AR menus for London restaurants
Guests scan a QR code and see the dish on their table, at real size, before they order. No app. Your own dishes, scanned in your kitchen.
Quick answer
VR Express builds augmented-reality menus for restaurants in London and across the UK. Each dish is scanned freshly plated in your kitchen, checked by our 3D team, and published to a menu page with a QR code per dish. Guests point their phone at the table and see the dish at its real size: on iPhone through Apple's AR Quick Look, on Android through Google's Scene Viewer, with no app to install. A typical menu goes live in about two weeks.
What guests see
A QR code on the table card or next to the dish on your menu. One tap opens the dish in augmented reality, sitting on the table in front of them at its true size, so they can judge the portion, see the plating and show it to the rest of the table. Guests without AR support get an interactive 3D model instead, and the same menu page works on a laptop for people browsing before they book.
Try it now: open the demo menu on your phone and tap “See it on your table”.
Your real dishes, not stock models
Generic 3D food looks like generic 3D food. We scan your plates as your kitchen serves them: freshly plated, captured before they cool, at real scale. Capture runs on an iPhone Pro with LiDAR using Apple Object Capture, or from a guided photo set on a recent Android flagship that we reconstruct on our own workstations.
Food is hard to scan: glossy sauces, steam, white plates on white tables and fine garnish all break ordinary photogrammetry. Every dish therefore goes through a quality pass by our team, who clean up holes and glare, check the scale and keep files light enough to open in a few seconds on 4G. If a capture can't be saved, you get a specific retake note within a day.
How it works, in two weeks
- Onboarding call and capture kit: guide, matte mat, turntable and your own upload code.
- Dish captures in quiet hours, by your team with the kit or by us on site.
- Rolling quality checks on every dish, with retakes where needed.
- Your menu page goes live with sections, prices and allergens, plus print-ready QR codes for table cards.
Why restaurants use AR menus
A picture of a dish is flat and a written description is easy to skim past. Seeing the plate on the table answers the questions guests actually have (how big is it, what is in it, is it for sharing) and makes signature dishes something people film and share. It is also a launch hook: new openings and new menus get a reason for press and social coverage.
Who builds it
VR Express has built AR, VR and WebXR experiences since 2015, including the AR Menu platform for restaurants and bars. For other products, see 3D and AR product pages.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AR menu?
An augmented-reality menu lets a guest scan a QR code on the table or menu card and see a dish as a 3D model sitting on their own table, at its real size, through their phone camera. They can walk around it and look at portion, plating and ingredients before they order. It sits alongside your normal menu rather than replacing it.
Do guests need to install an app?
No. On iPhone the dish opens in Apple's built-in AR Quick Look, and on Android in Google's Scene Viewer, both straight from the browser. Guests without AR support see an interactive 3D model they can spin instead.
How are the dishes captured?
Each dish is scanned freshly plated, in your kitchen, with an iPhone Pro (LiDAR) or with a guided photo set from a recent Android flagship. You can scan with the kit and guide we provide, or we come in and do it. Every model then goes through a quality pass by our team: holes, glare, scale and texture are checked and fixed before it goes live, and anything that falls short is sent back with a clear retake note.
Is this a VR menu or an AR menu?
People search for both. Guests do not wear a headset: the dish appears in augmented reality through their phone camera. The same 3D dishes can also be used in a VR or web 3D experience if you want one later.
How long does it take?
About two weeks for a typical menu: kit and onboarding in the first days, dish captures during service-quiet hours, rolling quality checks, then the menu page and printable QR codes for table cards.
What does an AR menu cost?
Pricing is a one-off set-up (capture kit, onboarding, your menu page and QR codes) plus a fee per dish, which covers the quality pass and hosting. Request a quote with your dish count and we will size it.
Do you work with restaurants outside London?
Yes. We work across the UK and the EU; London is where we are focusing in-person captures first.