diff --git a/change/@fluentui-react-menu-ca4cf597-e985-4c1d-aa1d-c300ae041879.json b/change/@fluentui-react-menu-ca4cf597-e985-4c1d-aa1d-c300ae041879.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..43c62f452008dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/change/@fluentui-react-menu-ca4cf597-e985-4c1d-aa1d-c300ae041879.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "type": "patch",
+  "comment": "fix: Escape in an open Menu does not trigger tabster actions",
+  "packageName": "@fluentui/react-menu",
+  "email": "olfedias@microsoft.com",
+  "dependentChangeType": "patch"
+}
diff --git a/packages/react-components/react-menu/library/src/components/MenuPopover/useMenuPopover.test.tsx b/packages/react-components/react-menu/library/src/components/MenuPopover/useMenuPopover.test.tsx
index 178ff21ca3081b..6dcc89c06c7d9e 100644
--- a/packages/react-components/react-menu/library/src/components/MenuPopover/useMenuPopover.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-components/react-menu/library/src/components/MenuPopover/useMenuPopover.test.tsx
@@ -140,12 +140,16 @@ describe('useMenuPopover_unstable', () => {
       expect((result.current.root as Record<string, unknown>)['data-testid']).toBe('popover');
     });
 
-    it('spreads restoreFocusSource attributes onto root', () => {
+    it('spreads restoreFocusSource and ignoreKeydown attributes onto root', () => {
       const { wrapper } = makeWrapper();
 
       const { result } = renderHook(() => useMenuPopover_unstable({}, null), { wrapper });
 
-      expect((result.current.root as Record<string, unknown>)['data-tabster']).toBe('{"restorer":{"type":1}}');
+      // tabster is told to ignore Escape so the menu (which closes itself on Escape)
+      // doesn't also escape a parent groupper/modalizer
+      expect((result.current.root as Record<string, unknown>)['data-tabster']).toBe(
+        '{"restorer":{"type":1},"focusable":{"ignoreKeydown":{"Escape":true}}}',
+      );
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/react-components/react-menu/library/src/components/MenuPopover/useMenuPopover.ts b/packages/react-components/react-menu/library/src/components/MenuPopover/useMenuPopover.ts
index 5fed05c1f79f7c..be8ce713a916e8 100644
--- a/packages/react-components/react-menu/library/src/components/MenuPopover/useMenuPopover.ts
+++ b/packages/react-components/react-menu/library/src/components/MenuPopover/useMenuPopover.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@
 import { ArrowLeft, Tab, ArrowRight, Escape } from '@fluentui/keyboard-keys';
 import { useFluent_unstable as useFluent } from '@fluentui/react-shared-contexts';
 import { useMotionForwardedRef } from '@fluentui/react-motion';
-import { useRestoreFocusSource } from '@fluentui/react-tabster';
+import {
+  useRestoreFocusSource,
+  useTabsterAttributes,
+  useMergedTabsterAttributes_unstable,
+} from '@fluentui/react-tabster';
 import { getIntrinsicElementProps, useEventCallback, useMergedRefs, slot, useTimeout } from '@fluentui/react-utilities';
 import * as React from 'react';
 
@@ -129,13 +133,23 @@ export const useMenuPopoverBase_unstable = (props: MenuPopoverProps, ref: React.
  */
 export const useMenuPopover_unstable = (props: MenuPopoverProps, ref: React.Ref<HTMLElement>): MenuPopoverState => {
   const restoreFocusSourceAttributes = useRestoreFocusSource();
+
+  // Opt the menu's popover out of tabster's Escape handling. The menu closes itself on
+  // Escape; without this tabster would also act on Escape (e.g. escaping a parent
+  // groupper/modalizer) and move focus away from the trigger instead of restoring it.
+  const ignoreEscapeKeyAttribute = useTabsterAttributes({
+    focusable: { ignoreKeydown: { Escape: true } },
+  });
+
+  const tabsterAttributes = useMergedTabsterAttributes_unstable(restoreFocusSourceAttributes, ignoreEscapeKeyAttribute);
+
   const motionRef = useMotionForwardedRef();
   const baseState = useMenuPopoverBase_unstable(props, ref);
 
   return {
     ...baseState,
     root: {
-      ...restoreFocusSourceAttributes,
+      ...tabsterAttributes,
       ...baseState.root,
       ref: useMergedRefs(baseState.root.ref, motionRef) as React.Ref<HTMLDivElement>,
     },