TL;DR — You can build a convincing speakeasy bar wall for under $200 by printing a tight cluster of period menus at home or a local shop and pairing them with simple black or brass frames. Spend on a single large anchor menu and keep the supporting pieces small and consistent.
By The Menu Press · Published October 2026
Where the money should go
The most common mistake is spreading a small budget thin across mismatched frames. Instead, put most of the budget into one larger anchor piece — a bold 1920s wine list or liner card at 16×20 — and keep the rest small (8×10 and 11×14). A single strong centrepiece does more for the room than five timid ones.
A sample $200 plan
A workable plan: one 16×20 anchor print and frame, three 11×14 supporting menus in matching frames, and a few hours of your own hanging time. Print the small pieces at home or at a local shop on matte paper, buy standard-size frames, and use cream mats throughout. The digital menus themselves are the least expensive part of the wall.
Make it read as a collection
Speakeasy walls work when they look gathered over time. Choose menus that share a mood — Prohibition-era hotels, cocktail-hour cards, liner wine lists — and frame them identically so the variety lives in the artwork, not the frames. Hang them close together, slightly lower than gallery height, so they feel intimate and bar-like.
Under-$200 shopping list:
- 1 anchor menu, 16×20, framed (the splurge).
- 3 supporting menus, 11×14, matching frames.
- Cream mats throughout; black or brass frames.
- Print small pieces at home or a local shop.
Pick a cocktail-era set and build the wall for less than one piece of new bar art. Browse the archive →
Frequently asked questions
Can I really do a bar wall for under $200?
Yes, if you anchor with one larger piece and keep the rest small and consistently framed. The digital files are inexpensive; frames and printing are the main cost.
Which menus suit a speakeasy?
Prohibition-era hotel cards, cocktail and wine lists, and bold 1920s liner menus. Choose pieces that share a dark, moody character.
Home print or shop?
Print 8×10 and 11×14 at home on matte paper; order the 16×20 anchor from a shop for the best large-format result.
Further reading
The Menu Press curates, digitally restores, and reformats public-domain menus from the Buttolph Collection of Menus, The New York Public Library, for archival-quality printing as wall art. Browse the archive · Read our story.