AR cocktail menus for London bars
Show the glass, the garnish and the theatre of each signature serve before the guest orders it.
Quick answer
An AR cocktail menu lets a guest scan a QR code and see each drink in 3D, at real size, on the bar or table in front of them, with no app. London bars were among the first anywhere to try AR cocktail menus, but those were app-based. VR Express builds them on the web instead: your real serves, scanned and cleaned up by our team, opened straight from the phone's camera through Apple's AR Quick Look or Google's Scene Viewer.
Why drinks suit AR
Cocktail names say little about the drink. A 3D model shows the glass, the colour, the garnish and the size of the serve, which is often what decides the order on a long list. It also gives signature drinks a reason to be filmed and shared.
London has a history here: City Social and The Alchemist both launched AR cocktail menus in the late 2010s, through their own apps. Guests today expect not to download anything, so we deliver the same idea through the browser.
Glass, ice and liquid
Transparent glass and liquid are difficult for any 3D capture. We scan the serve and rebuild the glass and liquid surfaces in our studio so they read correctly on a phone, then keep each file light enough to open in a few seconds on a busy bar's mobile signal.
Ideas bars use it for
- A signature list of six to twelve serves, each with its own QR code on the menu.
- Seasonal or limited drinks launched with an AR preview on social.
- Brand partnerships, where a spirit brand's serve is shown in 3D.
How it works
- Onboarding call and capture kit: guide, matte mat, turntable and your own upload code.
- Dishes are scanned freshly plated in quiet hours, by your team with the kit or by us on site in London.
- Every model gets a quality pass by our 3D team (holes, glare, scale, file size), with a retake note within a day if a capture can't be saved.
- Your menu page goes live with sections, prices and allergens, plus a print-ready QR code per dish. A typical menu takes about two weeks.
See it and read the case study
Try it on your phone: open the demo menu and tap “See it on your table”. VR Express has built AR, VR and WebXR since 2015, including the AR Menu platform for restaurants and bars. Start with the overview of AR menus for London restaurants, see what an AR menu costs in the UK or compare AR and QR menus.
Frequently asked questions
Do guests need an app to see the drinks?
No. On iPhone the drink opens in Apple's AR Quick Look and on Android in Google's Scene Viewer, both from the browser. Phones without AR show an interactive 3D model instead.
Can you show glassware and garnish accurately?
Yes. Glass and liquid are rebuilt by our 3D team after the scan, because cameras cannot capture transparent surfaces well on their own.
How many drinks should we start with?
Most bars start with their signature list, typically six to twelve serves, and add seasonal drinks later with the same kit.