bistro

What it means

1. A small casual restaurant or pub, typically serving French-style cuisine.

   After an eight-month closure, the bistro, previously called Café de la Gare, recently reopened – and locals want it to stay that way.

   2026 September 13, Kim Willsher, “The battle to save the dying heart of rural France: the village bistro”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   2 more examples

   Now, a coalition of bistro owners, unions and trade organizations is lobbying to get Unesco to grant Paris's sidewalk bistros and cafes official status as France's "intangible cultural heritage."

   2018 June 16, Claire Mufson, “Paris Bistros Became Symbols of Resilience. But Are They Unesco Worthy?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 01 Mar 2024

   The rule that Christmas preparations should wait until after Thanksgiving doesn't apply to Hugue Dufour and his wife, Sarah Obraitis, the owners of M. Wells, a Québécois bistro in Long Island City.

   2023 December 4, Nina Mesfin, “The New Must-Have for Every Stocking: French Canadian Meat Pie!”, in The New Yorker, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 Jan 2024

   Synonyms: alehouse, boozer, boozing ken, bousing ken, drinker, drinkery, gargle-factory, gin joint

In a sentence

Now, a coalition of bistro owners, unions and trade organizations is lobbying to get Unesco to grant Paris's sidewalk bistros and cafes official status as France's "intangible cultural heritage."

2018 June 16, Claire Mufson, “Paris Bistros Became Symbols of Resilience. But Are They Unesco Worthy?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 01 Mar 2024

Where it comes from

1. Frenchbistro(t)
2. Englishbistro

Attested from c. 1920, from the French bistro(t) with the original meaning "proprietor of a tavern" (1880s), of unknown origin, presumably regional French dialect. See the French etymology for more.