Menu in Gujarati: how to write a Gujarati menu card

A Gujarati menu card is written in Gujarati script, which looks like Devanagari without the line along the top. Gujarati menus are organized around the thali (થાળી) and farsan (ફરસાણ, savory snacks), dish names such as ઢોકળા (dhokla) and ઊંધિયું (undhiyu) are never translated, and many customers look for Jain options. Write the Gujarati names yourself, mark Jain dishes clearly, and let customers switch the rest of the menu into ગુજરાતી.

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Gujarati script on a menu

• No headline bar. Gujarati letters stand on their own, without Devanagari's line across the top. It's a separate script, so a Hindi font won't display it.
• The letter ળ appears in everyday food words: દાળ (dal), થાળી (thali), ઢોકળા (dhokla).
• Possessive endings in dish names. Gujarati links words with -નું, -નો, -ની ("of"): સેવ ટામેટાનું શાક is "sev tomato curry". English menus keep this as Sev Tameta nu Shaak, and customers recognize it.
• English spellings to keep: Dhokla, Khaman, Khandvi, Thepla, Fafda, Undhiyu, Shrikhand. Customers search for these spellings.

How a Gujarati thali is put together

A Gujarati thali is a full meal on one plate. Listing its parts on the menu helps customers who don't know it.

Useful Gujarati menu words

Example: a Gujarati menu card section

A short sample for a vegetarian Gujarati restaurant.

Jain dishes on your menu

Many Jain customers avoid onion, garlic and root vegetables such as potato and carrot. Many Gujarati restaurants offer a Jain version of popular dishes.

• Add the Jain version as a size or variant of the dish ("Regular" or "Jain"), so the order shows which one the customer chose.
• Or add a separate dish named "Jain pav bhaji", with જૈન in its Gujarati second name.
• Write what's left out in the description ("No onion, garlic or potato") so it's clear in every language.

Who needs a Gujarati menu

Your own Gujarati menu has 0% commission on every Menuthere plan.

Set up a Gujarati menu in Menuthere

1. Type the Gujarati name for each dish (every plan). Edit, say, Dhokla in Menu, tap Add secondary name and enter ઢોકળા. It's displayed beneath the English name, and travels to the cart and the order.
2. Let customers choose Gujarati (Lite). Go to Settings → Store details → Currency & Language, enable Offer other languages and choose ગુજરાતી. A customer who switches sees ઢોકળા, ખમણ and the rest as the main names.
3. Choose the opening language. Set ગુજરાતી as primary if most customers read it. Each customer's own choice is remembered on their next visit.
4. Proofread on a phone with a Gujarati reader, especially the thali description.

The Gujarati button comes with Lite at US$17 a month (rupees for Indian stores, US dollars elsewhere), and Lite has a 7-day trial that needs a card.

Good to know: because Gujarati has its own script, a Gujarati second name shows only on the Gujarati menu, not on the Hindi or Marathi one. A Mumbai restaurant offering all three still has one second name per dish, so give it the language most of your customers read.

Gujarati menu card checklist

• Thali contents listed, so first-time customers know what they get.
• Jain versions offered as a variant, with what's left out written in the description.
• Familiar English spellings kept (Dhokla, Thepla, Undhiyu).
• Seasonal dishes (undhiyu is a winter favorite) switched off when you're not serving them.
• A Gujarati reader has checked the menu on a phone.

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