diff --git a/goldens/cdk/menu/index.api.md b/goldens/cdk/menu/index.api.md
index 1146342cbced..43399c063e66 100644
--- a/goldens/cdk/menu/index.api.md
+++ b/goldens/cdk/menu/index.api.md
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ export class CdkMenuBar extends CdkMenuBase implements AfterContentInit {
 
 // @public
 export abstract class CdkMenuBase extends CdkMenuGroup implements Menu, AfterContentInit, OnDestroy {
+    protected _allItems: QueryList<CdkMenuItem>;
     protected closeOpenMenu(menu: MenuStackItem, options?: {
         focusParentTrigger?: boolean;
     }): void;
@@ -110,7 +111,7 @@ export abstract class CdkMenuBase extends CdkMenuGroup implements Menu, AfterCon
     setActiveMenuItem(item: number | CdkMenuItem): void;
     protected triggerItem?: CdkMenuItem;
     // (undocumented)
-    static ɵdir: i0.ɵɵDirectiveDeclaration<CdkMenuBase, never, never, { "id": { "alias": "id"; "required": false; }; }, {}, ["items"], never, true, never>;
+    static ɵdir: i0.ɵɵDirectiveDeclaration<CdkMenuBase, never, never, { "id": { "alias": "id"; "required": false; }; }, {}, ["_allItems"], never, true, never>;
     // (undocumented)
     static ɵfac: i0.ɵɵFactoryDeclaration<CdkMenuBase, never>;
 }
@@ -146,6 +147,7 @@ export class CdkMenuItem implements FocusableOption, FocusableElement, Toggler,
     // (undocumented)
     protected _ngZone: NgZone;
     _onKeydown(event: KeyboardEvent): void;
+    readonly _parentMenu: Menu | null;
     _resetTabIndex(): void;
     _setTabIndex(event?: MouseEvent): void;
     _tabindex: 0 | -1;
diff --git a/src/cdk/menu/menu-base.ts b/src/cdk/menu/menu-base.ts
index 3fbe591977cd..6c050c81868b 100644
--- a/src/cdk/menu/menu-base.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/menu/menu-base.ts
@@ -67,12 +67,15 @@ export abstract class CdkMenuBase
   /** The directionality (text direction) of the current page. */
   protected readonly dir = inject(Directionality, {optional: true});
 
+  /** All items inside the menu, including ones that belong to other menus. */
+  @ContentChildren(CdkMenuItem, {descendants: true})
+  protected _allItems: QueryList<CdkMenuItem>;
+
   /** The id of the menu's host element. */
   @Input() id: string = inject(_IdGenerator).getId('cdk-menu-');
 
-  /** All child MenuItem elements nested in this Menu. */
-  @ContentChildren(CdkMenuItem, {descendants: true})
-  readonly items: QueryList<CdkMenuItem>;
+  /** All child MenuItem elements belonging to this Menu. */
+  readonly items: QueryList<CdkMenuItem> = new QueryList();
 
   /** The direction items in the menu flow. */
   orientation: 'horizontal' | 'vertical' = 'vertical';
@@ -107,6 +110,7 @@ export abstract class CdkMenuBase
     if (!this.isInline) {
       this.menuStack.push(this);
     }
+    this._setItems();
     this._setKeyManager();
     this._handleFocus();
     this._subscribeToMenuStackHasFocus();
@@ -178,6 +182,18 @@ export abstract class CdkMenuBase
     }
   }
 
+  /** Sets up the subscription that keeps the items list in sync. */
+  private _setItems() {
+    // Since the items query has `descendants: true`, we need
+    // to filter out items belonging to a different menu.
+    this._allItems.changes
+      .pipe(startWith(this._allItems), takeUntil(this.destroyed))
+      .subscribe((items: QueryList<CdkMenuItem>) => {
+        this.items.reset(items.filter(item => item._parentMenu === this));
+        this.items.notifyOnChanges();
+      });
+  }
+
   /** Setup the FocusKeyManager with the correct orientation for the menu. */
   private _setKeyManager() {
     this.keyManager = new FocusKeyManager(this.items).withWrap().withTypeAhead().withHomeAndEnd();
diff --git a/src/cdk/menu/menu-item.ts b/src/cdk/menu/menu-item.ts
index 3b81ffb3d740..58ed42e5b5d7 100644
--- a/src/cdk/menu/menu-item.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/menu/menu-item.ts
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ export class CdkMenuItem implements FocusableOption, FocusableElement, Toggler,
   private readonly _menuStack = inject(MENU_STACK);
 
   /** The parent menu in which this menuitem resides. */
-  private readonly _parentMenu = inject(CDK_MENU, {optional: true});
+  readonly _parentMenu = inject(CDK_MENU, {optional: true});
 
   /** Reference to the CdkMenuItemTrigger directive if one is added to the same element */
   private readonly _menuTrigger = inject(CdkMenuTrigger, {optional: true, self: true});
diff --git a/src/cdk/menu/menu.spec.ts b/src/cdk/menu/menu.spec.ts
index 27e27ba0daf9..faf38d7255c3 100644
--- a/src/cdk/menu/menu.spec.ts
+++ b/src/cdk/menu/menu.spec.ts
@@ -499,6 +499,16 @@ describe('Menu', () => {
       expect(document.activeElement).toEqual(nativeMenuItems[2]);
     });
   });
+
+  it('should not pick up items from nested menu', () => {
+    const getItemsText = (menu: CdkMenu) =>
+      menu.items.map(i => i._elementRef.nativeElement.textContent?.trim());
+    const fixture = TestBed.createComponent(NestedMenuDefinition);
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    expect(getItemsText(fixture.componentInstance.root)).toEqual(['One', 'Two']);
+    expect(getItemsText(fixture.componentInstance.inner)).toEqual(['Three', 'Four', 'Five']);
+  });
 });
 
 @Component({
@@ -667,3 +677,23 @@ class WithComplexNestedMenusOnBottom {
 class MenuWithActiveItem {
   @ViewChild(CdkMenu) menu: CdkMenu;
 }
+
+@Component({
+  template: `
+    <div cdkMenu #root>
+      <button cdkMenuItem>One</button>
+      <button cdkMenuItem>Two</button>
+
+      <div cdkMenu #inner>
+        <button cdkMenuItem>Three</button>
+        <button cdkMenuItem>Four</button>
+        <button cdkMenuItem>Five</button>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  `,
+  imports: [CdkMenuModule],
+})
+class NestedMenuDefinition {
+  @ViewChild('root', {read: CdkMenu}) root: CdkMenu;
+  @ViewChild('inner', {read: CdkMenu}) inner: CdkMenu;
+}