order to the waiter, in their language.

Get it on Google Play

  • Free, with ads
  • Or Premium, ad-free
  • No account
A Korean restaurant menu photographed on a table: stews, rice and noodles, grilled dishes, snacks and drinks, with their prices, written only in Korean. Before
The same menu in MenuNative, zoomed in on one column: Stews and Meals translated in place (Kimchi stew, Soybean paste stew, Bibimbap, Cold noodles in broth…), each dish numbered, its price in euros, the Korean script still visible around it. With MenuNative
Real captures of the app.

It translates it, explains it, and tells you how to eat it.

The same Korean menu, from the photo to the order.

  1. The menu

    Snap the menu.

    No need to pick the language: the app reads over 100 languages, even chalked on a board.

    The starting photo: a printed Korean menu, not one word of English.

  2. You can’t read the script

    It translates, on the photo.

    Every dish is numbered and translated where it is written. Hold “See original”: the labels step aside and the menu comes back untouched, to show the waiter or check a line.

    The translated photo, zoomed in: the sections Stews and Meals and seven numbered dishes, each on its own line with its price in euros, and the “See original” button in the photo’s bottom-right corner.
    Translated
    The same screen while “Original” is held (a finger on the button, bottom right of the photo): the labels step aside and the Korean menu reads as printed (김치찌개 ₩9,000, 된장찌개 ₩9,000…).
    Held: the original

  3. To choose at a glance

    The whole menu, as a list too.

    Switch between Photo and List at any time, at the top of the screen. The list shows each dish: translation, original script, pronunciation, converted price, one line on what it is, and filters (For me, Not spicy…).

    • Spicy, a little spicy: the dish’s usual heat.
    • Soy, Gluten: allergens in the usual recipe. An allergy set in your profile shows in red.
    The List view, with the Photo | List switch at the top, search and filters (For me, Not spicy, Spicy…), a “Good to know in Korea” card, then the Stews section: Kimchi stew (김치찌개, gimchijjigae), ₩9,000 and its price in euros, with its tags.

  4. You can read the name, but what is it? What does it taste like?

    It explains it all, and tells you how to eat it.

    What it is, the ingredients, the taste (sour, salty, sweet, hot), then how to eat it. Samgyeopsal: grill the pork belly at the table, cut it with the scissors, then wrap a piece in a lettuce leaf with garlic and ssamjang.

    The grilled pork belly sheet (삼겹살 200g, samgyeopsal): not spicy, pork, grilled; one line on what it is; then the three “How to eat it?” steps: grill the slices at the table, cut them with the scissors, dip them or wrap them in a lettuce leaf.

  5. You don’t know how to order

    Show your order to the waiter.

    Pick dishes and quantities; the waiter view shows them large, in Korean, with the total. For the rest, the country guide gives you the phrases: “not spicy, please”, “I’m allergic to peanuts”, written and read aloud.

    • Share: send the translated menu to your friends, with a link that opens in the app if it is installed, otherwise in the browser.
    The order: 2 grilled pork belly (200 g), 1 soybean paste stew, 1 soju, with quantities to change, total ₩46,000 and its price in euros.
    Your order
    The waiter view: 2× 삼겹살 200g, 1× 된장찌개, 1× 소주 in large Korean script, total ₩46,000, and “thank you” in Korean (감사합니다).
    Waiter view

Translations and explanations are AI-generated and can be wrong. Allergens shown are those of the usual recipe, not necessarily this restaurant’s: if you have an allergy, always ask the staff.

Questions

Where can I get it?

On Android, right now: MenuNative on Google Play. On iPhone, it’s coming soon to the App Store: leave your email and I’ll write as soon as it’s there. A web version is planned too.

How much does it cost?

It’s free to download, and the app stays free with ads. Premium removes the ads, at the price shown in the app, which depends on your country. The waiter view stays free. The exact rules are shown in the app.

Which languages?

Menus: over 100 languages, including Thai, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Greek and Hindi. Translations and explanations: in English, French or Spanish. Country guides (useful phrases, table customs) cover Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Korea and China for now.

Do I need an account?

No, the app works without an account.

Why not Google Lens or Google Translate?

They are great tools for everyday text. On a menu, they often translate word by word, which works poorly for dish names, and they don’t explain what is in the dish or how to eat it. Lens also replaces the menu’s text with its translation, so you can no longer show your screen to the waiter. MenuNative finds each dish where it is on the photo, without hiding the original, explains it (ingredients, heat, possible allergens, how to eat it) and prepares the screen to show the waiter, in their language. And ChatGPT? It explains, but in one block, and you have to match each answer to its line.

Can I share a translated menu?

Yes. In the app, the “Share” button at the top of the menu creates a link to send to your friends. The link opens in the MenuNative app if it is installed, otherwise in the browser, with nothing to install: they see the translated menu, with its photo, and can bring back the original. Neither your order nor your profile (allergies, language) is shared. The link lasts 30 days, and you can turn it off sooner.

What if I have an allergy?

Set it in your profile: every dish that usually contains it is flagged in red, on the photo, in the list and in your order. That is the usual recipe, not this restaurant’s: always ask the staff.

What do you do with my email?

It is only used to tell you about the launch and the beta. It is never sold or shared, and you can unsubscribe or ask for it to be erased at any time. Details on the privacy page.

Travelling soon?

MenuNative is already on Android. On iPhone, it’s coming soon: leave your email and I’ll write as soon as it’s out.

Get it on Google Play