bistro
Americannoun
-
bistros
plural
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a small, modest, European-style restaurant or caf é.
-
a small nightclub or restaurant.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bistro
1920–25; < French bistro ( t ), originally argot, first attested in the sense “proprietor of a tavern” (1884); of obscure origin
Compare meaning
How does bistro compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A bistro is a cozy little restaurant. The word comes from Paris, of course, but there are bistros all over the world. Bistros started in the boarding houses of Paris, where landlords would serve food to the public in order to make some extra money. The history of the word itself is slippery, but it might be related to the French word bistouille, slang for “bad alcohol.” Or maybe the Russians brought it when they wanted food bystra, or fast. Who knows? We do know that a bistro is a small restaurant that grown-ups like. There’s no room for crayons.
Vocabulary lists containing bistro
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Tina Vaughn and Chip Smith, the husband-and-wife owners of Eulalie, an upscale cloth-napkin bistro in Tribeca, also forbid phone use at their restaurant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
A solution ex machina prevented it from closing, but instead of maintaining the status quo, everybody committed to leveling it up to a Michelin star-worthy bistro.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
He wants to hang a sheet from the chalet to project films into a summer open air cinema, and open a bistro where they could offer cookery classes.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
I had been driving west through downtown and stopped in Chinatown to wait out the morning congestion in a new café that used to be an old bistro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
And why was one sugar consumed first, and only then the second, like a two-course bistro lunch?
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Once associated with French bistros, upscale chicken dishes have spread across cuisines—and prices have followed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
To do so, I stay away from bistros in fancy neighborhoods, which charge too much and often cook up mediocre food.
From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026
The wrap that has quietly risen to ubiquity in café fridges, trendy bistros and airport grab-and-go kiosks.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2025
But for the mom-and-pop shops in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades — the dry cleaners, tattoo parlors, bars, bistros and stores that sold antiques, flowers, books, pottery and macaroons — the devastation is more personal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025
The diners have all been taken over by precious little bistros boasting a menu of indigenous American cuisine.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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