Depending on the kind of party you are organizing and the guests who will be attending, the menu can be a more or less critical decision to make in the party planning process. Assuming most parties can be categorized as an appetizer/snack or a meal party, let’s see how we could put together a menu for each of them.
Appetizer Parties
Usually birthday parties happen in between meals or at night. In both cases, the type of menu we suggested had bite-sized appetizers and snacks. Finger foods don’t require silverware or plates, make less of a mess and can be more easily adapted for party themes, so it is definitely our go-to for those parties. Here are menu examples for adult and kid’s birthday parties.
Adults
- Caprese sticks
- Prosciutto Wrapped Breadsticks
- Smoked Salmon with Cucumber and Dill Cream Cheese
- Baked or air fried potato wedges
- Veggie and Hummus pinwheels
- Rosemary sea salt crackers
- Cheese board
- Nuts
- Birthday cake or a brownie tower
- String cheese
- Celery sticks
- Baby carrots (boiled for kids under 3)
- Pizza pinwheels
- Fruit sticks
- Individual popcorn bags
- Pretzels
The same goes for what we call cocktail parties. The name may sound fancy but what it means is people getting together to have some drinks and munch on appetizers. They can be wearing a tuxedo and drinking martinis or wearing sweatpants and having a beer. It doesn’t matter really. The level of sophistication will definitely affect the choices you will make for which appetizers to serve and how to present them. But the menu structure is very similar. Let’s see a couple of examples:
Fancy
Recipe by The Novice Chef
Laid Back
Recipe by Cooking Classy
- Caramelized onion and pear tarts
- Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese truffles
- Bacon wrapped dates
- Fig and Burrata with a Balsamic Glaze
- Guacamole and tortilla chips
- Hummus with celery and carrot sticks
- Air fried mozzarella sticks
- Tomato and basil bruschettas
Meal Parties
For a barbecue, lunch or dinner party, we suggest a full meal with appetizer, main course with sides and a dessert. The appetizer is usually a couple of snacks to keep guests happy before the main event. It gives them time to arrive, get settled, relax, enjoy a drink and catch up. It would be too blunt to have people sit down for dinner 10min after they’ve arrived. Now, you’re gonna ask me: but if I have a barbecue at my home during lunchtime is it a Barbecue or is it a Lunch Party? Ha. Aren’t you clever? My answer would be: it’s both. But when I say only lunch, I don’t immediately think barbecue, so if my lunch is a barbecue, I would call it a Barbecue. Does it make sense? Let me give it a try on some menus:
Barbecue
Appetizer
Main Course
Dessert
- Smoked sausage bites
- Small cheese board
- Chicken drummettes
- New York Steak
- Baby Back Pork Ribs
- Sweet corn on the cob
- Zucchini and eggplant slices
- Potato salad
- Fruit pops
- Ice cream bars
Lunch
Appetizer
Main Course
Dessert
- Celery sticks
- Hummus
- Herbed ricotta dip
- Honey glazed salmon fillet
- Brown rice
- Asparagus
- Grilled and glazed carrots
- Strawberry Trifle
Dinner
Appetizer
Main Course
Dessert
- Cheese board and crackers
- Nuts
- Cranberry apple quinoa salad
- Green salad
- Spaghetti carbonara
- Nutella cheesecake
One thing to keep in mind when planning your menu is considering your guests’ dietary restrictions or food allergies. Whenever possible, survey them so you can prepare accordingly. If you can’t be sure of everyone ahead of time, it’s always a good idea to include a vegan option among your appetizers. There are quite a few vegan appetizers that will please the most voracious carnivores among your friends. So why not?
The amounts to be served will of course vary depending on how many guests you’re inviting, if they’re adults or kids, how much they eat, the time of day etc. But you don’t have to worry about all that because that’s what our Party Plan tool is for!