diff --git a/src/Aspire.Dashboard/Components/Controls/AspireMenu.razor.cs b/src/Aspire.Dashboard/Components/Controls/AspireMenu.razor.cs
index 2934332ffcf..33b818f61ab 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Dashboard/Components/Controls/AspireMenu.razor.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Dashboard/Components/Controls/AspireMenu.razor.cs
@@ -114,16 +114,19 @@ public async Task OpenAsync(int screenWidth, int screenHeight, int clientX, int
 
     private async Task HandleItemClicked(MenuButtonItem item)
     {
-        if (item.OnClick is {} onClick)
-        {
-            await onClick();
-        }
         await SetOpenAsync(false);
 
         if (RestoreFocusOnItemClick && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(Anchor))
         {
             await JS.InvokeVoidAsync("focusElement", Anchor);
         }
+
+        // Item callbacks can move focus to a dialog or another control, so restore the
+        // menu trigger first to avoid stealing focus back after the callback completes.
+        if (item.OnClick is {} onClick)
+        {
+            await onClick();
+        }
     }
 
     private async Task OnOpenChanged(bool open)
diff --git a/src/Aspire.Dashboard/Components/Controls/AspireMenuButton.razor.cs b/src/Aspire.Dashboard/Components/Controls/AspireMenuButton.razor.cs
index 511444e755a..1443388f52d 100644
--- a/src/Aspire.Dashboard/Components/Controls/AspireMenuButton.razor.cs
+++ b/src/Aspire.Dashboard/Components/Controls/AspireMenuButton.razor.cs
@@ -55,11 +55,10 @@ public partial class AspireMenuButton : FluentComponentBase
     /// Gets or sets a value indicating whether focus should return to this menu button after a menu item is clicked.
     /// </summary>
     /// <remarks>
-    /// Use this for button-anchored menus because the underlying menu anchor is the element that opened the menu.
-    /// Do not use this behavior for cursor-positioned or context menus where the anchor is only used for positioning.
+    /// Focus restoration is enabled by default because the underlying menu anchor is the button that opened the menu.
     /// </remarks>
     [Parameter]
-    public bool RestoreFocusOnItemClick { get; set; }
+    public bool RestoreFocusOnItemClick { get; set; } = true;
 
     protected override void OnParametersSet()
     {
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Dashboard.Components.Tests/Controls/AspireMenuTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Dashboard.Components.Tests/Controls/AspireMenuTests.cs
index 98fe00c07a8..dcc2e92c246 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Dashboard.Components.Tests/Controls/AspireMenuTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Dashboard.Components.Tests/Controls/AspireMenuTests.cs
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public async Task DisposeAsync_RemovesFluentMenuFromMenuProvider()
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void ClickItem_RestoreFocusOnItemClickTrue_FocusesAnchor()
+    public void ClickItem_MenuButton_FocusesAnchorBeforeOnClick()
     {
         FluentUISetupHelpers.AddCommonDashboardServices(this);
         FluentUISetupHelpers.SetupFluentUIComponents(this);
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public void ClickItem_RestoreFocusOnItemClickTrue_FocusesAnchor()
         var anchor = "view-options-button";
         var itemClicked = false;
         var focusElementInvocationHandler = JSInterop.SetupVoid("focusElement", anchor);
-        var focusElementInvocationsDuringOnClick = -1;
+        focusElementInvocationHandler.SetVoidResult();
         var items = new List<MenuButtonItem>
         {
             new()
@@ -69,10 +69,7 @@ public void ClickItem_RestoreFocusOnItemClickTrue_FocusesAnchor()
                 Text = "Show hidden resources",
                 OnClick = () =>
                 {
-                    focusElementInvocationsDuringOnClick = focusElementInvocationHandler.Invocations.Count;
-                    Assert.True(
-                        focusElementInvocationsDuringOnClick == 0,
-                        $"Focus should not be restored until item OnClick completes. Actual focusElement invocations during OnClick: {focusElementInvocationsDuringOnClick}.");
+                    Assert.Single(focusElementInvocationHandler.Invocations);
                     itemClicked = true;
 
                     return Task.CompletedTask;
@@ -88,7 +85,6 @@ public void ClickItem_RestoreFocusOnItemClickTrue_FocusesAnchor()
             builder.AddAttribute(2, nameof(AspireMenuButton.MenuButtonId), anchor);
             builder.AddAttribute(3, nameof(AspireMenuButton.Title), "View options");
             builder.AddAttribute(4, nameof(AspireMenuButton.Items), items);
-            builder.AddAttribute(5, nameof(AspireMenuButton.RestoreFocusOnItemClick), true);
             builder.CloseComponent();
         });
 
@@ -96,16 +92,13 @@ public void ClickItem_RestoreFocusOnItemClickTrue_FocusesAnchor()
         cut.WaitForElement("fluent-menu-item").Click();
 
