The best way to add a menu to Instagram is a link in your bio to a mobile menu page, with prices, photos and a button to book or order, backed up by a "Menu" story highlight for people who never leave the app. Instagram has no dedicated menu feature, but it gives you up to five profile links, highlights that stay on your profile, and for some restaurants an Order food or Reserve button. Below I compare each option, explain why I'd avoid a PDF, and show how to connect the menu to reservations, WhatsApp orders and a QR code on the table.
Your options at a glance
| Option | What the guest sees | Good for | Weak spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF link in bio | A document to zoom and scroll | Very long menus you already have as PDF | Hard to read on a phone, annoying to update |
| Menu highlights | Photos of the menu inside Instagram | Guests who won't tap a link | Not searchable, no booking button, hard to update |
| Action button (Order food / Reserve) | A button on your profile | Orders or bookings via a partner | Needs a partner account, one button only |
| Menu page as link in bio | A phone-sized page with prices and photos | Almost every restaurant, café and bar | Needs a tool to build it |
You can combine them, and most restaurants should: a menu page in the bio, a highlight that points to it, and an action button if you already use a supported partner.
Option 1: a PDF menu link (the one I'd avoid)
It's the obvious approach because the PDF already exists. You upload it somewhere, copy the link and add it to your bio.
The problem is the phone. The UK Government Digital Service, which has thought about this more than most, explains in why GOV.UK publishes in HTML and not PDF that PDFs don't adapt to screen size, need a lot of zooming in and out and sideways scrolling, and are especially troublesome on small devices. That's exactly where your Instagram visitors are: on a phone, on the street, deciding where to eat.
There are also practical issues specific to restaurants:
- Updating it is a chore. A price change means editing the design file, exporting again and re-uploading.
- No next step. A PDF can't show a "Book a table" button next to the dish someone just decided they want.
- Heavy on mobile data. A PDF menu full of photos can be a big download for someone on the street.
If a PDF is all you have today, it's better than nothing. Just don't make it your final answer.
Option 2: the menu as story highlights
Highlights are the circles below your bio. Instagram's Help Center says stories added as highlights stay visible on your profile until you remove them, even after the original story has disappeared. That makes them a decent place for a menu people can browse without leaving the app.
How to create a menu highlight:
- Post your menu as stories: one section per story (starters, mains, desserts, drinks).
- Go to your profile and tap New (or Story highlight if you don't see New).
- Select the menu stories and tap Next.
- Tap Edit cover, choose a cover and name it "Menu", then tap Done.
To add new stories later, tap and hold the highlight and choose Edit highlight.
A clean, readable cover makes the menu highlight easy to spot next to "Reviews", "Events" or "Book". You can make a matching set with our free tool:
Free toolHighlight Cover Maker →Matching Instagram highlight covers in your colours, from 44 icons or your own text, as 1080×1920 PNGs.The limit of highlights: they're images. Guests can't search them, you can't put a booking button next to a dish, and every price change means new stories. Use the highlight as a preview, and end it with a story that says "Full menu and bookings: link in bio".
Option 3: Instagram's Order food and Reserve buttons
These still exist. Instagram's Help Center page on action buttons lists three for business accounts:
- Book now: book an appointment.
- Reserve: make a reservation at a restaurant.
- Order food: get delivery or takeaway from a business.
The fine print matters:
- Only one action button can be shown on your profile at a time.
- Each button works through a partner, and you need an existing account with that partner to select it.
- Instagram says there's a limited number of providers for now, and links to a separate page on where the buttons are available.
So if you already take bookings or orders through a supported partner, add the button. It's one tap for the guest. But it doesn't show the menu, and you have to choose between reservations and orders. That's why the menu itself still belongs in your bio link.
Option 4: a restaurant menu link in bio (what I recommend)
This is the approach I recommend to any restaurant, café or bar: a page built for a phone, with the menu on it, and that page as the first link in your bio. Instagram lets you add up to 5 links to your profile, and the first one is the most visible.
Why a menu page beats a PDF
- It reads like a website, not a document. Text wraps to the screen, no zooming.
- Prices and photos side by side. A photo answers "what is it?" before anyone has to ask.
- You change a price in a minute, and the bio link stays the same.
- Actions next to the menu. "Book a table", "Order on WhatsApp", the map and your opening hours are one scroll away.
- You can see what works. With click analytics you know how many people opened the menu and tapped "Book".
What to put on the page, in this order
- Opening hours, ideally with an "open now" indicator. It's the first question anyone has.
- Book a table: your booking link or a WhatsApp button.
- The menu, by section, with prices and a few good photos. Mark vegetarian dishes and point people to ask about allergens.
- Order: WhatsApp for takeaway, or your delivery partners.
- Map and address.
- Reviews or a short FAQ: parking, groups, dogs, kids.
Our restaurant template has almost exactly this: a WhatsApp booking button, the menu with prices and photos, a delivery link, opening hours with "open now", a map and an FAQ:
TemplateRestaurants →Table bookings on WhatsApp, your menu, opening hours and directions.Reservations and WhatsApp orders
If you already take bookings on WhatsApp, you can make it smoother with a link that opens a chat with the message already written. WhatsApp's click to chat page explains the format: https://wa.me/ plus your full number in international format, then ?text= and a URL-encoded message.
Useful pre-filled messages for a restaurant:
- Bookings: "Hi! I'd like a table for [ ] people on [ ] at [ ]."
- Takeaway: "Hi, I'd like to order for pickup at [ ]: "
- Groups and events: "Hi, I'm organising a group of [ ] people and I'd like to ask about: "
The guest taps, WhatsApp opens with the sentence ready, they fill the gaps and send. You get the date, time and number of people in the first message instead of the fifth. On a Linktotem page, the WhatsApp button takes a message written in advance and builds that link for you. For a standalone link, use our free WhatsApp link tool.
A QR code on the table
Paper menus aren't going anywhere, but a QR code on the table, the window or the receipt still earns its place: it opens the same menu page at the size of the guest's screen, and it can lead them to your Instagram and booking link for next time.
A few tips:
- Point the QR code at your menu page, not the PDF. Same reasons as above, and even more so at a table.
- Print it big enough and add a line of text: "Scan for the menu and to book your next visit".
- Use a different QR code per place (table, window, takeaway bag) if you want to know which one gets scanned. Linktotem's QR codes come with scan tracking, so you can compare.
Make one for free here:
Free toolQR Code Generator →QR codes for links, Wi-Fi, WhatsApp and contact cards, with your logo and colours. They never expire.How to add a menu to Instagram: putting it together
The setup I'd recommend for most restaurants:
- Bio link #1: your menu page, with hours, booking, menu, WhatsApp and map.
- Highlight "Menu": a few stories with the best dishes and prices, ending with "Full menu: link in bio".
- Action button: Reserve or Order food, only if you already use a supported partner.
- QR code on the tables and window, pointing to the same menu page.
One page to update, one link everywhere.
What this costs
Building a Linktotem page from the restaurant template and publishing it is free, with our badge in the footer. Starter (€5/month or €50/year, US$5/$50, after a 14-day free trial) removes the badge and adds scheduling, so a seasonal menu shows and hides on its own dates. The QR code and highlight cover tools above are free. See the pricing page for the details.
