bistro
Americannoun
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a small, modest, European-style restaurant or caf é.
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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
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:
We're speaking in the middle of the same crowded bistro, where maracas, horns, matracas, and chants almost drown out our conversation.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 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
After a Sunday matinee last month, Christopher and I had dinner a few blocks away at a bistro his wife, dancer Jennifer Locke, recommended.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
The bistro is located just a short distance from the Capitol on a block that has long met the appetites of midlevel congressional staff for fast-casual food and dive bars.
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
Together we walked a few dozen feet to a small cafe where everyone was sitting around a few small bistro tables.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
When you think of eating in Paris, bistros come to mind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 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
From West Village bistros to London brasseries, French cuisine — once dismissed as too heavy or too fussy — is suddenly what’s on everyone’s lips.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2025
Lots of hoopla and long lines for the Green Lake opening of this local gastropub chain, which owns bistros in Tacoma and Spokane.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 5, 2023
In Paris, our cab let us off in the Marais district, a place of narrow streets and sidewalks, of bistros, shops, and small hotels.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