         Assert.True(itemClicked);
-        Assert.True(
-            focusElementInvocationsDuringOnClick == 0,
-            $"Expected zero focusElement invocations during item OnClick, but captured {focusElementInvocationsDuringOnClick}.");
         var invocation = Assert.Single(focusElementInvocationHandler.Invocations);
         Assert.Collection(invocation.Arguments,
             argument => Assert.Equal(anchor, Assert.IsType<string>(argument)));
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void ClickItem_RestoreFocusOnItemClickFalse_DoesNotFocusAnchor()
+    public void ClickItem_MenuButtonWithFocusRestorationDisabled_DoesNotFocusAnchor()
     {
         FluentUISetupHelpers.AddCommonDashboardServices(this);
         FluentUISetupHelpers.SetupFluentUIComponents(this);
@@ -136,6 +129,7 @@ public void ClickItem_RestoreFocusOnItemClickFalse_DoesNotFocusAnchor()
             builder.AddAttribute(2, nameof(AspireMenuButton.MenuButtonId), anchor);
             builder.AddAttribute(3, nameof(AspireMenuButton.Title), "View options");
             builder.AddAttribute(4, nameof(AspireMenuButton.Items), items);
+            builder.AddAttribute(5, nameof(AspireMenuButton.RestoreFocusOnItemClick), false);
             builder.CloseComponent();
         });
 
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Dashboard.Tests/Integration/Playwright/AspireMenuButtonFocusTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Dashboard.Tests/Integration/Playwright/AspireMenuButtonFocusTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2228dafc390
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Dashboard.Tests/Integration/Playwright/AspireMenuButtonFocusTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
+// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+
+using Aspire.Dashboard.Resources;
+using Aspire.Dashboard.Tests.Integration.Playwright.Infrastructure;
+using Aspire.TestUtilities;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.InternalTesting;
+using Microsoft.Playwright;
+using Xunit;
+
+namespace Aspire.Dashboard.Tests.Integration.Playwright;
+
+[RequiresFeature(TestFeature.Playwright)]
+public class AspireMenuButtonFocusTests : PlaywrightTestsBase<DashboardServerFixture>
+{
+    public AspireMenuButtonFocusTests(DashboardServerFixture dashboardServerFixture)
+        : base(dashboardServerFixture)
+    {
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    [OuterloopTest("Resource-intensive Playwright browser test")]
+    public async Task MenuButton_ItemSelected_RestoresFocusToMenuButton()
+    {
+        await RunTestAsync(async page =>
+        {
+            await page.GotoAsync("/structuredlogs").DefaultTimeout();
+
+            // The structured logs "Remove data" menu relies on the AspireMenuButton default for focus
+            // restoration rather than opting in explicitly, so it covers the menus that regressed in
+            // https://github.com/microsoft/aspire/issues/17656. Its items only clear the telemetry
+            // repository, so nothing else legitimately claims focus and the assertion stays meaningful.
+            // Focus after a menu closes is a browser-only behavior that bUnit can't observe.
+            //
+            // Match the fluent-button host rather than using a role locator: aria-expanded and the id
+            // used for focus restoration live on the host, while the role locator resolves to the inner
+            // shadow DOM control that only carries the aria-label.
+            var clearButton = page.Locator($"fluent-button[title='{ControlsStrings.ClearSignalsButtonTitle}'][aria-haspopup='true']").First;
+            await Assertions.Expect(clearButton).ToHaveAttributeAsync("aria-expanded", "false");
+
+            var clearButtonId = await clearButton.GetAttributeAsync("id");
+            Assert.False(string.IsNullOrEmpty(clearButtonId));
+
+            await clearButton.ClickAsync();
+            await Assertions.Expect(clearButton).ToHaveAttributeAsync("aria-expanded", "true");
+
+            await page.Locator("fluent-menu-item#clear-menu-all").ClickAsync();
+            await Assertions.Expect(clearButton).ToHaveAttributeAsync("aria-expanded", "false");
+
+            await AsyncTestHelpers.AssertIsTrueRetryAsync(
+                async () => string.Equals(await page.EvaluateAsync<string?>("() => document.activeElement?.id"), clearButtonId, StringComparison.Ordinal),
+                "Focus should return to the menu button after a menu item is selected.");
+        });
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Aspire.Hosting.Azure.Tests/AzureCosmosDBEmulatorFunctionalTests.cs b/tests/Aspire.Hosting.Azure.Tests/AzureCosmosDBEmulatorFunctionalTests.cs
index f035019581d..8269e38cfdb 100644
--- a/tests/Aspire.Hosting.Azure.Tests/AzureCosmosDBEmulatorFunctionalTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Aspire.Hosting.Azure.Tests/AzureCosmosDBEmulatorFunctionalTests.cs
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ public class AzureCosmosDBEmulatorFunctionalTests(ITestOutputHelper testOutputHe
     // [InlineData(true)] // "Using CosmosDB emulator in integration tests leads to flaky tests - https://github.com/microsoft/aspire/issues/5820"
     [InlineData(false)]
     [RequiresFeature(TestFeature.Docker)]
+    [ActiveIssue("https://github.com/microsoft/aspire/issues/18898")]
     public async Task VerifyWaitForOnCosmosDBEmulatorBlocksDependentResources(bool usePreview)
     {
         // Cosmos can be pretty slow to spin up, lets give it plenty of time.